Athena Erasmus+ project develops new online start up programme aimed at female entrepreneurs.

Xàtiva, Spain was the venue for the closing conference of the EU project "Athena". Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office was a partner in Athena, which was a project funded under Erasmus+ and aimed at revolutionising work methodologies and tools to empower women entrepreneurs in the digital era.

The Athena project focused on how digital, online and other alternative tools can be adapted for supporting youth work and promoting young women entrepreneurship. All project partners brought their own individual experiences of entrepreneurship initiatives which promote self-employment as an alternative for socio-labour inclusion of youngsters in general, and young women specifically.

Speaking about the work of the project, Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise in Carlow County Council said “The project work culminated in the creation of an online programme which will be available for free use from November 2023. This was crafted through intensive collaboration, fostering knowledge exchange between project partners, various stakeholders in targeted regions, and development staff in agencies. This initiative aimed to support young female entrepreneurs aged 18-35 as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey.

Kieran continued to say “as part of the programme, LEO staff participated in a Train the Trainer Programme, additional programme research and the development of the online programme”. The project was led by Ayuntamiento de Xátiva, Spain and involved SAŠA inkubator, Slovenia; Viesoji Istaiga Kauno Mosklo Ir Technologiju Parkas, Lithuania; Viesoji Istaiga Kauno Mosklo Ir Technologiju Parkas, Lithuania; Gmina Lublin, Poland; Impact Shakers Labs vzw, Belgium; T2I - Transferimento Tecnologico E Innovazione Scarl, Italy and Kaupallisen koulutuksen edistämisyhdistys-Föreningen för kommersiell utbildning Ry, Finland.

Welcoming the work undertook on the project, Cllr. Andrea Dalton, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council said “Carlow County Council's Local Enterprise Office is committed to fostering innovation and empowering women entrepreneurs. The Athena project is an important step forward in achieving this mission”. The Cathaoirleach continued to say “EU funding is a powerful tool for advancing gender equality in the business world. By investing in women entrepreneurs and supporting initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion, we are not only empowering half of our population but also driving economic growth and innovation. When women succeed in business, we all thrive”. 

The closing conference was attended by Stacey Phelan, EU Project Co-ordinator and Linda Neville, Enterprise Executive, from Carlow County Council.

For further information contact Kieran Comerford on 086-8252037 or e-mail kcomerford@carlowcococo.ie