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Terms of Reference for ToT Delivery and certfication program for Existing BDS Providers

ABOUT FIRST CONSULT

First Consult is a leading economic development consulting firm implementing projects in Ethiopia. Founded in 2006, First Consult (FC) has grown to design and implement projects across the agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors. Our multidisciplinary teams combine a capacity to execute with clarity of the local context. As a result, we have delivered at-scale real impact in terms of jobs creation, business formation, business growth, and investment attraction and mobilization.

MESMER PROGRAMME

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Recovery and Resilience Program (MESMER) is a 5-year program launched in October 2022 to support 72,200 MSMEs (including start-ups and informal enterprises) and 410,800 jobs by creating access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to realize their growth prospects and resilience. MESMER will also work to provide support to MSMEs through business development support, psychosocial services, and technical assistance to financial institutions. MESMER is a countrywide program implemented by First Consult in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundations Young Africa Works strategy and will strive to create dignified and fulfilling work for the youth, most of them women.

The project will mainly be following a four-pronged approach to meet its objectives: a) Grants and soft loans to MSMEs through a risk-sharing liquidity fund arrangement, b) Technical assistance to financial institutions, c) Business development services and life skills, d) Psychosocial support. The FDRE Ministry of Labour and Skills will be the main government counterpart for the program. Other partners include financial institutions (micro finance institutions, banks, and digital financial service providers), BDS, and psychosocial support providers.

BACKGROUND OF TOT DELIVERY AND CERTFICATION PROGRAM

To support sustainability and scale of BDS delivery for enterprises, the MESMER program has designed a capacity-building program for existing BDS providers and government Officers who are providing similar services to enterprises. It has been identified that the experts in local Universities, TVETs/ATVETs, and Bureau of Labor and Skills at the regional and Woreda level are engaged in supporting MSMEs to grow their businesses through training and advisory services. Therefore, it is very critical to enhance the capacities of these experts who are enthusiastic about MSMEs growth and support them to render a customized and standardized BDS through advisory and training services.

The ToT and certification program will be implemented in Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Benishangul, Central Ethiopia, Dire Dawa, Gambella, Hareri, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, South Ethiopia and Southwest regions. To ensure the selection of suitable participants for the ToT, a critical selection mechanism will be established and clearly defined and approved during inception report. This mechanism will prioritize individuals who are most likely to benefit from the advanced training and have the potential to acquire regional-level certification through the replication of the ToT to MESMER registered enterprises in their localities.

Given that the focus of the MESMER program is on access to finance, the ToT will primarily revolve in enhancing bankability of the enterprises. However, it will also include additional modules on entrepreneurial competencies and facilitation skills. These additions are essential as BDS trainers need to possess and practice effective facilitation skills to implement interactive and participatory learning sessions.

Trained experts will play a crucial role in delivering MESMER's BDS training to startups and MSMEs nationwide. At least 500 potential Business Advisors/Experts will undergo a comprehensive training and certification program to provide support to 30,000 enterprises. Each advisor will offer BDS advisory services to 15 enterprises over a three-month period, aiming to become a certified regional trainer within a year. These services will encompass group training and one-on-one coaching, with the objective of guiding businesses through various stages of transformation and growth.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this assignment is to identify renowned and experienced service provider(s) with the necessary capacity to deliver Business Development Services (BDS) ToT and manage certification program. The service provider will be responsible for certifying and enhancing the capacities of regional BDS experts who work at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions/ colleges, universities, and the Bureau of Labor and Skill (One Stop Shops). The focus of the training will be on financial management, entrepreneurship, and facilitation skills. The goal is to equip the regional BDS experts with the knowledge and skills required to replicate these trainings to enterprises registered under MESMER program. Once these experts successfully replicate the training, they will be certified as regional BDS advisors.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

The service provider is expected to bring its experience and knowledge to complete the following tasks:

1. Design the ToT and revise training manual.

Design the ToT with the specified scope incorporating relevant toolkits, case studies, contents, methodology, and certification program.

Revised existing ToT manual focusing on financial management, advanced entrepreneurship, and facilitation skill (there could be a possibility of using existing manual from partner organization in which case only customization will be required)

Incorporate a facilitator guide to ensure uniform ToT delivery.

Clearly indicate the proposed number of days to conduct the ToT in addition to indicating the required training setups (maximum 25 participants per class) and relevant resources.

Design successful completion criteria for participants to be certified (recommended to incorporate practical assignments with enterprises as part of the certification requirement). In addition to providing ToT training for regional experts, design journey for certification for regional level of BDS advisor through incorporating field level MSMEs support.

2. ToT participants/trainee selection.

Develop an approach to conduct a successful selection of relevant experts who will be receiving ToT (minimum target of 35% - 40% women participation)

Ensure the participation of all three institutes (TVETs/ATVETs, Universities, and Bureau of Labour and Skill/OSS) in the respective regions to take part in the ToT

Conduct announcement to call relevant applicants, screening and interviewing to select potential trainees to participate in the ToT

3. Conduct ToT with subsequent certification.

Delivering a three-day BDS ToT for target participants by considering the context of MESMER and its youth and women-focus and inclusive approach

Conduct filling out baseline data to profile the existing situation of the experts to also ease the monitoring and evaluation activities.

Support participants to fill out session evaluation tools whenever relevant.

4. Design and implement certification scheme.

Design effective follow-up and implement for trained experts to support them in implementing newly gained knowledge through the certification package (e.g., placing of trained experts to advise enterprises as part of certification)

Certifying participants passing through the ToT and based on the attainment of all the necessary requirements.

5. MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning)

Provide regular reports, in a manner and frequency required by the programs MERL system.

Support in organizing various surveys and onsite visits as and when required.

Communicate results, follow up outputs, and so on with BDS lead through reporting and other communication methods.

6. The assignment will be implemented in collaboration with different stakeholders. The service provider is expected to work together with the selected stakeholders and leverage potential resources from those implementing similar work.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAMES

The minimum deliverables are listed in the table below. The regional distribution/target for the BDS ToT delivery will be provided by MESMER. The ToT provision could happen in rounds or simultaneously in different regions/location. The ToT implementation is planned to commence in May 2024 during which all preparatory works are expected to be completed.

BDS Provider Qualifications

The service provider is expected to have:

A minimum of 7 years of experience, knowledge, and skill in BDS ToT provision and facilitation skills

Experience and familiarity with MSMEs ecosystem

Experience in leading capacity building and certification programme

Excellent analytical, technical, and conceptual knowledge of business management and grasp of business management principles and practices

Certified in training, business coaching, or specific areas of BDS.

Regional existence and possess a team who are familiar with local contexts and can communicate in the local languages of the several regions.