Volume 5, Issue 2, 2000
Table of Contents

Economic Development

College to College - Alleviating Poverty and Improving Economic Status

By Jim Skinner and Diane Simpson
The Business School
Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology

For years the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, financial institutions and donor governments have encouraged the nations of the developing world to develop public policies that facilitate economic growth and transformation. What is often overlooked, however, is that real economic transformation must encompass an economic shift at the micro-level: by individuals, communities, cultural groups and institutions. Working from the grassroots level up is the only way to ensure sustainable, culturally-relative development that will not only improve the economic status of a community but will improve the overall living standards in the region.

Grassroots change is therefore targeted by projects such as the partnership between Humber College in Canada and Gweru Technical College (GTC) in Zimbabwe. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency through the Canadian College Partnership Program, this partnership project is designed using the results-based management approach. The intended impact of the project is to alleviate poverty by increasing the capacity of a community-oriented college to directly support the local level of entrepreneurship and small business development.

Gweru is the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe. Traditionally, the district was devoted to cattle farming although a few large factories made Gweru their home during the 1970s and 1980s. However, the present economic crisis has seen the closing of industries, rising unemployment rates and the loss of hope for many people.

Business development in Gweru has also been affected by the lack of reliable services. For example, manufacturers are often obliged to hire and provide tools and space for an in-house staff of electricians, machinists and plumbers. Although it is not economical for a medium-sized business to employ this number of service workers, small contractors are too few and far between. Although the entrepreneurial skills may be available, small businesses simply don’t exist.

If colleges such as Gweru Technical were to provide students not only with technical skills, but also with the desire, knowledge and means to start their own small businesses, a significant piece in the puzzle of economic transformation would be resolved. As such, meeting the small business development needs of the local economy is one of the main objectives of the four-year partnership between Humber College and Gweru Technical College.

A number of key activities were executed during the first two years of the partnership. The first activity comprised a needs analysis undertaken within the community, followed by the development of curriculum focusing on entrepreneurial skills. These activities involved a series of "train the trainer"- style workshops and practicum executed by Humber and Gweru staff, both in Zimbabwe and in Canada.

One of the key elements in developing the project activities was linking Gweru Technical College with the local community to ensure that the College would directly meet skill development and economic improvement needs. Two interns from Humber College spent July and August of this year working with staff and students of Gweru Technical College. As a team, the Humber-Gweru group met with various members of the community (placing a specific emphasis on the involvement of women) to assess the training and entrepreneurial needs of the region and identify gaps prevalent within the business community.

Delivered by staff from both Humber and Gweru, the first entrepreneurial training also took place at this time. Despite significant logistical problems - a general strike in Zimbabwe, chronic fuel shortages and student protests - this phase clearly identified the learning objectives for future entrepreneurial training at the College and allowed all partners to share various teaching techniques and materials with one another.

The current phase of the project involves designing and establishing a Learning Resource Centre. While this facility will provide Gweru faculty with the tools needed to develop and publish curriculum, it will also provide a connection to the Internet thus facilitating the students’ acquisition of the skills necessary for marketing research, financial management and promotion - all requirements for setting up and running a business. This facility will also serve as a communications link with staff at Humber, further strengthening the partnership and allowing for increased dialogue and sharing of materials.

The intended outcome of the project is to produce clear, practical benefits for the graduates of Gweru Technical College. Through entrepreneurial training, students will see self-employment as a major career option, they will have the knowledge and skills needed to create small ventures and the resources needed to launch them within their local communities. This pool of knowledge and ability will directly impact the community by supporting economic development at the grassroots level. Ultimately the economic transformation of the country will depend upon these small practical steps, perhaps to a much greater extent than an ambitious but vague national policy framework.