Support for Self-Employment: SEI Project Trains New Entrepreneurs in Brčko

In line with the previously established schedule within the project “SEI – Socio-Economic Inclusion in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, now in its second year of implementation in the District with the support of the Government of the Czech Republic, a three-day training session began on Wednesday, May 21st, for about twenty beneficiaries of SEI services. The project aims to support the employment of marginalized groups – unemployed and youth people, women, persons with disabilities, and members of the Roma minority. The training is being conducted by a respected professor of economics, Slavko Simić.

The center of activities is the SEI Center building in Brčko, and the participants attending the training were successfully evaluated after applying to a Public Call for support in employment, self-employment, and the development of start-up businesses, which was announced in mid-April.

Miloš Stanković, an expert for socio-economic inclusion at the SEI Center, states that the goal of the training is for all those selected through the public call to learn how to write a high-quality and sustainable business plan, which would serve as a validation of their application.

“The main focus is on business plan writing training. The training lasts for three days – two days are dedicated to participants who intend to start their own business, while the third day is focused on providing additional instructions to those who already had a registered business at the time the public call was announced,” Stanković explains.

Participants who best present their business ideas through their business plans will receive financial support of up to €5,000.

“As in the previous round, applicants have requested support for various fields and business areas. Some of the ideas include starting accounting firms, brokerage agencies, beauty salons, and opening workshops for furniture production or bakeries,” continues Stanković, adding that contracts will be signed with the most successful candidates.

We remind you that one of the key goals of the project is the active inclusion of unemployed persons from the records of the Employment Service, who belong to the target categories, in the processes of professional training and integration into the labor market.

The SEI project is also supported by the Government of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in addition to the international organization CARE International Balkans, the Development Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also a partner in the project. The Fund’s director will sign contracts for the concrete implementation of the supported business plans with the successful candidates.

“Applicants who did not have a registered business before the announcement of this public call and are now receiving support are obligated to establish their business within 30 days of signing the contract. This also implies that the applicant must provide adequate market offers for each part of the support outlined in the business plan, which are submitted to the Development Guarantee Fund, as the Fund will carry out the public procurement procedure,” Stanković stated, concluding that after two years from the contract signing, if the applicant fulfills all obligations, the awarded support items (equipment) become their permanent property.

This segment of the Socio-Economic Inclusion project in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also funded by the Government of the Czech Republic through the Czech Development Agency.