Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises receive training to be Silver SPEC Certified

On 19th August 2022, the ‘Small Package Exporter Champions (SPEC)’ Programme, initiated under the Workstream 2: e-Trade Portal Development and Promotion of the SeT4SME Project hosted its second workshop on training the Silver SPEC members, in collaboration with Khmer Enterprise (KE), European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EUROCHAM) and the Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA). The event saw over 30 attendants including 15 SMEs, and 4 potential mentors.

"At the launch we heard about the concept of SPEC and the contribution it will make in boosting Cambodian SMEs in cross border exports. I believe that the SPEC programme will add to the existing government efforts in helping SMEs in technical capacity and robust mentorship and guiding them in their exporting journey while addressing barriers to cross border small package trade. I encourage SMEs to join the program and benefit from its training, mentorship, and the chance to win cash prizes, and be able to take part in future flagship activities. I also hope that the SPEC champions will be a guiding force to other SMEs and Startups so that there is more cross border trade from Cambodia."

HE Sam Heng Bora, Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce

The SPEC programme aims to help Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Women Owned Businesses (WOBs) looking to ship small package consignments internationally and drive their export growth. The programme aims to establish a certificate system for Small Package Exporter Champions (SPEC) among MSMEs.

"SPEC was established as an exciting new pilot programme to train & showcase Cambodia’s top exporting MSMEs on small packages under the SeT4SME programme. This has inbuilt awareness raising and capacity support activities for strengthening the capacity of MSMEs in the small package export sector. Simply put, if you are a MSME in Cambodia aiming to enhance your export capabilities, this program is specifically designed for you."

Mr. Phillippe Isler, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation

The training workshop aimed to present the identified champions, develop a shared vision amongst SMEs and potential mentors along with training for Silver SPEC Champions.

"MSMEs participating in the SPEC programme will go through a dedicated training and mentorship for three months on small package exports. These activities are tailor made to meet the needs of the MSMEs to enhance their capacity and to bring locally made products to international markets. Participating in MSMEs will have the chance to address the challenges and explore new opportunities in exports market."

Mr. Rajiv Pradhan, Country Director Swisscontact

The workshop consisted of four training sessions including, training on, on-boarding MSMEs into e-commerce platform that provided insights on building an e-commerce store and optimizing product pages at a national level, Logistics and documentation and designing supply network, increasing efficiency and reducing costs, understanding Incoterms and supply chain management, understanding export journey and getting to know the international market demands and opportunities, building partnerships for exports, preparation to meets the demands, and strategies on capturing the global market opportunities. Lastly, the training also focused on designing products for export markets.

"As one of the participating SMEs, the workshop was beneficial and informative. I learned about the exporting processes including export standardization and the export journey of other successful exporters. Most importantly, I was able to meet with my potential mentors, listen to their stories, and identify key mentors whom I would like to receive mentorship from. I look forward to joining the three-month mentorship to enhance my capability in bringing my products abroad."

Ms. Sey Malika, Founder of Pdaov Market

Following the training session, an online survey of MSMEs on mentoring support needs was also conducted along with an introduction to the ‘Mentorship Matching and Silver SPEC Certification Award Ceremony’ planned to be conducted in September. This event will introduce the mentors, the mentorship format, inform about the Gold SPEC program and pitching formats and finally have an award ceremony for the Silver SPEC certified SMEs.

"As a potential mentor, the SPEC training was really interesting for me. It allowed me to meet with future mentees, learn about their businesses and through the questions and discussion during the workshop, to get a clearer idea of their needs. The training was well structured and provided a great starting point for businesses looking to expand or start exports. I am looking forward to getting further involved and providing support. "

Ms. Monica Nowaczyk, CEO of Beebee + Bongo and CKO of Cambodia Knits

Learn more about Beebee+Bongo and Cambodia Knits

Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs (SeT4SME), is a two-year project (2021-2023) of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (the Alliance), implemented by Swisscontact in partnership with Ministry of Commerce (MoC), and with the collaboration of the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), Cambodia Post, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA).

Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs

Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs (SeT4SME) is a two-year project (2021-2023) for the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. This project aims to support Cambodia in improving its trade performance and driving inclusive growth in the country by enhancing trade facilitation implementation with improved transparency in trade practices and reduced time and cost of cross-border e-trade.

Learn more

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises receive training to be Silver SPEC Certified

Legal

Donations

Newsletter

Memberships

Contact