SICCI continues with provincial business training

SICCI’s Membership & Services Officer Naomi Mara says businesses in the provinces often lack the support and access to business networks and support systems as compared to their business colleagues in Honiara. Ms Mara will be undertaking two provincial tours to Gizo, Western Province and Auki, Malaita Province respectively.

The country’s peak representative organization for the private sector, Solomon Islands Chamber and Industry (SICCI), is determined in its effort to connect with businesses in the provinces and rural areas.

In its aim to connect and help support provincial businesses, SICCI will continue to undertake and facilitate business trainings in the provincial headquarters close to the rural areas where 80% of the country’s population dwell.

SICCI’s Membership & Services Officer Naomi Mara says businesses in the provinces often lack the support and access to business networks and support systems as compared to their business colleagues in Honiara.

Ms Mara will be undertaking two provincial tours to Gizo, Western Province and Auki, Malaita Province respectively.

The SICCI team will be in Gizo for two days from 2-3 August 2018 and will later travel to Auki for another two days from 15-16 August 2018.

In Gizo, SICCI will be hosting a Marketing and Customer Services training for businesses and tourism providers, fitting for a province considered to be the tourism hub in the Solomon Islands.

Basic Business Skills training is being planned for Auki, which would include financial bookkeeping amongst others.

Ms Mara will be accompanied by training provider Chris Elphick of Breadfruit Consulting.

Chris Elphick is owner of Breadfruit Consulting, supporting the development of a range of businesses and organisations in Melanesia and other parts of the Pacific. 

He is an experienced trainer, coach and business mentor and has years of experience working with Small and Medium Enterprises. 

SICCI is working in partnership with Mr Elphick in facilitating these provincial trainings.

A small fee will be charged for businesses in Gizo and Auki who wish participate in both trainings. The Fees is $400 per person for the two days training including one-on-one mentoring.

Ms Mara has said apart from delivering training, these provincial trips are also aimed at getting insights on some of the issues businesses based in Gizo and Auki are faced with and explore ways to address these issues.

“I think it is important for the Chamber of Commerce to support and provide an avenue for rural entrepreneurs to start networking and find out what support is available.

“It is important to help SMEs to connect with customers and to network,” she said.

The trip next month would be the third time SICCI will send representatives to Western Province following previous trips last year and earlier this year to Gizo and Noro. It will be the second time SICCI will be facilitating training in Auki, Malaita Province.

SICCI has also undertaken training in KiraKira early this year and will explore the opportunity to revisit the province in the not too distant future and also to the other provinces.