Mobile Learning for young entrepreneurs

The mobile learning story is continuously evolving at ITC-ILO and we are now ready to share the Mobile Learning Toolkit which will be used in the framework of the “Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)” training package, currently activated in the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The toolkit mainly considers low-end mobiles rather than smartphones and relies on text based communication such as SMS to support learning, as it has been more popular in previous African mobile projects. Inspired by the MyCoop Mobile Learning Toolkit launched in 2011, the SIYB toolkit includes custom-made scenarios of use, instructional videos, downloadable step-by-step guides and a list of additional resources.

With adding a mobile component, SIYB trainers will be able to choose out of 14 different mobile methodologies and among a list of free tools to be used in order to apply the methods..

The SIYB mobile learning toolkitdoes not replace the face-to-face training, but compliments it and extend the learning experience beyond the classroom by matching the lifestyle and needs of future entrepreneurs.

In particular, mobile learning is seen to be relevant for entrepreneurs regarding the following aspects:

–         Facilitating learning anytime and anywhere;

–         Enhancing learning facilitation;

–         Allowing the distribution of field tasks;

–         Supporting continuous learning and knowledge retention;

–         Encouraging interactive experiences;

–         Enabling the development of key future work skills.

Feel free to contact us in case you are interested to pilot some of these mobile learning methods.

Alessia Messuti