W.E.S.T. – Women Entrepreneurs Supporting Tribune

The W.E.S.T. project aims to equip women entrepreneurs with the basic skills in strategic planning, finance, human resource management and marketing that will help them to run their businesses successfully in the long term.

Although there are more women than men in Europe, women entrepreneurs account for only a third of self-employed people. There are factors (such as reconciling work and family) that make entrepreneurship less attractive for women.

The European Commission is working with Member States to overcome these barriers and encourage more women to start their own businesses.

Under the W.E.S.T. project, we are developing a platform of interactive multimedia modules that will be tested by at least 400 women entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Turkey before being made available to the general public.

There are also many online platforms that support women and entrepreneurs, but they tend to offer one-way support without real cooperation. Their main aim is typically to motivate and direct entrepreneurs to investors. However, this type of online assistance is not at all widespread in public bodies.  

The task of the international project team is to study and analyse the situation of women entrepreneurs in the partner countries. Then, taking into account the needs identified, the partnership will develop an online platform with attractive, targeted and rich content, using tools such as:

• open courses, e-learning modules;
• information on the different applications in each country;
• networking, cooperation;
• opportunities for peer learning;
• first-hand expert advice with reliable information;
• inspiring success stories;
• open document on women entrepreneurship;
• news on new regulations and events.

The aim is to create an innovative platform that offers a wide range of services, from general information through e-learning modules to specialised professional consultations.

Project information

• ID: 2017-1- LV01-KA202- 035483
• Program: Erasmus+ KA-2
• Partner countries (and institutions): Turkey (Bursa Provincial Directorate of Social Security – coordinator; İŞKUR – Turkish Employment Agency; BUiKAD – Bursa Businesswomen and Executives Association; Bursa Teknik Üniversitesi), Hungary (iTStudy Hungary Számítástechnikai Oktató- és Kutatóközpont Kft.), Bulgaria (Selena Association of Women Entrepreneurs), Italy (Consorzio Materahub)
• Duration: 1 December 2017 – 31 May 2020