Membership

“Business Facilitation and Coaching has copped its fair share of flak in recent years, primarily because the industry has a reputation for attracting spruikers and touts.”                                            

Denise McNabb Sydney Morning Herald.

The Australasian Institute of Business and Enterprise Facilitators (AIBEF) was founded in 1997 as a result of the recommendations of the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills. In their report, entitled Enterprising Nation, the taskforce recommended that: “…. a comprehensive accreditation process be established for small business trainers, educators, counsellors, mentors and advisers so as to upgrade the quality of small business advice.”

It’s a fact that, at the moment, the business advice industry in Australia is self-regulated, and virtually anyone can call themselves a business or enterprise facilitator, advisor, coach, mentor or consultant. Check out Google for instance; there must be a dozen (or more) sites on “How To Start Your Own Business Consulting Venture”.

We, the AIBEF Committee and Members, hope to continue the Association’s great work to further promote the professionalism and quality of our members, and to endeavour to act as a respected voice and advocate for the wider community.

The AIBEF represents a profession that is proud of its independence and confident of the service it provides, committed to continual improvement in the skills and knowledge of our members and Business and Enterprise Facilitators in general, who ably assist in the professional guidance and support of business, enterprise and community development. It is with the wider community in mind, that I consider the need to address the business assistance funding as a significant issue to pursue.

Australia’s business assistance services are increasingly underresourced leaving thousands of Australian businesses and entrepreneurs without adequate access to quality training, advice and assistance.

I applaud the work done by qualified professionals in the industry and encourage Government both State and Federal to increase funds. To break this impasse both Government and the community has to be better educated on the direct and indirect effects of funding and the true importance of it within the professional business and enterprise facilitation.

Also, a new and innovative approach needs to be taken to encourage the provision of increased funding. These days it seems like everyone knows how to do everything. You just attend a course or two or acquire one or two products on a subject or field and then suddenly you are the expert. Although we might work for, or represent, a wide and diverse range of industry sectors, we are all members of the AIBEF, and as such, we are qualified, competent, skilled and experienced, and constantly upgrading our knowledge through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – we wouldn’t be a member of the AIBEF if we weren’t.

We, the profession and industry, should all consider coming together, working in unison and being a “loud” voice for appropriate regulatory control of this vital industry, to help rid the industry of its “cowboys” and charlatans. I am hopeful that we can continue to attract “fresh” members with enthusiasm and new ideas who will want to take up this ongoing challenge.

Dennis Chiron MAIBEF

AIBEF National President

On behalf of the Board and Members of the AIBEF.

WHO ARE BUSINESS OR ENTERPRISE FACILITATORS?

Virtually any professional, qualified person or organisation involved in assisting entrepreneurs, organisations, or communities to improve their Skills; Knowledge; Business; Staff; and/or Life.

The role of a Business and Enterprise Facilitator is to promote local economic growth by providing support to local entrepreneurs, groups or entire communities wishing to start or expand a small business enterprise or to assist to develop a concept where the community will benefit

The concept of Business and Enterprise Facilitation is a model of development that supports the creation of wealth from within a community by nurturing the resourcefulness of its people.

The Australasian Institute of Business and Enterprise Facilitators is an international not -for-profit institution that works with entrepreneurs, small groups and / or communities to establish sustainable, grassroots enterprise projects.

The AIBEF offers a range of grades that recognise different levels of business management experience, business counselling experience, accredited training courses completed, continuing professional development and supporting skills, whilst requiring uniformly high standards of excellence in the performance of all relevant activities. Applicants can join as a Member or Associate Grade and then apply for upgrading after gaining relevant experience and training.

All applicants must satisfy the Institute as to their:

• knowledge and experience of business;
• acceptance of the Code of Conduct;
• commitment to professional development;
• proposer’s and seconder’s support.

There is no minimum age limit, but relevant experience and maturity are essential.

Nomination requires a proposer and a seconder with letters, documentation and evidence to support nomination.

Membership Designations

• Only Members and Fellows are entitled to use the professional designation    MAIBEF and FAIBEF. These are the only permitted designatory letters.
• Associates may describe themselves as an “Associate”. However Associates must take care to avoid passing themselves off as Members.
• Appropriate Certificates will be provided for all grades after admission and payment of the appropriate fees. These Certificates remain the property of the Institute and must be returned if membership ceases.

Associate

Associates have full voting rights but are not permitted to use letters after their name.

Eligibility Criteria

Completion of a module of basic business counselling, i.e. a module from the Certificate IV in Business Facilitation recognised by the AIBEF Board or recognition of prior learning which may include 12 months of public interface with coaching/mentoring by a supervisor and/or acceptance of formal course/courses taken at Institutes that are recognised nationally or internationally.

Member

Members are eligible to have the letters MAIBEF after their names (Member of the Institute of Business and Enterprise Facilitators). Members should be current in the field and show evidence of undertaking a minimum of 16 hours each year of professional development. Members have full voting rights.

Eligibility Criteria:

Completion of a series of modules covering the Business Facilitation Certificate recognised by the AIBEF Board, or recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for the above, and completion of 200 hours of enterprise facilitation conducted in a formal structure.

Maintenance of membership is subject to payment of the annual fee and compliance with the membership requirements. Non compliance may mean reverting to Associate status.

Fellow

Fellows are eligible to have the letters FAIBEF after their names (Fellow of the Institute of Business and Enterprise Facilitators)

Objective of the Fellow Grade:

Fellows should be:

• role models for others to aspire to; and

• people who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Definition of Outstanding Contribution:

The outstanding contributor should have:

• advanced the profession of business facilitation through outstanding activity provided skilled facilitation of the development of small/medium business;

• delivered services to the profession over and above the requirements of regular employment; and

• shared knowledge and expertise widely with colleagues in the profession

Process for Attaining Fellow Status:

A member can obtain Fellowship by being nominated by other Members of the Institute or by an Organisation.

Life Member

Life Members are nominated and accepted by the Institute as being worthy of the honour of receiving Life Membership. Life Members will have full voting rights.

Friends of the Institute

Friends of the Institute are organisations and individuals that provide financial and in-kind support to the Institute.

Friends of the Institute are recognised in the various items of literature and website produced by the Institute.

Friends of the Institute are not eligible to have letters after their names and will not be entitled to have voting rights unless they fulfill the Membership Criteria.

Associated Organisations

These are organisations that have amongst their members or employee groups, people who may qualify for AIBEF membership. By becoming an associated organisation it allows their members to join the AIBEF without paying a joining fee. Similar to Friends of the Institute, Associated Organisations have no voting rights and are not eligible to have themselves, members or employees use letters after their name, unless they fulfill the Membership Criteria.

If you are experienced and skilled in your field, and you are not a member of the AIBEF, you might consider that now would be a good time to become a member and profile yourself/your business amongst highly respected and accredited Business Consultants under the banner of the AIBEF.

Associate

There is no joining fee for Associate members and no interview required. The first year fee should be submitted with your membership application. The Annual Fee for Associates is $39 (inc GST)

Member

Annual membership entitles you to a Certificate of Membership and approval to use the post nominals of the Institute MAIBEF; You will also receive our Monthly publication ‘FOCUS’ plus your own Profile Page on our Website including your Photo, Profile and Bio. The profile allows potential clients to contact you directly through our website. The Annual Fee is $49 (inc GST)

Fellow

Membership as a Fellow of the Institute covers a contribution towards the cost of registration, assessment, certification and documentation.

Initial Fee $150 (inc GST)
Annual fee of $49 (inc GST)

Associated Organisations

An Annual Fee of $150