JICA 2024 Knowledge Co-Creation Program Small and Medium Enterprise Development Policies (A) ＜June – July, 2024＞

This training program was designed to clarify the issues facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in participants’ home countries and to strengthen the capacity of SMEs to formulate their own promotion policies. Eight participants, including officials from central ministries and agencies, local government administrators, and members of other public support organizations involved in the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises such as chambers of commerce and industry, participated in this training program. The program began with a lecture by the central government in Tokyo to learn about policy planning and implementation at the national level, followed by visits to various related organizations and companies, mainly in Hyogo Prefecture, to observe measures and initiatives at the local level. This year, the program finally returned to its pre-COVID format, with all four weeks of training conducted in a face-to-face format in Japan.

[Photo #1: A scene from a lecture]

[Photo #2: A scene from the site visit (MOBIO)]

There are two points worth mentioning in this training course. First, in order to improve the quality of the action plan, which is the end product of the training, we introduced lectures and workshops on “Action Plan Development Using PCM Methodology” by experts in the field. The PCM method is used by JICA and international organizations in the field of development assistance to ensure effective implementation of projects and by understanding the PCM method, highly feasible action plans can be created. Only one participant had ever studied the PCM method, and for almost all of them, this was their first time learning it. Many of the participants remarked that the session was very meaningful and that they would be able to use the information immediately after their return to their home countries.

Another point is that, with the return to a face-to-face format for the entire training schedule, we deliberately increased the amount of time for workshops and exchanges of opinions, which had been quite difficult to conduct in the online format. Half of the time previously allocated for lectures, which were only two hours long, was now used for workshops, where the participants were challenged to solve problems related to the lecture content by making full use of the knowledge and information obtained in the lectures. The active participation of the participants was remarkable, as they shared their fresh knowledge and ideas with each other. One participant commented, “This kind of workshop format allows participants to casually exchange opinions with other participants and deepen their understanding.” The participant felt that they were able to take full advantage of the best part of the face-to-face format: having the other participants in the same space, making eye contact and speaking, instantly creating a sense of solidarity and building a relationship of trust.

[Photo #3: A scene from the workshop]

[Photo #4: A scene from the mock presentations]

Although the training was conducted within a limited time frame of four weeks, we hope that this training will contribute in some way to the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the participants’ countries, and that it will also provide an opportunity for participants to learn about and explore Japan.

[Photo #5: Course leader DR. Hirai and participants]

JICA 2024 Knowledge Co-Creation Program Small and Medium Enterprise Development Policies (A) ＜June – July, 2024＞

Dates: June 25th – July 17th, 2024　*Training Duration
Participants: Employees of central ministries and agencies, local government administrators, and members of other public support organizations such as chambers of commerce and industry, all involved in SME development
Participating Countries: Indonesia, Laos, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, North Macedonia, Vietnam
Course Leader: Takumi Hirai (Associate Professor, Mukogawa Women’s University)
Entrusting organization: JICA Kansai

Lecturers and Places Visited (titles omitted, in no particular order)

[Lecturers]
Takumi Hirai (Associate Professor, Department of Informatics and Mediology, Mukogawa Women’s University)
Naoyoshi Fukuda (Advisor, Japan Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant Association)
Shunji Nagai, Representative Director, Daiei Consulting Co.
Keiko Kita, Lecturer, G.L.M. Institute
Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Lecturer, G.L.M. Institute
[Places Visited]
Rekishi Kaido Promotional Council
The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan
Japan Finance Corporation
Economic Development Department, JICA Headquarters
Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Support Center
Regional Economy Division, Industry and Labor Department, Hyogo Prefecture
Credit Guarantee Corporation of Hyogo-ken
Kobe City Industrial Promotion Foundation
MOBIO Division, Osaka Bureau of Industry
Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Technology
Sansho
HITOKAZOKU
Boulangerie Anne
KINKI INDUSTRIAL

(Funami, Kojima Posted on August 2, 2024)

For inquiries regarding this training course, please contact below.
prexhrd-pr@prex-hrd.or.jp