Call for Application for Enterprise Placement Programme

Call for Application: Enterprise Placement Programme

Overview

About the Programme

The Enterprise Placement Programme places trained young professionals, our Junior Associates, inside participating enterprises for a structured period, to strengthen business performance while building young people's employability skills.

Junior Associates are equipped through Challenges Rwanda's tested, structured consulting methodology, using tools and templates proven across 1,750+ SMEs in 10 countries.

In this sense, the young people become implementers of change within your business, rather than standalone programme beneficiaries.

SMEs play a vital role, as they are key to hosting Junior Associates for the duration of the programme.

About BIWE

Established in 1971, the Bildungswerk der Baden-Württembergischen Wirtschaft (BIWE) is the education and training organisation of employers from Germany's south-western state of Baden-Württemberg. The overarching goal is to increase the employability of men and women through their participation in VET measures which have a high degree of practical relevance.

BIWE is currently running a project"PartnerRwanda II" project to execute dual training programmes and practice-based short-term training in Rwanda funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via sequa gGmbH and is part of the special initiative "Training and Employment".

Our implementation partners in Rwanda are RP Kigali College, Rwanda Emission Inspection Program (REIP) and TVET Gacuriro.

BIWE is a German organisation that partners with Challenges Rwanda to train Junior Associates ahead of their placement. BIWE does not host enterprises directly; this role is played by participating SMEs like yours.

BIWE welcomes this placement approach, which aligns with its objective of strengthening the employability of young professionals while supporting SME growth through practical, on-the-job learning.

About Challenges Rwanda

Challenges Rwanda is part of Challenges Group, an international enterprise development organisation that exists to maximize enterprises' potential so they can deliver extraordinary impact.

Since 1999, Challenges Group has delivered over 200,000 onsite consulting days, helped businesses raise £30 million in finance, and supported over 4,000 enterprises across 70 countries.

In Rwanda, we design tailored technical assistance and financing solutions for MSMEs, connecting businesses to the capital and assist they need to grow.

Our Impact

The programme is designed around an enterprise placement-based model. It uses a structured placement to deliver Business Development Services (BDS) to strengthen the performance of SMEs. The BDS assist centres around four components: Diagnostic, Analysis, Action Planning, and Implementation.

• 1,750+ SMEs across 10 countries strengthened using our diagnostic methodology
• 80% of businesses saw improvement in processes, revenue or customers after hosting a placement
• 70% of young consultants placed under similar programmes secured employment opportunities
• 2-3 priority improvement areas agreed with your leadership and implemented during each placement

Programme Structure

The programme is built around a structured placement model, delivering Business Development Services (BDS) to strengthen your enterprise.

1. Diagnostic Week 1-2

Your Junior Associate evaluates key business areas such as leadership, the organisation and staff, the product or service, sales and marketing, financial management, investment appetite, inclusive working practices, and other key areas identified by your business, aligning with the Challenges Rwanda approach.

2. Analysis Week 3

Challenges Rwanda staff and your Junior Associate evaluate the information gathered, with further conversation with your team to clarify any gaps.

3. Action Planning & Recommendation Week 4

Key findings with recommendations are presented to you, with your business allocated to a specific track for implementation assist. The three tracks are: Finance, Sales & Marketing, or Operations.

4. Implementation assist Week 5-18

Your Junior Associate supports implementation steps as agreed with you. Challenges Rwanda staff deliver oversight and track progress.

Monitoring, Collaboration & Sustainability

Throughout the placement, Challenges Rwanda works closely with BIWE and host enterprises to track progress, measure impact, and detect opportunities for continuous improvement.

Key lessons, tools and business improvements achieved during the placement are documented, helping make sure that the benefits of hosting a Junior Associate are sustained well beyond the programme period.

How Will This Programme Benefit My Enterprise?

A Junior Associate is a trained, supervised resource placed inside your business - not free labour. Enterprises hosting a placement benefit in several ways:

• Every Junior Associate completes structured consulting training before placement and is backed throughout by Challenges Rwanda's senior advisory team.
• SMEs are supported as they grow their peer networks and strengthen their wider business ecosystem.
• assist SME leaders to help detect personal barriers and strengths to grow their company and keep momentum and motivation to enhance.
• Enhancing the skills of your wider SME staff, not just the business owner.
• Access to accredited business management training from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) at a discounted rate.
• Where a Junior Associate performs well, host enterprises are encouraged to consider them for future employment opportunities - contributing to sustainable youth employment.

Enterprises hosting a placement consistently report on measurable improvement in processes, revenue or customer reach.

What Value Will My Business Gain from the Programme?

• A clear digital record of your financial and operational performance, and your progress in organisational development.
• Tools, templates, and processes to assist your enterprise growth.
• A better understanding of growth strategies, including investment options available to your business.
• Better connectivity between up- and down-stream relationships within your enterprise.
• Your business will be in an improved position to present itself effectively to investors and to satisfy any diligence process included in a future transaction, which we define as improved “investment readiness”.

Eligibility & Expectations

• You must be supportive of young people's development, and willing to actively mentor a Junior Associate.
• You must have been operating for a minimum of one year, with staff in place.
• You must have a premises or location of operations with working facilities for the Junior Associate, e.g. office desks.
• You must be able to show evidence of financial records.
• You must be willing to act on diagnostic findings and execute agreed recommendations.
• You must be willing to commit to the full placement period of approximately five months.
• You must deliver an enabling learning environment for your Junior Associate, including regular mentorship and constructive feedback.

How to apply 

Interested companies are kindly requested to submit Expression of Interest with the following documents:

• RDB Registration Document
• Company profile

To be part of the letter of Expression of Interest and Send to  benjamin@biwe.international by Friday, 06 November 2026, 23:59(Kigali time). Subject heading, as“Enterprise Placement Programme”: