The objectives of the project were the following: - Contributing to the EU’s strategies for female entrepreneurship by offering the opportunity to a broad range of women to be involved and utilize their potential. - Promoting sustainable development and becoming part of developing a female green economy. - Developing innovative educational tools that will facilitate the development of new and innovative digital skills among females in Europe. Overall, the project aimed to provide alternative ways of learning to a broad range of women and help them develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities in order to be benefited from opportunities for employability and entrepreneurship. The successful implementation of the project formed the basis for women’s integration in the European labour market and society at large and set a good example for other organizations and stakeholders across Europe to follow. The impact of the outcome is twofold. First, it encouraged a more inclusive approach from local SMEs towards women. Second, it disseminated the experiences, knowledge and practices gained through the project’s actions across and beyond the network of partner organisations of VEDA.
Travel, tourism & hospitality (TTH), as a sector that by the end of 2014, contributed USD 1,787.4bn (9.7% of GDP) to the EU and was forecast to rise by 3.0% in 2015 (WTTC Economic Impact study). Women represent between 50 and 70% of the workforce in the EU but there are no reliable figures about entrepreneurship. It is known that 90% of the business in the EU is made by SMEs and with the right support, a far greater number of women could be not only attracted to work in the sector but actually launching their own business in agrotourism within it, partly attracted by the ability to reconcile family life and work. Many of these women are also known to enter the sector from a low skills base and would therefore benefit from specialised education and training made available through ICT tools that enable wide access to employability and entrepreneurship modules. The project VEDA addressed the need to bring together women and give them the opportunity to participate in educational activities that will allow them to develop their skills, expand their existing knowledge and acquire new skills, boost their employability and consider the possibility of starting their own business in the field of agrotourism/TTH.