Improving the competitiveness of small businesses
Sriyab participated in a training organised by the European Forest Institute’s EU FLEGT Facility, helping Small and micro Economic Entities (SmEs) participate in legal supply chains in the Mekong region, improve their competitiveness and contribute to gender equality.
“Through the training, I learned how to comply with health and safety regulations and arrange my workshop effectively. I improved my business accounting, which will help with traceability as our reclaimed timber business grows” he said, pointing to a fire extinguisher he recently installed in his workshop. His wife Piyarut Sriyab, who manages the business accounts and logbooks benefitted from the same training and improved the accuracy and efficiency of her work.
A total of 11 trainings and three focus group discussions targeting household level SmEs engaged in the reclaimed timber supply chain were conducted as part of an EFI pilot in 2018 and 2019. More than 70 people working in 20 household businesses participated in the trainings and the discussions: about 40% of them were female participants. The pilot project is run with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
In collaboration with the local administration, EFI established a partnership with Charinrat Lamphun Technology College to ensure the continuous delivery of training. Dr Charinrat Buddhapuanm, the founder of the college, explains that reclaimed timber workshop owners will be trained, and a six-month curriculum for apprentice carpenters will be developed.
Through this work the college is now connected with SmEs and the Banthi municipality. The curriculum has already been approved by the Government and the certificate that apprentices will receive will be recognized as carpenter’s licence.