The team of the Institute of Entrepreneurship of UNWE presented an original training program for improving the skills of using digital tools by women entrepreneurs, developed in collaboration with proven partners from six other European countries (Austria, Italy, Latvia, Croatia, Ukraine and Greece).

Assoc. Prof. Kostadin Kolarov, PhD, presents the DIGI Women project

The curriculum is an innovative product created within the DIGI Women international project, co-financed by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission.

Participants in the 'Strategic Paths to New Business Opportunities' meeting-workshop, organized as an event to multiply the results of the project, were women entrepreneurs, trainers - experts in the field of business digitalization and entrepreneurship support, media. Apart from them, the representatives of the two associated partners from the Bulgarian side - Ladies' Club "Business in high heels" and Social Center "Nativity of Christ", as well as experts from the Fund of Funds, the Union for Private Economic Enterprise and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Participants in the seminar-workshop

Strategic planning in the identification and use of new business opportunities by women entrepreneurs and opportunities to use digital (digital) tools in the process of strategic planning were presented by Assoc. Prof. Kostadin Kolarov and Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Vankov.

Assoc. Prof. Kolarov emphasized the advantages and specifics of applying the strategic planning approach in the case of small businesses, and Assoc. Prof. Vankov introduced the participants to specific digital tools applicable in the search for new business opportunities, the creation and operation of digital business.  The examples given by Assoc. Prof. Vankov, which illustrated in real time the search and finding of relevant information necessary for the validation of specific business ideas, were of particular interest and raised questions by the participants. Unfortunately, the limitations of the program, within which the curriculum had to be presented, as a result of the work of the project team, did not allow for comprehensive answers to the questions asked.

Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Vankov, PhD, presents digital tools,
applicable in the search for new business opportunities

The presentation of the curriculum, designed to build useful skills by women entrepreneurs, was another important element of the event. Through this presentation, participants were introduced to the motives, arguments, and methodology applied in the development of the curriculum, as a basis for the expected constructive feedback from them. The main issues discussed in the curriculum were its modular structure, the content of the individual modules and its relationship with the existing problems of women entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, teaching methods, training organization and opportunities for use of the curriculum by training and entrepreneurship support organizations.

To facilitate the discussion, each participant was provided with materials acquainting him with the objectives, content and expected results of training in the individual modules, and members of the team of the Institute of Entrepreneurship of UNWE were available to participants for consultations on individual modules of the curriculum.

from left to right: Chief Assist. Prof. Maria Vasilska, PhD, Prof. Nikolay Shterev, PhD, Chief Assist. Prof. Silvia Georgieva, PhD, ,
Assoc. Prof. Kostadin Kolarov, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Vankov, PhD,  and Chief Assist. Prof. Daniela Tsvetkova, PhD,  -
participants in the discussion of the curriculum, a result of the implementation of the first stage of the project

On the second day of the seminar meeting, women entrepreneurs and digital experts shared ideas and made suggestions for improving the curriculum. Participants took a stand on the curriculum, based not only on their own entrepreneurial or expert experience and needs, but also on the experience gained in their participation in various training and support initiatives for women entrepreneurs. In summary, the recommendations can be grouped in three directions: thematic scope of the curriculum; content of the individual modules; and resource provision of the application of the curriculum and organization of the study cycle.

Participants in the meeting-workshop

The participants in the event expressed their satisfaction with the opportunity to gain new knowledge to use in their practice, to discuss with each other their problems and their solutions, to establish new contacts and to actively participate in the upcoming project activities. Confirmation of the expressed satisfaction were the lively discussions between the participants in the coffee breaks and the time outside the program of the event. The participants parted with proposals for maintaining the established links for the implementation of new useful initiatives.