Event: ILO Distance Learning Course in Business Development Services

"Business Development Services" (BDS) refers to a wide range of services used by entrepreneurs to help them operate and grow their businesses.

For three decades, governments (both national and local) and international donor agencies have recognised the importance of small business development in increasing employment and income amongst poor and low-income people. Many development projects therefore include activities to promote small enterprise development such as credit, training and business advice.

Evidence abounds that many small businesses are constrained by factors such as levels of education, poor management, weak marketing skills, inadequate technical know-how, limited access to markets, lack of information, and unreliable infrastructure.

BDS aims to address these constraints through training, consulting, marketing services, business information, promotion of business to business linkages, and other non-financial services.

Sustainability of BDS providers, and full cost recovery by charging fees to small enterprise clients, are now the watchwords for donor facilitated BDS programmes. Small enterprise consultants therefore face the challenges of designing, marketing and delivering BDS products that the market will pay for.

The course will run over 6 months and participants who pass the course are awarded a Diploma issued by the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation.