Description
The project will foster entrepreneurship and job creation for young people in vulnerable situations, through (a) the development of specific entrepreneurship training courses taught by experts in various relevant areas; (b) the monitoring, by a network of 12 mentors, of the young entrepreneurs in the development of their business projects and in approaching the business community; and (c) the leveraging of the local entrepreneurship support structures in the municipalities of Figueira da Foz and Condeixa (central Portugal), where the project will be implemented. It will include three training cycles of 6 months each, for a total of 45 youths. Each business idea will have a mentor responsible for direct and individualized guidance up to the project’s conclusion. Local entrepreneurs will share, on a voluntary basis, their entrepreneurial experience through informal conversations. In the end, six business are expected to be at the incubation stage.
Summary of project results
According to the National Employment Office data, of the total number of registered unemployed in Figueira da Foz (7 503) and Coimbra (13 017), 54% were in this situation for less than one year and 46% for more than one year. In February 2014, about 2 489 young people were registered at the Employment Centre of Figueira da Foz, more women than men, while a similar scenario was present in the municipality of Condeixa. Employment offers made by the Employment Centres represent only 1% of the total number of registered unemployed. The data show a strong setback from the labour market, unable to absorb young workforce. The project trained 34 unemployed young people providing them new skills and knowledge to improve their employability and to be able to launch and run a small business. This group of 18-30 year old vulnerable people was selected from those registered at Employment Centres and subject to two training cycles of 200 hours each. 6 project ideas have been developed and 6 projects have been incubated and originated new business (informatics, ethnical restaurant, clothing stores, fresh agriculture products, fruit production, restauration of antique furniture) assisted by 8 mentorship activities. For the NGO this project enabled the development of technical and logistical resources to support the development of business ideas and dissemination of good practices to other entities and to the local business sphere.
Summary of bilateral results