Haluatko yrittäjäksi? (Want to be an entrepreneur?) -info sessions by the City of Jyväskylä
About this good practice
Lowering the threshold for budding migrant entrepreneurs to start a business via series of concise sessions providing essential information for the venture
Resources needed
2 career coaches (work-partners) interact with the clients, select the topics, invite a suitable guest and arrange other logistics. Experienced guests are invited to share practical knowledge and tips. Possible interpretation needs and renting meeting places to be considered. Worktime ~4hrs/session
Evidence of success
4 info sessions conducted in Oct 2023 gathered about 15 participants. Spring 2024 sessions are being planned for March. The practice was conceived on demand and has received enormous positive feedback from its target group. There have been 10 reported startups by migrants during 2022-2023 (however cannot be associated directly with this practice). It has attracted attention Legislative Employment Services’s as well as other partners’ attention, from where clients are directed to these sessions
Potential for learning or transfer
The demand for Haluatko yrittäjäksi? (Want to be an entrepreneur?) -info sessions from the target group highlights the prevalence of a strong entrepreneurial spirit among immigrants. European job markets being so certificate-centric do not leave much space for adequate utilization of practical skills and experience a person holds coming from outside of the EU, where people tend to be inducted into varied occupations at a very young age building upon generations of experience and expertise. Practices such as this help in tapping into this hidden potential eventually contributing to the region’s economy at large. This practice model , though started for a specific set of people, is flexible and adaptable to the needs of a wider user group and target audience. At the same time it is is cost effective in terms of resources required, thus making it a transferable good practice
Further information
Images
