«For almost ten years we have been promoting the creation of co-operative enterprises and training people to start up businesses within the social and solidarity economy». This is how Montse Matamala sums up Andaira's track record in promoting co-operativism. A trajectory which began in 2006, and which in 2015 is being consolidated with the promotion of a training programme for the creation of cooperative enterprises. in Intermediate and Higher Education Centres.

This programme takes the form of five 33-hour courses which will be held in parallel in five schools. Registration is free and voluntary, and is financed by the Department of Employment, It is aimed at students from the corresponding educational institutes. The objective: to provide a response from the self-employment to the situation of structural unemployment and the difficulty of access to decent work for young people. Self-employment in the co-operative sphere is more secure and resilient in times of crisis, according to recent studies, as it generates a higher level of satisfaction and commitment among the people involved in the enterprise.

Although this edition of the Cooperative Enterprise Creation Course repeats the structure and most of the contents that Andaira has been working on over the last decade, it also includes news. As an improvement, in 2015 the programme includes a session on the Face to facece: the visit to inspiring business experiencesThis will enable participants to see at first hand that a co-operative model is possible within their profession. «In this way, participants will see at first hand that a co-operative model is possible within their profession», Matamala points out. In addition, the meeting with other co-operative members will enable students to «find out about the difficulties and advantages they may encounter if they take the co-operative route».

To access all the information about the Cooperative Business Creation Course and to register online, through this link.