Silver Entrepreneurs halfway through: Passion and progress
The participants of the Silver Entrepreneurs project are now about halfway through their training. Most of the activities have taken place locally, in the partner countries Finland, Latvia and Sweden, where participants have connected as groups and supported each other in their development towards business creation. These local sessions have seen great rewards in participants learning outcomes, networking and inspiration.
The first week of October saw the second international session of the project. The session was held in Uppsala and was organised by Folkuniversitetet Uppsala, the Swedish partner in the Silver Entrepreneurs project. Participants from Finland and Latvia got to know this innovative city and the region through visits and presentations from the Uppsala Chamber of Commerce, the Uppsala Innovation Centre, and the Fair Trade Shop Globalen in the city centre. Folkuniversitetet Uppsala held a presentation on its international project activities, which are centred on innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development for the labour market. A visit to the cathedral guided by one of the Swedish participants outlined the cultural significance of this great city in Swedish history.
The international sessions are a place to obtain information and inspiration, but it is also a place to work. Participants are expected to develop their own business ideas and apply the theory and methodology presented by trainers onto their own projects. Several participants held brief pitches where they presented their own projects, and new connections and similarities were discovered.
The Silver Entrepreneurs project originally targeted older individuals who want to explore how their life experiences and expertise could be used to establish business ventures. We foresaw three main groups of learners in the project:
- Professionals who would like to continue their careers by establishing their own businesses, e.g. retirees who turn to consulting;
- Active hobbyists who would like to spend more time on developing their interests and turn them into businesses, e.g. a person with photography as a hobby who would like to sell his pictures; and
- Bold and creative people who would like to change their life course and start a new career.
However, the project has attracted a variety of learners who are not only keen on embracing entrepreneurship but are also filled with a drive to learn and develop their skills in a social setting with other people of the same age. While most participants are eagerly developing their business ideas, several people downplay the business development focus while embracing the opportunities to learn something new in a social setting with peers. This variety in approach, motivation, expertise and skills creates interesting discussions and great learning outcomes for all.
