Lessons From the Cordoban Enterprise Voucher Training Experience

This report assesses the effect of the Cordoba voucher program on market development. It interprets the findings in the light of research on other voucher programs conducted to date in Asuncion, Paraguay; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Ecuador; and East Java, Indonesia.

The Cordoba voucher program intended to enhance the regional competitiveness of small enterprises in Mercosur markets, and reinvigorate the training market by providing courses for formal or informal micro- and small enterprises of up to 20 employees.

The report lists the challenges faced by the Cordoba voucher program, which included:

• Poor promotion tactics resulted in less than 50 active training providers;
• The value of the voucher is too high for some low-end courses, which results in little or no co-payment being expected of users, and is too low to be an incentive to small enterprises;
• Providers frequently neglect to tell users that the subsidy can be used for other courses, or that the user may be eligible for more than one voucher;
• Supervision is strict.