Training of Trainers in five countries in Asia and Latin America on CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is getting more and more important for businesses around the globe and especially in working together with companies from Europe. German IPD commissioned us to develop and deliver a CSR Training of Trainers for a group of BSOs from Asia and Latin America.

The goal was to develop a virtual Training of Trainers program for representatives from ProColombia, ProEcuador, AGAP, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, and the Ministry of Trade, Indonesia. The training empowered the new trainers to develop CSR training for local businesses and to be able to give sound advice on CSR topics.

The interactive sessions were filled with good practices, online CSR tools to compare standards and determine risks, information about buyers’ codes of conduct and experience sharing between participants.

Activities

• We developed CSR training material to raise awareness about the topic and expanded the knowledge of the participants by discussing social, environmental and economic elements. Among other things, we also discussed the ISO 26000 self-assessment and how companies can develop a CSR strategy for themselves with this.
• In seven sessions of three hours, we helped the trainers to develop the skill set needed to conduct CSR trainings by themselves.

Results

All participants successfully completed the programme and earned their CSR training certificate. The BSOs further developed CSR services within their organization, for example:

• AGAP hired a CSR manager, developed a project guide with examples of companies to inspire other businesses, and is working on a CSR podcast and a LinkedIn sustainability community.
• ProEcuador developed a manual with a FAQ to help co-workers answer questions about CSR and added CSR as a chapter in a training for new companies.
• EDB integrated CSR in multiple training courses.

“This was the most successful training I attended during the pandemic!” Immanuel Manurung – Ministry of Trade, Indonesia