ILO Entrepreneurship & Skills Development through Green enterPRIZE 2017-2020

The project was implemented between November 2017 and 30 June 2021. The period includes a six-month no-cost extension up to 30 June 2021. During this period, the initiative supported green and growth-oriented small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), stimulated the market for green products and services through expansion of access to relevant skills, and the greening of existing enterprises. The project was implemented under three components. Under component 1, through an extensive multi-stakeholder consultation process, the project facilitated the greening of vocational, technical and professional training institutions and their curricula to produce skilled green collar workers in two prioritized economic sectors - renewable energy and climate smart agriculture. With the support of a government inter-ministerial task force, coordinated by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (MHTEISTD) and a team of curriculum development consultants, the project completed the development of five new training programmes for a green economy namely: o Domestic Solar PV Installation and Maintenance o Biogas Systems Installation o Solar Sales and Marketing o Solar Agro-Processing o Climate Smart Market Gardening The trainining courses are examinable at National Certificate, Level 4 and were validated and ratified by the MHTEISTD, National Manpower (NAMACO) and the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO). The project also enhanced the capacity of 30 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and community-based institutions to deliver these training programmes for a green economy. Under component 2, the project identified and supported green and growth-oriented enterprises through a series of three (3) business competitions using the Green enterPRIZE Innovation Challenge model. There were 796 submissions from emerging and new entrepreneuers from across Zimbabwe and more than 600 of them received capacity development to further develop their green business ventures. Subsequetly, 83 winners and runners-up (42% female; 32% rural based and 11% entrepreneurs with disability) made it through to the final rounds of the challenge. They then accessed financial and non-financial Business Development Services (BDS); 634 (45%, female) non-winners accessed face to face (prior to the Covid 19 pandemic outbreak and lockdown measures), online and radio-based training services (during the lockdown period). In addition, a network of private BDS providers was consolidated and trained on how to foster green growth to create sustainabilty beyond the project period. Under component 3, the project implemented the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) productivity and work place cooperation programme with national institutions and training service providers thereby enabling them to deliver SCORE productivity and resource efficiency programme to enterprises in 2019 and 2020. The component saw the establishment of Enterprise Improvement Teams responsible for the implementation of a range of continuous improvement projects in each enterprise. A total of seven national trainers were certified during the project period while three trainers were still undergoing a Trainer-of Trainers course by the end of the project. Thirty-four SMEs participated in the SCORE training, reaching out to more than 2 000 staff (63% workers) working in these 34 companies. The SCORE trainers registered the Zimbabwe Productivity and Continuous Improvement Centre in early 2021 to support the continuous provision of SCORE training services in a coordinated manner and in collaboration with the ILOs partners and other business organizations beyond the life time of the project.

The Green EnterPRIZE Innovation and Development in Zimbabwe Project 2017 - 2020's overall objective is to contribute to Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) growth and creation of more and better jobs for women and men through gender equal skills development and sustainable Enterprises. The intervention has three immediate objectives, namely: (1) Increased number of young men and women with green technical and entrepreneurial skills start economic activities in the green economy; (2) Innovative green and growth-oriented male and female owned micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) access financial and non-financial business development services and grow their businesses; and (3) SMEs have greener management practices and improved gender equality and work place cooperation.