Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises SCORE, Phase III

Project completed

SCORE is one of SECO's flagship programmes to foster more & better jobs in small and medium enterprises (SME) in partner countries. SCORE provides on-the-job training for workers and managers to improve productivity and working conditions in SMEs and help them to participate in global supply chains. SCORE is a joint programme with Norway and ILO.

Country/region Period Budget
Bolivia
Colombia
Ghana
Global
Indonesia
Myanmar
Peru
Tunisia
Vietnam
01.10.2017 - 31.12.2021
CHF  13’000’000
Background

Increasing global competition puts pressures on SMEs to upgrade their productivity and to comply with international labour and environmental standards. SCORE provides the necessary skills to national partners to provide practical training and consulting services to SMEs on workplace cooperation, quality management, cleaner production, human resources, and occupational safety and health. It also works with lead buyers that sponsor SCORE training to improve labour conditions and productivity in their supply chain. By providing more and better jobs, including to women and migrants, SCORE contributes to SECO's objective of inclusive growth.

Objectives

SMEs in national and global supply chains improve productivity and working conditions and provide decent work.

Medium-term outcomes

Public and private implementation partners have embedded SCORE training in their national programs and budgets for SME development.

Lead buyers support suppliers through SCORE training.

Job quality has improved in selected global, regional and national value chains.

Knowledge about how a market systems approach can be used to create more and better jobs has been generated and institutionalised internal and external to the ILO.

Results

Expected results:  

Implementation partners and service providers have developed business plans to independently market, sell and organize SCORE Training and have identified and applied for public subsidies.

Relevant aspects of SCORE Training have been embedded in existing public training programmes.

Policy-makers and social partners have been trained on productivity, working conditions and SME policies.

Implementation partners have been capacitated to market SCORE Training to lead buyers and MNE sponsors using different engagement models.

Partner projects have been supported to integrate a market systems lens into their sector analysis, intervention design and evaluation.

Technical assistance has been provided to SECO funded projects to promote better programming.

Online toolkit for measuring market-level changes in working conditions has been made public.


Results from previous phases:  

During the first two phases, SCORE provided skills training to more than 7’500 managers and workers from 1’000 SMEs, representing 200’000 workers. By improving workplace cooperation, SMEs created more and better jobs (6’400 jobs created, -36% accidents reported). SMEs are also more productive (70% of firms report cost-savings), increase their quality (52% of firms report reduction in defects) and improve their environmental impact (26% enterprises reduce energy consumption and water use). The institutionalization of SCORE training within national partners is ongoing. In India, China and Indonesia, the government is currently taking SCORE training on board to independently roll it out to SMEs. In addition, 32 lead buyers have promoted and co-financed SCORE training to their suppliers. The third phase of the SCORE programme will ensure that partners are fully capacitated to independently provide SCORE training in national and international supply chains.


Directorate/federal office responsible SECO
Credit area Development cooperation
Project partners Contract partner
  • International Labor Organization


Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    13’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    0 Budget inclusive project partner CHF    28’379’000
Project phases Phase 4 01.01.2021 - 31.12.2024   (Current phase)

Phase 3 01.10.2017 - 31.12.2021   (Completed)

Phase 2 01.01.2013 - 31.12.2017   (Completed)