POWERful in Business. Santander Bank Polska launches a free training and grant programme for women.
A free training and development project, prepared by women and for women, starts on 11 May. Participants will be offered workshops conducted by female experts, as well as educational grants and business financing. The project is open to female entrepreneurs and women who are just planning to set up their own business. The programme is a joint initiative of Santander Bank Polska and the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation.
Competence development
The POWERful in Business project will provide support in several different ways: through training, funding, capital contributions 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 topics. Well-known women and experts in their fields, such as Sara Koślińska – CEO of Limitless, Anna Orska – founder and owner of the ORSKA jewellery brand and a popular journalist Dorota Wellman will share their experience and knowledge. The first of nine meetings dedicated to Building a Personal Brand will be held on 11 May. It will be moderated by Marta Lech-Maciejewska, a blogger and owner of Spiadora brand. The whole cycle will continue until November and the detailed schedule of the meetings is available at santander.pl/mocnewbiznesie.
Small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland contribute almost 50% of the GDP and provide employment for 6.75 million people. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made women less inclined to start their own businesses, and young entrepreneurs are indeed more often men - both in Poland and globally. In Europe and North America, less than one in 20 women decide to set up a business. So we are dealing with a gender gap in the area of entrepreneurship. Therefore, together with the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation, we have prepared the POWERful in Business project. It is an inspiring initiative to which I invite all women who want to develop themselves, invest in themselves and expand their horizons. We inspire each other to action, actively support the development of female leaders and encourage them to discover their potential.
Additional capital
POWERful in Business also provides specific financial support in the form of grants and capital contributions. To apply for it, all you need to do is present your business plan and submit the application form online. The competition jury will assess the applications and select 10 beneficiaries of development grants, each worth PLN 11,000. The four best business ideas will subsequently receive grants of up to EUR 50,000. Details of the competition, as well as the application form can be found at santander.pl/mocnewbiznesie.
Toolkit
In addition to the development of competences and funding for education and business, the POWERful in Business programme also offers tools to facilitate running a business. All interested participants of the project who have their own businesses will be able to open a business account in Santander Bank Polska or a promotional price of PLN 0. And women who are planning to start their own business can receive assistance in putting their plans into effect. For a good start, project participants may enter into a leasing agreement or take out the Office loan and receive Assistance for PLN 1 and a fuel card with a first fill-up free of charge.
Partners of the project are Her Impact and Forbes Woman.
The organizer of the competition is the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation based in Szczecin, ul. Monte Cassino 32, 70-466 Szczecin, managing the Fund and the Foundation’s resources.
