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About the Training Package
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The training package for Making Microfinance Work: Managing for Improved Performance was developed by the ILO's Social Finance Programme and International Training Centre. It is built around a 400-page training manual drawn from the experiences and techniques of microfinance service providers worldwide. The manual is supplemented by additional exercises, tools and case studies which are distributed in the training room and are specifically adapted for the local environment in which the course is being delivered.
The course is divided into five sections. The first section covers four topics that address different aspects of the course title: what is a manager's mandate, what financial services do poor households need, what is the institutional context within which microfinance can be delivered, and what defines the type of performance that managers should seek to achieve.
The second section begins to introduce tools and strategies that managers can use to improve performance within their own institutions. Focusing on the client, it explores issues related to markets and marketing: how to design products that meet the needs of a targeted market, how to communicate the value of those products to potential customers, and how to deliver the products in a way that earns the loyalty of those customers. The third section discusses techniques for ensuring that services are delivered at a tolerable level of risk for the institution. It introduces a holistic risk management framework before honing in on the challenges of managing credit, fraud and external risks.
The fourth section of the course addresses the concept of organizational architecture. It explores how a microfinance institution can build its cultural, structural and human resource capacity to manage growth. The fifth and final section presents various strategies for enhancing efficiency and prductivity in an effort to minimize the trade-offs that institutions invariably face as they try to provide valuable financial services over the long term.
The course manual is available to the public and can be ordered from the ILO Publications Office (please download the ILO Publications Catalogue). Its content is best introduced, however, in the context of a training event during which managers can apply the concepts introduced in the manual and discuss their implications with other managers facing similar challenges. Refer to the "Upcoming Courses" page for information on future training events that may be planned for your region. To find a certified trainer who can help organize a course in your area, click here.