Confartigianato Imprese Salerno
Craftsmanship & SMEs Association

Brief description

Confartigianato Imprese Salerno represents 1.000 members belonging to diverse entrepreneurial sectors and representing MSMEs, large companies, self-employed, artisans, etc.

The Association also provides a wide-range of services to would-be entrepreneurs supporting them in all the phases related to the establishment of a new business. In particular it has a programme mainly dedicated to youth who wish to become entrepreneurs, the Start-up Programme.

On top of that, the Association also has a:
Business support programme for artisans and MSMEs

Since its beginning Confartigianato Imprese Salerno has been implementing actions aimed at supporting local entrepreneurs in efficiently managing day-to-day tasks as well as long-term strategy.
In particular, in the framework of its dedicated programme,
the association is constantly providing its members business support services in the following sectors:
accountability & fiscal issues, access to funding & soft loans,
employment advice, constant update on relevant new regulations for MSMEs & ways to comply with, support in accessing international markets/participation to international fairs. The Association currently supports with this programme around 900 MSMEs.

Training programme
Confartigianato Imprese Salerno has a specific pillar dedicated trainings and refresh courses in different business areas and sectors.
In particular, with the support of the local Chamber of Commerce, the associations holds an average of one course per month (every month focused on different issues/areas) where interested entrepreneurs can be acquainted with novelties in the specific/relevant business sector, such as: new laws/regulations, new technologies, marketing/communication strategies, market trends, etc.
Every course is attended by an average of 20 entrepreneurs.

Role in the Project and Added Value

Within the DARE-Day One project the Association will be in charge of the following tasks:
1. implementation of the job labs
2. implementation of the entrepreneurship labs
3. assessment of entrepreneurs needs with respect to required job profiles, capacities/skills and attitudes. Output of this analysis will provide input for the job labs
4. serve as a bridge to the employers at national level
5. elaboration and implementation of a project dissemination strategy in Italy to increase visibility of the project activities and of the EEA and Norway Grant

While the first three task will be localized in the province of Salerno, in Campania region, the last two will have a nation-wide impact thanks to the involvement of the Confartigianato National association which is the largest European network at national level for the representation of interests and the provision of services to crafts and small businesses. It counts 1.200 offices all over Italy representing around 1,5 million entrepreneurs.

Thus all the promotion activity will benefit from a huge sounding board spreading the message and consequently increase the number of involved entrepreneurs and relations.

Experience

The Association has mainly operated through regional and national funding. Last year, 2016, it has started to explore European and EEA/Norway Grants programmes.

Currently the Association submitted a project in the framework of the Erasmus + programme for young entrepreneurs. It acts as coordinator of this project, gathering partners from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro.

Moreover, the Association is active member of European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises – UEAPME and within this association it cooperates with similar associations all over Europe aiming at disseminating the culture of entrepreneurship towards youth and supporting them in turning business ideas in solid enterprises.

Last but not least, the Association also cooperated with the International Organization for Migration in some actions dedicated to the economic integration of migrants through the organization of trainings/practical courses with experienced craftsman and entrepreneurs.

Experience in the project topics: Youth Employment, Careers Advisory, Entrepreneurship Education, Validation of Learning

Campania region in Italy, is one of the most affected by youth unemployment and counts an increasing number of NEET between 15 and 34 years old. In this context, the Association plays a crucial role in the region to help youth in becoming self-employed.

The team is currently dealing with a specific regional funding programme, called “SELFIEmployment” that provides unemployed youth (18-29 years old) with “0” tax small loans to start a business. Confartigianato Imprese Salerno has two professionals involved in this programme who everyday meets 8/10 youngsters to help them in applying to this programme.

Furthermore, under the specific Start-up programme Confartigianato Imprese Salerno, in cooperation with local incubators and financial institutes, specifically supports youngsters and women in setting-up and operate a new business. The association particularly supports the market analysis, helps in elaborating a business plan, provides preferred channels to financial institutes/banks to access needed resources, guides/monitors the initial set-up and operations. Since 2014, the beginning of this specific programme, the association contributed to the creation of 85 new businesses.

Moreover, lately the Association is partner of two local projects aimed at setting up job-labs for youth by involving experienced entrepreneurs. The labs are specifically focused on artisans and craftsmanship type of works as the objective is also to preserve and hand down local tradition and culture.

Another important activity is dedicated to the economic integration of migrants. Confartigianato Imprese Salerno is partner of a local NGO, called CCM, that manages 8 migration centres hosting more than 1.000 migrants from Africa, India and Pakistan.
The Association yearly organizes on-job trainings for migrants followed by matching meetings with entrepreneurs (members of the association) in order to facilitate their employment and their integration in the society.