The current social and economic context demands from us a determined effort to update strategies for enhancing the employability of youngsters and providing them with the opportunities for their personal and professional achievements, reiterated the Regional Secretary for the Presidency in Ponta Delgada on Thursday.
André Bradford spoke at the presentation of the “Incube” project that will be developed through a partnership between the Regional Government and the University of the Azores. According to him, this project is an “important tool for the promotion of youth entrepreneurship, applied creativity and self-employment, enhancing the capacity of initiative as an alternative to the market and employment shortages.”
The Regional Secretary highlighted the pioneering nature of the project, pointing out that it “is integrated in a more global system and it is the result of a strategy developed by the Azorean Government in youth entrepreneurship by promoting an entrepreneurial attitude that comprises the most diverse activity sectors, being an natural option for youngsters who are about to enter into the labour market.”
André Bradford also reminded that, based on this strategy, the Government of the Azores has implemented the “Education for Entrepreneurship programmes, involving 52 schools, teachers and 1000 students in the first year, with the purpose including the capacity of initiative and applied creativity in the educational system,” in addition to the development of “contests to encourage creativity, such as Labjovem, which was specifically addressed at young artists and creators, and the Regional Entrepreneurship Competition.”
In the context of development and “promotion of creativity,” the Government of the Azores is promoting the “concept of Youth Academy,” which operates based on “creative factory” model, in accordance to the provisions of the EU Commission’s Green Paper of the for cultural and creative industries,” such as the case of the Praia da Vitória Youth Academy on the island of Terceira, a project developed in partnership with the Praia da Vitória City Hall. This same project will be extended to the island of São Miguel “later this year, also in a partnership with other entities and with a solution adapted to the capacity already installed on the island.”
Furthermore, the Regional Secretary stressed the idea that “youngsters should active agents in the search for feasible solutions for their future and the future of the Azores as well,” considering that companies and organisations should be available to welcome new ideas and solutions, updating practices and seeking other growth opportunities. In this context, the University should open even more to the outside, including its contributions in the development of knowledge, adapted to the regional reality.”
The “Incube” Project, which results from a joint work developed by the Regional Directorate for Youth, the Entrepreneurship Centre of the University of the Azores and Academic Association, is the first to include a business incubator for technology and scientific based companies as well as a Junior company, thus creating the necessary conditions so that students may contact with the business reality as early possible.
The Incubator of Ideas and Companies, which will operate at the University of the Azores, corresponds to an investment of nearly 250,000 Euros and it is intended to “boost the creative capacity of university students and speed up the transfer of knowledge from the Academy to the economic and social context, without forgetting the promotion and the exchange of knowledge between young students and teachers in favour of the development of actions and products that may be an asset for the development and progress of the Azores.”