Leslie Zucker , Vice-President and Training Consultant of echange has worked in e-learning since 2001. She was the director of a project financed by the MIF and Inter-American Development Bank that introduced three e-learning courses to the microfinance industry in Latin America. To see the results of that project, visit www.globalechange.com/files/elearning.  She is a training and organizational development consultant and can be reached at lzucker@globalechange.com.

On the microfinance e-learning landscape

FSTRC : What does the e-learning landscape for microfinance today look like?

Leslie Zucker : First, let’s all get on the same page. “Electronic learning” (recently known as “e-learning”) is an all-encompassing term generally used to refer to computer-enhanced learning, although it is often extended to include the use of multimedia CD-ROMs, discussion boards, collaborative software, e-mail, blogs, wikis, text chat, computer aided assessment, simulations, games, learning management software, electronic voting systems and more, with possibly a combination of different methods being used.   In other words, it is broader than the term “on-line learning” which generally refers to purely web-based learning, and can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term “blended learning” is commonly used.

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Indrajith (JIth) Wijesiriwardana, Director UVADES is a consultant in development finance specializing in microfinance and other related field including Microfinance in post-conflict and post-disaster situations. Jith is a certified CGAP trainer and was a member of the CGAP resource teams for capacity building initiative in Asia.  His previous work experience includes commercial banking and development banking and managing the local arm of an international consultancy firm in Sri Lanka. He has worked in over 25 countries in Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe.   He is a Chartered Management Accountant and a Chartered Manager and holds MBA and MA (Econ) degrees. Presently he is based in Colchester, England and heads Uvades Consulting Ltd, a development management consultancy.

Many would-be microfinance consultants providing training services fail, not because they have no skills but because they don’t know how to manage those skills or to present them effectively. As strong as someone might be in technical expertise and training, they may not have developed skills to run a consultancy business. The ability to make it in microfinance training as a consultant (and to generate ongoing income) requires business management skills, which often only come with experience and the “school of hard knocks”.

On basic skills

FSTRC: In your opinion, what are the 3 most important skills needed for building a successful consultancy business providing microfinance training?

Jith: