Ilo evaluation

1.2SCORE theory of change and objectives

The second phase of the SCORE programme started in 2013 and will end in 2017. The vision or overall objective of the second phase, as mentioned in the project document, is to have in all countries national institutions providing, independently from the ILO and donor funding, SCORE training to SMEs to improve their working conditions, productivity and competitiveness. The programme has three immediate objectives, which are formulated as follows.

1. 
   Industry associations and training institutions market, sell and organize SCORE training for SMEs on a cost-recovery basis.
   
2. 
   Service providers deliver effective SCORE training and consulting to SMEs.
   
3. 
   Increased awareness of responsible workplace practices at the local, national and global level.
   

Interventions to increase sustainability

Following the recommendations made in the evaluation report of the first phase, the main focus of the second phase lies on reaching programme sustainability i.e. institutionalization of the training programme with partner organizations. Sustainability is defined in three interrelated dimensions, which are the basis of ILO’s interventions, as can be seen in figure 2 on page 6, explaining the theory of change behind SCORE.

• 
  Technical - The SCORE programme builds the capacity of institutions to continue and improve the technical quality of services. Training and certification of trainers and expert trainers with ample knowledge of the SCORE modules ensure a consistently high level of quality for the SCORE training.
  
• 
  Institutional – Organizations that want to embed SCORE in their regular portfolio are supported to enhance their managerial capacity to deliver SCORE training and counselling services in a cost-effective, professional and accountable manner.
  
• 
  Financial – To make the service delivery of SCORE financial sustainable, the programme will develop mixed funding models, which, depending on the country, consists of client fees, sponsorships from multinationals and large domestic companies with SMEs in their supply chain, government subsidies and others.
  

Classroom learning in combination with a hands-on approach

Through these interventions the SCORE programme supports industry associations, service providers and government agencies to deliver training and consultations to SMEs. Of the five training modules, the first one on workplace cooperation is mandatory for all enterprises, while other modules can be offered on demand. SCORE places workplace cooperation at the centre of the process, helping enterprises to establish systems that revolve around the constructive engagement of managers and workers in production planning, quality assurance and the implementation of improvement projects. SCORE offers a structured method in which training is followed by the installation of an Enterprise Improvement Team (EIT) consisting of managers and workers. During regular meetings they discuss and monitor the implementation of action plans leading to tangible improvements at the factory level. In addition to the trainings, consultants visit companies to help with the implementation of improvement plans. It is this combination of theoretical classroom learning and hands-on application and coaching in the enterprises that makes SCORE different from other programmes.

To promote SCORE a marketing and communication strategy is developed to disseminate good practices through websites, brochures and other publications, social media and conferences. Together with service providers the ILO in most cases is still the implementing organization but in view of reaching programme sustainability also tries to collaborate with industry associations and other partners in the SCORE programme to market the training to SMEs and increase their interest and buy-in. In addition, training courses are offered to policy makers, labour inspectors, media and social partners to increase their awareness and knowledge about the link between working conditions and productivity. The programme is also training labour inspectors to use mass media and other means of communication to promote compliance with labour standards and encourage good practices.

figure : Reconstructed Theory of Change of the SCORE project

Improved competitiveness, higher profits, better wages and more jobs



Impact

Cost savings, higher employee motivation, higher productivity


Improved manager

worker cooperation

Better working

conditions

Increased gender

equality

Better organization of

work processes

Outcomes


Small and medium sized enterprises implement SCORE modules

Policy makers, labour inspectors, media promote good workplace practices



Output
[Sphere of


Increased interest and buy-in of companies in taking on SCORE

Promotional activities

SCORE training and consultations
influence/control]

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Developing funding

models

Building the capacity of

national institutions

Training & certification

of trainers on SCORE

Interventions





Weak infrastructure

Lack of financial support

Weak enabling environment

Short of management capacity

Poor working conditions

Gender segregation

Obsolete production methods



Barriers



Increasing global competition puts pressure on SMEs to upgrade their productivity




Problem

Performance indicators and results

SCORE training and consultation result in a growing number of SMEs that understand the importance of good workplace practices and implement the lessons learned during training sessions in their daily operations. This includes mainstreaming gender equality as enterprises come to understand how and why gender segregation in the labour force affects economic performance. The SCORE programme keeps track of the number of enterprises and how many male and female managers and workers have attended classroom training. It looks at the number of enterprises that adopt good workplace practices by organizing daily managers workers meetings to share quality information, the existence of human resource policies, the implementation of occupational health and safety measures, the number of women in EITs, etc.

On the outcome level improved manager worker cooperation, better organization of work processes, improved working conditions and increased gender equality are believed to lead to cost savings, higher employee motivation and higher productivity. To monitor these outcomes, SCORE keeps track of a number of results in companies that participate in the programme, such as cost savings due to a reduction of energy consumption and materials usage, the number of defects and rejections, labour turnover, worker complaints and the accident rate. The outcomes in turn will help to make enterprises in the long run more competitive leading to higher profits, more jobs and higher wages for the workers.