Enhanced ERA Project First Round of Training Finished with 20 Mentors and 45 Business Ideas
The first round of training under the Enhanced EERA (Enhanced Employment Opportunities in Rural Areas) project ran from October 2024 to May 2025 and brought together participants from across the Central Baltic region to strengthen rural entrepreneurship.
The program began with the training of 20 mentors from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, and Åland, who then supported participants through mentoring sessions. In total, 80 hours of training were delivered, combining six cross‑border online modules with 6–10 locally organized sessions. The online sessions featured experts from the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and entrepreneurs from all the regions of the project. These sessions offered knowledge‑sharing, inspiration, practical tools, and lively group discussions focused on developing sustainable and innovative rural businesses. Local sessions played a vital role in contextualizing entrepreneurship education, linking theory to regional challenges and opportunities. Local experts and entrepreneurs shared their insights, helping participants build networks and learn from one another through clustering and peer learning.
In April 2025, three cross‑border intensive programs in Kymenlaakso, Gauja and Lahemaa allowed participants to experience rural entrepreneurship first‑hand. Through visits to farms, forests, creative hubs, heritage sites, breweries, and small tourism enterprises, they discovered how cultural heritage, natural resources, and community collaboration can drive resilient and purpose‑driven business ideas.
Besides learning and networking, participants received nine hours of mentoring and, by spring, 45 emerging entrepreneurs presented their business ideas and completed the program with a certificate. Their ideas ranged from nature‑based tourism services such as guiding, horse experiences, boating, and handicrafts to local food products, consultancy, and IT solutions.
Delivered by two universities and six regional partners from Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Åland, and Sweden, Enhanced ERA project aims to boost self‑employment for rural residents—youth and people aged 50+ in nature‑protected and island areas—through entrepreneurship training, mentoring, and networking. The second round of training will begin in October 2025.
Graduates of the Enhanced ERA entrepreneurship training with their mentors and local teachers, Soomaa, Estonia, June 2025
