When we visited Philippe’s shop/training school it was a hive of activity. In the main part of the shop there were about 15 young apprentices busily working away on or assisting those working on sewing machines and in the back of the shop there were about 15 more apprentices’ gluing/ironing/fixing various items. Philippine welcomed us in with a big smile and open arms. We did not realise from his modest loan description quite how impressive his business actually is. He set-up his own tailoring business with three helpers about 14 years ago after learning the trade from his uncle and receiving a diploma as an apprentice. He now, with the help of 35 young apprentices, makes 100s of uniforms for schools and companies as well as the occasional individual item. And all of this is achieved on manual sewing machines. Phillipe told us he is confident that he and his staff can deliver orders on time and he hopes to expand operations in the future. Their peak period is between August and September. In fact, in the shorter term he would love to open a haberdashery next to his workshop so he can sell cloth and accessories alongside his tailoring services. Apart from building a successful business, what really impressed us about Philippe was the opportunity he provided for numerous young people from the local area through his apprenticeship programme. In total he has trained 80 people in the trade, all of whom received a diploma and graduation ceremony once they completed their apprenticeship and have gone on to set-up their own businesses. Philippe trains all of the apprentices himself and is helped by his more experience apprentices as new people join. Philippe has now taken out a second small loan to buy more material in bulk so they can meet the growing demand of their customers and get a better price by buying in bulk.