Centre for Entrepreneurship WIT - Research Projects
FEIW (Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales)
The Centre for Entrepreneurship, School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland and the School of Management and Business, Aberystwyth, Wales have come together to develop the FEIW (Female Entrepreneurship Ireland/Wales) project. This project is funded under Interreg IIIA and is focused on designing and implementing an enterprise and management development programme aimed at increasing the level of sustainable women-owned and managed businesses in South East Ireland and South West Wales.
The level of women?s entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales is significantly lagging behind the level of women?s entrepreneurship in the U.S. and Scandinavian countries (approximately 15% versus 41%). What is even more concerting is the low level of participation by women on enterprise development courses in both Ireland and Wales.
The FEIW project will determine the level of women-owned businesses in the South East of Ireland and South West Wales and ascertain the reasons for such participation rates. Based on this analysis the project team will design, develop and implement a programme that will increase the awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities for women and ultimately strengthen their ability to manage and grow their business ventures.
This project is unique in many respects; for example, it is the first in depth analysis of its type to be conducted in Ireland and Wales. It is an enterprise development and management programme that is being developed with women entrepreneurs as its central focus. Delivery of the programme aims to facilitate women to have relatively easy access, by arranging contact hours around participants? schedules. Research is ongoing and the enterprise development programme aims to begin, on a pilot basis, in September 2006.
For further information contact Margaret Tynan, Project Leader
Tel: +353 51 845530 E-mail: mtynan@wit.ie Web: www.whysofeiw.com
