Planning for entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh

The entrepreneur development is an important issue in Bangladesh. History says that Bangladeshi are more interested in farming and fishing than   venturing business. so its very difficult to develop entrepreneur quality  from senior family members. Most of the person went to business without any choice available.  Which lead to a business failure? The academic education mainly prepares a person for doing risk free jobs rather a risk taking entrepreneur.

The aim of this project is to develop person inherent entrepreneur quality and continue support for becoming a successful entrepreneur by creating a entrepreneur resource centre.

The propose resource centre will consist of following functional units:

1.      library: a) publications b) Data

2.      Collections of information, linking of information, analysis of information and creating economic value of such information’s(regular and on demand)

3.      disseminating information’s which will help entrepreneurs and their concern persons

4.      Advisory and counselling.

5.      Conduct training for entrepreneurs

6.      Networking among persons, organizations and authorities concerning entrepreneurs and their developments

7.      Highlighted and draw attentions to GOB, BB and others regarding issue of entrepreneurs.

8.      Creating regional resource centre and developing local resource persons.

Steps for creating a resource centre for entrepreneurs:

•          Building on initial feasibility study and need assessment, develop program for entrepreneurship development in the present context. Survey and research will be integral part to ensure highest effective methods and tools are used. 

•          Develop suitably adapted training packages for people with a range of capacities and expectations focusing on key SMEs and self employment sectors in their area

•          Deliver training through a fully accessible Resource Centres, to be established as part of this initiative

•          Create opportunities for transforming a good idea into an earning venture and provide linkages to market and financial institutions with up-to-date information.

•          Coordination among the entrepreneurs, educational Institutes, policy makers, market and FIs 

•           Set up Gateway, and support entrepreneurs to build links with financial institutions, market and community stakeholders in order to access opportunities for self employment by establishing and developing enterprises.

Structure of Resource centre

One stop crisis centre to serve on demand

Information centre with library and data bank

Entrepreneurs’ Gateway                                               

Structure of Entrepreneurship Development Program

R&D

•          Design of training curriculum, specifically in locations targeted participants, explore the possibility of leveraging existing internal resources for the program

•          Assistance with marketing and fund raising events, creation of external resource linkages

Pre start-up

•          Pre-incubation program for the potential entrepreneurs

Start-up                     

•          Incubation program for the young entrepreneurs

The Needs

•          Entrepreneurship as a global issue

•          National context of entrepreneurship

•          Limitations of existing response

The Opportunity

•          Access to Entrepreneurs:

•          Access to economic wealth

•          Access to social capital

•          Access to rights and ensure dignity

Sectors

–        Trading:

–        Production:

–        Value addition and services

GOAL

To support people to access better and more diverse opportunities for self employment by establishing new and developing existing SMEs.

OBJECTIVES

•          To develop suitably adapted training package that will  be delivered training in accessible spaces, i.e. easily accessible Resource Centres, where everybody including people with disabilities will have access to adaptive technology and comprehensive one to one support

•          To ensure people have access to career counselling and work plan during their training and are provided with market and funding linkages

•          To promote greater employment of people in the SMEs sector by promoting entrpreneual culture among the stakeholders

•          To raise awareness of successes, share best practice and ultimately change attitudes to entrepreneurship

PHASE ONE OF IMPLIMENTATION

Deliverables and targets

•          Develop training packages designed to offer candidates a structured learning pathway into their chosen SMEs or self employment sector

•          Identify, screen and select the first ‘intake’ of the pilot program

•          Deliver pilot program to 200 candidates and support them to start and manage new ventures.

•          Set up the Gateway to register and match participants to opportunities available

•          Organise networking events - for potential and young entrepreneurs to meet potential funding sources, market actors and community stakeholders

•          Hold seminar and sharing meeting with local/regional/national policy makers, educational institutes, market actors, financial Institutes and community stakeholder

•          Raise awareness of the program achievements through the media

•          Conduct Phase 1 review; feeding back recommendations for Phase 2

PHASE TWO OF IMPLIMENTATION

Deliverables and targets

•          Set up Resource Centres; recruit centre staff and equip centres with adaptive technology and accessible workspaces

•          Refine and update training packages following practical experience of delivering them in Phase 1

•          Deliver training to 500 participants and support them to undertake new ventures

•          Deliver training to 200 participants and support them to develop existing ventures

•          Carry out follow-up meetings with participants from the first intake of pilot, to support them as they start new ventures and set up their businesses.

•          Set up the Entrepreneurs’ Gateway

•          Organise further networking opportunities

•          Hold enhanced seminars/sharing with the local/regional/national level to meet beneficiaries, hear about their challenges/successes and share best practice from the Entrepreneurs pilot program

•          Share successes through media campaigns and case studies

•          Conduct Phase 2/ end of project impact evaluation, developing best practice materials for circulation to the public, private and third sectors. 

•          Finalise plan to roll out programme and seek support from corporate sponsors, charities and international development aid organizations

•          Compile final report and organise meeting to showcase successes of flagship.

Action Plan

Component

Phase 1

Phase 2

Year 3

Develop training packages

Screen & select candidates (1st intake)

Deliver training

Set up Access to Entrepreneurs Gateway

Facilitate employment linkages

Follow up visits

Monitoring and Evaluation

Build sustainability: share best practice with CHRSD livelihood programmes as well as public, private and NGO sector

Refine training packages

Deliver training

Establish Resource Centres

Screen & select candidates (2nd intake)

Setting up Entrepreneurs Gateway

Facilitate professional linkages

Follow up visits

Screen & select candidates (3rd  intake)

Deliver training

Facilitate employment linkages

Follow up visits

Monitoring and Evaluation

Sustainability: highlight success in media, promote government buy in and attract further funding

Budget

Breakdown ($)/ Year 1	Travel	Salaries	Admin/ Overhead	Educational Materials	Tech/ Equip	3rd Party Services*	Other*	Total
1. Develop & deliver training packages	8,350	25,700		51,200	12,150	3,130	2,900	103,430
2. Establish and maintain Livelihood Resource Centres		11,000	34,400		12,550			57,950
3. Set up Access to Entrepreneurs Gateway and create linkages to wage and self employment		15,300		12,000	7,950		16,800	52,050
4. Monitoring and Evaluating			12,000			5,570		17,570
Year 1 Total	8,350	52,000	46,400	63,200	32,650	8,700	19,700	231,000
Breakdown ($)/ Year 2	Travel	Salaries	Admin/ Overhead	Educational Materials	Tech/ Equip	3rd Party Services*	Other*	Total
1. Develop and design training packages	16,600	27,100		19,500	19,600	3,400	2,900	89,100
2. Establish and maintain Livelihood Resource Centres		13,200	26,750					39,950
3. Set up Access to Entrepreneurs Gateway and create linkages to wage and self employment		16,630		16,450	7,980		30,900	71,960
4. Monitoring and Evaluating			12,000			5,990		17,990
Year 2 Total	16,600	56,930	38,750	35,950	27,580	9,390	33,800	219,000
Overall Total	24,950	108,930	85,150	99,150	60,230	18,090	53,500	450,000

*Budget Notes

Cost for training, creating external and internal linkages is USD 600 per person trained during the pilot.

3^rd Party Services: Capacity building of project staff by external trainers and evaluation by external consultants

Other: Total $53,500 is split as follows:

1. Component 1 - Development of accessible material on local employment opportunites     : $5,800
2. Component 3; total $47,700 broken down as follows                                    
1. Creating linkages with local business, financial institutions, community stakeholders  : $16,490
2. Supporting candidates to attend training and work placements/apprenticeships     : $21,290
3. Sharing best practice with policy makers and in the media                                                : $9,920

Project Sustainability

CHRSD will ensure sustainability of the project by:

•          Integrating learning: CHRSD aims to roll out comprehensive Livelihood programmes, modelled on the Access to Entrepreneurs pilot, in over 50 countries around the world.  In the second year of the pilot it will begin draw out key leanings and absorb these into programme plans and budgets for its six regions including the Americas, East & North Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, East Asia & Pacific and South Asia. 

•          Promoting government buy in: CHRSD will look to promote the widest possible use of training packages developed in this pilot, by actively sharing best practice with other training providers in the public, private and NGO sector.  In particular, CHRSD will be engaging with policy makers from local and national government throughout the pilot and anticipate that in many locations, the State will consider subsidising components of the Access to Entrepreneurs programme or the Livelihood Resource Centres in recognition of their wider benefit to mainstream society

•          Leveraging funding: CHRSD already has significant experience of leveraging its donor funding to attract further support for its programmes.  Recent examples include: leveraging Microsoft support for their ‘Discover IT’ Centres to raise a further $180,000 from the City Bridge Trust, and accessing $450,000 from Alliance Boots to supplement a Big Lottery Fund grant that is assisting disabled people to access non-verbal forms of communication. In the same way, CHRSD will look to leverage Accenture’s support by attracting international/intergovernmental donors as well as other companies, foundations and individual donors, by highlighting the success of this pilot through awareness raising programmes and in the media.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Some of the quantitative and qualitative indicators that will be applied for the evaluation of the project are as follows:

Year of Measurement/ Metric (Quantitative)	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
5 Livelihood Resource Centres set up	✓
12 suitably adapted training packages developed	✓
750 disabled people identified to take part in the Access to Entrepreneurs pilot	✓	✓
12 events organised for candidates to network with potential employers, financial institutions and community stakeholders	✓	✓
At least 80% of  candidates successful in completing training	✓	✓
At least 80 to 85% of candidates across all pilot locations successfully linked to  employment/ self employment opportunities	✓	✓	✓
Metric (Qualitative)
Changes of policy at local/national/regional level		✓	✓
Changes in attitude to disabled people – e.g. case studies/ personal accounts	✓	✓	✓
Improvement in quality of life for disabled people	✓	✓	✓

Independent Monitoring

Independent consultants, based locally, will carry out a parallel evaluation which will be checked against the results from the pilot, as measured by those running the pilot programme.

Conclusion

The Access to Entrepreneurs pilot is expected to prove that the provision of suitably adapted training packages, delivered alongside life skills training and supplemented with work experience opportunities, will significantly improve disabled people’s chances of finding meaningful employment.  CHRSD’s experience is that, once this has been achieved, many benefits will follow, such as greater economic empowerment, more personal confidence and a stronger voice in society.  This proposal is for the Global Giving program to play a key role in launching this initiative in South Asia, bringing to disabled people a new perspective on the practical possibilities of generating sustainable entrepreneurs. We would see this proposal bringing new opportunities to people who have long been excluded from mainstream economic activity by prejudice about their abilities and in many cases assumptions about their allotted role in society.