Refresher training for selected SIYB Master Trainers in China: to equip the trainers with new tools and knowledge in the new context to better serve start-ups

The ILO collaborated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China to hold a refresher training for SIYB Master Trainers to update them on new SIYB tools and adaptions, discuss recent global trends and developments and exchange on achievements in China.

Press release | Yinchuan, China | 28 October 2019
Master Trainers at the workshop
BEIJING (ILO News) – A refresher training for selected Master Trainers of the Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) was held in Yinchuan, China from 25-27 October 2019, aiming at updating Master Trainers and the ILO’s partner institutions in China on new global trends, developments, and opportunities as well as new materials and SIYB adaptions.

Technical Officer of the ILO is presenting new tools to the participants
First developed in the 1980s, SIYB has evolved over the years. However, new trends and challenges influence the way support services are delivered to entrepreneurs and small enterprises. Furthermore, the question arises on how to use technology to better serve enterprises and how to help entrepreneurs to develop necessary digital skills in an increasingly digital world of work. The needs of greening enterprises and social enterprises are urgent to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, to reflect these modern thinking and adapt to different contexts, target groups and new challenges, SIYB manuals were revised in 2015 and the online platform “Gateway” was developed as a monitoring system for SIYB implementation.

When the ILO launched its SIYB program in China in 2000, the sustainable implementation of the entrepreneurship training program was of central importance…In China, the timing was right and the soil was so fertile that the SIYB seed planted by the ILO 19 years ago has grown into a mature and beautiful tree full of juicy fruits."

Dragan Radic, Head of Small Enterprises, Enterprises of the ILO
In particular, the workshop is of great significance to be held in China. On one hand, a large part of the global SIYB network of trainers and Master trainers is located in China: 191 out of 380 SIYB Master Trainers and about 51,000 out of 64,740 SIYB Trainers in the world are from China, making China a focus country for SIYB. On the other hand, more than 10 million entrepreneurs and potential start-ups have been trained through SIYB in China between 2011-15, resulting in the creation of 1.9 million new businesses and 3.9 million jobs in new and existing businesses. Hence, to equip Master Trainers with new tools and knowledge in the new context is essential and will benefit the whole society.

ILO officials and the SIYB China mascot
The training gathered 35 key Master Trainers, representatives of partner institutions in China, and ILO specialists in SIYB, as well as ILO officials from both headquarters and Beijing office to discuss new SIYB tools, adaptations, and global trends. Moreover, it reinforced the capacity of Master Trainers on the technical content of SIYB to ensure continuous high-quality training delivery. The workshop also strengthened dialogue between the ILO and its partners on SIYB delivery and provided a platform to discuss further cooperation in China in the future.