At the heart of the Empretec service is the Empretec Training Workshop (ETW) which is certified and delivered by UNCTAD. Participants are high potential and high performance entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs employees of large public and private firms.
The ETW is based on a behavioural approach to entrepreneurship. It is a practical tool that helps participants to develop Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs) instead of traditional business skills such as marketing, financial accounting, managerial accounting, financial management, local laws, regulations and procedures. The PECs are:
1Opportunity Seeking and Initiative
- Entrepreneurs seek opportunities and take the initiative to transform them into business situations
2Persistence
- When most people tend to abandon an activity, successful entrepreneurs stick with it
3Fulfilling Commitments
- Entrepreneurs keep their promises, no matter how great the personal sacrifice
4Demand for Efficiency and Quality
- Entrepreneurs try to do something better, faster or cheaper
5Taking Calculated Risks
- Taking calculated risks is one of the primary concepts in entrepreneurship
6Goal Setting
- This is the most important competency because none of the rest will function without it. Entrepreneurs set goals and objectives which are meaningful and challenging
7Information Seeking
- Entrepreneurs gather information about their clients, suppliers, technology and opportunities
8Systematic Planning and Monitoring
- Systematic behaviour means acting in a logical way. Planning is deciding what to do. Monitoring means checking
9Persuasion and Networking
- Entrepreneurs influence other people to follow them or do something for them
10 Independence and Self confidence
- Entrepreneurs have a quiet self-assurance in their capability or potential to do something
A typical ETW is about 6 days (48 hours) and consists of about 30 participants from diverse backgrounds. Lectures, films, exercises, role-play and business creations and competitions all form part of the framework for understanding how a particular PEC is related to the success of an entrepreneur. Facilitators are entrepreneurs.
Participants are selected through an interview process conducted by Empretec's facilitators.
BENEFITS OF ETW
- Empretec builds a ‘culture of entrepreneurship’ where participants become open-minded and forward thinking, and look for win-win situations.
- There is multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Shared learning from a heterogeneously composed workshop.
- Successful graduates gain a clear vision of what they want to do with their enterprises in the short- and long-term.
- ETW graduates become part of the Empretec network/ community and are eligible to avail of Business Development Services.