By KB Mpofu
As part of efforts supporting the transition from informal to the formal economy in Zimbabwe, 60 young entrepreneurs from Bulawayo on Friday completed a four-day face-to-face training on the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Start Your Business (SYB) module.
The training was facilitated by the Junior Achievement Zimbabwe (JAZ) with assistance from 14 Bulawayo-based mentors,who earlier this year underwent a training of trainers’ workshop by the ILO.
Conducted under strict adherence to government’s Covid-19 regulations, the training was spread across four different venues at Old Pumula, Isilwane Youth Centre, Pumula South and Pumula North.
“For SYB, we targeted 60 participants in Pumula and Hyde Park. Because of the size of the venues and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we looked at venues that are big enough to accommodate people, but also in smaller numbers.
‘We tried to avoid having participants who are young people to be moving long distances, so it’s trainings that are being done in their communities,” said John Kennedy, a coordinator at JAZ.
The SYB is a training programme for potential entrepreneurs who have a feasible business idea for their own small enterprise.
The training helps in developing a detailed business plan and to actually get started.
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With an estimated outreach in over 100 countries, the programme also provides an opportunity to test the required entrepreneurial skills and the business plan in a simulated and safe environment.
At the end of the training, the young people will develop business plans to be considered for funding by JAZ through support from Plan International under the Safe and Inclusive Cities project.
“The same 60 young people targeted form part of the Safe and Inclusive Cities project,” Kennedy added.
With the majority of youths struggling to get jobs, it is expected that the training will improve business performance by young people after acquiring these business management skills.
