James Thomas, an EVI Senior Associate, has over thirty years of wide-ranging experience in entrepreneurship and micro- and small enterprise development support in different parts of the world. Mr. Thomas is an internationally-recognized expert in designing workforce development and microenterprise programs. Throughout his career he has supported the development of successful small business support structures, appropriate employment and self-employment policies, business advice centers, and small business market support systems in South Africa and internationally. Mr. Thomas is co-founder of the South African Institute of Entrepreneurship (SAIE), a leading entrepreneurship training NGO. Mr. Thomas is founder, and for 12 years directed, the Triple Trust Organization (TTO), a non-profit organization working in the areas of training, financing, and marketing support for emerging micro and small business in Southern Africa. Mr. Thomas was part of the core team that developed microenterprise simulations officially integrated into ILO's SIYB and GTZ's CEFE programs. He has facilitated the development of numerous entrepreneurship training materials currently being used around the world.
Mr. Thomas is an accredited EVI Master Trainer and holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences and Industrial Sociology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Mr. Thomas is the winner of the acclaimed World Bank Development Marketplace award for innovative development practice.
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