Department: Centre for Entrepreneurship (NCE), School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE)
Duty station: Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic
Deadline: 30 April 2021

Country and Program Background

The Kyrgyz Republic, a land-locked, lower middle-income country, is home to an ethnically diverse population of approx. 6.4 million people. The country’s GDP currently sits at $6.8 billion with a GNI per capita of $1,100. The economy is dominated by subsistence agriculture and extraction industries; however, the unemployment rate remains relatively high, at 7% nationwide. Approx. 25% of the population live below the poverty line, whereas population growth is outpacing the increase in job availability. With 25.7% of the national population aged between 14-28 years old, the country’s unemployment of youth (18-28 years old) is 57.3%. From 2.4 million jobs in 2017, 1.7 million are based on individual entrepreneurship (71%), that contributes 40% of the country’s GDP in 2018.

For the purpose of promoting opportunities for youth to become self-employed through supporting creative start-ups and initiatives to entrepreneurship and employability skills, The UCA is developing and launching the dedicated Centre for Entrepreneurship (NCE). The Centre is to create a holistic facility for the provision of intense entrepreneurship and business development trainings, business incubation and mentoring programs. The Centre aims to create a sustainable pipeline of new SMEs that have the potential for future growth. The Centre is being established based on the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE). SPCE is one of the three Schools at UCA, that fosters community engagement by offering a wide range of non-degree courses and programs for employment and education skills and qualification, including Startup and Existing Business Development Program to a broad spectrum of participants. It has played an important role in improving the livelihoods and living conditions of people in the remote mountainous regions of Central Asia. 

Position Objective

The Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation Programs Trainer is a fixed-term project assignment position with a full day engagement. The main objective of this position is to develop and deliver high-quality Entrepreneurship training Program, Business Incubation Program, and Pre-Incubation Program to local students/entrepreneurs by adopting and contextualizing best-practices, knowhow, formats, and methodology existing elsewhere in the world into the business environment of the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asian region. As one of the 6 trainers team you will deliver rigorous training on two practical Programs in Entrepreneurship and Business Incubations:

• providing assistance to entrepreneurs in building value-based sales - customer qualifications and customer segmentation, preparing scripts and materials for value-based sales
• going deep planning and writing up concrete recipes on how to achieve KPIs for startups and after careful consideration, planning and analysis together with participants
• providing assistance to entrepreneurs quickly and efficiently test hypotheses, find points of multiple growths, formulate and test business values; help implement values in marketing, delivery and production.

To ensure the development of a sustainable and growing pipeline of startup projects development and their go-to-market strategy/ MVP validation cycles, the provision of mentoring, follow-up, and business incubation services beyond initial training in entrepreneurship with approx. $3,000 seed grant fund to small business, is essential. NCE is sourcing a highly qualified professional on startup business development/incubation to assist young entrepreneurs during training and incubation period ensuring their go-to-market success. The entrepreneurs and 6 trainers will then jointly create, validate, optimize, track and mentor their progress from idea creation to the first profit generation during the first two cycles of their operations. 

Through the Centre, UCA aims to provide high-quality support and training to entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them to establish their business ideas, to understand customer requirements, to gauge market demand, and hence to build sustainable business models. In doing so, UCA will strengthen the MSME pipeline by providing a comprehensive offering of space, infrastructure, intellectual resources, high-quality mentorship and access to a network of investors. While the overall objective is to create an environment for business incubation with a successful track record of spinouts, that has a direct contribution to the growth of economic activity in the region, the key performance indicators of the project are # of business plans/startups successfully taken to the market upon Entrepreneurship and Incubation Programs, # of jobs created by entrepreneurs and businesses incubated, $ sales revenue generated by entrepreneurs and businesses incubated.

In essence, the expectation is that participants will be enabled to develop their own businesses and thus become much-needed job creators. In addition to existing in the Kyrgyz Republic technopoles, business upscale programs, the goal is to create a startup ecosystem for business development and a network of international startups with a focus on internationalizing and digitalizing.

The Centre will serve local communities, and particularly youth, in line with UCA’s mission to support regional economic development job creation – particularly in remote mountainous areas. The two critical programs of Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation are being established as described below. 

Expert Entrepreneurship training Program. Current entrepreneurship training provided by development agencies and businesses associations in Central Asia is usually of short duration and is often generic in nature. In contrast, UCA’s Centre will develop and provide a variety of training programs, based on specific need and catering to local demand. Examples under consideration include:

• Introductory: Entry-level training aimed at those individuals who are interested in the basics of business development. Potential topics include financial literacy, budgeting, business planning, etc. These skills are transferrable and even if individuals choose not to continue in the business education cycle, they will still obtain a valuable skillset which could help support them in securing future employment. (1-month)
• Entrepreneurship training: A more intensive training that dives into the above-mentioned topics in more detail. Entrepreneurs will also learn concepts of social entrepreneurship as well as more advanced business concepts including leadership and operations to help them start their own businesses or help grow their current businesses. (2-months)
• Advanced training: This training will be focused on individuals who are interested in entering the Incubation program. It will cover all topics covered previously but will also include more context and will be more strategy focused. It will also offer support in preparation for incubation itself. (1-month)
• Possible modules of Entrepreneurship Program: Product creation and business modelling; Finance and unit economics; Investment readiness (applying for loans or seeking potential investment); IT, Sales & Marketing (IT remote PM, CRM, digital marketing and export sales/trade platforms and mobile apps); Critical soft skills of entrepreneur (Resilience/EQ, Communication, Agile PMP, Leadership, Business Decision Making).

Business Incubation Program. The Trainer and the UCA Team will draw on the academic expertise of its units to create a contextually-relevant incubation program that is specifically designed for the needs of its target audience. Entrepreneurs participating in the program will be mentored by expert staff from the Centre, as well as by a network of business professionals in Kyrgyzstan and the region. The incubation process will also prepare businesses for applying for loans or seeking potential investment. 

• The incubation program itself will consist of a 4-month (3-cycles per year) national program to incubate small businesses (target of 10 ventures of 4 persons each). Participants of the incubation program will be provided with workspace, mentorship support and networking opportunities to help start viable businesses. Each 4-month cycle will culminate with a “Demo-Day”, in which potential investors will be invited to meet with the aspiring entrepreneurs. Subject to compliance with local laws and taxation regulations, UCA will keep average of 10% equity in commercial ventures incubated at the Centre. This will be a potential source of revenue after successful exits.
• The incubation program may be “mixed-use” or “specialized” with a focus on industries/niches/business models, such as rural/eco/medicinal tourism (professional services, creative industries: HoReCa, fashion, etc.); bio agribusiness (manufacturing, processing, digital marketing, technology, etc.); green economy (environment/clean energy technologies).

Key Deliverables 

• Develop Expert Entrepreneurship Training Program, Business Incubation Program, and Business Pre-Incubation Program for entrepreneurs in collab. with entrepreneurs, trainers, and UCA Team
• Deliver the developed Entrepreneurship Training Program, Business Pre-Incubation Program, and Business Incubation Program to entrepreneurs:
• Trainer will go deep planning and writing up concrete recipes on how to achieve KPIs for startups and after careful consideration, planning and analysis together with participants. 
• The successful incubation rate is not lower than 80% (min 10 incubations per year)
• Students (% of alumni local trainers satisfied with TOT) evaluation grade not lower than 80%

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Support international Trainer with the development of and participation in Training of Trainers (TOT) on Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation Programs (defining needs and program)
• Develop and conduct Expert Entrepreneurship Training Program (incl. concept, tailored practical methods and exercises, relevant curriculum and teaching materials, modules, activities and other) for entrepreneurs and in collab. with entrepreneurs, trainers, UCA Team, and other stakeholders
• Develop and conduct Business Pre-Incubation and Incubation Programs for entrepreneurs, quickly and efficiently testing hypotheses, focusing on important drivers of the business model, finding points of multiple growths, formulating and testing product-market-fit, and helping implement value proposition in go-to-market strategies. Possible Pre-Incubation activities are Startup Weekend, a Business Model Competition, Ideas Dating, Hackathons, as well as a 2-4-week program to help polish a business idea and develop a pitch under the guidance of mentors 
• Leading and guiding other trainers and entrepreneurs, consulting and assisting
• Provide assistance to entrepreneurs in building value-based sales - customer qualifications and customer segmentation, preparing scripts and materials for value-based sales
• Going deep planning and writing up concrete recipes on how to achieve KPIs for startups and after careful consideration, planning and analysis together with participants
• Jointly creating, validating, optimizing, tracking, and mentoring entrepreneurs’ progress from product creation to first profit generation during the first two cycles of mentees operations 
• Overseeing development of entrepreneurs, their strategical plan of incubated ideas, financial plans and financial forecasts, monitoring and mentoring their projects.
• Ensure that the trainings are planned and delivered in a highly participative and interactive manner and responsive to the request and suggestions of the participants/entrepreneurs 
• Consulting and supporting the UCA/SPCE/NCE leadership Team and business units
• Training and professional growth of local start-ups and existing business ideas
• Mentoring / coaching and on-site counselling with actionable advice and planning 
• Study tours / masterclasses, exchanging best practice experience in the relevant fields
• Organizing expert groups and workshops in collab with entrepreneurs and local government
• Drafting workplans, budgets, TORs of programs/trainings, reports, and other docs as requested 
• Showcase and test the developed business incubation program
• Guiding business ideas from idea to prototype to market launch and profit
• Provide business incubation, acceleration and mentoring services to startups
• Provide consultancy support in fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, business incubation, science, technology, and SME development
• Report trends in technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship related issues
• Provide training, HR development, mentoring and other services in these fields

Required Qualification and Experience

• Relevant experience of at least 5 years in the positions of product manager, business consultant, teaching, mentoring or relevant in sales/marketing, business development and entrepreneurship 
• Deep knowledge of Custom Development, HADI, unit economics, the mechanics of working with a sales funnel
• Experience in developing new products within the company / developing a startup from scratch
• Experience with accelerators and incubators
• International certifications confirming pedagogical skills will be an asset
• High level of social competences: excellent intercultural, interpersonal communication (inter-personal skills), team work and ability to transfer knowledge to participants 
• Flexibility, client-oriented approach, and ability to adjust to change circumstances and needs
• Good understanding of the existing business principals, strategies, and legislation in the area of Custom Union, community development and capacity building 
• Enthusiastic, well organized, structured, thorough and independent work style
• Strong, empathetic team player, fluent in English, Kyrgyz and Russian

Mission assignment approximate period of 5 months: 

• Trainings from International Trainer on Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation Programs: 1 (one) month (unpaid)
• Develop and conduct Entrepreneurship Program 1 (one) month and Business Incubation Program 3 (three) months for participants, i.e., entrepreneurs  
• Based on the selection of trainer, work schedules will be discussed and established separately 

Confidentiality

All information, files, documents, and reports will be treated in strict confidence and become the property of the UCA project at the completion of the contract.

How to Apply

Please send us (1) an up-to-date resume; (2) Statement of interest; (3) Sample of work with training methodology and work plan (4) Statement of interest and curriculum vitae with at least three professional references to kg.recruitment@ucentralasia.org by 30 April 2021. Please use: “Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation Programs Trainer” as the subject header and indicate how you heard about us.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.