Training of Trainers Program Launched in Tunisia
In November 2010, the Vital Voices Entrepreneurs in Handcrafts team assisted the Middle East and North Africa Program in implementing its public-private partnership initiative alongside the United States Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Chambre Nationale des Femmes Chefs d’Enterprises (CNFCE) in Tunis, Tunisia.
The public-private partnership is a groundbreaking initiative that promotes sustainable partnerships between the Tunisian government, NGOs and the private sector for the advancement of women artisan’s economic development. Ultimately, this program will result in a sustainable Center for Excellence of Women Entrepreneurs in Handcrafts, a “one-stop shop” where women entrepreneurs can address their training needs, attain business certification, access design tools and financial and export resources. Through the Center for Excellence, women entrepreneurs will be able to develop their capacity to grow their businesses, increase their revenues and expand the Tunisian tradition of women’s artisanal work to the international market, thus benefiting their local communities and the overall Tunisian economy.
As a first step in our preparation for the Center, our Entrepreneurs in Handcrafts team launched the first “Training of Trainers” (TOT) Program in Tunis, Tunisia from November 8-12, 2010. Vital Voices trained 16 Tunisian experts in the fields of finance, marketing, and design in various topics including:
- Skills and attributes of successful trainers;
- Product design and development;
- Export readiness, quality control and costing and pricing of products;
- Marketing and communications;
- Business plan development, financial management and access to finance;
- Fair trade principles and intellectual property rights.
After the launch, program participant Amel Bouchamaoui, vice president and hub executive of the CNFCE said:
“The Training of Trainers was a magnificent session… Vital Voices’ proficiency, seriousness and devotion was impressive, and I myself was very happy and appreciative of how involved and enthusiastic the participants were.”
Additional program highlights included:
- Guest Speakers: Mme Soufia Guerfali, Director of the Export Promotion Fund (FOPRODEX) at the Tunisia Export Promotion Council gave a presentation on the opportunities offered to Tunisian businesswomen and how to join the Council. Leila Belkhiri, CEO of Netway & BSB, discussed the concept and advantages of fair trade and the ways in which businesses can register. Mrs. Thouraya Oueslati, Director General of Micro-Credit, also discussed the opportunities available within Tunisia at the SME level.
- Guest Attendees: Mr. Abdelaziz Darghouth, President of CJE and Global Entrepreneurship Week(GEW) Offical Host, made a guest appearance during the training and spoke to the group about the global role and importance of the GEW in Tunisia.
- Participant Presentations: Each participant gave a 5-minute presentation on a specific topic that reflected his or her field of expertise and at the end of the presentations, the trainers provided both individual and overall feedback.
- Presentation of Certificates: On the final night of the workshop, a special ceremony was held for the participants, each receiving a certificate of completion, with Mme Faouzia Slama, President of the CNFCE, and other board members in attendance.
The participants of the TOT program will subsequently conduct similar training sessions for women entrepreneurs in Tunisia. The sessions will be tailored to Tunisian local customs and geared towards developing proficient businesswomen that are able to operate profitable SMEs in the handcraft sector.
Through the TOT, Vital Voices seeks to substantially increase the scale and impact of its program, reaching thousands more entrepreneurs and community members as a result of this model.
