Competence Paths for Sole Entrepreneurs and Small SMEs

We support entrepreneurs with experts in education and business services

Duration of the project

1.9.2025 – 31.12.2027

Source of funding

Keski-Suomen elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus

Total funding

212 050 €

There are plenty of training and business services in Southwest Finland, but self-employed people and micro-entrepreneurs are unable to find or use them. On the other hand, service providers do not perceive a broad education and business service ecosystem, so there is a lack of guidance for entrepreneurs. A new, more holistic approach focusing on skills is needed. The project will bring together entrepreneurs and education and business services professionals to provide coaching for business development. Small group workshops, workshops and skills meetings will be used.

The main target group of the project are self-employed people of different ages and small SME entrepreneurs with their staff, who need support to identify their competence and respond to their skills shortages, as well as to make use of training and business services. The second target group of the project is actors working in training services and those working in business services, who need coaching to support the continuous learning of sole entrepreneurs and small SMEs, as well as their employees, and to know the training and business service ecosystem.

The objectives of the project

The main target group of the project are self-employed people of different ages and small SME entrepreneurs with their staff, who need support to identify their competence and respond to their skills shortages, as well as to make use of training and business services. The second target group of the project is actors working in training services and those working in business services, who need coaching to support the continuous learning of sole entrepreneurs and small SMEs, as well as their employees, and to know the training and business service ecosystem.

The project consists of four work packages:

1. Identifying the competence and skills gap of entrepreneurs:
   • Project preparation, Kick offs
   • Support for solo entrepreneurs in identifying competence, need-based development and communication of one’s own competence – group training.
   • Support for small SMEs in anticipation of skills needs, skills renewal and engagement – group training.
2. Responding to the skills gap – Entrepreneurs and EntrepreneursCoaches RoadTrip
3. Responding to the skills gap – pilots for business development
4. Administration, Communication and Evaluation

Results of the project

The result of the project is competence paths for entrepreneurs, which include training plans for entrepreneurs, portfolios, group trainings, RoadTrips and pilots for business development. After the coaching, the entrepreneurs have information on how they can develop themselves and the company, and some also learn to use training or business services already during the coaching. This way the education and business service ecosystem becomes clearer for entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneur Coaches being coached in the project will also get to know the education and business ecosystem and they will coach the entrepreneur. This creates new expertise and cooperation between entrepreneurs and education and business services. The project will create an EntrepreneurCoach network and a network of regional training and business services and entrepreneurs, which will be modeled and continued after the project. In the project, sole entrepreneurs and small SMEs collaborate with each other to create new/renewed service pilots with the help of Competence Dates. The Competence Dates concept is also modelled and will be introduced after the project. A workbook will be compiled for the entire project, compiling the tools, modelling and recommendations for small businesses created by the project.

The project is carried out by Turku University of Applied Sciences and Varsinais-Suomen Yrittäjät, as well as various experts from the Southwest Finland region, who also communicate about the project and the results of the project.