The learning programme is designed to accelerate the development of the micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprise sector in Ukraine, and increase its competitiveness.

KYIV, 15 October 2021 – The United Nations Development Programme, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the financial support of Switzerland, has officially launched a medium-term interdisciplinary full-time learning programme with practical counselling components under the Ukrainian-Swiss UNDP Project “Strengthening MSME Business Membership Organizations in Ukraine: Phase II.”

The aim of the training programme is to develop the leaders of 27 partner business membership organizations (BMOs) to ensure they can transition their organizations from typical small “clubs of entrepreneurs” to comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystems, and accelerating the development of the MSME sector in Ukraine by strengthening the capacities of BMOs.

Maksym Boroda, UNDP Project Manager, said that the transformation of the classic small-membership ‘club’ business associations into modern business ecosystems begins precisely with the leaders of these organizations. “That is why our project initiated a unique training programme in cooperation with the leading business school of Ukraine, and together we’ve integrated in this programme best practices for the formation of modern transformational leaders,” Boroda said.

The expected duration of the learning program is nine months, i.e. an inaugural one-day module and nine two-day modules of three integrated levels:

1)      leader,

2)      expert,

3)      listener.

During the training programme, participants will gain the necessary knowledge and practical skills to develop the organizational, managerial and financial capacity of their business membership organizations.

The training programme is being conducted at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (kmbs). This will provide an opportunity for unique networking with the leaders of the partner BMOs and the graduates of the school’s MBA programmes.

“This is a story about leaders, about your development and the development of your potential,” said Eduard Maltsev, Deputy Dean of kmbs. “But it's also about your teams, about how your people will develop with you and work to create a joint strategy.”

During the inaugural module, the representatives of the BMOs became acquainted with each other and with the learning programme concept. They also listened to the first lectures from experts, who spoke about current management practices, and the role of mentoring and facilitation in organizing teamwork. The representatives actively participated in the discussions, and have already started to “try out” the knowledge they have acquired on their own BMOs.

“Flexibility is the main trend in company management,” emphasized Olena Sapozhkova, a professor at kmbs. She claimed that successful management is possible "when the employee and each member of the organization has a completely natural perception of the overall goal as being their own.”

The training programme is expected to have a positive impact on the organizational and financial stability of the partner BMOs, helping them become centres for reliable information for thousands of entrepreneurs, as well as facilitating a professional public-private dialogue to improve the regulatory framework and overall business environment for MSMEs.

Background

During the period from 2015 to 2018, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the financial support from Swiss government, UNDP supported seven BMOs through Phase I of the Project.

Based on this experience and lessons learned, the key focus of Phase II of the Project is to ensure sustainability and to build on the positive results achieved in the Phase I, in particular by intensifying the voice of MSMEs in Ukraine through making BMOs more professional, demand-oriented and customer-oriented. The Project also aims to expand the representation of BMOs throughout Ukraine, and is expected to have a positive impact on their ability to engage members, promote constructive cooperation with government agencies, and aid policy development – all of which will ultimately lead to the growth of the MSME sector.

Successful experience will be disseminated in the Project’s Phase II (2019 – 2023) by supporting 27 BMOs from around Ukraine.  This group includes the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Ukraine, five regional CCIs, five regional universal BMOs, and nine industry-specific associations. 

Media enquiries

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Communications Team Leader, yuliia.samus@undp.org