Irish Rural Link recently joined transnational project meetings of two European projects, the NICHE and DEW projects, in Pescara, Italy.
The first gathering took place in hybrid format in the spectacular venue of the Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo. Partners from Ireland; Spain; Italy; Belgium; Iceland; Greece; and Sweden joined the third transnational and the first face-to-face meeting of the NICHE project.
NICHE
NICHE – Nurturing Intangible Cultural Heritage for Entrepreneurship – is an Erasmus+ project. It is aimed at professionals in the intangible cultural heritage sector and at prospective entrepreneurs and communities to help develop an intangible cultural heritage tradition in their area.
It is hoped that this, in turn, will create employment opportunities in tourism and heritage and other openings that may arise, such as in local shops or restaurants or coffee shops, according to Moate-based Irish Rural Link.
Its model is about engaging communities in the sector and helping them identify intangible cultural heritage activities in their area that may be eligible to be included on the national inventory list and possibly the UNESCO list.
Participants were able to strengthen their partnership by having a face-to-face meeting for the first time. They discussed the outputs of the project, such as the website and the use of the training tools online, the case studies featured on the website, and the findings of the mapping exercise all partners have done for their countries.
They also discussed the skills gaps pinpointed, the existing courses and whether they integrate the intangible heritage cultural heritage tradition.
The idea then is that this report or blueprint can be used by those working in the sector – trainers, academia, policy makers and others – to help raise awareness and develop the sector.
In the coming months, partners will work on the development and peer-reviewing of the IO4 products of NICHE online.
Irish Rural Link was involved in the development of the online module of knowledge sharing and peer learning which is in the testing and validation phase. A multiplier event will be held in early October to outline the results of the project.
The tools that were developed are still available to test on the training section of the project website.
The second meeting took place on June 23. This was the second transnational project get-together of the DEW project, held in Pescara, and hosted by the Italian partner, IDP European Consultants.
DEW
DEW – Digital Entrepreneurship for Women – is also an Erasmus+ project co-financed by the European Commission which gathers seven organisations from five countries, including Ireland. The project aims to develop operational solutions to the challenges faced by potential and existing female entrepreneurs in a post-pandemic world.
The DEW modules work to help women, living in rural areas, who are keen to develop their entrepreneurial skills or start a business of their own and create employment in rural areas. They can be used as an introduction for women and let them get a taste of what would be involved in setting up their own business.
During the meeting, partners discussed the results of the primary and secondary research carried out to date which will be soon available online on the DEW platform.
The feedback from the survey developed by the consortium confirmed that women consider digital skills as one of the most challenging obstacle to digital transformation.
Self-awareness, motivation, planning and management and financial literacy were identified as the four most important skills that female entrepreneurs should have in a post-Covid-19 world.
Starting from the data of the skills gap assessment, partners discussed the contents of the DEW training course and defined its structure. They also examined the general implementation of the project’s horizontal activities, underling the progress and defining future strategies.
The consortium aims create an innovative upskilling pathway that will support women in the development of the digital skills needed to start an entrepreneurial career or boost an existing business.
“These Erasmus+ courses develop tools that can help entrepreneurs and rural stakeholders as well as trainers to equip them with knowledge that can maybe help start a business or support those interested in starting or growing their business,” said Louise Lennon, policy and communication officer, Irish Rural Link.
“The tools are short, no more than 45 minutes in length and can be done at the person’s own pace. Users can delve in or out of the courses when it suits them and they can choose the modules they wish to learn about and not have to do them all.
“The ultimate aim of these projects is to support the development of rural areas.”
Irish Rural Link will be involved in the drafting of the country report and skills gap assessment as well as the development of innovative tools to support digital skills of female entrepreneurs.