Rural industries employment

The project, which consists of seven components providing, inter alia, credit guarantees, information services, management training, and institution building and policy support, will be implemented under separate agreements with several entities.. (1) A Small Industries Guarantee Facility (SIGF) will be set up to guarantee 50% of the value of loans provided by participating banks (in amounts of $38,000 or less) to small, rural industries with less than $200,000 in net fixed assets. The Thai Industrial Finance Corporation (IFCT) will manage SIGF as a second window to its existing Small Industry Credit Guarantee Fund. Unlike the latter, SIGF will follow a simplified application procedure, basing approvals on bank certifications, and subsequently reviewing a sampling of subprojects. Banks will be required to limit collateral requirements. (2) An Information Services Unit (ISU) will be created in the Ministry of Industries" Department of Industrial Promotion to provide technical and market information to entrepreneurs in industry groupings (e.g., agroprocessing, wood/furniture, metalworking/machinery) with strong growth potential. ISU will also provide information to potential customers and suppliers and to policymakers. (3) A program of short management courses for rural entrepreneurs will gram coordinated by the Institute for Management Education (IMET) and conducted by the private sector and Thai universities. Also, the access of regional business faculty to Bangkok-based management seminars will be increased. (4) The Thai Executive Service Corps (TESC) - a local equivalent of the International ESC (IESC) - will be created under IMET to provide TA to small rural businesses. IESC itself will provide TA to about 60 larger businesses, costs to be borne in part by the client. (5) The Association of Thai Industies (ATI) and the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) will strengthen their rural affiliates, expanding their services to small industries, and will help to begin at least 10 new rural industry associations. (6) The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), the Secretariat of the Joint Public Private Sector Consultative Committee, and the Joint Standing Committee of Trade and Industry will expand policy dialogue between the public and private sectors in rural areas. (7) NESDB will oversee a policy studies program aimed at analyzing issues affecting the expansion of rural industries.