CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW LIFE TRAINERS!

14 participants from the FY11 HP LIFE Grantees in the EMEA region, coming from all over the region (Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey) attended the LIFE Training of Trainers, as part of their grant. We had also the pleasure to welcome and train two UNIDO delegates and one employee from Hewlett-Packard Turkey.

The LIFE Blended Training of Trainers contains 3 steps:

• STEP 1: Completing the LIFE Online Method that consists of 9 different units of animated presentations, videos and self-assessment quizzes;
• STEP 2: Successfully completing the LIFE Online Assessment, that tests the trainer ‘understanding of the methodology contained in the online method;
• STEP 3: Successfully completing the LIFE Face-to-Face workshop.

For about 4 weeks, the participants studied all the theory needed to deliver the LIFE Curriculum to micro-entrepreneurs, on the LIFE online platform. After successfully passed the online assessment, they were invited to the face-to-face, organized in collaboration with HP, UNIDO and MEA-I.

Yesim Yagci Silahtar, HP Account Delivery Executive at Enterprise Services (ITO), Suleyman Yilmaz, Director of UNIDO Field Office in Turkey, and Seride Samurkas Karac, HP manager at MEMA Technology Services, opened the training and gave a warm welcome to all the participants. During 2.5 intensive days, the candidate LIFE Trainers reviewed the methodology and had the opportunity to practice delivering topics and to receive coaching from MEA-I certified Master Trainer, Claudio Cerulli.

All trainers were very impressed by the Claudio's performance who gave an excellent example on how to deliver LIFE topics:

• "The master trainer was so absolutely perfect. He knows every detail of the curriculum I guess that what makes him master." (Said one trainer anonymously)

All trainers welcome the program and the curriculum which enlarges the training portfolio of each training center and answers to a real local need:

• "I think this program is just what we need to put some of our training programs onto another level. We focus on a more market access issues. The topics from entry levels of the LIFE curriculum specifically can add value to our training programs." (Said one trainer anonymously)
• "The program 100% answers the needs of the ORT network schools and colleges. The curriculum is so flexible that it could be presented to students, and\or inbuilt into existing school curriculum easily. The course will help the undergraduate students and graduate students from the ORT network community to start their own businesses (probably, with the idea of some technological innovations and ICTs they learned at school and prototyped when doing some project-based learning activities)." (Said one trainer from Russia)
• "Very relevant and absolutely needed with the way the world is shifting. Nigeria is strongly focused on supporting micro, small and medium enterprise owners and the HP LIFE provides a tested platform to take business owners to the next level." (Said one trainer from Nigeria)

The Managing Director of Hewlett-Packard Turkey, Serdar Urcar, closed the training on Friday 18 Nov. After lunch, was kicked-off the Programmatic Workshop where the participants were engaged in very interesting discussions around entrepreneurship and worked on their actions for implementing the HP LIFE program in their respective countries.

All 14 candidate trainers are certified LIFE Trainers and are now entitled to train aspiring and well-established entrepreneurs on the LIFE Curriculum. They reached their home with memorable moments, knowledge of the curriculum and true motivation to perform as a LIFE Trainer and beyond.

• "I leave Turkey better than I came...look forward to deliver accordingly... join the next level of trainers, interact more with my trainees and Master Trainer and change Africa for the better." (Said one trainer anonymously)
• "Thanks to hp, UNIDO and mea-I for this beautiful program." (Said one trainer anonymously)

WE WISH ALL 14 NEWLY CERTIFIED TRAINERS ALL THE BEST IN THEIR NEW LIFE ADVENTURE!