Azernews.Az

The EBRD, owned by 64 countries and two intergovernmental institutions, is supporting the development of market economies and democracies.

The EBRD's Small Business Support team is working with local consultants in Azerbaijan to improve their skills and know-how, equipping them to deliver quality projects to small and medium-sized businesses and expand the specialist areas they cover.

Fifteen consulting companies from Azerbaijan will attend a four-day workshop funded by the European Union on 11-14 March. Training will focus on marketing and sales for consultants, building the capacity of local consultants in Azerbaijan, and enhancing the quality of services they deliver to local businesses.

"Many SMEs have never used consulting services before," explains Lala Rzayeva, EBRD BAS National Programme Manager. "Sound marketing techniques are important in helping them understand the value that consultancy services can bring, for example in developing the consultant's own business."

The workshops will help to further develop the consultants' ability to understand the market for consulting services in Azerbaijan, and to identify their specific needs. They are part of a specialized set of training courses for consultants that share essential skills, resources, and techniques for effective and impactful consulting, as well as for running a successful consulting business.

The courses deliver the know-how necessary to go from embarking on a consulting career to running a profitable business, and will help people deliver high-quality advice that small and medium-sized businesses are ready to pay for.

Sponsored by the European Union and the EBRD, the workshop is part of an on-going effort to create a thriving consultancy market to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Azerbaijan.

Since starting work in Azerbaijan in 1998, Small Business Support has helped over 700 enterprises access consulting know-how to help them develop and grow.