SBDC Training Empowers Women Entrepreneurs
BELTRAIDE, through its Small Business Development Center Unit, with funding support from a regional organization that assists micro, small and medium enterprises and United States of America, is implementing a project entitled ‘Regional Training and Certification Program for S.B.D.C.s in Central America’. The three-day training workshop is being held under a component of the project that aims to empower women entrepreneurs by creating equal access to opportunities. Today, we stopped in at the workshop where we spoke with Nilda Riverol of the S.B.D.C. about the training.
Nilda Riverol
Nilda Riverol, Manager, SBDC, BELTRAIDE
“They are here to transfer a methodology for specialized services for women entrepreneurs. So, the objectives of this week’s training is to transfer the methodology through the provision of tools and different aspects to ensure that our business advisors and different participants are familiar with the methodology and how it can be integrated in the context of the functions that they have. The methodology integrates different stages of interventions that are provided for women that are in business, whether they are in business, whether they are starting a business or already operating a business. But the focus is to focus on those enterprises that tend to be dynamic and innovative because what we want to do is to take them to the next level. So, the methodology is very structured and specialized so that we can be able to provide them with the relevant tools and the relevant support, but more importantly, how can we connect these enterprises led by women that may exist within the eco-system. During the implementation of the methodology, we are doing a call for proposals where we will be doing a pilot with a specific number of women entrepreneurs. We are going to put them through the specialized services and it will result, for example, in access to financing if that is their need. Because we also have to consider that during the process we have to do an assessment of what is the need because some of them might at the point where they are growing their business and what is it that they need. It might not be only financing, it may be training or it may be other opportunities like identifying markets that have a demand for their services. Access to financing will be one of the components to be addressed in the implementation of this specialized methodology.”
The transfer process will conclude with the implementation of the women entrepreneurship service from August to October, 2018.
