Turkmenistan’s Small Businesses Modernize, Increasing Profits and Salaries

When the CEO of Melhem, a firm specializing in the shipment of building materials, decided to send his employees to ICT training, he had no idea how quickly it could improve their overall efficiency or that it would quadruple company sales.

In June of this year, Melhem employees attended ICT training at the IATP center in Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan. The employees learned basic computer and internet skills and achieved proficiency in various MS Office applications. Throughout the process, participants focused on how to apply their ICT skills in their jobs and realized how much it could improve business operations. Not long after the training, the company invested in three computers and connected them all to the internet.

Now the company keeps track of their clients through e-databases and finds and maintains new contacts online. Thanks to the modernized system, the company estimates it has improved its efficiency by almost 70 percent. The majority of employees’ time is now spent developing the company, which suits workers well, as their salaries are based on a percentage of the company’s profits. Melhem accountant Margarita Hemraeva explains, “Before learning IT skills, we spent most of our time doing paperwork and did not have as much time to seek out new clients. Our new IT skills are allowing us to spend our efforts in achieving our real goals—to expand our customer base and increase profits.”

Just recently, Melham established a significant new partnership with a client in China through internet outreach. Employees’ salaries are now four times what they were prior to the June training. In February and March of this year, staff salaries ranged from $100-150 per month. Since working with IATP, the modernization of their office and the acquisition of new partners through the internet, individual salaries have increased to about $400-500 per month.

Not wanting to be left behind, in September another local Turkmenabat firm, Azatlyk, specializing in market research and consultations, also furnished their office with three computers and began sending employees to training at the local IATP center. Employees have since used their new office equipment and skills for processing routine paperwork, as well as advertising and diversifying the company’s services. Azatlyk owner Agamurat Hallyev remarked, “Thanks to the IATP training, we understood that it was impossible to work without computers. Now our staff is using their new knowledge and skills to help us find new clients and increase our work efficiency and profits.” IATP has trained more than 30 representatives of the business sector since the IATP center in Turkmenabat opened in 2004.

In December, four IATP centers in Turkmenistan will graduate as Independent Internet Centers (IICs), each with a unique local partner and sustainability plan. The IIC in Balkanabat will be run by the local NGO Turkmen Society for the Deaf and Blind, which is also collaborating with American Councils in Balkanabat to support the fledgling independent center. The partner will continue to provide free training in computer and internet basics and offer free internet access, while American Councils will cover administrative costs and retain the current IATP administrator. In exchange, the center will offer consultations and information for users about American Councils’ exchange programs and other information about studying in the US. American Councils will also fund the new IIC in Dashoguz.

Under a different model, IICs in Turkmenabat and Mary have partnered with local economic associations (Hemayat and Gulnahal, respectively) to provide free internet access that is subsidized by offering low-cost technical training. The Turkmenabat IIC will continue to focus services on youth, low-income families, and people living with disabilities. All four of the newly-graduated centers will strive to support IATP’s mission of providing free internet access and ICT resources to support the personal and professional development of members of their local communities.

IATP activity begins in Tajikistan: 2000
Centers offering free services: Ashgabat, Turkmenabat, Dashoguz, Mary, Balkanabat
# users (since June 2007): 5,058
# trained (since June 2007): 4,682
# of visits to IATP centers (since June 2007): 48,567
# of training sessions (since June 2007): 1,637

Comments

[Office Equipment UK]

It just goes to show that even basic training can make a diffrence. Many of us take this kind of thing for granted.

The other point is that once basic skills and PC's are available, further training can be delivered using those skills via the PC.

Thanks Stuart

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American Councils will also fund the new IIC in Dashoguz.

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Does anyone know a website that has a information about turkmenistan like: history, population, language, religion, government, and economy?

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Who can translate from Latin to English for me?
Kazakhstan maioribus terra obvius universitas. Totus alius terra es run per parum puella. Kazakhstan numerus unus exporter of potassium. Alius terra have improbus potassium.

[ask a doctor]

Even google translate can't do that..

[Office equipment]

I can not believe that parts of the world had not heard about computers and haven't use them till today, at least for business purposes.
Beyond saving time, saving money and of course improving office's efficiency of work, it's just more logical, why have they waited for 30 years? It's a totally weird.

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Looks like the efforts in Turkmenistan are going really well. Lets hope they get the full benefit of their hard work.

[excel classes]

The theoretical discipline is based primarily on the assumption that employees are individuals with varying goals and needs, and as such should not be thought of as basic business resources, such as trucks and filing cabinets. The field takes a positive view of workers, assuming that virtually all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main obstacles to their endeavors are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process.

[excel classes]

I need to find 3 inventions that modernized the business world that were invented within 50 years ago.

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This shows that basic education can make diffrence. Many of us take these things for granted. Another thing is that once the basic skills and PCs available, training will be conducted using these skills through the computer.

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have a great to work with this company