With support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and within the framework of the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” (brand name: Invest for Jobs), Phase IV (2024/25) of the ILO SCORE programme is being implemented in partnership with Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI). Hence, the services of other SCORE implementing partners are being sourced to participate in the implementation of this programme.
ILO SCORE Programme
The SCORE Programme is an ILO Development Cooperation Programme that promotes productivity, competitiveness, and decent work in emerging economies. It aims at assisting governments, industry associations and trade unions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to develop export and domestic industrial sectors, with a particular focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Its main intervention is SCORE Training, a practical training and in-factory consulting programme that improves productivity and working conditions in SMEs. SCORE Training demonstrates best international practice in the manufacturing and service sectors and helps SMEs to participate in global supply chains.
SCORE is delivered through a combination of a joint classroom training for managers and workers as well as in-factory consultancy led by industry experts. The consultancy visits are a unique element of the training methodology that ensures that classroom learning is put into action in the workplace.
ILO SCORE in Ghana
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is promoting measures to support investment activities in Africa. In Ghana, GIZ has been implementing “Invest for Jobs”, an 8-year project (2019-2027), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC). The project seeks to identify and remove investment barriers in cooperation with companies and investors for economic growth as well as to create more and better jobs.
The goal of the project is to create jobs and improve working conditions, by
- Building a more enabling environment for investment by European enterprises in Ghana;
- Increasing the capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana;
- Improving the business ecosystem for selected sectors.
The second goal of the project presents synergistic opportunities for a collaboration between GIZ and MDPI/ILO to offer support to increase productivity and strengthen competitiveness of SMEs in Ghana, thereby creating decent jobs and participating in global business partnerships.
In August 2021, GIZ and MDPI signed a memorandum of understanding to sponsor the ILO SCORE programme. With support from the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” (Invest for Jobs) of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), MDPI successfully implemented the programme under a grant agreement with GIZ. The first phase of the project covered only three regions, namely Greater Accra, Western and Central regions. With the successful completion of the second and third phases, the SCORE programme has now been expanded to cover ten administrative regions (Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Central, Western, Northern, Savannah, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo) with 434 SMEs trained in SCORE methodology to date.
ILO SCORE PHASE IV 2024/25
Following the successful implementation of the 2023/2024 programme, which now covers ten administrative regions, the SCORE Phase IV will be implemented in one additional region, bringing the total number of regions under coverage to eleven (Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Central, Western, Northern, Savannah, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Volta in addition). The Phase IV of the SCORE programme is expected to start in January 2025.
MDPI is calling for applications from registered consulting firms (IPs) in the above-mentioned regions with the requisite expertise and experience in training and coaching SMEs in the ILO SCORE methodology (Short Course) to participate in the 2024/2025 SCORE programme.
Objectives
The objective is to strengthen Ghanaian small and medium-sized enterprises through training and exchanges with SCORE experts. This will support the growth of the Ghanaian industry and create strong partnerships with ILO Ghana, GIZ, MDPI and other implementing partners.
The main goals are job creation, improvement of working conditions and company growth by strengthening SMEs for regional and international markets especially with the coming into operations of the AfCFTA.
Scope of Work and Deliverables
The ‘SCORE Short Course’ will be the main module to be adopted by all implementing partners and is made of the following:
- Driving for change in your enterprise
- Involving everybody through 5S
- Communication in your enterprise
- Fair HR policies for better workplace management
- Enhancing productivity
- Measuring workforce improvement
- Taking action
- Quality first
- Safety at work
- Productivity through cleaner production
- SCORE for climate
Practices related to green economy and green recovery will be encouraged by the SCORE Training, by covering resource efficiency and cleaner production topics.
Baseline assessment will be conducted to identify current training needs of participating SMEs. Baseline assessment consists of a visit by a trainer (consultant) to the enterprise to observe the work environment, interact with management and workers, collect basic information on the enterprise, and complete a checklist on some key performance indicators. The baseline visits also serve as confirmation visit for the selection / eligibility of the enterprise.
Baseline assessment is followed by 3 days of classroom training, facilitated by SCORE trainers. Four to six enterprises are trained together, and each enterprise is represented by four participants comprising two managers and two workers. A participatory approach is adopted in the delivery of the classroom training to impart knowledge and skills. A combination of tools, such as Power Point presentations, discussions, group exercises, games and audio-visual materials, make SCORE Training delivery engaging. As part of the training process, participants are assisted to generate innovative ideas for improving their enterprises. These ideas are later converted into Enterprise Improvement Plans (EIPs) with timelines for implementation in the enterprises. This initiative is led by an Enterprise Improvement Team (EIT) that is established to lead all improvement activities in the enterprise.
After the 3-day classroom training and preparation of the Enterprise Improvement Plan (EIP), coaching visits begin. 4 coaching visits per each participating enterprise are done over a period of two months to support implementation of improvement activities. Coaching visit 1 is conducted to follow up on the proposed EIP and identify additional ideas or opportunities for improvement. Coaching visits 2, 3 and 4 assess the progress of implementation of the EIP and give assistance where enterprises are having challenges.
Deliverables | Timeliness |
Scouting of enterprises | December 2024 |
Identification of suitable venue for training | 30th December 2024 – 10th January 2025 |
Training of enterprises | 20th January – 28th February 2025 |
On-site coaching of enterprises | 28th January 2025 – 30th April 2025 |
Reporting
| January – April 2025 |
All tasks to be performed by the consultants/trainers should be done in close collaboration with the MDPI Team, including regular feedback and other information exchanges.
Duration
The project duration is 6 months, starting from December 2024. Additional two months will be used for end of project activities, e.g., certification ceremony.
Eligibility Criteria
- Consultants should have registered companies.
- Consultants must be ILO SCORE trainers (SCORE short course). ILO certification will be an advantage.
- Consultants should have participated in the ILO SCORE Programme (Training of Enterprises) for at least one year.
- Consultants should be prepared to accept working outside of their own regions.
All consultants who meet the above requirements are invited to apply to participate in the ILO SCORE 2024/25 Programme by clicking here. Bidders are expected to provide details of their approach to implementation. They are expected to give an overview of names, qualifications, and experiences of SCORE trainers. Trainers’ CVs and the implementing partner’s registration must to be attached to the bid.
