II. Training phase

After the initial selection of participants each candidate will be given a possibility to choose a mentor from the list of selected mentors that in a period of 12 months will intensively collaborate and advise the programme participants. The role of the mentor will consist of providing individual approach in working with individuals with disabilities in the entire process and especially on their motivation and psychosocial support.
The mentor after the trainings will give an opinion about the candidates’ capabilities to start their own businesses. This opinion will be taken into consideration by the Commission selecting the Programme’s candidates during the businesses evaluation.
The list of mentors to participate in the pilot programme will be selected based on their qualifications.

Depending on the findings from the individual interviews of the persons conducted by the specialised employees at the Employment Service Centre, the persons with disabilities could attend:
– A soft skills training (Developing communication and presentation skills, English language, computer skills, etc.)
For all the candidates it is mandatory to attend:
– Entrepreneurship and business planning training. Its purpose is to improve the working capabilities of the participants and to develop their individual capabilities for entrepreneurship and starting a business.

The training will be organised at the work clubs at the Employment Service Centres.
All the trainings will be adapted adequately to the needs of the persons with disabilities.

After the finalisation of the trainings of each cycle a list of successful business ideas will be made public on the bulletin board of the Employment Service Centre, as well as on the web site of the ESARM. In parallel, the specialised employees at the Employment Service Centre should also inform the candidates.

After completing the training the candidate in close cooperation with the mentor will submit a business plan that will provide clear directions about the business s/he plans to start.