1. WISE experience in Estonia WISE Final Workshop Brussels, 22 March 2007 Tuuli Vikat

2. About EBS Group EBS Executive Training Centre belongs to EBS Group Main Member: Estonian Business School – the oldest private business university in the Baltic States with over 2000 students EBS ETC is a leading private training company offering business and executive education in Estonia – both open programs and taylor made trainings EBS ETC acts as a link between academic and corporate world

3. WISE activities carried out Dissemination of information about WISE project Addressing gender equality issues Expanding our network and Data gathering for WISE survey from ICT and women` related networks Learning about female entrepreneurship trends and their learning needs Disseminating WISE survey result (women, ICT, education and in business networks) Delivering WISE workshop in Tallinn on September 29th, 2006 Learning about self-assessment tools and testing some of them, eg General Perceived Self-Efficacy tool translated and tested, General Perceived Self-Efficacy tool

4. WISE workshop in Tallinn (29th of September 2006) WISE survey results expanding knowledge of ICT market opportunities Addressing Work-life balance issue. The motivators of working mothers of small children. Women as workforce Self - Assessment for self-efficacy and entrepreneurial spirit Gender equality issues in Estonia. Women`s rights at labour market addressed Opportunities for starting a business and applying for funding Addressed women specially from different ICT, women and educational organisations and other networks Total number of registrated participants (women):16 Overall impression - 4,6 Quality of presentations in terms of “practice-orientation” - 4,6 Topics and content – 4

5. Reasons for participating in the WISE workshop Interesting subjects Get out of home routine Getting new ideas, listening to the experience of other participants Exciting alternative to the everyday job, a change to get new knowledge and experience something different Combining work and family life will be a major issue for me in the near future Unfulfilled expectations: ICT project managing, team managing, women as leaders ect

6. Main barriers encountered by women entrepreneurs Difficulties combining work and family responsibilities (lack of child care possibilities, stereotypes) Lack of capital, including starting and operational capital Lack of business skills and training Lack of councelling and supporting schemes, services Results from the WISE activities

7. Main barriers seen in the business environment Lack of role models from among well-known and successful businesswomen Stereotyping and educational background Exclusion from networks (informal, formal) Lack of private-public-third sector partnerships in awareness raising on women entrepreneuship

8. Raise communities awareness on female entrepreneurship possibilities and gender gap issues Upgrading women's skills and knowledge through training support, councelling,networkig schemes for start up finance facilities for children day care Main tools needed

9. Info and networking possibilities Ministry of Social Affairs www.sm.eewww.sm.ee BPW-Estonia, the Association of Business and Professional Women, http://www.bpw- estonia.ee/indexi.htm etc.http://www.bpw- estonia.ee/indexi.htm EBS ETC website: www.koolitus.ebs.ee Wise website in Estonian: http://koolitus.ebs.ee/16669http://koolitus.ebs.ee/16669

10. More information on WISE Kati Tillemann, EBS, researcher e-mail: kati.tillemann@ebs.eekati.tillemann@ebs.ee Tuuli Vikat, EBS ETC, head of training department e-mail tuuli.vikat@ebs.eetuuli.vikat@ebs.ee