By the end of this certification, participants will:

• Be able to identify high-growth value chains with potential for decent jobs;
• Have analyzed a specific value chain and identified systemic constraints to small enterprise growth and decent job creation;
• Have designed pilot interventions, using business modelling, based on a vision of how value chains and markets should work;
• Have increased their capacity to lead and facilitate value chain analysis in their country.

The value chain analysis certification course will consist of five phases:

• Intensive online training

The online training course provides practical and action-oriented sessions on the different aspects of value chain development. The course will analyse the principles and rationale of value chain development, provide a detailed review of the different phases of value chain development, share different market system facilitation techniques and discuss the benefits of market system facilitation. It will be facilitated by ITCILO experts, based on experiences and best practices from developing and middle-income countries. The online training can be conducted from any computer with Internet access. The time investment required for the training is 30 hours. Upon successful completion of the online training course, participants will receive a certificate of participation issued by the ITCILO.

• Fieldwork Assignment

​​​​​​​After the online training, participants will be asked to conduct an analysis of a market system in your own country and develop concrete intervention plans. The work can be done in groups of 2-3 people or individually. The final product of the field study is the first draft of the market system analysis report and an intervention plan. Participants benefit from up to two individual or group coaching sessions with ITCILO experts to discuss the challenges related to the study.

• Peer review and group coaching

During the peer review and group coaching, participants will present and obtain feedback on the market system analyses and intervention plans. These workshops will provide an opportunity to address some of the challenges associated with the field mission and reinforce some key concepts and skills. The schedule of the three sessions will be communicated in due time.

• Report finalization and submission 

​​​​​​​After the peer review and group coaching sessions, participants will have five more weeks to complete the field study and submit the final report. During this phase, they will be able to take advantage of coaching sessions that were not used in Phase 2.

• Report Evaluation and Final Exam 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​After submitting the report, participants will receive feedback from ITCILO experts, indicating whether the work is of sufficient quality, or whether they should submit a new version. Once the report has been evaluated, participants will have to take a final test, covering all the topics discussed during the training. At the end of this phase, participants will receive the Certificate of Achievement issued by the ILO, giving the title of Value Chain Analyst. Successful candidates  will be registered into the ITCILO’s database of accredited analysts.

The value chain certification programme is offered in English.