On May 11th, a free training and development project was launched, prepared by women for women. The workshops conducted by the experts, as well as educational grants and business financing, await the participants. The project is open to female entrepreneurs and women who are just planning to start their businesses. The program is a joint initiative of Santander Bank Polska and the Polish Foundation of Entrepreneurship.
The competency development
The “STRONG in business” project provides support in several different ways – training, funding – capital entries, and grants. One of the main parts of the initiative is a series of training and development meetings. Their subject matter focuses on important and practical market issues.
Women can register their participation until September 30th, 2022.
Moreover, the whole cycle will last until November – the full schedule of meetings is available at santander.pl/mocnewbiznesie (in Polish).
“Small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland are responsible for creating almost 50% of GDP and employ 6.75 million people. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made women less likely to start a business, and young entrepreneurs are mainly men – both in Poland and around the world. In Europe and North America, less than one in twenty women choose to start a business. So we are dealing with the gender gap in entrepreneurship. That is why, together with the Polish Foundation of Entrepreneurship, we have prepared “STRONG in Business” – an inspiring project to which I invite all women who focus on their development, investing in themselves, and broadening their horizons. We inspire each other to act, actively support the development of female leaders and encourage them to discover their potential,” – says Magdalena Proga-Stępień, Sales and Distribution Director at Santander Bank Polska.
The additional capital
“STRONG in Business” also means specific financial support in the form of grants and capital entries. To apply for them, all the participants need to do is submit their business plans and submit the relevant form online. The competition jury will evaluate the applications and select ten beneficiaries of development grants worth PLN 11,000 (approx. EUR 2,340) for their projects. The four best business ideas will, in turn, receive funding of up to EUR 50,000. The details about the competition, as well as the application form, can be found at santander.pl/mocnewbiznesie (in Polish).
The toolkit
In addition, to the development of competencies and funding for education and business, the “STRONG in Business” program also offers tools to improve business management. All willing participants of the project who have their own company will be able to set up a company account in Santander Bank Polska in the promotion for PLN 0. On the other hand, women who plan to open their businesses can be helped to implement these plans. For a good start, participants will be able to get assistance for PLN 1 and a fuel card with free first refueling for PLN 1.
The partners of the project are Her Impact and Forbes Woman.
Source: the Bank`s press release dated May 05, 2022, and Bank`s information
