The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a UN specialized agency dealing with work and workplace issues, and related rights and standards. Its overarching goal is to achieve decent work for all so that everyone benefits from working conditions that offer freedom, equity, security and human dignity. More information about ILO can be found at www.ilo.org

An ILO Office was formally established in Kabul in 2003. Since then, the ILO worked with its government, employer and worker constituents as well as other partners in many areas, bringing tangible and lasting benefits to a wide range of beneficiaries. Information about ILO in Afghanistan can be found at https://www.ilo.org/asia/countries/afghanistan/lang--en/index.htm 

Background

Sustainable Reintegration and Livelihood Support for Returnees and IDPs (SRLS) is a project funded by the STFA and implemented by 6 UN Agencies from the ER-Durable Solutions Working Group and other 3 UN-Agencies providing complementary actions in the project implementation. The project was developed in response to the influx of Afghan returnees from Pakistan and other protracted IDPs from other regions to the Eastern Region of Afghanistan.

The forced repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan has caused significant socio-economic implication for the returnees and host communities including resource and services strain and infrastructural pressures that bears a potential risk of conflict arising between the returnees, IDPs and members of the host communities. Access to basic needs and services, sustainable livelihoods and decent employment opportunities for both returnees and host community members is paramount to ensure a seamless reintegration of returnees to their host communities. Some returnees bring with them skills and expertise from abroad that can contribute positively to enhance economic activities in the reintegration areas. However, they face difficulties in securing employment opportunities in the already strained economy. The situation is complicated by the local economy’s limited capacity to create or absorb the new labour force, thus exacerbating unemployment situation.

The ILO through the Durable Solutions Working Group project designed interventions that address the limited decent employment opportunities for the returnees, IDPs and vulnerable host community members through enterprise development initiatives mainly targeting women-owned enterprises. Working with Women MSEs in priority sectors, the project supports interventions that create and sustain more decent employment opportunities and enhance the participation of returnees and vulnerable members of host communities in the labour market.

The project will focus mainly on enterprise development facilitating entrepreneurship and business management trainings using the ILO standardized modules of SIYB, GET Ahead and Financial Education at both ToT and ToE  (Training of Entrepreneurs) levels. The project will also provide post-training support to trainees who successfully participated which will include improving access to finance and financial products for MSEs, access to markets and market information for locally produced products, access to mentoring and coaching services for MSEs and promoting the fundamental principles and rights at work.

As part of a broader objective, the ILO seeks to build the capacity of local trainers to deliver the SIYB programme effectively, ensuring long-term access to high-quality entrepreneurship and business management trainings

Target

The project targets mainly men and women from the targeted areas (Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province and Mahtarlam City of Laghman city with a special focus on men, women -owned/led enterprises. 10 male and 10 female participants will be drawn from both target area.

Development of Start and Improve Your Business Training of Trainers

Programmes like the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) have demonstrated promising results in addressing both the demand and supply of business services for small enterprises. Since its inception, the SIYB package has been used in over 100 countries and has reached more than 10 million end-beneficiaries and created more than 6 million jobs in the last ten years. Today, the programme is one of the largest of its kind, with a network of over 17,000 SIYB trainers worldwide. Start and Improve Your Business is one of the largest global business management training programmes.  It helps small-scale entrepreneurs to start and grow their business, as a strategy to create more and better employment for women.

This project will facilitate the SIYB ToT for 20 women & men from the target geographical area and the participants will be selected based on the set criteria. The candidates should demonstrate passion and enthusiasm in delivering training of entrepreneurs (ToEs) and certifications to the target men and women who are running micro, small, and medium sized- businesses and individual who potential to start a business in the eastern region.

Qualifying candidates will be selected to join 10 days in-person training course on Start and Improve Your Business Training of Trainers (ToT) and expected to conduct training of entrepreneurs as part of the accreditation and certification process.

This ToT course is the first step in obtaining the certification as SIYB trainers. It will be facilitated by the certified master trainer of the ILO and will introduce participants to both the technical content of the relevant SIYB package and to adult learning methodologies.

SIYB trainers play a key role in SIYB training implementation as they are the responsible for training of entrepreneurs – starting from understanding their training needs to post-training follow up support provision.

The objective of this workshop is to enable SIYB training providers to develop long-term business models that will allow them to function independently financially while still maintaining service quality standards that facilitate entrepreneurial development. The course will enable the participants to:

• Get a detailed understanding of the steps in introducing SIYB.
• Understand the key differences in target groups and learning objectives of SIYB’s training packages.
• Identify different strategies for marketing the services for specific target groups.
• Be aware of the best practices in managing an SIYB programme, including the monitoring and evaluation tools available at different levels of the SIYB training system.

Qualification and Work Experience:

• • • A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in business administration, economics, management, entrepreneurship, or a related field.
    • A diploma/certification in training, adult education, or business advisory services will be a distinct advantage.
• Experience in Teaching, Training & Coaching:
  • • Minimum of two years of experience in teaching, training, coaching, mentoring, or any other related field with a strong preference for experience working with entrepreneurs, SMEs, or startups.
    • Prior experience in business development services (BDS), startup training, or business management training is an advantage.
    • A proven track record of delivering training is preferred.
    • Fluency in English and local language, Pashto or Dari.
    • Strong communication and public speaking skills
    • Commitment to ethical training practices (e.g., avoiding conflicts of interest, safeguarding participant data).
    • Ability to design and deliver engaging, interactive, and knowledge-driven training sessions.
    • Experience in developing structured training materials, including manuals, presentations, and e-learning content.
    • Capacity to provide constructive feedback and motivation to participants
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and digital collaboration tools
    • Ability to break down complex concepts into simple, practical lessons
    • Capacity to provide constructive feedback and motivation to participants
    • Ability to adapt training methods for diverse audiences, including low-literacy learners.
    • Prior training in entrepreneurship, business innovation, marketing or financial literacy is an advantage.
• Commitment & Availability
• Willingness to Train Entrepreneurs:
  • • Demonstrated motivation and commitment to train and mentor entrepreneurs after completing the ToT.
    • Availability to conduct a minimum number of training sessions for entrepreneurs after completing the ToT.
    • Openness to continuous learning and capacity building in business training methodologies.
• Availability for Full ToT Programme:
  • • Ability to commit to attending the entire training schedule (number of days as defined by the ILO).
    • Ability to travel to training locations if required.
• Impact Reporting:
  • • Commitment to submit quarterly reports on training outcomes (e.g., number of entrepreneurs trained, success stories).

Important Note:
This is not a job vacancy. The announcement is for a Training of Trainers (ToT) under the Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme. Selected participants will receive specialized training to become certified trainers, enabling them to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in their communities. Participation in this ToT does not imply employment with ILO or any other organization.

You are invited to submit your CV/Resume to tenders.af@ilo.org  with email subject line (SIYB ToT Workshop 001/NGR) in the subject of your email before 31/March/2025. Only CV sent via the provided email address will be considered.

Strong encouragement for applications from:

Persons from marginalized groups, persons with disabilities, university dropouts or returnees’ communities are strongly encouraged to apply.