Future Needs is proud to announce the release of its Business Acceleration Programme targeted for migrants. The programme is an entrepreneurship bootcamp suitable for third country nationals of any nationality with a basic knowledge of the local language or moderate knowledge of English. It supports migrants in establishing and running their own business, while navigating the administrative and financial procedures in each host country independently.
“In our Business Acceleration Programme participants worked in real-world scenarios occurring while managing a company. This enabled them to develop and fine-tune their entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills through learning-by-doing preparing them to go out there and do it!” says Thanos Arvanitidis, Innovation consultant at Future Needs.
Our Business Acceleration Programme has been piloted for a period of 6 months with 31 migrants from Senegal, Togo, Congo, Ukraine, Albania, Morocco, Egypt, Peru, Chad, Tunisia, Somalia, Syria, and Iraq. The pilots took place in 6 European host countries: Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, and Belgium. The results of the pilots were presented in Brussels, on December 6, 2024, at the final event of Ploutos, the EU project that co-funded our activities. Anna Palaiologk, founder of Future Needs, and key author of the research proposal says:
“It was very fulfilling to see our idea transition from a proposal idea, to an awarded project and finally real-life piloting in six European countries with so many people whose lives we were able to touch on a personal level”
And she adds: “This programme did not only foster the entrepreneurial thinking of the participants by it gave them practical tools and knowledge and a can-do attitude to face the challenges and demands of the labour market”.
Lina Gianivasili, the economist at Future Needs and main contributor to the design of the Business Acceleration Programme explains how it worked: “Learners undertook concrete tasks such as market research, business planning, advertising, bookkeeping, and managing virtual transactions, mirroring real-world operations. Learners were coached by Mentors who have been trained by the Future Needs team, on the implementation of each task in each business scenario and the overall educational approach.
“Our programme was designed based on extensive user research to understand the subtle differences between a local to-be entrepreneur and a migrant founder.”
We dived deep and studied literature and case studies for almost a year before coming up with the curriculum of the programme and the particular tasks, tools and scenarios.
Results and lessons learnt from this experience were presented at the final event of Ploutos in Brussels this December. Our colleague Ioannis Koutsos, economist and business expert at Future Needs, moderated one of the panels. Here are the key takeaways:
- Both the training organisations and the participants reported that project outcomes were useful to them and improved their skills and knowledge in entrepreneurial thinking, financial literacy, digital competencies and a practical approach towards addressing challenges that hinder their career growth and financial independence.
- Participants’ personal stories showcased the tangible impact of the project, highlighting how it enhanced their self-reliance and professional development.
- Discussions underscored that the feedback from migrants who participated in the piloting activities was crucial in refining the project’s approach and final outputs, ensuring that the solutions were relevant and impactful.
- Feedback also included suggestions on amplification of the scope of the Business Acceleration Programme in future initiatives.
Let’s Build the Future Together
The development and piloting of the Business Acceleration Programme have been funded under the AMIF funding scheme [project GA No 101038463]. Future Needs has acted as a research partner in the project but also as a consultant. Having inspired the concept behind the PLOUTOS project, our company remains committed to delivering meaningful solutions for migrants and other communities in need. If PLOUTOS’ success inspires you and you want to collaborate with us to run the programme in your own institution or set the stage for future initiatives, we’d love to hear from you.
Partner with us to expand opportunities and create lasting change. Contact us today to discuss how we can work together!
