Promoting capacity building of Missing Entrepreneurs for inclusive digital entrepreneurship and digital transformation of businesses Erasmus Project

Project Title

Promoting capacity building of Missing Entrepreneurs for inclusive digital entrepreneurship and digital transformation of businesses

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Social entrepreneurship / social innovation

Project Summary

CONTEXT
As stated in the latest OECD report on “The Missing Entrepreneurs 2019 – Policies for inclusive entrepreneurship”, digital entrepreneurship – the creation of digital businesses and the adoption of digital technologies by existing entrepreneurs – may hold potential for making entrepreneurship more inclusive. Under-represented population groups in entrepreneurship could be more likely to benefit from certain features of digital technologies for business creation and growth, including the lower start-up costs required for many digital businesses and the wider access to external markets offered by the internet. However, international surveys indicate that women, immigrants, youth and seniors are greatly under-represented among digital entrepreneurs in the EU (Eurostat, Labour Force Survey, 2019).

These gaps are due to many factors, including a lack of digital entrepreneurship role models and a lack of digital skills, which affects seniors and women. Moreover, several recent studies show that many obstacles to business creation (e.g. lack of skills, access to finance, small and ineffective networks) carry over into the digital economy. Data on computer usage clearly show that women and seniors have gaps in basic digital skills, as do some groups of youth. These skills barriers reinforce the obstacles to start-up financing and networks.

Therefore, the policy recommendations outline the need for actions contributing to address the barriers to digital entrepreneurship through schemes that build digital and entrepreneurship skills, including through education, training programmes and facilitating peer-learning.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The Missing Entrepreneurs Project aims to build a more inclusive culture towards digital start-ups and support the development of digital and entrepreneurship skills among vulnerable and still under-represented population groups in digital entrepreneurship such as women, immigrants, youth and seniors.

To this end, a set of specific objectives and activities have been defined:

– Develop a comprehensive framework of digital skill gaps of under-represented population groups (women, immigrants, youth and seniors) in digital entrepreneurship. This skill gaps mapping will be carried out in participating countries (France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Austria) and on the European level, allowing to identify common trends and shared understanding against two EU competence frameworks for digital competences and entrepreneurship.

– Establish European Academy on Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship composed of:
o Extensive database of online training courses that leverages all available e-learning resources on entrepreneurships and digital skills
o Practical training modules and “training pills” on digital tools available for digital entrepreneurship and digital transformation of businesses.

– Enhance digital and entrepreneurial skills by deploying training courses and workshops to testing a set of innovative education materials and resources provided by European Academy on Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship. This will allow to train at least 180 people that belongs to project target groups (women, immigrants, youth and seniors) on digital entrepreneurship by the end of the project.

– Develop far-reaching educational and raising awareness campaign to combat the stereotype that digital entrepreneurs are young males by showcasing a wide range of role models and success stories.

PARTICIPANTS
The project targets vulnerable and still under-represented population groups in digital entrepreneurship such as women, immigrants, youth, seniors.

MAIN RESULTS AND IMPACTS
– Comprehensive framework of digital skill gaps of under-represented population groups (women, immigrants, youth and seniors) in digital entrepreneurship developed (IO1).
– European Academy on Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship established. It will include database of online training courses on entrepreneurships and digital skills (IO2) as well as training modules on digital tools for digital entrepreneurship and digital transformation of businesses (IO3).
– Training courses and workshops Academy on Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship organised (IO5). Relevant skills of at least 180 potential future entrepreneurs (women, immigrants, youth and seniors) will be improved. Their professional career perspectives will be enhanced as they will have increased possibilities to succeed on the labour market.
– Educational and raising awareness campaign on Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship set up (IO4).
– The knowledge base increased and awareness raised of the partners in terms of learning needs and priorities within Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship area.
– Increased motivation towards lifelong learning and entrepreneurship amongst women, immigrants, youth, seniors and other people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Project Website

https://themissingentrepreneurs.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 299876 Eur

Project Coordinator

AMARIS FRANCE SAS & Country: FR

Project Partners

• APSU – ASSOCIACAO PORTUGUESA DE STARTUPS
• BLUE ROOM INNOVATION SL
• EUROPEAN GRANTS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY SRL
• CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD
• DIE BERATER UNTERNEHMENSBERATUNGS GESELLSCHAFT MBH