WITH Final Electronic Publication
INTRODUCTION TO WITH
WITH: Boosting Women Entrepreneurship Education in Tourism and Hospitality in Sub-Saharan Africa, co-funded by the European Union, is a project implemented by a Consortium of African and European organisations: Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum – AWIEF (South Africa); Seville Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation (Spain); International Consulting and Mobility Agency – INCOMA (Spain); Centro Studi e Iniziative Europeo – CESIE (Italy); Equip Consulting Group (Malawi); and Gift Women Link Foundation (Uganda).
The WITH project is a two-year initiative that aims to skill and empower a new generation of climate and sustainability conscious women intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed in the tourism and hospitality industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. The main objectives of the WITH project include empowering young women on the soft skills and personal and social competences to succeed as intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners in the tourism and hospitality industry; supporting trainers and educators in updating their knowledge and practices aligned with labour market needs and international practices, and in acquiring new pedagogical methods to deliver experiential learning opportunities; introducing, promoting and raising awareness on the concept of sustainable tourism and hospitality, thus helping to skill future professionals, intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners to be agents for sustainable development; and boosting the definition of demand-oriented and competence-based pathways and increase experiential learning opportunities through reinforced links between public and private institutions active in VET and in the labour market.
The purpose of the publication is to describe the main execution of activities and events that occurred in the WITH project, as well as the evidence, conclusions and recommendations drawn from the project implementation and what would be the next steps.
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In Sub-Saharan Africa, young women are underrepresented in VET, have higher unemployment and NEET rates and experience additional barriers to enter the labour market. Women often lack socio-emotional skills to succeed as entrepreneurs. Moreover, their businesses tend to perform worse, and they are less engaged in tourism and hospitality, which is considered a forward-looking economic sector. Building on this context, the WITH project was designed to achieve the above-mentioned objectives and was implemented across two years (January 2023 to December 2024). All the activities and events that were developed and executed by the Consortium of six partner organisations were important steps for the successful completion of the project.
2.1 Project introduction and promotional materials
One of the main aspects of the project was the development of its awareness strategy. As a relatively new project concept, it was very critical to determine the correct plan for increasing project awareness and the dissemination of all the important activities and events that would occur during the program. The direct and end beneficiaries included young aspiring women entrepreneurs (18-35 years), VET trainers and educators, including those in the field of tourism and hospitality. But the project concept needed to consider other stakeholders, such as public and private VET providers and institutions providing non-formal and lifelong learning VET initiatives and courses, chambers of commerce, industry or labour, chambers of skilled crafts, business associations and associations supporting intra/ entrepreneurs and business owners and mentors (especially women), as well as companies and businesses active in the field of tourism and hospitality, and policy and decision-makers in the field of VET.
The design and development of the promotional material and marketing assets for WITH was the next important step at the project initiation, to achieve a successful outreach and awareness campaign. Collaboration from all the consortium partners was key to this stage, including selection of the appropriate design and colour best representing the image of the project. The promotional material being designed and used throughout the project included the following: WITH project logo, e-flyer, factsheet, website, social media, project banner, and dissemination plan.
2.2 Project Kick-off Meeting
The start of the WITH project was in January 2023, however given the fact the Consortium partners are based in different locations, the first consortium meetings were held virtually. It was established that regular meetings with Consortium partners were necessary, so that all participants would be aware of what is going on with the project and would be able to contribute to the relevant activities. However, it was deemed crucial for the partners to meet in person to create familiarity and good synergy amongst the six organisations. The leading coordinator organisation, Seville Chamber of Commerce, hosted the Kick-off Meeting held in May 2023 at Seville. The other partners joined in Seville for a three-day gathering to meet and set out the plan and activities to be carried out through the project. During these 3 days, different meetings were held including the main one as the official introduction of each organisation, and a knowledge-sharing workshop in which the activities and events to be followed in the project were discussed.
2.3 Stakeholders Mapping and Consultations
This was one of the first crucial activities that were implemented for the successful attainment of the project objectives. During August and September 2023, the partner organisations based in Sub- Saharan Africa were in charge of targeting and identifying potential stakeholders within each of their regions; the stakeholders to be identified included the following: private/ public institutions in tourism and hospitality, VET training institutions and centers, established female entrepreneurs and business owners within the tourism and hospitality fields. This task involved carrying out consultations to a wide
group of valuable stakeholders in the afore-mentioned three countries, including 13 public and private institutions active in vocational education and training (VET) and in the labour market, 19 women entrepreneurs/ business owners, 5 associations/ industry players, and policymakers in the field of tourism and hospitality. The aim of the consultations was to find needs of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes applied to the context of tourism and hospitality, to empower young women in Sub-Saharan African countries to succeed as intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners in these sectors.
The stakeholders were an important asset to the project as they provided the valuable insights and feedback needed for the consortium partners to develop the WITH Training Pathway and the training modules. Once the stakeholders were identified and selected, the SSA partners conducted a series of consultations (virtual and in-person) to gather the required information and insights on the needs and skills required for young women to succeed as entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and business owners in the tourism and hospitality sectors. These findings were then compiled to draft and develop the WITH Training Pathway.
The WITH Training Pathway was designed as an important tool to create the content and structure of the WITH Training modules, which would be used to deliver the WITH Local Pilot training, targeted for the young aspiring women entrepreneurs. The data and insights gathered from the stakeholder consultations greatly helped in the development of the training modules, as the partner organisations were able to use the findings to identify the most important aspects and topics that the stakeholders felt were the most needed/ useful to bridge the knowledge gap in entrepreneurship education in tourism and hospitality.
2.4 WITH Capacity-Building Programme
In May 2024, the WITH project reached an important milestone with the implementation of the Capacity-Building Programme for VET trainers. The Capacity-Building aimed to equip trainers with new pedagogical methods to deliver high-quality vocational education that meets the evolving needs of the tourism and hospitality sector. It has been implemented via digital platforms and the WITH Knowledge Virtual Centre, a section hosted inside the WITH website where participants can freely access the training content at any time. It has combined self-study with synchronous and asynchronous learning activities to provide a flexible and engaging educational experience over 4 weeks. The training materials included 10 detailed modules, presentations, mentorship sessions and interactive content tailored to the specific needs identified in previous project phases.
The Capacity-Building Programme included the following topics: Personal Growth and Motivation, Foundation of Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality, Initiative and Project Planning, Online Marketing for Sustainable Tourism, Financial Management for Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality, Dealing with Uncertainty and Risk Management, Effective Collaboration and Communication, Digital Skills and Online Collaboration, Wellbeing and Self-Care, and Critical Thinking and Sustainability Values.
2.5 WITH Local Pilot Training
Following the completion of the Capacity-Building Programme, the next major activity/ event that occurred was the launch of the WITH Local Pilot Training. This programme was designed to train young women on the skills and personal and social competences to succeed as intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners in tourism and hospitality in the three Sub-Saharan African countries. It aimed at alleviating unemployment, giving opportunities to self-employment and creating a new generation of women to thrive in the sector, driving sustainable development and economic growth in the Sub-Saharan African region. The programme empowered more than 50 young women within the three Sub-Saharan African partner countries: South Africa, Malawi and Uganda (at least 17 participants in each country). The beneficiaries attended virtual training sessions and joint events/ practical activities, in addition to following the 10 soft-skills modules delivered by the trainers/ experts selected by the SSA partner organisations. The training sessions also included the opportunity for networking and peer-learning with like-minded aspiring entrepreneurs. The target beneficiaries had to meet specific criteria to be selected to participate in the training, including the young-age bracket (18-35 years), a demonstrated knowledge or interest in tourism and hospitality, having an entrepreneurial mindset, desire in developing soft skills and business acumen, particularly in the context of entrepreneurship, and an interest in building networks and engaging in community activities within the tourism and hospitality sectors.
2.6 WITH Final Conference
The final project event was the WITH Final Conference, which took place as a conclusion of the project, with a final in-person Consortium meeting, followed by a showcase of the project through a high-profile panel session, during the AWIEF2024 Conference Exhibition and Awards in November 2024. The event made a significant impact and was celebrated in the framework of the AWIEF 2024 Conference. Under the theme “Future For All: Collaborate For Growth. Solve Inequity. Act On Climate” the event brought together dynamic women entrepreneurs from across Africa to highlight opportunities for growth, collaboration and empowerment in the hospitality and tourism sector. As part of the event, WITH presented a panel session titled: “WITH: Boosting Women Entrepreneurship Education in Sustainable Tourism & Hospitality (in partnership with EU)”, which provided a valuable platform to comprehensively analyse and present the project implementation, findings and impact. The discussion focused on key aspects such as:
● Skills development and capacity building: How the project equipped women with the tools to embed sustainability in their businesses.
● Entrepreneurial opportunities: Unlocking market potential for women-led enterprises in sustainable tourism and hospitality.
● Collaboration and cross-border partnerships: The impact of African-European cooperation in strengthening women’s entrepreneurship.
● Challenges and solutions: Tackling obstacles to finance, market access, and networking for women in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
3. MAIN LESSONS LEARNT
The main objective of the WITH project as previously stated was to empower young women on the soft skills and personal and social competences to succeed as intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners in the tourism and hospitality industry and to support trainers and educators in updating their knowledge and practices aligned with labour market needs and international practices, and in acquiring new pedagogical methods to deliver experiential learning opportunities. The activities and events set out to achieve these goals were completed successfully and brought out several conclusions and lessons learnt, that would serve well for similar future projects and/ or initiatives.
In respect with the stakeholders mapping and consultations, there were a few insights/ needs and lessons that were drawn out, which were used critically in the conception of the Capacity-Building programme and Local Pilot training:
● Training in business and technical skills
● Financial literacy (fintech, loan and grant management)
● Netiquette and digital skills (marketing online, online presence and social media)
● Crucial need for practical activities than theoretical training
● Access to finance and relevant markets
● Work-life balance importance for young women
● Mentoring and coaching
● VET trainers in need for greater exposure to the industry
● Sustainability concept applied to tourism and hospitality
● Risk and conflict management (team building)
● Access to the relevant information in each country to run a sustainable business
● Upgraded knowledge for the trainers and trainees.
Following the consultations, the next project activity that brought out significant findings and lessons was the Capacity-Building programme, implemented by the consortium partners to train the selected trainers on topics within entrepreneurship aspects in tourism and hospitality. The Capacity-Building has provided trainers with insights into sustainable development and sustainable tourism and hospitality, ensuring they can deliver relevant and up-to-date training to their students. It also addressed gender-specific challenges by focusing on strategies that empower young women to become successful entrepreneurs and business owners. Trainers were introduced to teaching methodologies that prioritise hands-on, practical learning experiences over theoretical instruction, fostering a more dynamic and effective learning environment. The implementation of the Capacity-Building Programme marked a pivotal step towards achieving the goals of the WITH project, empowering VET trainers with enhanced skills and knowledge, enabling a new generation of women to thrive in the tourism and hospitality industry, driving sustainable development and economic growth in the region.
The WITH Local Pilot training acted as the culminating activity of the project, in the sense that the
training modules and content delivered to the young women beneficiaries would be a stepping stone for those beneficiaries to go on and become successful intra/ entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality industries. The training provided many insights and valuable knowledge to the beneficiaries, all of whom reported a much higher sense of self-confidence in themselves and their abilities as aspiring entrepreneurs. The training material and content was proven to be very informative and valuable, and with the accessibility of the Knowledge Virtual Centre, the resources will remain available for the public, thus creating a sustainable impact for future generations. One of the main lessons highlighted post-training was the need for continued support and engagement with the young women beneficiaries, to aspire new cohorts of beneficiaries to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to become successful women entrepreneurs. Another important lesson learnt from this initiative was the need for the content material of the training to be better aligned with the contextual need of the relevant country in which such training is being implemented. This approach would eventually accelerate and improve the sustainability strategy for the project, as the training and material being made available for the public would attract numerous new groups of beneficiaries.
4. RECOMMENDATIONS
The main recommendations drawn from the WITH project mostly involve the future use of the project material and its availability to the public and various communities. This project had a particular focus on its sustainability plan, given the nature of the project, the target beneficiaries and its value for further development. Both the trainers/ experts and the young women beneficiaries made similar recommendations in terms of the training content and material being more aligned to the local context of each country where the training is being implemented. This would drive further interest and engagement from prospective aspiring women entrepreneurs and business owners, who are interested in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Another important recommendation that this project would bring is the critical need to maintain all the project outputs and resources, including but not limited to the WITH Handbook for learners and trainers, the Knowledge Virtual Centre, the WITH Training Pathway, the WITH domain website, etc. Active management and maintenance of these resources would help to achieve the sustainability goal to keep the project resources available for a period of five years, during which the possibility of other similar projects/ initiatives being implemented across different countries and communities greatly increases. Other organisations could take the insights and lessons from this project to design and implement similar interventions to bring more benefits for the local communities.
5. CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS
In conclusion, the project WITH: Boosting Women Entrepreneurship Education in Tourism and Hospitality in Sub-Saharan Africa was regarded as a very successful initiative, and it achieved the objectives
that were set out at the project conception. All target beneficiaries for this project reported a great level of satisfaction with the project initiatives and activities; the project output and resources made available to the public will further enhance the interest from similar and different stakeholders in promoting and implementing similar initiatives, which would bring further improvements serving well for all those who are involved in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
