Budding entrepreneurs at Gower College Swansea will broaden their horizons following a successful bid by the college to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, which is funded by the European Union.
This EU funded initiative will allow ten local students the opportunity to gain work placements in a choice of European countries including Greece, Italy, Spain or Sweden.
They will spend between four weeks and three months on their overseas placements, working in positions of responsibility within SMEs and receiving training in disciplines such as branding, sales, marketing and research and development.
Education Enterprise Manager Sue Poole and International Manager Caroline Townsend Jones, who submitted the bid, hope the programme will encourage young entrepreneurs to develop the relevant skills needed to start up and manage their own businesses.
Ten local companies will, in turn, have the chance to host European entrepreneurial students.
Business Minister Edwina Hart has congratulated the college on securing an invaluable educational opportunity for students.
“The exchange programme will give them the change to learn about the skills needed to run a business from experienced entrepreneurs in other countries and also give them an international perspective of the multi-disciplines needed to be successful in business,” said the Minister. “I would also like to encourage local businesses to host student visits from other countries to showcase the business opportunities available in Wales.”
“The Erasmus programme will open international doors to our students, with the prospect of travelling and working abroad and exchanging ideas with our European partners,” adds Sue Poole. “Gower College Swansea is the only college in Wales to participate in this programme so we are delighted to be able to offer this exclusive opportunity to our students.”
This partnership project, which begins in May, will run for two years.
It will be followed in September by the launch of a brand new BTEC Entrepreneurial Qualification as part of the Welsh Enterprise Academy, which will combine classroom learning with hands-on business mentoring.
