“B-ECO - Start-up Eco Entrepreneurs Project”: Training Materials for Eco-Entrepreneurship

Aims of the tool

The B-ECO project and its results aim to help young people overcome unemployment by introducing them to the eco-entrepreneurship sector and providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to become eco-entrepreneurs. At the same time, the B-ECO training materials aim to help VET teachers teach eco-entrepreneurship through ready-to-use resources.

The transition to a green economy requires new figures: the green and eco-entrepreneurs, focused on developing entrepreneurship linked to sustainability. Entrepreneurs are an important pillar of the EU economy, and it is essential to provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

B-ECO's training materials not only train them in important competencies and skills (based on EntreComp) and tools, but also in becoming innovative and standing out in the market.

The competencies and skills taught by B-ECO training materials are complemented by a learning methodology called “B-ECO Branches”, which blends coaching, mentoring, and action-learning techniques to facilitate group discussion and individual problem-solving, reflection, goal setting, and personal action planning that always include sustainable and ecological aspects.

Description of the tool

1) The Eco-Entrepreneurs Training Course is a training programme consisting of 15 modules with lots of essential knowledge, examples and exercises to become eco-entrepreneurs. Each module explains a specific topic, such as what entrepreneurship is and the characteristics of an entrepreneur; how to start a business idea; what marketing is and its evolution; social media; green management; and much more.

2) The Didactic Materials for VET Teachers are based on the modules of the Eco-Entrepreneurs Training Course and characterized by an innovative methodology called B-ECO Branches to support VET educators in teaching eco-entrepreneurship topics. These Didactic Materials provide lesson plans, exercises, essential tools, and insights, and have been developed to help teachers effectively engage students and promote their understanding of their role in building a sustainable future through entrepreneurship.

3) The Case Studies Collection “Greatest Hits” is a collection of 30 examples of successful eco-entrepreneurial businesses to inspire and motivate future entrepreneurs.

4) The Social Eco e-Learning Platform is an innovative eLearning platform for sharing knowledge and experiences on eco-entrepreneurship. It features all 15 modules of the Training Course with concepts, definitions, PPT presentations, resources, examples, and interactive exercises to test the acquired knowledge. Moreover, each module has an interactive part with the B-ECO Branching Scenarios. Each scenario focuses on a specific topic, such as starting a business idea; marketing; social media; green management; etc., and provides feedback to help become a top eco-entrepreneur.

All these tools and resources are available in English, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Slovenian, and accessible online or downloadable in PDF format.