Transnational Report of identified barriers and needs for unemployed seniors to become self-employed or entrepreneurs.

Identifying patterns and common necessities at European level, and detecting geographical particularities on the partnership countries.

Senior Entrepreneur Action Programme (SEAP).

Adult education action programme that delivers training and mentoring for unemployed seniors to potentially become self-employed or entrepreneurs. SEAP is composed by the training programme itself, guidelines for trainers and mentors, as well as policy recommendations and case studies.

Dissemination Plan and Exploitation Strategy.

Includes the present Website, printed materials, networking activities and Media coverage.

Individual Analysis.

Analysis of the needs of the target group, as well as a first approach of motivational approach and policy recommendations, elaborated by each partner organization based on the results of regional investigations (state-of-the-art), reviewing of existing reports, statistics and databases and the information acquired thanks to the personal interviews and focus groups with unemployed seniors.

SMRDA South Muntenia Regional Development Agency
www.adrmuntenia.ro

Cork Institute of Technology
www.cit.ie

ACFI-FIAS Coordinated Association of Training and Integration
www.acfi.be

DIMITRA Education & Consulting S.A.
www.dimitra.gr

INFODEF Institute for the Promotion of Development and Training
www.infodef.es

BEST Institut für berufsbezogene
Weiterbildung und Personaltraining GmbH
www.best.at

Entrepreneurs aren’t quite what they seem

A new research about entrepreneurship has been carried out by Barclays and the University of Cambridge. The research (20015 June) casts fresh light on the make-up of a modern entrepreneur, dispelling the myth they are all confident, lone wolves with tunnel-vision to success.

Entrepreneurs have an important role in supporting economic growth and social progress. Yet they are often incorrectly viewed as one homogeneous group. The aforementioned research directly challenges that misperception with a much more varied picture of success. Indeed, some of the characteristics founded, such as introspection, actively counter society’s popular stereotypes.

Regarding senior Entrepreneurs, this research has founded the following:

• The ‘freedom to make decisions’ is perceived as the main incentive for starting a business (70% citing this reason compared to just over half of those aged under 50).
• Seniors exhibit the same propensity for risk, innovation, initiative, self-efficacy and autonomy as younger entrepreneurs, but they are more motivated by the prospect of personal success.
• Seniors are more liberal, artistic and well-organised, and score above average for extraversion. This paints a picture of open, outgoing and conscientious leaders.

More information here.

Understanding the Entrepreneurial Learning and Support Needs of Older Unemployed

Published on: Wednesday, 08 July 2015

We know from EU statistics that older people are at risk of falling into long term unemployment; once unemployed, the risk of not finding a new job is higher for this cohort. The route of entrepreneurship or self-employment is highlighted by policy documents as an answer for unemployment for all age groups. Studies show that older people are generally more capable of starting and running businesses than their younger counterparts. However, to embark on an entrepreneurial path, older people often need to acquire skills and training. Due to their age and former education, they may not have actively engaged in prior entrepreneurial learning.

More information here.

Three benefits to starting a business after 50 that have nothing to do with money

At the age of 65, after leaving her corporate job as marketing consultant at Siemens, Margaret Manning have started two businesses “Sixty and Me” and “Boomerly”. She thinks that starting a business after 50 have massive benefits, most of them have nothing to do with money. Some of these benefits are:

• Finding a sense of purpose after 50
  Starting a business in your 50s can be a great way to reconnect with your passions. You don’t need to spend your life savings or go out looking for venture capital money to get started.
• Meeting people who share your interests
  Starting a business in your 50s is a great way to make friends with people who share your interests. This is especially true if you focus on building a business around one of your passions.
• Keep your mind and your body healthy
  Starting a business after 50 forces you to stay engaged with the world. It gives you something positive to focus your attention on and tells the world that you are not ready to be invisible.

More information here.

CIT. Understanding the Entrepreneurial Learning and Support Needs of Older Unemployed

This article presents a brief summary of the main findings from a needs analysis of older unemployed in Ireland. The findings are drawn from interviews and focus groups with older unemployed and a focus group with representatives from enterprise support agencies and organisations, department of social protection, non-profit sector, banking sector and the national organization for the unemployed.  This research was carried out by Dr Breda Kenny, Isabel Rossiter and Ane Fano Dadebat at the Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence as part of the MYBUSINESS project. The project is financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme and is implemented by a consortium of six partners from Romania, Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Spain, and Austria.  The project began on 1st September 2014 and will run for 24 months until 30th August 2016.

More information here.

Senior Entrepreneur Action Programme Takes Shape in CIT

The Hincks centre in CIT hosted a number of European visitors last week with the aim of creating a customised programme tailored to unemployed seniors interested in becoming self-employed or entrepreneurs.

More information here.

The Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship

The Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship in Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) is a partner in European project called MYBUSINESS – “Empowering entrepreneurial skills and unleashing potential of older unemployed”.

The project is financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme and its main objective is to increase the managerial and entrepreneurial skills of older unemployed people.

More information here.

ECSB – European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship / Blog

This blog presents a brief summary of the main findings from a needs analysis of older unemployed in Ireland. The findings are drawn from interviews and focus groups with older unemployed and a focus group with representatives from enterprise support agencies and organisations, department of social protection, non-profit sector, banking sector and the national organization for the unemployed.

More information here.

Marek: Ältere Arbeitnehmer/innen unverzichtbares Potenzial für Arbeitsstandort Österreich

Staatssekretärin Christine Marek bei Konferenz “Productive Ageing – Neue Wege für die Arbeitswelt der Zukunft”

Artikeltext

Als “wesentliche Herausforderung für die Politik im Bereich Arbeit” bezeichnete Staatssekretärin Christine Marek den demografischen Alterungsprozess im Rahmen der gestrigen Konferenz in der Wirtschaftskammer Österreich zum Thema „Productive Ageing – Neue Wege für die Arbeitswelt der Zukunft”. Dieser Herausforderung gelte es rechtzeitig entgegen zu treten. “Es müssen alle Anstrengungen unternommen werden, den Verbleib älterer Arbeitnehmer/innen in Beschäftigung zu gewährleisten und weiter auszubauen”, so Marek.

www.bmwfw.gv.at

Dezember 2015: Viertes transnationale Meeting des europäischen Projekts “MYBUSINESS”

Das vierte transnationale Meeting des europäischen Projekts “MYBUSINESS – Stärkung von unternehmerischen Kompetenzen und die Förderung des entsprechenden Potenzials von älteren Arbeitslosen” fand am 17. und 18. Dezember im Kurszentrum Dörfelstraße in Wien, Österreich statt. An dem Meeting nahmen RepräsentantInnen der Partnerländer aus Belgien, Griechenland, Irland, Rumänien und Spanien teil.

www.best.at/news-presse

Seniorkom.at: Projekt MYBUSINESS der Wiener Schulungsinstitution BEST

Themenbereich “UnternehmerIn werden in
der Generation 50+”

Kurzbeschreibung
Das Projekt “Stärkung von unternehmerischen Kompetenzen und die Förderung des entsprechenden Potenzials von älteren Arbeitslosen – MYBUSINESS ” wird von der Europäischen Kommission im Rahmen des Erasmus+ Programms finanziert. Hauptziel ist eine Erweiterung von unternehmerischen und Management-Fähigkeiten älterer Arbeitsloser, eine Stärkung des Selbstvertrauens und die Vermittlung von Kenntnissen zur eigenen Unternehmensgründung.

www.seniorkom.at

Ο Εκπαιδευτικός Οργανισμός ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ στην Αυστρία για το MyBUSINESS

Την Πέμπτη 17 και την Παρασκευή 18 Δεκεμβρίου, ο Εκπαιδευτικός Οργανισμός «ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ» ταξίδεψε στην Βιέννη για την 4η διακρατική συνάντηση των εταίρων του Ευρωπαϊκού προγράμματος MyBUSINESS. Εκπρόσωποι από την Αυστρία, Βέλγιο, Ισπανία, Ιρλανδία και Ελλάδα συναντήθηκαν για να συζητήσουν τις μέχρι τώρα δραστηριότητες της σύμπραξης σχετικά με την πρόοδο του έργου.

www.dimitra.gr

ASEP – Austrian Senior Experts Pool seit 25 Jahren erfolgreich im Dienste der Wirtschaft

Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe

Wir Experten sehen uns als PartnerInnen auf Zeit von Klein- und Mittelständischen Unternehmen sowie Start-Ups und helfen bei der Entwicklung, Überprüfung und Umsetzung Ihrer Unternehmenskonzepte.

Praxiserfahrung hat Vorrang

Wir sind PraktikerInnen und unterstützen, coachen und beraten unsere AuftraggeberInnen (KMU’s, Start-Ups, NPO’s, Bildungs- und Verwaltungsinstitutionen) bei der Bewältigung ihrer unternehmerischen Aufgaben.

www.asep.at

Event: Senior Entrepreneurship in the Spotlight in CIT

The Lord Mayor of Cork awarded certificates to a group of participants for successfully completing a Senior Entrepreneur Action programme in the Rubicon Centre in Cork Institute of Technology on Tuesday 31st May.  The event showcased the programme content and the exciting business ideas of the programme participants.

www.cit.ie

The results of MYBUSNESS project presented in Romania

On 10th August,  South Muntenia Regional Development Agency, as Coordinator of MYBUSINESS project („Empowering entrepreneurial skills and unleashing potential of unemployed seniors”), has organized the multiplier event in which were disseminated the results of the project.

The project, financed under Erasmus+programme, has came to an end. The aim of the local event was to present to the relevant stakeholders and unemployed seniors the project results, whose objective was to promote senior entrepreneurship, healthy aging and the labour market reintegration of 50+ people, through boosting them to develop their own business.

The project consortium was composed by 5 European institutions – regional and  local  authorities and private institutions (Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Spain and Austria). The target group was composed by unemployed people aged over 50 years who have experience in the labor market and who wish to become self employed and entrepreneurs.

The results obtained after the implementation of the project consisted in: 6 individual analysis of the needs of seniors unemployed to become self-employed and entrepreneurs; Transnational report, which summarizes the main conclusions of the research in each partner country to identify common needs and possible solutions to stimulate business and to create jobs for unemployed seniors; Pilot training courses, which were held in Austria, Ireland and Greece; 6 dissemination events organized by each partner. Moreover, at the seminar were presented the local policy recommendations, the dissemination strategy and the particularities of the unemployed from our region, which were part of the project target group.