Events

What is "Erasmus for young entrepreneurs"?

The EU initiative "Erasmus for entrepreneurs" is a new pilot action designed to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to follow a traineeship in another country within a host SME.

ECOTEC has been asked by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry to identify the potential supply of traineeship positions within SMEs. To do this, we are planning to hold a series of consultative workshops in the coming months.
Aim and structure of the workshops

Four workshops (in Vilnius, Valencia, Vienna and Brussels) will provide a platform for stakeholders - including entrepreneurs, businesses, business associations, business support organisations, chambers of commerce and policy makers - to learn about and give feedback on the options for the pilot project; and identify potential benefits, challenges and incentives which will help to shape its implementation. Workshop participants will therefore have a unique opportunity to add their voice and become actively involved in EU-policy making.

Each 24-hour workshop event offers an interactive conversation between around 30 stakeholders from a specific country cluster. There are four clusters: north, south, central and west, which cover 18 EU Member States in total. The format will be predominantly interactive, working in small groups with participants also having the opportunity to network and continue the debate over dinner in the evening.

Events will begin with lunch on Thursday and close with lunch on Friday. The format will comprise:
_Plenary session:presentations from the European Commission, the ECOTEC team and others to set the stage for discussion;
_Break-out sessions: run in parallel and designed to stimulate debate, with approximately 16 participants each and focusing on particular countries and subjects;
_Panel sessions: feedback from the break-out sessions, designed to formulate common conclusions and pinpoint critical issues;
_Open debate at the end of the seminar and closing remarks;
_Workshop report with country-specific analyses.

Workshops in 2007 -dates and locations

_15-16 November in Vilnius,Lithuania
Country cluster: Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Sweden

_22-23 November in Valencia, Spain
Country cluster: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia

_29-30 November in Vienna, Austria
Country cluster: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia

_6-7 December in Brussels, Belgium
Country cluster: Belgium, Netherlands, France and the UK

ECOTEC will cover the travel and subsistence costs of those participating in the workshops.

The working language of the four workshops will be in Vilnius English, in Valencia English and Spanish, in Vienna English and German and in Brussels English and French.

More information

If you are interested to know more and would like to attend the relevant workshop, please contact us and/or fill in the registration form and send it to entrepreneurs@ecotec.com. We will then contact you by email or phone to confirm your participation. Please note that the workshop is free, but the number of places available is limited, so contact us as soon as possible.

ECOTEC Research & Consulting ltd
Emmy Nelissen


Tel.: +32-2-743 85 65 or +31-6-50 42 7220
E-Mail: entrepreneurs@ecotec.com
http://www.ecotec.com/erasmus-for-entrepreneurs/english.aspx