Think Creative - Issue 4

“Our employees faced many difficulties and could not reach their sales goals,” says Farhad Fayez, General Manager at Almobashir. “They blamed it on competition from neighboring countries.” To counter the imports and build domestic market share, the general manager sent eight employees to 21 marketing training sessions developed by the USAID-funded program. “Their skills, talent and capacity have im- proved,” says Fayez. Almobashir’s marketing team immediately applied many of the techniques they learned, including participating in industry events. The team focused on one key differential that the international competition could not match: fresh, locally baked goods. “After the marketing training, they discovered how they could improve the recognition of Afghan-made products in Balkh province,” says Fayez. “It had a great impact. Our customers really showed their interest in buying Afghan products. The quality is better than the import- ed products.” The dividends were much greater than merely recognizing the success of the newly trained marketing teammembers. It meant new jobs at better wages for people in the region. 18 | Think Creative | Fall 2018 manage a production process and apply it to their own companies. Qambari added that a major takeaway for him had to do with client relations. “One of those changes is building a better understanding of our customers and how to manage their orders,” Qambari says. “We had difficulties organizing clients’ orders because we were not trained in this area. Now it is very clear for us.” In addition to better tracking, the client-cen- tric approach allows Reliance Power to better understand each customer’s specific needs and develop a work process to meet goals. “We have good manufacturing capabilities,” Qambari says. “The training program had impact to speed up our work process.” Marketing matters inMazar-e-Sharif In the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, the morning shift at Almobashir Food Industries is winding down, and a handful of bakers are completing some of their last orders. One man is rolling out dough on a long metal table, while a group of women are packaging cookies into boxes. The smell of freshly baked products fills the air. At its peak production, the small plant with 80 employees produces approximately 20 tons of baked goods a day. Another plant with some 30 employees bakes birthday cakes. Production is up at Almobashir Foods, thanks in part to training by the AfghanistanWorkforce Devel- opment Program. During its 16 years of operations, Almobashir Foods has always faced stiff competition from competitors located in Iran and Pakistan. workforce in motion Through job training and placement services, 28,790 Afghans were placed in new jobs or promoted. 28,790 More than 10,250 Afghan women obtained new or better employment, 64% above the target of 6,250. 64% With in-demand skills training and capacity-building activities, 53 Afghan organizations were strengthened. 53 By involving employers in curriculum development, 1,900 employers formed partnerships with training institutions. 1,900 A technician climbs a telephone tower on the roof of the VICE Group office in Kabul. Bakers fill the day’s cake orders at Almobashir Food Industries in Mazar-e-Sharif. AWDP by thenumbers VICE Group’s CEO inspects bottles at the company’s plastics factory in Kabul.