On 1-2 August 2011 within the framework of the EU-ILO Project “Gender Equality in the world of work” a wrap-up workshop on Consolidation of the Results of the Women Entrepreneurship Training Programme “Start and Improve Your Business” was conducted in Kyiv. The event gathered SIYB trainers, successful trainees (those who started their businesses as a result of the training programme), and representatives of the State Employment Service.

In the opening session Sergiy Savchuk, National Coordinator of the EU-ILO Project “Gender Equality in the World of Work” outlined the Project’s objectives and summarized the achievements over the two years of Project’s duration. He suggested focusing the technical seminar on the issue of the programme’s sustainability, namely what are the ways the participants and beneficiaries of the programme can disseminate their experience and achievements, are there any opportunities for further cooperation between GURT Resource Centre, programme’s trainers, and State Employment Service.

During the discussion of the results and impact of the SIYB training programme in Ukraine the participants noticed that in some pilot regions the cooperation with Public Employment Service continues.

“The implementation of SIYB training has become one of the reasons to renovate the financial support by the Regional Employment Centres to those, who are going to start their business. And the main result of the programme is that women get a huge motivation for development of their own businesses”, - says Natalia Samkova, specialist of Khmelnytskyy Public Employment Centre.

The SYIB trainers continue their cooperation with the Public Employment Service through conducting trainings in the regional Employment Centres. The SIYB trainer Tetyana Pustylnyk used the SIYB training programme and training materials in her trainings on entrepreneurship for unemployed women and men, conducted in cooperation with Kyiv Oblast Public Employment Service. During 2010-2011 she already trained over 3000 potential entrepreneurs, both men and women (approximately 100 trainings). The SIYB trainer Anatoliy Rekun also uses the training materials in his cooperation with Cherkassy Oblast Public Employment Service.

Programme’s trainee Olena Belova started her own business – she provides couching services and cooperates with Kyiv Oblast Public Employment Service using the programme’s materials as well.

During the seminar participants defined the challenges for the Development of Women Entrepreneurship in Ukraine. These are:

• Gender stereotypes
• Lack of information on development of women entrepreneurship
• Lack of accessible consultancy for small businesses
• Lack of networking
• Lack of positive image of women entrepreneurship in Ukraine, lack of positive examples and successful stories.

The participants described the role of SIYB Training Programme in Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Ukraine. The Programme became a source of knowledge on entrepreneurship and gender issues; provided the participants with an opportunity to exchange their experience and generate new ideas, helped to establish new contacts and promote the idea of women-entrepreneurship in Ukraine; a resource platform with training materials was created and participants received an opportunity to communicate via Forum.

In order to continue self-education the trainees established a number of self-help groups (study circles) for women-entrepreneurs. Programme’s trainees from Khmelnytskyy initiated creation of Entrepreneurship Support Centre in order to create additional support for local entrepreneurs. The Centre is coordinated by Tetiana Bayeva, trainee, a Head of Khmelnytskyy Gender Council. The Centre is also supported by Khmelnytskyy Oblast Administration, Democracy Support Fund of the US Embassy in Ukraine. The Centre provides venue and equipment for free use for women-entrepreneurs. Currently 11 business-women receive support from the Center.

A Business Development Group is created in Ivano-Frankovsk and meets three times per week. The group is coordinated by Mariya Artysh, SIYB trainer. Additionally an on-line communication within group is established via Facebook and a partner web-site. In May 2011 the Business Development Group organized a BizCamp 2011 in which took part 68 participants.

Similar initiatives were launched in Cherkassy, where Anatoliy Rekun (SIYB trainer) initiated the establishment of business incubator. Currently an on-line resource platform is created (supported by 12 organizations that work on development of entrepreneurship).

The trainee’s thanked the EU-ILO Project for the opportunity to participate in the Training Programme and for the training material, adapted to Ukrainian realities.

“I really appreciate the training’s quality and the comprehensiveness of the training materials. They gave me the huge support to develop my own business. But except this they gave me one more important thing: they stimulated me to ask new questions, to develop and to learn,” - Viktoria Nazina, runs a school of foreign languages.

“I would like to thank the SIYB programme and qualified trainers of the programme. I think I received from the training everything I wanted: finally I dared to register my own business”, - Myronova Iryna, runs a consulting business on corporate ecological responsibility.

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From combating stereotypes to effective planning: Training “Improve Your Business” was held in Kyiv