Western Balkan: Wrap-up and Outputs of Five-Month Business Resilience Standards Training of Trainers

For over a year, the Covid-19 pandemic has harmed not only people’s health but also the economy. “Business as usual” has become the most desired state which companies and institutions wish to return to. To achieve this goal, Western Balkans businesses and other institutions can now benefit from a hands-on booklet and access to trained experts in their countries to increase their business resilience by drawing on established international standards.

The Training of Trainers on Business Resilience Standards, attended by more than 30 participants with diverse professional backgrounds from Montenegro, BiH, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania, was part of the SEE QI 8 project “WB6 QI response to Covid-19”

The course covered a comprehensive package of standards related to business resilience, leadership and practical application in case studies. An interactive virtual training approach, a regional network of trainees/ future trainers as well as lectures by Western Balkan trainers who are familiar with the local context guided the participants to become trainers themselves.

A substantial output delivered by the ToT programme is a Business Resilience Standards booklet, put together by the ToT organizers and featuring contributions by the six regional trainers in the course. Each Western Balkans expert elaborated his or her interpretation of the respective standard in a chapter, thus giving the reader a detailed insight in topics such as Risk Management, Business Continuity Management and Leadership. Compiled in a publication of 182 pages, this educational resource provides a comprehensive overview of business resilience standards to help businesses address Covid-19 related economic challenges and prepare for future ones.

Another advantage of the course has been the professional promotion of the newly trained participants and the facilitation of contacts to potential clients. The ToT programme encouraged the trainees to conduct a free pilot training, consultancy or webinar, which improved their marketing skills and increased the tangible benefit of the ToT programme for Western Balkan businesses. The SEE QI Fund compiled in the brochure “Trained Experts of Business Resilience” the professional profiles of the six regional trainers and those of 17 trainees, who contributed written case studies based on the pilot trainings for businesses which they conducted as part of the ToT programme.

While the ToT course officially ended on July 1st with participants’ presentations of their case studies, an exchange of experience and the official handing in of certificates, this marks only the beginning for the newly trained trainers, consultants and advisors in business resilience standards. 

Photo of the Business Resilience Standards Booklet
Back