WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN RURAL TOURISM Sustainability Report by PRISMA Centre for Development Studies Parnu, September 2012

Objectives  Investigate the feasibility of achieving accreditation of the WERT training package in order to improve the vocational training systems of the participating countries  Consider opportunities for the WERT training package to be used and exploited beyond the end of the project

Feasibility of achieving accreditation Accreditation  Is complex and costly in terms of time and money  Depends on lengthy administrative procedures and  Accredited courses are not free  Accredited courses require attendance for some length of time  In some countries accredited adult learning is under development

Feasibility of achieving accreditation  Pilot participants preferred informal assessment and did not care for a formal qualification  What matters to them is how they can put practical ideas and plans into action  As entrepreneurs they don’t have time to attend long training courses but they are keen to get new ideas and network contacts.  The flexible implementation of the WERT course suited their needs and they had the opportunity to influence the timing and places of the training.

Feasibility of achieving accreditation Alternative to accreditation  integrate the full WERT course or selected learning units into existing accredited training curricula of VET institutions (partners and others)  Offer the WERT learning content to teachers who constantly need new teaching material and support for their courses on entrepreneurship  Register the WERT course as recognised adult learning with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum register (Estonia)

What type of course?  The WERT course can be used in initial, in- company and adult vocational training.  The entire contents can be incorporated as an across the board module in any course related to entrepreneurship, marketing on-line and business finances.  The course can also be incorporated in supplementary post graduate tourism studies  The course can be used in all sectors involving customer service.

Other opportunities Cooperation with strategic players – e.g.  In Cyprus, Intercollege reached an agreement with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI), a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting Cyprus.  In Greece, PRISMA established cooperation with the Rural Development Network based at the Ministry for Rural Development, who plan to disseminate the WERT learning package among their Network members (ex-LAG-Development Agencies)

Other opportunities Promote the WERT network  Rural tourism initiatives / business associations  Individual women entrepreneurs  Destinet members  Other established networks – e.g. E-learning, ecotourism  The European Rural Development Network – based in Brussels

Other opportunities Other ideas  Create a women’s cooperative or association to enhance collaboration among women entrepreneurs in rural tourism in a region (Cyprus)  Promote quality assurance and destination branding  Offer the WERT learning material not only to other VET institutions, but also to business advisory centres, networks of rural tourism and women entrepreneurs’ associations  Train the trainers for organisations interested in running the WERT course

Conclusions  The sustainability of the WERT training material can be supported directly and indirectly  Directly, the best way seems to be the inclusion of WERT units or the full course in the curricula of the partner VET organisations and other VET institutions  Indirectly, sustainability can be supported by building the WERT network more widely and expanding the WERT community in Destinet and outside it  Other initiatives, such as encouraging women entrepreneurs associations or promoting quality assurance schemes may contribute positively to the sustainability of WERT products.