Enter to Transform is an entrepreneurship training programme targeted at refugees who want to start their own business. The programme is designed to introduce participants to the Irish entrepreneurship ecosystem and advise them of the processes they will undertake in setting up their business. Over three phases, the programme will help participants gain the confidence and skills to develop a business idea within a supportive and encouraging environment.
This training programme is funded by Interreg North West Europe and has been developed by Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow as part of a larger partnership that includes Academic and NGO organisations in France, Germany and The Netherlands. The project focuses on increasing the number of refugee-owned start-ups by addressing their entrepreneurial capacity, and also the ability of the business support agencies to aid these individuals on their journey. Eurostat (2017) indicated that many refugees in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and France have an entrepreneurial background and want to continue to own businesses in their hosts countries, they just need to know where to start!
Enter to Transform offers a social innovation approach and addresses a key issue where refugees who have a desire to start their own business in their host countries are often disadvantaged as they are not familiar with the local entrepreneurship ecosystem or the business support agencies who can help them. Enter to Transform develops hubs which, through entrepreneurship training and mentoring, can open doors into the existing entrepreneurial support infrastructure in each region.
Through Enter to Transform, participants are prepared for entry into existing ecosystem with a confidence and understanding of what their journey will entail.
Find out more about the training programme:
https://outsidemagazine.ie/enter-to-transform-a-training-programme-for-refugee-entrepreneurs/
