Terms of Reference for training partners on Business Facilitation Model in Puntland 64 views1 applications

Terms of Reference for training partners on Business Facilitation Model in Puntland

Background

World Vision Somalia intends to provide training to partners on Business Facilitation (BF) Model which is aimed at enriching TVET programs with specific skills of starting and sustaining small business enterprises initiated by TVET graduands. World Vision is seeking for a Lead Trainer who will facilitate a 5 days training in Garowe on dates to be agreed. The ideal candidate is expected to achieve the following objectives;

Specific Objectives

By the end of the 5 days training, participants are expected to;

1. Understand the BF Model and how it complements TVET in the Somalia context. To achieve this, the facilitator is expected to use a mix of methodologies (power point presentations, group activities, class discussions, examples from other contexts) to deliver the content while taking into consideration the social and religious operating context of WV Somalia.
2. Contextualize the model to the prevailing business environment in Somalia. The facilitator will be required to bring into perspective aspects of the BF model that can be replicated in the Somali context of a protracted humanitarian crisis. See below detailed training requirements;

The Lead Facilitator will in consultation with the WV Somalia team develop a training timetable covering the scope in the detailed curriculum.

WV Somalia’s Responsibilities

The Somalia office will be responsible for providing participants with the training manuals and any other materials required by the Lead Facilitator. The office will also cover the Lead Facilitator’s travel and accommodation expenses during the 5 days of training in Garowe.

Lead Facilitator’s Role

Deliver the training and provide a report at the end of the assignment. The facilitator will also be required to share the training materials through wetransfer link to the Project Manager in Garowe.

WHAT IS THE BUSINESS FACILITATION (BF) CURRICULUM?

The Business Facilitation curriculum is a planned educational experience, written for World Vision Business Facilitators to use in their delivery of business training sessions to groups of up to 20 entrepreneurs participating in a BF project. Its purpose is to provide guidance for these Business Facilitators as they plan and lead training classes. The curriculum addresses topics in the following main learning areas:

1. Owning a Business
2. Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur
3. Finding Your Business Opportunity
4. Building Your Business Plan
5. Marketing Your Business
6. Developing Your Product or Service
7. Managing Your Business Finances
8. Running Your Business Operations

These learning areas are covered by 23 different training sessions on key business topics, with each session designed to run for 2-3 hours. The BF curriculum introduces business principles and theory but, more importantly, uses non-formal educational activities as a way to creatively engage the whole person in the learning process. The methods in the curriculum are varied (role-playing, energizers, guided discussion, guest speakers, videos, etc.) and specifically chosen to help participants meet the specified learning objectives. Each training session is designed to include a wide variety of activities so that participants with different learning styles can all be engaged and learn at their own pace. Many activities are also accompanied by debriefing questions, meant to help guide the participants in reflection on and application of the lessons learned during the activity.

The BF curriculum aims to:

· Provide a simple, relatively standard, effective business training curriculum for use by Business Facilitators in a wide variety of contexts and with a diverse range of learners

· Be an easy-to-use, well-structured tool to aid Business Facilitators in their planning and implementation of regular group training sessions, but flexible enough for Business Facilitators to adapt to suit their local context and participants’ needs.

· Comply with World Vision’s mission and values (www.wvi.org)

· Develop holistic competencies in business owner participants (knowledge, abilities, and attitudes) which lead to changed behavioral outcomes

· Utilize resources efficiently in order to be applicable in a wide variety of contexts

· Emphasize depth of learning and competencies acquired (quality) over the amount of material covered (quantity)

COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT

In the BF curriculum, a distinction is made between “teaching results” and “learning outcomes.” Teaching results are represented by what an individual knows, understands, and is able to perform at the conclusion of the learning process, while learning outcomes are expressed in the competencies acquired. In this curriculum, the goal is for holistic competency development, with the meaning of competency expressed in the table below.

COMPETENCE = knowledge + abilities + values/attitudes

Competence is the proven capacity to appropriately use knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes in order to successfully resolve various situations.

Knowledge is the result of assimilating a set of facts, principles, theories, and practices in a particular area of interest.

Ability represents the capacity to practically apply and use knowledge in order to perform tasks and solve various situations.

Values/Attitudes represent the way an individual responds to various aspects of life. Attitudes involve emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Values are the principles which define what is important and valued in life and determine appropriate behavior.

METHODOLOGY

The BF curriculum uses the methodology of experiential education to enact meaningful, sustainable behavior change in participants.

Experiential education is a process of learning by doing which focuses on the learning process of the individual, through direct experience and focused reflection. In 1970, David A Kolb presented the experiential learning cycle, a four-stage process which brings participants from concrete, lived experience through a process of reflection and application to real life, as pictured below.[1]

In experiential learning, the role of the leader/facilitator is to create a necessary framework for the experience and to help participants reflect on what happened. It is important to note that situations are addressed from the participants’ perspectives, not the facilitator’s perspective. This type of learning stimulates students’ motivation and lets them explain a topic from their own perspective. Thus, the learning process is centered on each person as an individual. Each will draw something unique from the experience.

HOW TO READ LESSONS IN THE CURRICULUM

Training Session Topic:

General Theme:

Duration of Meeting

(estimate, based on all listed activities)

Specific Learning Objectives

After this meeting, the participant will be able to…

· *Here the learning objectives are listed for the training session. They are broken into the three parts of competency development: (K) knowledge, (A) abilities/skills, and (V) values/attitudes. These objectives lay out what par**ticipants should know, believe, and/or be able to do after attending the meeting. These become more tangible and assessable after running the program.*

Key Concepts

(Terms that should be explained or that represent important new learning concepts are listed here).

Meeting Overview

(This section offers an overview of the meeting, including the name of the activities, the non-formal educational methods used, the recommended time for each activity, and the necessary materials. This makes it easy to see what the primary “pieces” of each meeting are, so that leaders can pick & choose if necessary.)

Activities

Non-Formal Method Used

Time Required

Materials Required

1. Activity Name

Type of Method

xx minutes

Any materials needed

Description of Activities

Each activity is presented step-by-step in a way that enables Business Facilitators to achieve the learning objectives of every meeting. Business Facilitators are encouraged to adapt activities as necessary to best suit the specific needs of their group. For example, you may make an activity more simple or advanced to meet education levels as appropriate, or change case studies to reflect the local context.

1. Activity Name

Note: Explanation of what the activity’s purpose is.

Set up: What needs to be ready before the activity starts.

Facilitation: Step-by-step description of what to do to run the activity.

Possible Debriefing Questions

This section suggests the processing or de­briefing questions that Business Facilitators should use after every activity in order to achieve a meeting’s learning ob­jectives. These questions are very important to the learning process of the participants, but should be adapted based on the actual experience, not simply read from this list.

Other Ideas and Recommended Reading

Recommendations for alternative activities and any other ideas to consider are included in this section.

Bibliography

This section lists the references used in the meeting.

BUSINESS FACILITATION CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

The table below is intended to provide a quick overview of the entire BF curriculum and its content. It includes each module and meeting, as well as the learning objectives intended to be met in each meeting. These learning objectives are marked with a K, V, or A, in order to signify whether the competency development they achieve relates to knowledge, values or abilities respectively.

Also included are the suggested durations of each session, which together give a total of more than 58 training hours for the entire curriculum. As it has been designed to be flexible to local needs, Business Facilitators will need to consult with local stakeholders before determining how the training schedule should be structured (e.g. multiple sessions in large blocks of time or single sessions spread out over a longer period).

Theme

Session Topic

Learning Objectives

“After this meeting, the participants will…”

Owning a Business

1. What is a Business?

(A) Distinguish between family and business activities.

(K) Identify different types of businesses.

(K) Identify the characteristics of a business.

(K) Recognize the benefits of developing a formal business.

Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur

2. Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies

(PECS)

(K) List and describe the 10 personal entrepreneurial competencies and group them into categories.
(V) Recognize the importance of each of the competencies when starting a business.
(A) Identify entrepreneurial competencies in real-life examples.

Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur

3. Self-Evaluation of PECs

(K) Assess their personal strengths and weaknesses, according to the PECs.
(V) Recognize the importance of identifying weaknesses honestly and working to improve them.
(A) Develop strategies for improving their entrepreneurial weaknesses and building on their strengths.

Finding Your Business Opportunity

4. Business Idea Generation

(K) Define the concept “business idea.”
(V) Recognize the importance of focusing on needs around them when generating business ideas.

(V) Demonstrate creativity and innovation in coming up with new business ideas.
(A) Identify real problems/needs in their community, generate solutions to some of those problems, and consider how those solutions could be turned into business ideas.

Finding Your Business Opportunity

5. Business Idea Selection

(K) Explain the difference between a business idea and a business opportunity.
(K) Identify the three building blocks of a business opportunity: skills, resources, and market demand.

(A) Use practical techniques to evaluate the likelihood of success of business ideas.
(V) Make decisions about business opportunities in a wise and measured way.

Building Your Business Plan

6. Introduction to the Business Canvas

(K) Explain the importance of a business plan (e.g. in the form of a “business canvas”).

(K) List the pieces needed to develop a business canvas.
(V) Appreciate the importance of planning in a business.
(A) Begin working on business canvas for own business idea.

Marketing Your Business

7. Target Markets

(K) Define the concepts of target market and customer segment.

(V) Recognize the importance of matching a product/service to the needs & desires of potential customers and the local market.
(A) Identify features of the local market.
(A) Identify their own target market group/customer segments.

Marketing Your Business

8. Value Propositions

(K) Explain why a product or service needs to be specifically matched to an appropriate market in order to sell.

(V) Demonstrate appreciation for uniqueness and contextualization in products and services.
(V) Recognize the importance of listening to the needs/desires of customers and adapting the value propositions of a product/service accordingly.
(A) Use specific terms to describe the value proposition of the product or service that they offer.

Developing Your Product/ Service

9. Product/Service Development 1

(K) List the steps necessary to produce their own product or service.
(K) Define the terms production, raw materials, labor, equipment, inputs, and supply chain.
(V) Demonstrate appreciation for quality and efficiency in the development of products and services.

(V) Recognize the importance of being environmentally and socially responsible in the development of products and services.
(A) Write a production plan for their own products/services.

Developing Your Product/ Service

10. Product/Service Development 2

(K) Explain the difference between push and pull systems of inventory control.
(V) Appreciate the importance of quality control and efficiency in the production process.
(A) Apply techniques to improve their own efficiency in production of a product/service.
(A) Analyze what system of inventory management would be the best fit for their businesses.

Developing Your Product/ Service

11. Pricing

(K) Recognize the key factors to take into account when pricing a product or service.
(K) Define the terms fixed costs, variable costs, and break-even point.
(A) Set appropriate prices for their own products or services.
(A) Match price to value propositions for their products/services.
(V) Understand the importance of paying attention to competitors’ prices and customers’ reactions when setting prices for their own products/services.

Marketing Your Business

12. Marketing Mix

(K) Identify the four components of a marketing mix: product, promotion, price, and place.
(K) Define marketing strategy, marketing plan, and marketing mix.
(V) Understand the importance of marketing in the success of any business.
(A) Begin to develop a marketing strategy and marketing plan for their businesses.

Managing Your Business Finances

13. Financing Plan

(K) Explain and calculate the start-up or expansion costs for their businesses.
(K) List various options for ways to generate money to invest in their businesses.
(K) Explain the characteristics of a successful business pitch to investors.
(V) Understand the importance of being succinct, clear, and self-confident in presenting their business to investors and other sources of finance.
(A) Deliver a short introductory business pitch to a potential investor/lender of funds.

Managing Your Business Finances

14. Introduction to Cash Flow and Financial Management

(K) Explain what cash flow is and why it matters to the success or failure of their businesses.

(K) Identify & explain the 3 categories of a cash flow statement.
(V) Recognize the importance of financial responsibility and record-keeping in making a business successful.
(A) Describe a basic bookkeeping table and use one to monitor their own business financial transactions.

(A) Develop a basic cash flow statement for their businesses.

Managing Your Business Finances

15. Advanced Cash Flow

(K) Define business financial vocabulary related to cash flow projections and analysis.
(V) Understand the importance of planning ahead and finding early solutions to possible cash flow problems.
(A) Create a cash flow projection for their own businesses.
(A) Identify possible cash flow problems and implement solutions to solve those problems.

Managing Your Business Finances

16. Profit & Loss Statements

(K) Define gross and net profit and understand the importance of these numbers in a business.
(K) Explain what a profit & loss (P&L) statement is and how to read it.
(V) Recognize the value of transparency in financial record-keeping for themselves and others.
(A) Complete profit & loss statements for their own businesses.

Managing Your Business Finances

17. Balance Sheets (Advanced, Optional)

(K) Explain what a balance sheet is and its importance for business financials.
(K) Define assets, liability, equity, net worth, & debt/worth ratio.
(A) Make and analyze a balance sheet for their own businesses.
(A) Distinguish between the format and benefits of a profit & loss statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet.

Running Your Business Operations

18. Planning and Monitoring

(K) Understand the value of planning and monitoring performance in their businesses.
(K) Recognize the difference between efficiency and effectiveness in the business sector.
(V) Understand that investments they make in efficiency and effectiveness will create long-term benefits to their businesses.
(A) Explain how various financial documents and other tools can be used to plan future business activities and monitor the success of current business activities.

(A) Use a “Business Map” monitoring tool to explore their own businesses’ effectiveness and efficiency and plan for necessary changes.

Running Your Business Operations

19. Time and Human Resource Management

(K) Identify different facets of business resource management, including time management and human resource management.
(V) Understand how personal and procedural time management can benefit a business.
(V) Understand the benefits that good employees can bring to a business, as well as the importance of respectfully and carefully managing human resources.
(A) Apply principles of good management to multiple facets of their own businesses.

Running Your Business Operations

20. Risk Management

(K) Explain the components of a business risk register.
(K) List some of the common reasons that businesses fail.
(V) Understand the importance of planning alternative solutions in case of emergency or difficulty in order to be resilient as a business.
(A) Identify risks for their own businesses and develop strategies to mitigate those risks.
(A) Identify the legal and regulatory compliance needs for their businesses.

Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur

21. Financial and Business Development Services

(K) Define financial and business development services and some of the common providers thereof.
(K) Recognize the financial and business development services available in their community.
(V) Recognize their own strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur and the benefit of external assistance in business growth and development.
(A) Explain what insurance is and what benefits it brings to a business.

Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur

22. Competition and Collaboration

(K) Identify opportunities and threats for their businesses in a competitive environment.
(V) Recognize the benefits and risks of collaboration with other business owners.
(A) Analyze the possibilities for collaboration with current competitors.
(V) Understand how membership in a community business council can be beneficial to them.

Strengthening You as an Entrepreneur

23. Wrapping Up

(V) Appreciate the value of their hard work so far.
(A) Identify the next steps in transforming their plans into action.
(A) Give and receive feedback from peers on how to improve their Business Canvasses.

(A) Complete their Business Canvas in order to have a quality business planning document which will guide the development of their business and potentially be shared with investors.

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS FACILIATION TRAINING PROGRAM

Ensure the participants meet pre-requisites for the course. It is recommended that all participants in your training course meet the following requirements:

1. They are a member of the target community for the Business Facilitation project.
2. They agree to complete a baseline survey at the beginning of the course and evaluation at the end.
3. They have at least basic numeracy and literacy. (While the curriculum has been developed to suit the needs of a broad spectrum of learners in many different cultural contexts where World Vision works, this curriculum does require at least basic numeracy and literacy. Although the activities can be adjusted somewhat to suit varying literacy levels, all participants for this particular curriculum should be able to read and write figures and sentences for simple financial and business documents. Should the majority of a target group not meet this literacy criterion, an alternative curriculum may be required.)

Customize the training to your needs. World Vision’s Business Facilitation curriculum has been written in such a way as to be widely applicable in many different contexts. However, as a Business Facilitator, you are encouraged to customize it to best meet local needs. Before launching a BF project, it will be important to consider the following:

· Translation needs. Ensure all handouts are translated into the local language if needed.

· The training schedule. Research what type of schedule is likely to suit your target participants. Will most people be able to undertake a 2-3 hour class per week (plus homework and coaching), spread over 23 weeks? Alternatively, would people prefer a longer period of time together with condensed, back-to-back classes (maybe so to reduce travel)? You will need to assess what is going to work best in your community before starting the program.

· Appropriateness of session plans. Think carefully about how your group of entrepreneurs will react to the activities. If any of them seem culturally inappropriate, insensitive, too advanced, or too simple, adjust them to suit. Similarly, if you feel an activity is irrelevant to your context, or there is a need to add a topic that is important to local business development (e.g. local regulatory requirements), please modify your session plan accordingly. As long as your project follows 80% of the BF topics, and includes at least 50 hours of training across the topics, it meets the minimum standards of a World Vision Business Facilitation project.

· Timing of activities to suit participant needs. If you find that your group is moving more slowly than the time estimates listed in the curriculum, that’s okay. It is more important for participants to learn half the information well, rather than to try and cover everything in the lesson and not have true comprehension. You can always split meetings in half, and return to the same topic at the next training session. Or, organize a coaching session for those who are finding a topics particularly challenging. Likewise, if your group is going faster than expected, feel free to end early or add additional review and practice activities. Don’t drag things on for the sake of time – move at the pace of your learners. (Please also share your local improvements with the Business Facilitation Global Champion, as they may be of use to others).

Provide each participant with a BF course folder. As new handouts are provided during each session, and many will be referred back to throughout the course, give everyone a folder or binder on Day 1 in which they can keep their handouts and worksheets in an organized way. (Perhaps consider including dividers to separate different topics.) Encourage the participants to keep this folder up-to-date and bring it with them to all training sessions.

Reinforce key messages every session. There are a few points that you should reinforce in every class to ensure that the participants get the most of the training, and which will help keep the course organized and on-track. These reminders include the following:

· Keep all handouts and bring them every week! Remind participants to keep their handouts and worksheets in the provided folder and bring it to every session so that they can refer to them when necessary.

· Work on their Business Canvas every week! After the Business Canvas is introduced in Session 6, encourage participants to develop their Business Canvas outside of classes, based on what they have learned and decided to do for their business.

· Ask for further coaching on the topic if needed! See below.

SUPPORTING GROUP TRAINING WITH TAILORED COACHING

Since World Vision’s Business Facilitation project model was created several years ago, the value in offering responsive, personalized business coaching to individuals has been recognized. By giving business owners the opportunity to ask specific business-related questions they have at any point in time, Business Facilitators’ coaching services have helped many businesses survive and grow.

The introduction of this business curriculum for training business owners in groups will allow World Vision’s Business Facilitators to support the progress of more businesses than ever. The delivery of foundational business knowledge and skills through the structured but adaptable group training sessions in this curriculum will not only achieve efficiencies in terms of building common business competencies across multiple business owners in one session, but will also help grow important peer networks.

In applying new knowledge, values, and abilities to their business, owners will inevitably continue to come across questions that require further guidance. Therefore, coaching that responds to specific needs remains an important aspect of the BF project model. Where possible, small peer group sessions on a shared theme rather than one to one meetings are encouraged. For this important function, Business Facilitators should be prepared to discuss all topics in the curriculum in more depth, and provide practical advice around each to a range of businesses. In doing so, Business Facilitators should also help connect business owners with other training, coaching, mentoring or networking opportunities, as relevant to the client’s specific technical needs.

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF BUSINESS FACILITATION

This curriculum has been developed based on lessons learned from past World Vision Business Facilitation projects, combined with best practice approaches for building capacity of micro and small business. As Business Facilitation is an evolving project model, it is important to continually improve its quality and relevance. Therefore, feedback on this training curriculum from users is highly valued. Please contact the Business Facilitation Global Champion, Jennifer Bartlett, ([email protected]) to share your suggestions or questions.

[1] Graphic from McLeod, Saul. „Kolb’s Learning Cycle.” http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html