By undertaking volunteer assignments, Senior Expert Contact (SEC) experts pass on specialist knowledge exactly where it is needed. In this way, the benefits of professional support are accessible to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and institutions in developing and emerging countries.
An SEC expert can be requested by an SME, training centre or other institution, which requires professional expertise to solve an operational challenge but which couldn’t afford this advice at market prices. At the same time, SEC offers experienced professionals and managers the opportunity to become SEC experts, enabling them to pass on their knowledge and experience in a meaningful way. In doing so, they make a tangible contribution to sustainable development, support enterprises and institutions in their growth, and experience enriching professional and cultural exchanges with people around the world.
The SEC was founded in 1979 and is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed since 1993 by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.