ECDL helps SMEs reduce administrative burdens

Acronym of the case:

ECDL for SMEs BiH

Web address of the case:

http://www.inspektorat.vladars.net/index.php

Country of the case:

Bosnia and Herzegovina , International Organizations

City/region:

Sarajevo, Doboj, Prijedor, Trebinje, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar

Posting Date:

2 February 2012

Last Edited Date:

12 March 2012

Author:

Dimitris Theodorakis (ECDL Foundation)

Bosnia and Herzegovina | SMEs | ecdl

Type of initiative

Project or service
Strategic initiative

Case Abstract

The Republic of Srpska Inspectorate and the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with three integrated international projects, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - SPIRA (Streamlining Permits and Inspections Regimes Activity), USAID - ELMO (Enabling Labour Mobility) and the World Bank - ARDP (Agriculture and Rural Development Project), developed the Inspection Management System (IMS). The purpose of SPIRA was to improve access to the marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by reducing administrative burdens. The project focused in particular on facilitating SME start-up and operation. The Inspection Management System aimed at effective and efficient management of the inspections in the Republic of Srpska, at the standardisation of the administrative process, and at providing quick access to data necessary for quality work and creating suggestions for improvements in regulations. By introducing the IMS, the project endeavoured to reduce administrative burdens. The IMS was to be implemented by inspectors; however it became clear that one of the key obstacles to the successful implementation of the project was the lack of basic computer skills among field inspectors. This not only caused delays in the transfer of documents but more importantly, the lack of computer skills made it impossible for the government inspectors to use the IMS. The intention of the integrated IMS was to reduce the administrative burdens of SMEs, however, in order to achieve this, the field inspectors needed the necessary computer skills to use and operate it effectively. The main hurdle in the implementation of this project was the lack of computer skills of the field inspectors and the ECDL Programme was used to resolve this issue.

Description of the case

Domain

eGovernment

Topic

Efficiency & Effectiveness, Benchmarking | Services for Businesses | Regional and Local

Sector

Education, Science and Research | Internal market | Local/Regional Community Development

Date

April 2008 to April 2009

Date operational

January 2010

Target Users

Administrative | Business (SME)

Target Users Description

The inspectors working for the Republic of Srpska Inspectorate and the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina constituted the main target group for this project. This target group had little or no knowledge of basic IT skills, which impeded the implementation of the IMS as well as its general usability. The inspectors were civil servants holding high educational attainments but lacking basic IT skills, as their educational paths did not address technological developments. Since ICT skills were required for the inspectors to effectively carry out their tasks, ECDL training and certification was the best solution for improving their skills and in turn, their performance. ECDL training was provided to 116 inspectors in the Republic of Srpska Inspectorate, 37 of which were women. Similarly, ECDL training was provided to 78 inspectors in the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 17 of which were women.

Scope

Local (city or municipality) | National | Regional (sub-national)

Status

Ended

Language(s)

Bosnian | Croatian | Serbian

Policy Context and Legal Framework

USAID established the Streamlining Permits and Inspections Regimes Activity (SPIRA) at the beginning of September 2005. In developing the Republic of Srpska IMS, SPIRA directly supported the integration of the Bosnian economic space into Europe's. SPIRA supported lines of action recommended in the European Charter for Small Enterprises by addressing the following elements: cheaper and faster start-up, an improved legislative and regulatory environment, improved communication between public authorities and the small business sector, stronger and more effective representation of small enterprises at all levels, and improved online access to information supporting business processes. In its work on supporting streamlined construction, SPIRA also sought the full incorporation of EU construction codes into Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) domestic standards.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

Training and education

Overall Implementation approach

Partnerships between administration and/or private sector and/or non-profit sector

Technology choice

Proprietary technology | Standards-based technology

Funding source

Public funding regional

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Yearly cost:

€49-299,000

Implementation and Management Approach

The Project was implemented by the Republic of Srpska Inspectorate and the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with three international projects, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - SPIRA (Streamlining Permits and Inspections Regimes Activity), USAID - ELMO (Enabling Labour Mobility) and the World Bank - ARDP (Agriculture and Rural Development Project). Additionally, the partnership benefited greatly from the collaboration with the Association of ECDL Informatics in Bosnia and Herzegovina who carried out the ECDL training and certification of the inspectors. The successful implementation of this project was made possible only through the extensive cooperation between the Association of ECDL Informatics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the international organisations involved in the partnership and the two Inspectorates. Project management was realised by NET-PRO (Algebra Edukacija). ECDL training and certification were organised in accredited ECDL centres at seven different locations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. The developed project management approach proved successful exhibiting, amongst others, a high degree of cooperation between the members of the ECDL network. The training was performed according to standardised curricula and the distributed training material was unique. ECDL certification was performed in ATES. In terms of implementation, it was only after the initial training and certification of the Inspectors that the subsequent phases of the project could be rolled out. Namely, training was provided in the application of the IMS for Inspector Trainers from regional departments at the Republic of Srpska Inspectorate and the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once trained, these Inspector Trainers conducted training for other inspectors in the regional departments. All inspectors working across the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina have received ECDL Start certifications and were issued with laptop computers and mobile printers which they subsequently used during inspection visits. Without the necessary computer skills, the Inspectors would not have been able to use the IMS and its rollout would have been compromised. ECDL training and certification and the extensive cooperation with the ECDL network, therefore constituted a key success factor towards the overall implementation of the project.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

The purpose of SPIRA was to improve access to the marketplace for SMEs by reducing administrative barriers to their initiation and operation. The implementation of SPIRA and the IMS would not have been possible without the training and certification components for the inspectors. ECDL certification allowed the project partners to solve the problem of the deficit of required ICT skills for this project and provided them with an assurance of quality from the first step. During the first phase, ECDL Initial training and certification was delivered to 120 employees in test centers across the cities of Sarajevo, Doboj, Prijedor, and Trebinje. During the second phase, training and testing sessions for 80 inspectors took place in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, and Mostar. The second phase was completed with all 200 inspectors, working for the Republic of Srpska Inspectorate and the Inspectorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, receiving ECDL Start certifications. Inspectors, upon completion of their training, were issued with laptop computers and mobile printers which they subsequently used during their inspection visits. This allowed the inspectors to save valuable time, print the administrative documentation on the spot and in turn reduce the administrative burdens of the inspected SMEs, as documents were immediately integrated into the IMS. The project has been highly successful: the skills gained through the ECDL certification programme have developed the capacity of the inspectors to be used to best effect. As a result, and thanks to the reduced time of documents flow, the productivity increased by 70% and geographical barriers were removed.

Track record of sharing

National, regional and local authorities facing project implementation challenges due to a lack of basic ICT skills of civil servants could greatly benefit and learn from this case. ECDL Programmes allowed training and testing in eSkills and were delivered in accordance with local and regional needs. The receipt of certificates proved to the employer that the civil servants held the required skills to carry out their activities. Many administrative sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (at national, regional, and local levels) were faced with similar challenges of civil servants holding limited ICT skills. The management approach, which proved highly successful, could be replicated. Project replication would be facilitated by the availability of funds to train civil servants in the health, education, and judiciary sectors for example. The project was shared with public authorities and benefited from a high degree of cooperation with the ECDL network in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Lessons learnt

Given the successful implementation of this project, one clear lesson was that ECDL training and certification offered a good solution to the problem of insufficient ICT skills of civil servants. ECDL programmes were provided with an assurance of quality from the onset and were implemented with the full commitment of government inspectors in a multi-stakeholder environment that led to the successful operation of the project. The skills gained through the ECDL certification programme developed the capacity of the trainees with a direct return on that investment in terms of increased productivity. Following the ECDL training and certification, inspectors were able to use the IMS. The increased competence of inspectors in the usability of the IMS guaranteed the quality of the provided service and proved to the project initiators that the investment was worthwhile since it led to the successful rollout of the IMS in the Srpska Republic and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Another lesson learnt is that since many administrative sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina were faced with similar challenges, ICT training projects for civil servants could have adopted the ECDL standard, which proved highly successful. Furthermore, the conclusion was reached that civil servants possessing rudimentary ICT skills could not perform their tasks in an optimal manner. ECDL training and certification offered a simple and effective method for addressing under-performance at all levels of public administration. Pre-testing the civil servants before they receive ECDL training was one way of assessing their real levels of digital competence. Pre-testing candidates before ECDL training could give an indication to human resources managers of the actual level of competence of the civil servants, an indication which could then be used to cross-check the delivered value.

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