SRSO

To support Govt. of Sindh in its efforts to curb rural poverty, European Union financed a 6-year project called “Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support (SUCCESS). This program focused on the social mobilization of women in rural areas of the target districts, to enable the communities to leave themselves out of poverty through active participation of women in decision making at the local level. Sindh Rural Support Program (SRSO) implemented this project in Larkana and Kambar Shahdad Kot districts.

Under the Technical and Vocational Skills Training (TVST) component of this programme, around 14,000 individuals were to be trained under the programme so that they could enhance their income. The main focus of the programme was to be on capacity building of women. During the mid-term review, it was recommended that the design and implementation strategy of the Technical and Vocational Skills Training component of the program be revised and made more market-driven, where market linkages are increased for those trained trained for employment or self employment, ideally BEFORE the training intervention is provided.

SRSO engaged the services of Mera Maan Pvt. Ltd. (MMPL) to conduct this survey. As per the ToRs, the scope of work for this project included:

1. Identifying employers, and assessing the potential for extending employment opportunities in local markets (villages, towns within the programme districts, and nearby districts), national markets in large cities, and foreign demand for skilled IT work by large global outsourcers for wage employment.
2. Determining the required skills and training needs so that it is possible to inform the TVST programme to design demand-specific trainings.
3. Determining the willingness of employers to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the SRSO to engage the TVST beneficiaries post-training.
4. Identifying market opportunities/skills for self-employment through establishing micro-enterprises at the local level for both women and groups of women and men (ie Business Development Groups).
5. Identifying how to increase the quality of goods and services produced by women and men who have received skills training, and analysis of the value chain for goods and services produced.
6. Identifying areas and extent of post-training support to be given to trainees, including technical, financial & sales promotion (e.g start-up capital or/and toolkits/exhibitions) to make them sustainable.
7. Identifying the kind of trainings imparted or could be imparted, that led or can lead to a high degree of employment or self-employment.
8. Identifying innovative market opportunities relevant to the SUCCESS target beneficiaries, i.e. those from poor households, mostly non-literate, including women beneficiaries with mobility constraints.
9. Conducting a 3-day straining for SRSO staff on Market Linkages – and how to incorporate the Market Assessment Study recommendations into action.