Page Content 2016-09 eiNewsletter  joint Newsletter of the Networks e+i and A&FS 
Dear members of the e+i and the A&FS network, We are very happy to present you with this year's first edition of our joint newsletter and wish you good reading.
Peter Beez Felix Fellmann
Focal Point e+i Focal Point A+FS
e+i Reminder: Support by external experts SDC e+i network members can use various experts up to one day of work (no bureaucracy, just inform the FP e+i) for thematic support such as commenting on documents like TORs, webinar on approaches and methodologies, brief literature overview on a certain topic, etc. If you need more time, ask ahead, maybe it is of general interest for the network:
Support PSD / FSD
Support VSD
Luca EtterHQ Program Manager in SDC’s Global Institutions division, focusing on private sector and development finance
What do you love about your work, what is special about it?
Working on private sector issues in the multilateral arena is extremely enlightening, as it shows that all development actors struggle with the same questions. We all agree that the private sector needs to play a much more important role in financing and implementing the SDGs, however, few of us know exactly how this can be done best. I therefore get to see a lot of trial and error, many innovations, and get to discuss these issues with brilliant people from all over the world.
Which is/ are your favourite instrument, s?
I particularly enjoy talking to and working with social entrepreneurs in developing countries. There are so many brilliant people with brilliant ideas out there that are promoting very unconventional approaches to solve the most pressing development challenges. Because they have to think about how to operate their business sustainably from the very beginning social entrepreneurs often come up with very bold ideas that have the potential to reach a scale we usually don't see in classical development interventions. We definitely have to find ways to better collaborate with them.
Your message for your colleagues?
What some E+I colleagues may not know or sometimes forget: As an important donor to multilateral organizations, SDC has access to a tremendous amount of good ideas, valuable experiences and creative minds working in the employment and income field for our multilateral partners such as UNDP, the World Bank, UNICEF or UNCDF. As the interface between SDC and our multilateral partners, the Global Institutions division (and I personally!) is more than happy to help you identify the most relevant partners for your work, be it at country level or in a particular thematic area. We can thus enlarge the community with which to collaborate and discuss how to make your work better and increase your impact. You can find out more about our work on our Shareweb Site. Sufiyane AmadouChargé de programme développement rural, DDC Niger  Quelles aspects de ton travail est-ce que tu aimes ? Qu’est-ce qui le rend spécial ?
À la fois principale branche de l’économie nigérienne en terme de sources de revenus, d’emplois et d’alimentation, l’agriculture familiale subit des risques climatiques et économiques (incertitudes des marchés). Les politiques agricoles obsolètes (choix inopérants ; sous- investissements) jusque- là mises en œuvre fragilisent d’avantage les exploitations familiales au point l’assistance alimentaire tend à devenir la règle. L’amélioration des performances de l’agriculture familiale est enjeu décisif au Niger et la coopération Suisse l’a perçu. Soutenir des acteurs locaux à concrétiser leurs initiatives dans cette perspective constitue une partie du mon travail que j’aime le plus. L’inclusion des femmes et des jeunes dans les chaines de valeurs agricoles constitue le second dossier sur lequel je travaille à la DDC et me donne un fil conducteur spécial en matière de réductions des inégalités dans le secteur rural. Quelles sont tes instruments préfères ?
L’approche « accompagnement » est ma « préférée ». Fondée sur la prise de responsabilité des partenaires, elle tient compte de leur choix et ajuste les appuis à leurs capacités et leurs potentiels. Ton message à tes collègues :
La DDC dispose de ressources humaines qualifiées et très engagées sur les enjeux de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation. Le travail en réseau présente une plus-value que nous devrions privilégier davantage.  22 Sep 2016 This Savings & Credit Forum was organized by SDC in partnership with Ashoka - the largest network of social entrepreneurs and Obviam, manager of the SIFEM, the Swiss development Finance Institution. We looked at the topic of blended finance (also called hybrid finance by Ashoka) for social entrepreneurs and how to bridge the gap between public sector/ philanthropy and social impactor investors and investees. >> find out more 07 Sep 2016 14 Sep 2016 [by Sonenaly Phetsiriseng - National Program Officer Employment & Skills Lao PDR] Switzerland and Luxembourg are joining hands for a new vocational education and skills development project in Lao PDR. ‘Skills for Tourism’ will promote sustainable and inclusive growth of the tourism and hospitality sector in Lao PDR thereby contributing to poverty reduction. It is expected that graduates of improved and expanded tourism and hospitality skills development, in particular disadvantaged young people, will find gainful employment in tourism and hospitality. The project builds on previous and ongoing support for vocational education and skills development in Lao PDR, from both Switzerland and Luxembourg. Read more.  The training course provides a basic introduction into the concept and methods of the M4P approach. M4P is a systemic approach that attempts to understand and overcome the failure of systems to serve the needs of the poor. Contrary to traditional project approaches, where implementing agencies provide or support services directly to the poor, within M4P an agency acts as a facilitator who aligns key players and key functions of a system to produce sustainable benefits for the poor. - Enabling environment for private sector development
- Strategic framework of the M4P approach
- Analyzing and understanding systems and system change
- Sustainability of system change
- Facilitation of system change
- Measurement of M4P interventions
- Management of M4P interventions
Course Coordinators: Peter Bissegger, Markus Kupper, Swisscontact - Matthias Herr, Maja Rüegg, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation - Prof. Dr. Rolf Kappel, NADEL Registration forms and admission requirements: Please visit NADEL's website for the registration forms and more information about the admission requirements. ![]() The symposium addresses five core elements of the german dVET system: the private-public partnership, learning during the workflow, the acceptance of standards, the qualification of the vocational training personnel and the institutionalization of research and consultancy. The event is organized by the GIZ in collaboration with Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Read more (german only). ![]() The conference is organized by Teach A Man To Fish in association with Fundación Paraguaya. This year's theme is "Schools For Success: Educating Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs". The list of speakers includes leaders of business, enterprise and sustainable education from Paraguay, South Africa and the UK. The winners of the School Enterprise Challenge 2015 from Zambia, India, the Ukraine and Scotlandwill also participate. Read more here. This four week online training course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to measure the results of your programme using the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. Participants are expected to spend at least a day a week working on the course. Learning materials will include online lectures, a course forum, live discussions, and guided exercises. Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. >> more ![]() This course is based on the DCED framework to design and implement PSD interventions in a conflict-sensitive way, and understand the linkages and contribution of PSD to all aspects of peace-building and development. It is jointly organized by the ILO's Training Centre and GIZ under the auspices of the DCED. More information and registration here. Our next Savings & Credit Forum will take place at the University of Zurich on Thursday, March 16th, 2017.
Please save the date and have a look at the programme here. Previous to the Forum, on March 15th (full day) and March 16th (until noon) there will be the SPTF Social Investors Meeting at the same venue. A draft programme is still inpreparation. There will be space for up to 100 participants. The microfinance sector is currently undergoing rapid transformation: along with fast-paced technology developments, customer demands are changing as well. Microfinance institutes are trying to develop new products and services for the market. Meanwhile, traditional banks and credit unions are also entering the market. Governments and regulatory authorities are faced with the challenge of implementing frameworks to stabilise, strengthen, and improve performance of local financial systems.
Swisscontact invites representatives from the business world and the public sector to discuss these challenges. The theme will be fostering dialogue and understanding the roles of private business, the state, and science in international development cooperation. This event offers insights into the dynamics of the current financial system in less developed markets, showing the interplay between supply and demand for financial services. Please click here to find more the agenda and register for the event.
Course Objective
Rooted in Switzerland’s own unique and strong system, vocational education and training (VET) has been one of the key pillars in Swiss international cooperation ever since itsbeginnings. After a slack period, VET is back on the agenda of international cooperation.The aim of the training course is to strengthen the capacity of the participants in portfoliomanagement for VET, skills development and active labor market policies. Please visit NADEL's website for the registration forms or more information about the admission requirements. The training course provides a basic introduction into the concept and methods of the M4P approach. M4P is a systemic approach that attempts to understand and overcome the failure of systems to serve the needs of the poor. Contrary to traditional project approaches, where implementing agencies provide or support services directly to the poor, within M4P an agency acts as a facilitator who aligns key players and key functions of a system to produce sustainable benefits for the poor. - Enabling environment for private sector development
- Strategic framework of the M4P approach
- Analyzing and understanding systems and system change
- Sustainability of system change
- Facilitation of system change
- Measurement of M4P interventions
- Management of M4P interventions
Course Coordinators: Peter Bissegger, Markus Kupper, Swisscontact - Matthias Herr, Maja Rüegg, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation - Prof. Dr. Rolf Kappel, NADEL Registration forms and admission requirements: Please visit NADEL's website for the registration forms and more information about the admission requirements. The symposium addresses five core elements of the german dVET system: the private-public partnership, learning during the workflow, the acceptance of standards, the qualification of the vocational training personnel and the institutionalization of research and consultancy. The event is organized by the GIZ in collaboration with Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Read more (german only). The conference is organized by Teach A Man To Fish in association with Fundación Paraguaya. This year's theme is "Schools For Success: Educating Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs". The list of speakers includes leaders of business, enterprise and sustainable education from Paraguay, South Africa and the UK. The winners of the School Enterprise Challenge 2015 from Zambia, India, the Ukraine and Scotlandwill also participate. Read more here. [Only in FRENCH] La rénovation des dispositifs nationaux de FAR est bien engagée dans un nombre croissant de pays, leurs stratégies d’intervention étant pour la plupart d’entre eux clairement posées, en ligne avec les stratégies nationales de développement agricole et rural. Une des questions majeures reste toutefois posée : comment faciliter l’ancrage de ces dispositifs de formation et leur contextualisation dans leurs territoires de manière durable. Objectifs : - Développer un langage commun sur la territorialisation des dispositifs de la FAR à partir du partage d’expériences sur la réalité et les enjeux de la décentralisation ;
Expliciter les niveaux différents auxquels l’ancrage de la FAR peut se faire en fonction des situations nationales ;
Définir, dans une logique de partenariat et du point de vue des collectivités, les différentes formes d’organisation et de financement envisageables pour cet ancrage ;
Définir une grille d’analyse aidant à guider la construction et la pérennisation d’une offre régionale de formation adaptée à la demande locale et procurant des services appropriés aux différentes catégories de bénéficiaires.
Read more.
Update: All presentation slides are avaiblabe here (german only). This years annual meeting will focus on the use of new media in the field of vocational education. In addition to the workshops and speeches, the book "Exportartikel Berufsbildung? Internationale Bildungszusammenarbeit zwischen Armutsreduktion und Wirtschaftsförderung“ will be launched at the event. Please click here to register for the event. To read the full invitation click here.
The global, cross-sector conference on technology supported learning and training Berlin. For more information click here. 22 Sep 2016 Finding relevant documents, project examples and interesting events has now become much easier and faster with the new Smartsearch available on the e+i Shareweb. Discover it here. 22 Sep 2016 Finding relevant documents, project examples and interesting events has now become much easier and faster with the new Smartsearch available on the e+i Shareweb. Discover it here. 22 Sep 2016 Finding relevant documents, project examples and interesting events has now become much easier and faster with the new Smartsearch available on the e+i Shareweb. Discover it here. 14 Sep 2016 The Swiss Forum for Skills Development and International Cooperation (FoBBIZ) annually awards a price for successful, innovative and sustainable international skills development projects and concepts.Particularly, the FoBBIZ Prize is intended to draw attention to ideas,experiences or outcomes in this field within an international context. The prize is awarded to concepts, projects or developments that can be implemented at different levels (i.e. at the education system level, the institutional level or in teaching-learning processes). Deadline for the submission of registration forms is 31st October. The monetary award for the first and second prize is CHF 5000 respectively CHF 3000. Read more here or visit the FoBBIZ page where you find background information and the registration forms in french, german or english (right panel). 13 Sep 2016 The Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training SFIVET offers a new programme for international VET decision makers, experts and other interested parties. The CAS programme will provide participants with a detailed understandingof the Swiss system of upper-secondary level vocational education and training as well as tertiary level professional education. Participants will bring their country/company-specific questions into the programme and elaborate on solutions for their own country. Read more about the programme here. Tijana Krsmanovic; Jane Gisin-RDA; Springfield Centre [1.8 MB] Making the most of Serbia's tourism: The school calendar and the politcal economy for change.
DCED, SDC, GIZ, DFID [2.3 MB] This Paper outlines the factors in the business environment that have a direct impact on women-owned and managed enterprises, and the employment of women. It also describes lessons from programmes, for DCED members to identify, measure and manage gender in BER.There is an Annex to this publication that focuses on the theme of how donor and development agencies can implement gender sensitive business environment reform programmes. GIZ [7.1 MB] Examples of good practice in private sector development, GIZ, June 2016: It aims to set out selected examples of good practice in terms of gender-specific approaches and instruments used within private sector development, to look at the gender impacts achieved, and to identify lessons learned. Zenebe Uruguachi-HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation This blog, initiated by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation discusses four ways how to achieve inclusive changes for poor and disadvantaged women and men using a Market Systems Development approach, despite concerns that the approach does not necessarily benefit the poor and in particularly not the extreme poor or other disadvantaged people. Please share your insights and opinions. SNV Youth make up 40% of the world’s unemployed, with 74.2 million young people seeking work. Meanwhile rural depopulation is on the rise and agriculture is characterised by an increasingly ageing workforce. Yet young people are not motivated to take up agriculture as it is seen as tough work for no pay. Watch how SNV are working with them to change this! Employment and economic inclusion for young people drives innovation, entrepreneurship and prosperity in developing countries and is essential to secure sufficient food for a growing population. SNV's answer to the challenges facing young people is Opportunities for Youth Employment, a solution matching market needs and business opportunities to customised training and enterprise programmes for young people.
UNESCO UNESCO’s Executive Board adopted the new Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for the period 2016 to 2021. The Strategy is available here. CARITAS The new publication series from Caritas Switzerland is dedicated to the fight against poverty. The focus of the first issue is VET and how it might help to reduce poverty. The publication serves as discussion platform and can be ordered in french and german. SDC The most recent issue of "Un seul monde" – the SDC’s magazine on development cooperation - has a special focus on youth and development. Amongst others, the articles cover a swiss-german VET project in Laos and a project with young refugees in Kenia. The publication is available in french, italian and german. Rudolf H. Strahm, Bruno H. Geiger, Cornelia Oertle, Erik Swars-SFIVET The book investigates the success factors of the Swiss VET-Systems and what has to be considered for a successful implementation of VPET-Systems abroad. Besides a careful theoretical and data driven analysis, the book features various examples of sustainable implementations of VPET-Systems from all over the world. Therefore, it is a good reading for both people at the operational and strategical level. |
