Assessing the impact of entrepreneurship training programs in the case of Genius Training and Consultancy Center

The purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of entrepreneurship training programs in the case of a private Training Center in Ethiopia using evaluation research as a disciplined inquiry. This paper is hinged on the goal-oreinted evaluation model and covered the training program characteristics, impacts on business performance and business skills transfer. The study targeted 14 percent samples of the 1236 trained entrepreneurs in three years of training programs. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to collect data through questionnaires, interviews and actual observations. Manual content analysis and desctiptive statistics methods are used to analyze data. The study found that ETPs fairly achieved objectives and have positive economic and social impacts with respect to improved business & entrepreneurial performance, new job creation and expanding national tax base. The findings highlighted that potential entrepreneurs created new startups at average actual startup rate of 24.3 percent and showed growth in sales, profit and asset but mostly at low growth rate. The study also found 577 new jobs are created after training and there is improvement in record keeping skills but relatively low in developing bankable business plan to raise finance for startups and expansions. Finally the research concludes that training alone may not guarantee for business/entrepreneurial success and recommends that other entrepreneurial infrastructures should be enhanced through public-private partnerships. Key Words: Impact Evaluation, Entrepreneurship Training Program, New Stratup, New Job, Entreprenrial Success, Entrepreneurial Infrastructure, Public-Private Partnership