Dhaka, December 4, 2006 -
International Finance Corporation’s South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (IFC-SEDF) along with the Consortium for Industrial and Engineering Services (CIES) today awarded certificates of completion to successful delegates of ISO 9000:2000 Lead Auditor Training for Quality Management Service Providers training launched in partnership with the Engineering Staff College of Bangladesh (ESCB) earlier this year.
The Lead Auditor Training series was introduced in response to the growing need for a pool of quality trainers and lead auditors who can institute a strong quality adherence culture among private sector manufacturers to meet global standards for improving Bangladesh’s export prospects. A total of 39 lead auditors have been trained to help their companies meet their quality control mandates and prepare for ISO certification.
Rajeev Gopal, acting Deputy General Manager, IFC-SEDF, said, “The growing role of trained quality management service providers catering to small and medium enterprises cannot be over-estimated in a country like Bangladesh. For IFC-SEDF, this is an important initiative that needs to be sustainable to meaningfully address a growing need.”
Since the launch of the training series, two week-long courses have been held in April and August 2006 at the Institution of Engineers of Bangladesh (IEB) at Dhaka conducted by trainers from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and led by Nigel Bauer & Associates, a UK-based consultancy. A third course is scheduled for February 2007. All subsequent courses will be offered by CIES and ESCB regularly, independent of IFC-SEDF.
“IFC-SEDF recognized the need for lead auditors in Bangladesh early on and the requirement of infrastructure to make this possible. A training institute to develop local lead auditors is a response to this need,” elaborated Hasanat Khan, CEO, CIES.
Professor M. A. Hannan, Rector of ESCB, explained, “We are happy to provide the technical support and knowledge for the training series that has emerged from the partnership between IFC-SEDF, CIES and ESCB.”
About IFC
The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral provider of financing for private enterprise in developing countries. IFC finances private sector investments, mobilizes capital in international financial markets, facilitates trade, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to businesses and governments. From its founding in 1956 through FY06, IFC has committed more than $56 billion of its own funds for private sector investments in the developing world and mobilized an additional $25 billion in syndications for 3,531 companies in 140 developing countries. With the support of funding from donors, it has also provided more than $1 billion in technical assistance and advisory services. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
About IFC-SEDF
IFC's South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (IFC-SEDF) is a multi-donor funded facility managed and operated by IFC. Set up with the objective of promoting the growth of SMEs in the region, IFC-SEDF is funded by IFC and the governments of Netherlands and Norway, DFID, CIDA, European Commission and ADB. IFC-SEDF provides increased access to finance and quality business development services to projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and North East India. IFC-SEDF also supports value addition to firms through tailored enterprise and organization-specific technical assistance, capacity building programs, training, research, etc., and helps create an enabling business environment.
