The Social Seed project is aimed to create and test a tool to empower socially excluded groups through entrepreneurship, in order to offer a solution to the large part of people excluded from the world of work living in Europe. Currently, a guide to implementing the Social Seed methodology has been developed and is in the phase of validation through the Social Seed incubator. At the end of this process, the results will be at disposal of any public or private organizations willing to implement business incubation strategies for persons at risk of exclusion.
THE TRAINING MANUAL
The manual that encapsulates the Social Seed incubation methodology is the result of the work carried out by the partnership during the second project output. The business manual and training contents represent the outcome of the analysis of:
• the best entrepreneurship courses at the European level focused on improving people’s entrepreneurship skills;
• the needs of the target groups, in order to adapt the contents according to the main needs of people at risk of exclusion;
• the best teaching system for these groups.
Specifically, an analysis of existing courses for entrepreneurs and a review of the scientific literature on training needs in the field of entrepreneurship of people at risk of social exclusion has been undertaken. The results have been validated through 28 interviews with professionals working in the field of support for business start-ups and entrepreneurs from a disadvantaged environment from Spain, Italy, Germany and Poland. You can find the English reports of these studies at the following link https://socialseedproject.eu/outputs/
The aim of the manual is to provide a training curriculum that supports business incubation for people at risk of exclusion. It is based on the specific needs of this target group and adapted to student profiles coming from disadvantaged groups. The specific objectives of this training programme are to:
• Develop entrepreneurial skills – gain a realistic awareness of the risks and benefits of self-employment
• Clarify business ideas and understand the steps to follow in order to establish their own business
• Develop necessary skills to carry out an economically viable and sustainable business
• Generate relevant business knowledge (legislative, tax, funding sources etc.)
