FUTURE ENTREPRENURS OF POLAND -DEVELOMENT OF ENTREPRENURIAL PREINCUBATOR PROGRAM IN POLAND Erasmus Project

Project Title

FUTURE ENTREPRENURS OF POLAND -DEVELOMENT OF ENTREPRENURIAL PREINCUBATOR PROGRAM IN POLAND

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

Many teenagers in age of sixteen do not know, who they would like to become in the future. It is not very surprising, because how can someone know what is his/her dream job, without experiencing it? As our research proves, many young people base their career decisions on good feeling or imagination they have about a certain profession. This has its influence on lack of passionate and determined employees in the companies. Research proves that managers in the companies perceive the level of recent graduate`s soft skills such as communication, group work as very low. The gap which exists between education and career world is yet to be covered.
The Polish non-profit foundation My Future, together with Danish organization Institute For Applied Knowledge decided to take the challenge and narrow the gap which exists between education and career world. The goal has been achieved by implementing a pre-incubator program in form of workshops under the Erasmus+ programme, KA2, cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices.
During the 17 months, the partners held two pilot project FEP (Future Entrepreneurs of Poland) workshops with youth (60 participants), organized blended mobility (16 participants) and created Intellectual Output in form of E-guide which supports the sustainability of the idea and has been distributed on the dissemination events in Poland and Denmark

The workshops lasted for 4 days and the plan was based on very well known in Denmark “learning by doing” approach. The Danish concept of the workshops needed to be adapted to the Polish market, to the skills the youth is lacking here and the possible involvement of companies. As a result of the research phase of the project the scope of the workshops, companies/partners selection strategy, mentoring guidelines, recruiting strategy has been created.
Many local and international companies expressed strong interest in getting involved in FEP as a part of their CSR initiatives as well as talent acquisition and marketing strategy. DECATHLON has been chosen as the company with the main case for youth. There were 15 other representatives/companies, involved in the workshops, for example, Pod Rozami, AG Centrum, and more.
When the scope and timetable of the workshops have been set, My Future started the recruitment process. The organization received 126 applications, but selected only 60 participants (two pilot project batches 30 each), as initially planned.
A very important aspect during the workshops played the profile of the participants. When we go to work, we rarely go there with our best friend and very often we are surrounded by people who have different strengths and weaknesses then we do. What is more, the communication skills can be taught more efficient when we are among people we do not know. Therefore at FEP, the partners made sure that youth is placed in groups, where each participant is from a different school and field.

The 4 days workshops lasted two afternoons and two full days. The partners wanted to emphasize to youth how important is to learn languages for their future career. That is why 20% of the workshops were made in English.
During the workshops, the youth attended activities which focused on networking, negotiation, presenting in public, creative thinking, teamwork etc. All the activities were aiming at providing youth with skills which could be used by them in the case competition. At the end of the workshops the groups worked on the real-life business challenge given by the case company: Create the business model for a new product with target group- mums with kids under 4 years old. The youth had to divide the tasks, make market research, agree on the solution and present in front of the professional jury.
The winning team has been selected based on earlier set criteria. As motivation plays important role in the learning process, the main prize in the case competition was a trip to Denmark (Blended mobility of youth).
During the blended mobility in Denmark (total of 16 participants) youth had the opportunity to visit companies, work on the business tasks and experience the cultural side of Danmark. Youth visited among others: Polish Embassy, NETS, Right to Dream Academy.

During the project, there has been constant evaluation (surveys, observation, interviews). The satisfaction rate from the workshops was 98%, what is more, 75% of participants said they would like to become volunteers in the future workshops.
Based on the solid research​ and experience from the workshops the partners created intellectual Output in form of the E-guide. The aim of the e-guide is to help other organizations, schools, and companies with the implementation of “learning by doing initiatives”.The E-guide has been distributed on the dissemination events in Denmark and Poland and now supports the sustainability of the project.

Photos and videos from workshops can be seen here: https://www.my-future.info/grupa-wiosna-2018/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 50275 Eur

Project Coordinator

My Future & Country: PL

Project Partners

• INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED KNOWLEDGE ApS