Hiring Service Providers/Experts to carryout Training activities for MedBeesinessHubs project

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Zahle and Bekaa (CCIAZ) as partner of MedBEESinessHubs project funded by EU under ENICBC MED is willing to hire Service Providers / Experts to carry out training activities (O4.1-O4.2-O4.4) prior to providing the subgrants (O4.5) targeting at the MSMEs at the individual level by training in business and technical aspects. After providing the subgrants they shall continue with training activities aiming to support the creation of regional clusters that can utilise the bee concept as a branding tool for attracting visitors and supporting tourism flows in the regions. 

O4.1 TOT - Training package on handcrafting honeybee products

The training package will be provided online to the selected Service Provider / expert(s) (TOT) for organising the training workshops by preparing the structure and the content of the material for O4.2. The support will also include customisation of the training material to the needs of the region. The training material will cover the following subjects in the context of handcrafting honeybee products:

Part I: Introductory session (suggested time 2hrs)

• The historical insights of the honeybee and its domestication in Cyprus and the Middle East 
• A short historical background on the Cyprus honeybee
• The possible uses of all honeybee products and a market overview at the local level

Part II: Handcrafting honeybee products session (suggested time 14-22 hrs)*

• The healing properties of the honeybee products and their apitherapeutic applications (theoretical background)
• Using honeybee products for easy-to-make cosmetics
• Using beeswax in decorative candle-making and other gift products
• Arts & crafts (preferably using environmentally friendly materials) based on honeybee designs

* CCIAZ suggests to limit Part II to only 14 hours and use the rest 8 hours to provide other technical training on the use of honeybee products (eg in gastronomy) and/or in technical issues for beekeeping and honey processing / legislation which can be suggested by the External Consultant

O4.2 Training workshop - technical aspects of handcrafting honeybee products in food, cosmetics and gifts

The ‘Service Provider/Expert’ must provide a training course of 24 hours (3-days including breaks) covering

1. all subjects of the Introductory Session

and either

1. all subjects of Part II: Handcrafting honeybee products session

or

1.  at least two subjects of Part II and complete the rest of the program (8 hrs) with subjects from Part III which shall cover subjects according to the needs and available expertise of their regions.

The MSMEs must be either existing beekeepers or honeybee handcrafters or any interested person who wishes to become engaged in beekeeping or honeybee handcrafting. Priority must be given to young women (of less than 40 years old) with permanent residence in rural areas.  Trainees must attend at least 75% of the training workshops in order to benefit, at a later stage, from the grants dedicated to MSMEs.

The ‘Service Provider/Expert’ must cover the costs of the trainers, the training centre, the training material, and refreshments.

CCIAZ in coordination with the ‘Service Provider/Expert’ will undertake the invitations and the recruitment of trainees.

Deliverable: Proof of executing the training workshop (attendance sheets, photos) and report.

Target Value of trained persons per PP: 20

Evaluation tool needed: Yes, it will be developed by HO but may be customised according to partner needs. The capitalisation action must be taken into consideration at the evaluation tool.

O4.3 Training package on Business management and finance:

The Service Provider/Expert must prepare a training material, based on a guiding tool delivered by CCIAZ, for an introductory course on business management, finance, and economics for rural MSMEs and include in this material, guidelines for sustainable and socially responsible business using as a supporting tool the document EDILE - Economic Development through Inclusive Local Empowerment 'Auto-assessment tool for sustainability of investment projects'.  

The training material must be translated and used in O4.4.

Deliverable: Training package of the above-mentioned subjects in the native and English language

Capitalisation output

PP1 will review the document ‘EDILE - Economic Development through Inclusive Local Empowerment 'Auto-assessment tool for sustainability of investment projects'

Target Value: 1 document of training material

THE FRAMEWORK /Topics to be covered

• Global Trends and Developments in the Food Sector
• The new consumer (profile & characteristics)
• Packaging trends & labelling
• Investment decision making
• Sustainable investment decision tool (EDILE)
• Starting the Business Plan: Strategy & Positioning
• Financial management 
• The European social entrepreneurship
• Funding opportunities
• Local honeybee market positioning for competitiveness

O4.4 Training workshop - MicroSMEs (MSMEs in business management and finance)

The ‘Service Provider’ must use the training material of O4.3 to carry out one training workshop. The training workshop must have a duration of 12 hours, either in two or three different sessions (in different days).

The MSMEs must be either existing beekeepers or honeybee handcrafters or any interested person who wishes to become engaged in beekeeping or honeybee handcrafting. Priority must be given to young women (of less than 40 years old) with permanent residence in rural areas. CCIAZ will provide grants to MSMEs that will attend the training workshops by at least 75% of the total duration.

The service provider must cover the costs of the training, location, the training material, and refreshments.

CCIAZ in coordination with The ‘Service Provider’ will undertake the invitations and the recruitment of trainees.

Deliverable: Proof of executing the training workshop (attendance sheets, photos) and report.

Target Value of trained persons per PP: 20

Evaluation tool needed: Yes. The capitalisation action must be taken into consideration at the evaluation tool.

Capitalisation output

PP1 must ensure the linkage with the capitalisation output based on the Medst@rt (ENI2014-20) project used as supportive for reaching out to microfinance for initial capital.

O4.6 Training manual (guide) for creating and managing the honeybee eco routes

The ‘Service Provider’ in coordination with CCIAZ, must prepare the contents of a training manual (appr. 40 pages, size A4) for the honeybee eco routes, a tool for guiding visitors in the history, ecological importance and dietary value of HoneyBee products for granting certifications to the «Bee Trail Guides». The Manual must indicatively contain the following content subjects:

• Historical ties of the honeybee with the place
• The unique attributes of the local honeybee products
• The local bee flora and the ecosystems
• A description of the bee trails and the villages nearby
• Important sites for the visitors, relevant to the bee-flora and the honeybee
• Recipes and uses of the local honeybee products in the form of easy-to-understand recipes /practises

The manual will have a common structure for all partner regions of the project and an additional section relevant to the local conditions for bee flora and the ecosystems.

The ‘Service provider’ will utilise a structured format of the training manual that will be developed by the project. The ‘Service provider’ requires the writeup of the content in the form of descriptive passages, storytelling, tour tips, the preparation of maps of the bee promotion trails and high-resolution photos.

The Manual will have to be developed in electronic form in the Arabic language and will be used as the training tool for O4.7.

Deliverable: Content of Manual in electronic form, including photos, maps in the form of an online e-book

Capitalisation output

PP1 task 1: PP1 must ensure that the capitalisation outputs of ‘MEET -  MEDITERRANEAN EXPERIENCE OF ECO-TOURISM leading towards a creation of the forum’ are taken into consideration during the preparation of the Manual

PP1 will review the work on MEddiet project and use this in the manual preparation

O4.7 Training sessions (capacity building) in regional cluster formation for sustainable destinations

The ‘Service Provider’ must train the local communities and stakeholders on how to develop holistic approaches in creating sustainable destinations with a focus on the honeybee and its products.  The training Manual to be developed will be used as part of the training material but the support of approved guides and tourism providers may also contribute to the content development of the training material.

Actors may also be trained to develop eco-routes using (a) organic practices favourable for the bee flora, (b) aromatic trails of endemic bee flora, (c) honeybee branding options (d) storytelling and interactive approaches in unique experiences.

The capacity building workshops will take place over a two-day course - 16 hours.

Target Value of trained persons per PP: 20

Deliverable: Proof of executing the training workshop (attendance sheets, photos) and report.

PP1 task 1: PP1 must ensure that the capitalisation outputs of ‘ORGANIC ECOSYSTEM’ are taken into consideration during the preparation of the Manual