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Tracer Study – S4IG
Final Report
Tracer Study – S4IG
CONTENTS
I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
II FINAL REPORT 3
1. Introduction and Background to the Tracer Study 3
2. Findings 4
i. Guesthouse Masterclass 4
ii. Beauty Salon 6
iii. Employability Skills 8
iv. Bakery 10
v. Supreme Chef 11
3. Conclusions 13
MDF Training and Consultancy, October 2019
Final Report
Tracer Study – S4IG 1
I Executive Summary
MDF was commissioned by S4IG to conduct the Tracer Study following the completion of
phase one of the program. The aim of the Tracer Study is on how and why the program
has worked thus far, and the wider changes due to the program intervention. The
summary of findings can be found in this report. Short write-ups from the 80 respondents
have been developed. In addition, 13 stories of significant change have been created using
input from project participants with particularly interesting cases.
S4IG is not a traditional livelihood or economic development project. The purpose of the
project is about improvement of the TVET system in the targeted sectors and districts in
Sri Lanka. This tracer study, as well as the overall monitoring systems, is therefore not
solely aimed at measuring quantitative changes in income or in traditional indicators.
Rather, we want to gather perceptions of change, and understand the reasons behind the
successes of the models piloted. In considering the actual needs and demands in the
market in the tourism value chain, and the learning systems needed to address skills gaps,
informal work must also be an integral part in the design of the strategy.
Since this tracer study is highly qualitative, a large amount of effort went into supporting
enumerators to undertake the data collection with sufficient rigor and quality to ensure
valid and reliable qualitative research outputs. However, the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri
Lanka, and consequent impacts on the tourism sector, have made it challenging to
measure which project interventions are likely to be successful.
Although the timeline was very short for a tracer study, in this case it is appropriate as it
would not be effective to conduct it after more tourism ‘seasons’ have passed. The Tracer
Study does explore causal links between project implementation, benefits for
participants, and changes. However, because it is wholly qualitative in research questions
and methodology, it is not rigorous enough to be taken as a scientific determination of
attribution.
The Tracer Study is expected to provide useful learning material for the S4IG team, who
may use it for reflection on effectiveness of their programme, increased understanding of
how changes happen, and taking decisions on program management, or discussion with
stakeholders. Some of the findings of the Tracer Study may be unexpected, either
positively or negatively. However, it is likely that many members of the S4IG team already
know the majority of findings of the Tracer Study, but that this research provides
independent evidence of what has already started to transpire. Finally, the Tracer Study,
and specifically the Most Significant Change stories, will provide useful input for
showcasing the stories of success of the project models to stakeholders.
The survey and the MSC data gathering methodology was wholly qualitative, and semi-
structured and designed to draw responses to research questions through questioning
techniques. The findings represent the project participants’ perceptions and perspectives,
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Tracer Study – S4IG 2
designed to answer the research questions. The research questions were formed based
on challenges posed by previous research, and by problems needing to be solved before
decision-making on the next phase of the program.
The results of the Guesthouse Masterclass project are unique, as guesthouses act as
‘hubs’ along the tourism value chain. Guesthouse owners were more likely to present an
overview of their observations of the industry in their areas.
The results of the Beauty Salon project offer a unique perspective on the challenges and
opportunities for women-run businesses, and provide an interesting insight into changing
attitudes to women working in the tourism sector.
The results of Employability Skills, Bakery, and Supreme Chef projects show how the
opportunity to secure employment or establish self-employment has an effect on
livelihood and career prospects.
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II Final Report
1. Introduction and Background to the Tracer Study
MDF South Asia (MDF) was commissioned by Skills for Inclusive Growth program (S4IG)
to conduct a Tracer Study in the 4 districts of project implementation: Batticaloa, Ampara,
Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee. The aim of the Tracer Study is to provide qualitative
evidence of how and why changes have occurred, and the wider effects for the
communities and across the tourism value chain.
The aim of conducting the Tracer Study is to collect direct perspective on the changes
from the S4IG programme, as perceived by the programme participants, and develop
stories of Most Significant Change as well as individual short write-ups for each
participant. The Tracer Study therefore provides unique ‘snapshots’ of change. The focus
of the Tracer Study will be on how and why the program has worked thus far, and the
wider changes due to the program intervention.
One important factor to the context of the Tracer Study was the Easter Attacks which
occurred in major hotels and churches on 21st April 2019, which resulted in a large
downturn in tourism business across the island.
Key deliverables of the Tracer Study for the S4IG team are the final report, MSC stories,
case studies, as well as the raw data and transcription of MSC interviews and survey notes.
From these elements, the S4IG team will be able to recognise the progress of the program
in creating results, what kind of models are successful, perceptions of participants,
perceptions on the training providers and other stakeholders such as associations,
relevance, what the outcomes of the projects are for the participants, and wider changes.
S4IG can use this learning for different purposes, such as: steering and adjusting the
program design, implementation, and monitoring; generalising learning and generating
evidence for how models work and for review of the Theory of Change; sharing learning
and stimulating dialogue with other development actors or stakeholders; or for visibility
of the program.
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2. Findings
i. Guesthouse Masterclass
Opinions on Skills Development From the Tracer Study research findings, we can conclude that two-thirds of respondents
are positive that they learned specific skills relevant to guesthouse management through
the S4IG program. This represents the majority of the respondents from Batticaloa and
Polonnaruwa districts. In fact, all respondents from Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa had a
positive opinion on skills development from the program. Specific skills learned included
English language, marketing, management and business skills and basic hotel skills (for
example room arrangements, food and beverage).
The remainder of the respondents, approximately a third, were more negative about
having attained skills through the S4IG program. The negative respondents are all from
either Ampara or Trincomalee districts. Reasons cited for not having learned from the
program included that they did not receive the trainings, that they were already familiar
with the concepts taught in the trainings and coaching, and in two cases, language was
mentioned as a barrier for learning. However, information from the periodic appraisal
system by S4IG shows that some of the guesthouse owners who responded negatively
about skills development through the program, did in fact make improvements in key
performance areas (marketing, site and landscape, customer service, etc.) over the
duration of the program.
Benefits of Skills Development
Positive changes in staff knowledge, attitude, and behavior was the most beneficial
change from the skills development program, with more than two-thirds of guesthouse
owners citing this. This includes acquisition of task-based skills, such as room arrangement
as well as substantial improvements in attitudes, problem-solving skills, and sense of
responsibility in their staff. This results in improved quality of service for customers.
Almost 50% of the guesthouse owners indicate an improvement in positive feedback from
customers. The feedback includes verbal and written feedback, and online reviews, from
both local and foreign tourists. The guesthouses which report that they are receiving
improved feedback and reviews, are the same guesthouses which cite that their staff have
improved in skills and attitudes and are practicing better customer service. We can
therefore conclude that skills development for staff is a key factor in driving customer
satisfaction in this sector.
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Benefits enjoyed by the guesthouse owners include changes made to the premises or to
the management style, designed to improve business. These changes were made due to
the S4IG Guesthouse Masterclass training reinforcing hospitality concepts, and
suggestions made by coaches. Two of the biggest changes implemented by guesthouse
owners was the increase in services for guests, and renovation of physical facilities and
attributes. More than half of the Tracer Study respondents stated that they added value
to the customer experience by including welcome drinks or tea and coffee, offering tour
arrangements, and adding food services. Furthermore, the Tracer Study shows that the
S4IG appraisal and coaching has encouraged at least half of the Guesthouse Masterclass
participants to invest in renovating their premises. Many increased capacity in terms of
number and types of rooms, renovated existing rooms, or renovated other areas such as
reception and outdoor areas. Through the S4IG training and coaching, guesthouse owners
realized the strong link between attractiveness and cleanliness of their premises and
improvement of business perspective. This conclusion is backed up by the appraisal data,
which shows a definite improvement in at least one area among half of the guesthouses,
and strong improvement in multiple areas among at least a third of the guesthouses.
More respondents have plans to improve their premises further. Most respondents who
have not started renovations, indicated that they would like to do so but lack financial
capital; they either do not desire to take a loan or they do not have access to bank loans.
Employment Conditions
More than a third of the guesthouse owners in the Tracer Study described methods by
which they have actively improved conditions for women employees, and/or had positive
experiences and attitudes to hiring women in the sector. Almost a third of guesthouse
owners expressed that they would be willing to hire People with Disabilities or actively
expressed that they see no problem in recruiting People with Disabilities; however, so far
few have done so, and the reasons why are not explicit
Future Prospects
Approximately half of the guesthouse owners who participated in the Tracer Study were
happy with the services they received through S4IG, and this corresponds directly to those
who reported that they had gained skills through the program. A significant proportion of
these would recommend the program to others, and recognise the value of participating
in the program, even that it is worthwhile to pay for the training and coaching services.
Wider Effects of the program
It was less clear whether the improvements made due to the S4IG program resulted in an
increase in income for the business. This is mostly due to the mitigating factor of the
tourist decrease after 21/04. It may also be because at the same time as increasing
numbers of customers, many guesthouse owners also invested in upgrades, causing a
disparity between revenue generation and profit. However, since it is clear that the
program has directly resulted in business improvement and customer satisfaction, it can
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be assumed that the program participants would have improved their business
performance.
However, one clear result from the Tracer Study was that among guesthouse owners
who had improved their business, their status in the community has improved, and their
immediate family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances have developed a positive
attitude towards the industry by observing their success in the business.
ii. Beauty Salon
Opinion on skills development We can conclude that a vast majority of almost 90% of the Tracer Study Beauty Salon
respondents are positive that they learned specific skills through the S4IG program. These
respondents are spread over all four districts. However, almost half of the respondents
said that the training was not complete and did not provide all the skills which would be
useful for their business. Some of these respondents explained that they already had
enough experience with skills such as haircutting, and that it would be useful to have been
taught other skills such as massage techniques. While the overall opinion on skills
development is positive, a third of respondents had problems fully participating, or
observed problems for other participants. Reasons cited include language barriers, or the
training being conducted in a far location.
Benefits of skills development
The most outstanding positive effect that the S4IG program had for beauty salon owners
was an increase in confidence. More than half of the respondents cited this as one of the
positive consequences of participating in the program and growing their businesses, and
many of them strongly emphasized the effect, contrasting their current situation of
feeling that they can ‘do anything’ with lacking a sense of direction or ambition prior to
the program.
Beauty salon owners clearly indicated that they initiated business improvements as a
result of the skills development through the S4IG program. More than two-thirds made
changes to their business, by either investing in the salon premises and facilities, or by
changing the services offered for customers.
Upgrading the salon premises included relocation or expansion of the salon premises,
separating different areas for different services or installing partitioning, installation of
professional sinks, chairs, and tables, or investing in new technology equipment. By
investing in the salon premises, they did not only increase attractiveness of their salon for
customers, but they also increase the capacity for serving multiple customers at the same
time and catering for an increased number of services for each customer. Participants
speculated that the location of the salon was of high importance, as through the S4IG
program they supposed more strategically about their business model. Those who had
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premises on a road were more easily able to secure additional clientele, whereas those
who operated from their home or did not have a shop frontage on a main road were at a
severe disadvantage. Almost a half of participants said that they still needed to make
major changes to the salon, including potential relocation, but do not have the funds for
investment. More than a third have plans for making such changes in the future.
The other major change made by more than two-thirds of the beauty salon owners is
offering a wider range of services, and packaging the services better for the customers.
New services include treatments like gel nails and nail art. However, none of the beauty
salon owners confirmed that they were now able to offer massage, which is seemingly
high in demand. The respondents explained that they were more conscious about packing
these services for customers, including by offering different price points, and targeting
customers with different offers rather than performing on request only.
As a result, a large proportion of beauty salon owners report that the number of their
customers has increased, and also that reviews and feedback from their customers has
improved. They often qualified this by explaining that their core clients come to them for
all their beauty needs, and even that customers were willing to pay higher for services.
Almost half of the beauty salon owners expressed that qualified staff are important.
According to the research participants who explained this, it is because trained, qualified
staff increase the capacity of the business, so that more than one customer is able to be
attended to at one time. Several owners stated that trained staff are also important for
delivering good customer service.
Employment Conditions
Almost half of the beauty salon owners stated that they wish to hire more women, and
that they believe that working in the beauty industry, and potentially linking with the
tourism industry, is a good career path for women. In fact, a quarter of the participants
explained that beauty salon ownership allows them to fix their own working hours and
appointments, and that they were more easily able to balance family responsibilities
happily. However, few beauty salon owners thought that the industry would be suitable
for people with disabilities. Several stated that it may be a risk to employ people with
disabilities in the industry, as they have a concern about customer reaction.
Future Prospects
More than half of the beauty salon owners would recommend the program to others, and
several mentioned that they have already been encouraging friends and family to become
involved. A large proportion said that they were satisfied with the services, and some
thought that the training would be worthwhile to pay for.
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Wider effects of the program
A large proportion of respondents said that their status within the community and family
had improved. Some explained that they have a sense of respect from others due to being
a business owner, and earning some income for the family. Others reported a
phenomenon of other women and community members approaching them for advice on
business matters. Almost forty percent of the research respondents asserted that their
family and husbands were supportive, for example by taking on further household
responsibilities to be flexible around the salon business. What is striking is that although
some of the research respondents mentioned that in the past, their families were
reluctant for them to be involved in the industry, the families were now wholly of a
positive opinion about the beauty and tourism industries. A quarter of women described
that there is some ‘incorrect’ perspectives in society on women working in the beauty and
tourism industry. This indicates that participation in programs such as S4IG, or knowing
successful cases of women business owners, has a positive influence on attitudes.
In several interviews, beauty salon owners explained that competition between salons
had an effect on retention of talent. In some instances this was expressed negatively, and
in others the research participants thought it was good for others to also open their own
businesses and increase the standard of beauty care in their area.
iii. Employability Skills
Opinions on skills development From the research findings of the Tracer Study, we can conclude that a large majority of
the participants (75%) were positive and reported satisfaction with the skills taught as
part of the program. 60% of the respondents said that the skills learned were directly
relevant to the job, and able to be used on the job. Technical job-related skills were
related to the industry of work, such as hygiene or beverage making. Moreover, soft skills
such as communication and customer service, trust, welcoming, efficiency, language
skills, and discipline, were reported with a high frequency by the respondents, across all
types of jobs.
60% of participants highlighted skills which were not taught through the program, which
they believe would be useful. Specific skills mentioned (spoken) English, IT, cake icing, bar
skills.
30% of respondents mentioned that they, or others, faced challenges in fully participating
or learning. Reasons mentioned include transportation issues, that trainings were
organized in far places, language issues and particularly that there was not Tamil language
instruction, and that the payment offered during the on-the-job training was too little,
causing participants to not complete the experience satisfactorily.
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Benefits of skills development
At the time of conducting the interviews, approximately 70% of the interview respondents
were employed as per the MIS information; however, several respondents were ‘at
home’. It was unclear whether their formal employment had formally ceased, perhaps
due to the downturn after 21/04.
Half of the respondents reported that they were able to secure their job, or in a few cases
of self-employed persons, to increase their income, directly because of the skills learned
from the training. Working efficiently, to at least the same level as, or even higher than,
experienced colleagues was mentioned by almost a third of respondents. This may be
important for employment prospects.
Similarly, a third of respondents reported improvement of English language skills.
However, a large proportion of these said that only their reading and writing had
improved, and conversations skills had not sufficiently improved. They explained that
conversational skills are what is needed for work in the tourism industry, and therefore
they were not able to benefit from this skill development.
Employment Conditions
One-third of participants said that their workplace made special provisions for persons
with disabilities and for women. More often, these respondents were engaged with larger
businesses such as East Lagoon or Water’s Edge. While a third said that working in the
industry would be possible for people with disability, many of them qualified that by
saying that it would be difficult for people with disability to perform certain tasks.
Very few participants actively reported that their own conditions had changed positively
after participating in the program. Improvements included salary and flexible working
hours.
Future Prospects
More than half of the respondents have already recommended the S4IG program to
others. A third of respondents recognised that the program was valuable and that it would
be worthwhile to pay for participation; however, it is unclear how many of this number
have the means to invest, as per their statements.
Half of the respondents said that they thought the program would be beneficial and
worthwhile for people with disabilities and women. Many respondents qualified their
responses, for example that people with disabilities and women may need appropriate
conditions, or that they may not be able to do certain tasks, but overall that they should
be able to participate in the industry.
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A large majority of respondents said that they career pathways had been shaped by S4IG,
for example saying that now, after the program, they would like to work in the tourism
industry and are actively pursuing this.
Wider Effects of the program
Half of the respondents directly attributed an increase in their income, through
employment or in a few cases of self-employment, to their participation in the program.
These respondents elaborated that they were able to improve their economic
independence and status in the family, for example by providing for their families or being
able to make decisions about their own money.
From the results of the Tracer Study, we can conclude that there is not a large negative
perception of the tourism industry among the participants and their friends and family.
More than half of the respondents confirmed that their family and friends had a positive
perception of working in the tourism industry, especially after their participation in the
S4IG program, and that they would recommend working in the tourism industry. In fact,
none of the participants said that their family or friends had a negative perception of the
tourism industry.
In terms of participant observations related to attitudes towards cookery careers and
the tourism industry, only a third of respondents knew about the Supreme Chef
television show. Those who knew about it thought that the show raised awareness of
the tourism industry and increased positive attitudes.
iv. Bakery
At the time of the Tracer Study research, approximately a third of research participants
for the Bakery project affirmed through the surveys that they were permanently
employed. However, in some cases it was not entirely clear, and the actual number may
be higher.
Opinions on skills development
Opinions on skills development of the research participants were mixed. A clear majority
of the respondents reported that they were satisfied with some of the skills learned
through the program. It is clear from the Tracer Study results that the skills learned were
useful in the workplace. More than two-thirds of the research respondents asserted that
the skills taught were useful. Almost all of the respondents who said the skills were useful
also said that they were able to work just as or more efficiently as their colleagues. A third
of research respondents directly attributed their ability to secure employment and
increase their income to the S4IG program. However, an equal number reported that
there were desired technical skills not taught as part of the training, or that they were
unsatisfied with the range of skills they were trained in. Similarly, more than half of the
respondents had faced challenges in participating or learning fully in the training, or had
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observed challenges faced by others. Specific reasons cited include lack of Tamil language
instruction, and high workloads coupled with difficult working hours and lower than
expected pay for the on-the-job training. Most of the participants said that they were not
able to increase their English language skills; some of the respondents lamented this as
they believe it is important for customer-facing roles expected of them.
Benefits of skills development
Almost all of the Tracer Study research participants for the Bakery project voiced positive
views about the program and its effect on their career paths. For example, many
participants explained that they were unaware about opportunities for working in the
tourism industry or using professional bakery skills to earn income before the S4IG
training. Since their involvement in the program, they have developed a vision for a
successful career path. Overall, the research participants’ future plans have been shaped
or inspired by their participation in the S4IG program. A clear majority would, or already
have, recommended the training program to others. A proportion, after having
participated, believe that it would be worthwhile to pay for the training.
While almost all of the research respondents were reported to be in some employment
or self-employment situation at the time of the Tracer Study research, just less than half
said that they had actually increased income and were able to improve their lifestyle.
Wider effects of the program
Almost all of the respondents affirmed that they felt their status and respect among family
and society had improved. For instance, many described that they were now able to
provide some money for their family expenses. Moreover, there was a sense of increased
self-confidence, and numerous qualitative statements describing new aspirations for
working in the tourism sector. Half of the Bakery participants think that working in the
tourism industry is a good opportunity, and would recommend this to others.
Furthermore, through the whole experience and exposure, at least half developed their
own opinion that particular skills which are needed for working successfully in the tourism
sector, such as efficiency, building trust, and welcoming customers. Almost half were also
aware of the Supreme Chef program and thought that it had inspired increased positive
perceptions of cookery and working in the tourism sector.
v. Supreme Chef
The sample size for the Supreme Chef research participants was very small. Therefore,
caution should be exercised in interpreting and generalising the findings.
At the time of the Tracer Study research, only two participants were engaged with a
workplace. One of the participants was engaged as a chef. The other participant was
engaged as a cook and a manager with her family-owned hotel. Several other
participants were recorded in the MIS system as being in employment, but from our
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interactions they seemed to not be engaged in the workplace on a day-to-day basis, and
indicated to be on ‘study leave’. It was unclear whether this situation was as a result of
21/04, and whether they can expected to be re-engaged with their workplace as the
situation stabilises. Another two participants had not secured any employment after the
S4IG program, but were continuing with studies on cookery.
Opinions on skills development
More than half of the respondents stated that they learned new and useful skills through
the S4IG training, and many mentioned how their ability to cook with different cuisines
had improved drastically. Many of these respondents said that the skills they learned were
directly useful in the job. Almost half of the respondents report that they were able to
work more (?) efficiently due to the training, and that their English language had
improved, which they felt was important for securing work and engaging in the industry.
However, almost all of the respondents said that they were unsatisfied with the complete
array of topics in the training, and that there were subjects which were not covered fully
or which the participants would have found useful but were not covered. One specific
example that was mentioned by several of the respondents was that only one type of
sauce was taught. Furthermore, more than half of the participants recognized that there
were challenges in fully participating for some, for example because of the location and
time requirements for the training, and lack of Tamil language instruction.
Employment Conditions
The respondents who were in employment at the time of the Tracer Study research
reported that their workplaces had good conditions for women to work. It was particularly
noted that assistance to participate in Supreme Chef, such as with transportation and a
stipend, helped in enabling full involvement, particularly for distant or disabled
participants.
Future Prospects
Overall, the results of the Tracer Study are very positive for the future prospects for
Supreme Chef. More than half of the respondents have been inspired and given
confidence by the program to plan for a career in the industry. A majority would
recommend the training program to others, and think it is even worthwhile to pay for.
Almost all of the respondents affirmed that they thought the training is worthwhile for
women and people with disabilities. Some participants expressed dissatisfaction that the
S4IG training was not aligned with formal certifications.
Wider effects of the program
The leading positive effect of Supreme Chef was a raising of awareness and positive
attitudes among society, and friends and family, of the participants. All of the research
respondents confirmed this. There is a very high rate of recommendation from the
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participants to join the tourism industry. In high contrast to the other projects, almost all
of the research respondents assured that working as a cook in the tourism industry was
also suitable for people with disabilities, although almost a half also recognized some
difficulties which would need to be managed. Special skills are needed for working in the
tourism industry, according to a majority of the respondents, including English language
skills, efficiency, and customer service.
Half of the participants affirmed that their friends and family had supported them in the
program and have a positive perception of the tourism industry and the cookery career.
Some of the respondents did mention that there was some negative perception among
society; however, almost a half said that they had increased in confidence and gained
more respect from their families and society. This can indicate that participation in the
program does have a positive influence on perceptions of cookery and the tourism
industry.
3. Conclusions • Overall, we can conclude that the S4IG program is effective in developing skills,
and that across all projects, participants were satisfied with the subjects and skills
taught, and the practical aspects of the training. Most of the respondents
emphasized that the skills they learned through the S4IG training were useful and
relevant to the workplace, and that they were able to perform to the same
efficiency and quality as their experienced colleagues.
• For enterprises, one of the main benefits of the program was up-skilling of staff.
MDF recommends to continue allowing enterprise-owner participants to include
their staff in the trainings, or providing learning mechanisms for skills to be taught
in the workplace itself Up-skilling in technical areas resulted in a positive increase
in capacity of the enterprise, for example being able to take on a greater number
of customers at once. Increased ability to communicate and to provide good
customer service among staff was a large positive benefit for the enterprise
owners, and this resulted in more positive feedback from customers.
• Another type of change enterprise owners made due to the training and
suggestions from business coaches was to their premises and facilities. However,
especially for beauty salons which tend to be smaller businesses, it was difficult
for the owners to invest funds or take loans through financing. MDF recommends
that S4IG investigate the possibility of supporting a mechanism for MSME
financing, if S4IG will continue working with this classification of enterprise.
• From the results of the Tracer Study, the future prospects of the program are very
positive, according to the research participants. A significant number report being
satisfied with the training, and already have, or would, recommend the program
to others. MDF recommends to leverage the positive experiences of most of the
participants in gaining momentum for subsequent phases.
• The most clear positive wider effect of the program for participants was an
increase in confidence, career planning, respect from others, and future vision for
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themselves. The increase in confidence was not only to being able to implement
new skills and adapt to the workplace, but also in self-confidence. This relates to
the increased aspirations and career planning among a significant majority of
participants. These participants asserted that after the S4IG program, they
developed goals in relation to working in the tourism industry. In addition, a vast
number of participants, including women and people with disabilities, perceived
that their status and respect had increased among family and society. This could
be particularly interesting for S4IG, as the question of the perception of the
tourism industry had initially presented a potential barrier to effective
implementation of the program. MDF recommends to leverage the positive
influence that a successful experience of the industry has had among the
immediate network of the participants. It would be interesting for S4IG to
investigate whether this is different to potential participants, before joining the
program, as this would show a clear link between S4IG and positive changes in
attitude towards the industry. This could be done through a baseline study or a
wider analysis on stakeholder perception.
• Regarding the perception of women participants working in the tourism industry,
respondents described that there existed ‘incorrect’ views of women working in
the industry, but these views were now outdated. Respondents more frequently
cited that their family had come to support them in their endeavor. This indicates
that the lived experience of women working in the tourism sector is not
necessarily negative, and that the positive experience of women and their
families through the supportive and conducive environment provided by S4IG was
helpful in shaping more progressive attitudes.
• Responses to the question of whether it would be worthwhile for participants to
invest in the training are encouraging. However, it is unclear whether any figures
mentioned by participants are hypothetical or realistic. MDF recommends to
conduct pilot testing or market research to determine the feasibility of S4IG
trainings being conducted for paid participants.
• For the individual participants in the Bakery, Employability Skills, and Supreme
Chef projects, those who had secured jobs due to involvement in S4IG positively
asserted that their incomes and livelihoods had improved. Where individual
participants had explicitly not been successful in securing jobs, it can be assumed
to be because other mitigating factors such as the effects of 21/04, or
geographical distance.
• Across the individual participants in the Bakery, Employability Skills, and the
Supreme Chef projects, there was more reporting of improvement in
employment conditions for women and people with disabilities who were with
more established employers. MDF recommends that S4IG continue working with
medium or larger employers, and collaborate with other agents who may
advocate for or support such employers to provide conducive conditions.
• Although overall participants reported satisfaction with the skills learned across
all five projects researched in the Tracer Study, participants expressed that
further skills and subjects would also be useful and relevant. MDF recommends
to examine these findings in correlation with the skills supply-demand analyses.
The additional skills desired by participants include massage therapies for Beauty
Final Report
Tracer Study – S4IG 15
Salon, conversational English language across all projects, customer service and
communication across all projects, and other specific technical skills such as cake
icing for Bakery participants.
• For certain projects, MDF recommend to investigate purported barriers for fully
participating or learning in the trainings. In particular, these could include
problems faced by participants who are distant to the training locations, to solve
transportation issues. From several comments by participants, we think it would
be a good idea for S4IG to clarify the primary language of instruction in the
trainings, and ensure any language support such as translation is thoroughly
implemented.
Final Report
Tracer Study – S4IG 2
Recommended