WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN RURAL TOURISM Sustainability Report by

1. WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN RURAL TOURISM Sustainability Report by PRISMA Centre for Development Studies Parnu, September 2012

2. Objectives • Investigate the feasibility of achieving accreditation of the WERT training package in order to improve the vocational training systems of the participating countries • Consider opportunities for the WERT training package to be used and exploited beyond the end of the project

3. Feasibility of achieving accreditation • Accreditation • Is complex and costly in terms of time and money • Depends on lengthy administrative procedures • and • Accredited courses are not free • Accredited courses require attendance for some length of time • In some countries accredited adult learning is under development

4. Feasibility of achieving accreditation • Pilot participants preferred informal assessment and did not care for a formal qualification • What matters to them is how they can put practical ideas and plans into action • As entrepreneurs they don’t have time to attend long training courses but they are keen to get new ideas and network contacts. • The flexible implementation of the WERT course suited their needs and they had the opportunity to influence the timing and places of the training.

5. Feasibility of achieving accreditation • Alternative to accreditation • integrate the full WERT course or selected learning units into existing accredited training curricula of VET institutions (partners and others) • Offer the WERT learning content to teachers who constantly need new teaching material and support for their courses on entrepreneurship • Register the WERT course as recognised adult learning with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum register (Estonia)

6. What type of course? • The WERT course can be used in initial, in-company and adult vocational training. • The entire contents can be incorporated as an across the board module in any course related to entrepreneurship, marketing on-line and business finances. • The course can also be incorporated in supplementary post graduate tourism studies • The course can be used in all sectors involving customer service.

7. Other opportunities • Cooperation with strategic players – e.g. • In Cyprus, Intercollege reached an agreement with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI), a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting Cyprus . • In Greece, PRISMA established cooperation with the Rural Development Network based at the Ministry for Rural Development, who plan to disseminate the WERT learning package among their Network members (ex-LAG-Development Agencies)

8. Other opportunities • Promote the WERT network • Rural tourism initiatives / business associations • Individual women entrepreneurs • Destinet members • Other established networks – e.g. E-learning, ecotourism • The European Rural Development Network – based in Brussels

9. Other opportunities • Other ideas • Create a women’s cooperative or association to enhance collaboration among women entrepreneurs in rural tourism in a region (Cyprus) • Promote quality assurance and destination branding • Offer the WERT learning material not only to other VET institutions, but also to business advisory centres, networks of rural tourism and women entrepreneurs’ associations • Train the trainers for organisations interested in running the WERT course

10. Conclusions • The sustainability of the WERT training material can be supported directly and indirectly • Directly, the best way seems to be the inclusion of WERT units or the full course in the curricula of the partner VET organisations and other VET institutions • Indirectly, sustainability can be supported by building the WERT network more widely and expanding the WERT community in Destinet and outside it • Other initiatives, such as encouraging women entrepreneurs associations or promoting quality assurance schemes may contribute positively to the sustainability of WERT products.