Enhance and Stimulate Trust while Exploring new forms of Entrepreneurship Modules (acronym: ESTEEM) is a VET project under the Erasmus + Programme, that will last for 24 months and involves four partners from France, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

Craft sector is a major player in the economy, through traditions, techniques and culture it has brought and made evolve. It is a dynamic and growing sector, whose contribution to the dynamism of the territories is well established.

These Very Small Enterprises link all the countries and carry strong values of transmission, excellence, know-how, short circuits, proximity or even sustainable development …In recent years, there has been a new attraction for crafts by people with a first professional experience, wishing to give a new meaning to their life and choosing crafts to retrain. However, the craft sector still suffers from a degraded image in the eyes of the general public, which too often considers that the crafts they represent are painful and offer a limited future. This negative image also persists due to a lack of gender mix in many activities. In fact, the volume of women managers only reaches 25%. The vast majority work in services and caring profession (hairdresser, esthetician) or in production activities related to the traditional crafts (jeweler, upholsterer, textile manufacturing, etc.); few of them represent such sectors as mechanics, building.

Mixed jobs, professional equality between women and men and female entrepreneurship are therefore priority issues for the craft sector!

State of Art

Entrepreneurship experts assume that women start fewer businesses than men because they face more obstacles

(financial, time, and even self-confidence).

48% OF WOMEN THINK IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO BE A MANAGER THAN AN EMPLOYEE AND THAT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, THE CATCHWORD MUST BE “COMPETE TO WIN, HAVE RELATIONSHIP, HAVE CHARACTER”.

Objectives

– Study bio-psychological criteria influencing entrepreneurs’ profile

– Allow managers to enhance their skills on confidence and self-esteem consideration

– Encourage collaborative exchanges between managers

– Facilitate access to entrepreneurship financing solutions

Impact

The project will have a direct impact at a national and European level, benefiting from the participation of the 4 committed countries to the different activities. The project will contribute in particular at:

1. Encouraging, developing and optimizing a training offer, based on an innovative approach
2. Boosting professional organizations to modernize traditional trades and promote growth
3. Convincing Politicians to support the craft sector, its economic and social value and its employment capacity

Follow us for more updates on ESTEEM project!