COPIE Community of Practice Inclusive Entrepreneurship Peter Ramsden and Paul Soto

The Problem Disadvantaged groups face a wide range of barriers to entrepreneneurship Existing policy on entrepreneurship often prioritises high-tech solutions Equal has tested many solutions and there is a huge amount of good practice Some Member States have produced a comprehensive entrepreneurial ladder out of exclusion that works all target groups But we risk losing knowledge and good practice at the end of Equal because the ideas do not get through to the next layer

Our proposition To maximise your work as funders, practitioners and innovators of good practice Take lessons from Equal Validate the work of projects, DPs, National Thematic Networks, and the European Equal Thematic group Put them into a usable format Take them into the Structural Funds

The recipe Take all the experience of equal on enterprise. Add two strong and committed managing agencies (Germany and Flanders), add experts. Stir in national support structures, and some DPs and country experts. Mix this with some imagination and cash from the EU. Bake.

Communities of practice A group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic and who deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis Etienne Wenger

Evolution of COPIE COP proposal accepted December 2006 and granted €300,000 for 12 months Four founding partners: Flanders, Germany, Spain, and Portugal plus UK (Wales) France, Wallonia, Greece, Netherlands participate

Origins of this approach Analysis of best practice using the entrepreneurial ladder out of exclusion BRIAN tool from Peter Lloyd for assessing 360 impact of social enterprise Prowess: flagship status assessment from UK Development of tool for DG Employment on policies measures for micro credit with Jan Evers ´How business friendly is your city?´ Marcus Weidner of Kiz

Implementation The tool has been co-created by COPIE and then tested in five regions: – Wales – Asturias – Lisbon – Berlin Mitte – Flanders Each region has produced a report on the state of inclusive entrepreneurship Best practice products have been identified from 6 Member States (UK, ES, PT, D, BE, FR) Recommendations for practical steps to improve system Mobilisation of stakeholders

We look at experience of 8 target groups Formerly unemployed Women Migrants and ethnic minorities 50 plus Young people Under 30 People with disabilities Social enterprises

Four tables in the tool One page per stakeholder Where?What ?Who fills it in? How many questions ? Page 1Enterprise ecology data Experts50 Page 2Culture, start-up, finance, consolidation Policy makers20 Page 3Culture, start-up, finance, consolidation Business advisers 30 Page 4Culture, start-up, finance, consolidation Entrepreneurs20

First results of the European tool Rapid appraisal – 4-6 weeks start to finish, 15 minutes to 30 minutes Engages your key stakeholders: policy makers, business advisers, entrepreneurs Enjoyable and interesting Generates evidence and data on which to base policy dialogue and practical actions Comprehensive results that cover all groups

The entrepreneurial ladder out of exclusion Creating the culture for entrepreneurship Integrated business support for all Access to appropriate finance Consolidation and growth

ENTREPRENEURS Start Up support no specific target group unem ploye d wom en migrant s and ethnic minoriti es 50 plus Young people under 30 Peopl e with disabi lities Soci al Enter prise s Avera ge score The advice system is easy to access and to get around The business support available is friendly and answers my needs I have had access to a mentor Specialised training and materials are available which meets my needs It is possible for me to obtain recognition and accreditation for training and experience which reflects my real skills There are affordable business premises with easy to enter conditions (short leases, etc) AVERAGE SCORE Traffic light scorecard

Figure 3: Specialist advisors’ view on entrepreneurship culture by target group

Example conclusions from Asturias Advisors identified a lack of mentors and coaches with real business experience, recruited from the community Lack of quality standards for business consulting. Weaknesses in support for immigrants and ethnic minorities Strong efforts in the schools with good programmes there were no visits by entrepreneurs

Inclusive entrepreneurship in Flanders By Stephanie Devisscher and An Van Pelt (IDEA Consult), in association with ESF-agency Flanders.

Inclusive entrepreneurship in the principality of ASTURIAS D. Rafael Vigil Álvarez D. Guzmán García González- Posada CIUDAD INDUSTRIAL DEL VALLE DEL NALÓN, S.A.U Unidad Administradora del Fondo Social Europeo. MINISTERIO DE TRABAJO Y ASUNTOS SOCIALES May 2007

Inclusive entrepreneurship in Portugal May 2007 José Manuel Henriques Centro de Estudos Territoriais In association with Equal Managing Authority Portugal

Inclusive entrepreneurship in Wales Dr Caryl Cresswell Enterprise Development Associates Ltd. Iain Willox Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, Welsh Assembly Government May 2007

Next steps 5 regions: implement findings to influence Structural Funds 7/13 Recruit five new regions to implement European tool (sign up in the break) Animate virtual community of practice with web 2.0 functionality