The idea behind this project lies on the impact that the acceleration activities have both on labor force and on business entities. On the one hand business entities that employ experts and invest on education and training activities could adapt faster to the challenges of the social, economic, technological and political environment. But this is by far not adequate. All new challenges require networking, synergies and optimization of the existing functions and innovative solutions. On the other hand, well trained individuals choose to leave the cross-border area, attempting to achieve the best offer for the qualifications in regions away from the cross-border area. This project creates an integrated eco-system based on the following principles – knowledge, in the form of the identification of current needs, both on the demand and the supply side and acceleration, in the terms of enhancing developmental actions, by amplifying the desire to take risks from the business side, and strengthening the transformation of the ideas into actions, in the individual level. MAIN OBJECTIVE is to assist individuals to develop their skills and business entities to increase their capacity by creating a coherent, integrated and innovative business eco-system that allows networking and boosting ideas in order to reduce the gap between supply and demand in the market in cross-border region. SUB OBJECTIVES:
- Expansion of knowledge with the cross-sectional and qualitative (in-depth interviews) surveys, which will illustrate insights and trends, while they will reveal important weaknesses that the project will focus.
- To Assist and boost ideas. Support and assistance to the operations of the existing SMEs, by developing a toolkit in order to strengthen current operational capacity (digital marketing tools, Ad-hoc business support, pool of experts, workshops and seminars for new developments and preparation for future needs).
- Openness and Promotion. Umbrella actions in two directions; joint efforts, for a harmonized presentation of the intervention and identity building, and promotion and dissemination events, for engaging stakeholders and community of the cross-border area.
PROJECT RESULTS:
- Facilitation of matching supply and demand – Series of surveys implemented in the cross border region will map the current trends, strengths and weaknesses of the labor force and will provide information about the entrepreneurial capacities, skills and knowledge. The knowledge component of the project, will reveal, the degree of this miss-match, revealing also future trends.
- Boosting ideas – The outputs of the project, and especially those referring to the entrepreneurship and innovation Boot Camp and young leaders’ summit, will reveal new ideas, but most importantly will amplify the process of transforming ideas into concrete actions.
- Developing capacity and networking – SMEs will benefit from this project directly by participating in its actions, attracting young professionals, graduates and qualified experts and indirectly by being a part of this eco-system that will gradually adopt to the new paradigm of not avoiding risk and being a part of a knowledge environment.
- Stability in jobs creation, innovation and opportunities for educated graduates.