ceo@siybsrilanka.org
+94 112 827 693
Overview
Mission
“Facilitate the establishment of a dynamic network of BDS suppliers that provide a wide range of high-quality SIYB and other products and services to MSMEs of different levels leading towards high-quality services and sustainable solutions."
Vision
“To be the most innovative and futuristic business development service facilitator ensuring quality-assured services to the end users.”
SIYB Global Program
The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Program of the International Labour Organization is a system of inter-related practical management-skills training packages for small-scale enterprise owners and managers. It encompasses a range of cost-effective and practical training, monitoring, and evaluation methodologies and instruments that were designed to meet the management training needs of potential and existing small businesspersons. Three-day ‘Generate Your Business Idea (GYB),’ five-day ‘Start Your Business (SYB),’ and Five-day ‘Improve Your Business (IYB)’ are separate but interlinked modules constituting the material-based SIYB Program. The SIYB Program has packages for Growth-Oriented Entrepreneurs in five-day ‘Expand Your Business (EYB),’ and five-day ‘Know About Business (KAB)’ for youth and students, who want to explore their possibilities in business.
Today, the SIYB program is globally recognized as an ILO trademark and has been introduced in over 100 countries worldwide in 40 languages during the past 35 years. The current SIYB Global Program runs in 54 countries. These countries have designed their own SIYB programs by adapting the already developed GYB, SYB, and IYB components from their core program. This enables the national programs to have their own SIYB business training programs fitted to specific national and regional needs.
The SIYB Program has two major target groups, namely the direct program beneficiaries, and intended program beneficiaries. The direct target group of the SIYB Program is the local Business Development Services (BDS) Organizations. They are enabled through direct technical assistance from the SIYB to implement the SIYB Program independently and effectively over an extended period. The intended program beneficiaries of the SIYB Program are reached by the technical assistance of the SIYB via local BDS Organizations that implement SIYB Programs. The intended beneficiaries are potential small-scale entrepreneurs and existing small-scale entrepreneurs.
SIYB Program has produced over 600 Master Trainers around the world and almost 50 of them are from Sri Lanka. Further, the SIYB Program has produced over 70,000 SIYB Trainers around the world and 302 are from Sri Lanka. The Global SIYB Program is being managed by the Global SIYB Office housed at the ILO in Geneva.
About the SIYB Association
The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Association of Sri Lanka is a national umbrella organization of the major public and private sector business support service providers for micro-, small-, and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) and is the main BDS facilitator in Sri Lanka and the Asian region. The SIYB Association was established in November 2003 and Incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on February 11, 2004, as a successor of the Swedish International Development Agency-funded ILO-SIYB Sri Lanka Project of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The SIYB Association is working as an affiliation of the International Labour Organization and the Global SIYB Program. Thus, it enjoys technical support from the ILO and the SIYB Global Program.
The SIYB Association of Sri Lanka is a membership organization and thus SIYB Partner Organizations, as Corporate Members, SIYB Master Trainers and SIYB Trainers are the owners of the Association by becoming its members. Thus far 30 Corporate Members, 44 SIYB Master Trainers, and 302 SIYB Trainers have enrolled into the membership registry of the Association.
The SIYB Program follows an institutional approach. It builds up partnerships with the local BDS providers and strengthens the capacities of organizations that have a clear mandate for and a track record in the delivery of cost-effective and impact-oriented Business Development Services to the MSME sector and that have, or access to, financial resources to maintain training activities. The institutional approach of the SIYB Program enables the SIYB Association of Sri Lanka to march towards its vision while serving country-wide potential and existing entrepreneurs. Further, this institutional approach sustains the SIYB Program in Sri Lanka by strengthening the local BDS Organizations to be active stakeholders and be engaged in the effective and independent SIYB delivery. ILO SIYB Certified Master Trainers train Trainers in the local BDS Organizations. These Trainers, in turn, embark on training of entrepreneur’s activities following the SIYB Training Cycle.
Coverage in Sri Lanka and in the International Arena
Over the last 20 years, the SIYB program was able to build partnerships with 70 business support service organizations (as SIYB Partner Organizations) that cover all districts in Sri Lanka and represent government institutions, departments, authorities, development agencies, INGOs, NGOs, private sector companies as well as civil society organizations. Some of the partner organizations are national organizations with a well-structured service delivery mechanism throughout the country. Other Partner Organizations are based in various provinces and districts, or they have outreach to many districts in the country. Besides, more than 250 SIYB Certified Trainers have been employed directly by these partner organizations that deliver SIYB training to micro and small entrepreneurs.
The SIYB Association of Sri Lanka was instrumental in the introduction and development of the SIYB in South India and Bangladesh. SIYB Association of Sri Lanka completed highly impactful consultancies to install SIYB Methodology in Tamil Nadu, India, and Bangladesh by helping them adopt materials to meet the local context, conducting ToTs to train their trainer pool and mentoring in the establishment of their own national SIYB Associations. Also, the SIYB Association has been producing SIYB Business Game Kits and exporting to over 10 African and Pacific Island nations during the past 20 years.
