Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs – how not to reinvent the wheel!

2017-06-14

Bartek Mikuła is a young Polish man who, as soon as he passed his Matura exams, decided to pack his baggage and go to Berlin to learn how to be a European entrepreneur. Now he would recommend it to anyone. He says that he has been taught how to use his ideas in practice. Bartek is one of many young people from the Wielkopolska region who have taken part in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme. There are still places available for other future businessmen!

Bartek is not a university student yet. He has not even decided on a field of study, but he already has gained knowledge and skills needed for a young person becoming a grown-up. Bartek Mikuła went to Berlin to take part in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme where he joined Matthäus Krzykowski. Matthäus is the owner of Salisbury Ventures, a company which supports start-ups dealing with processing of scientific data.

– Specific skills are now the most important element of entrepreneurship. Education is not enough. Bartek is an example of a young person who has adopted a business approach to education. He used a possibility offered by Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, gained experience in benchmarking and networking, and now he is ready to face the challenges of the 21th century. It is as if he implemented a business plan for his own life – says Professor Jacek Guliński, Director of Poznan Science and Technology Park.

The idea behind the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme is that young people from the whole Europe visit businesses from other EU Member States and join them in their activities for the period of one to six months. Their visit is co-financed by the European Commission.

– It is a great opportunity to see what it means to use ideas in practice, learn how to solve problems, and see new innovative solutions thanks to which one will not have to reinvent the wheel in the future – says Bartek Mikuła.

During his visit, Bartek was involved in the company’s management, strategic decisions, and marketing.

– I think that the theoretical knowledge I gained at school is now more complete. My stay in Berlin showed me how I can use knowledge and skills in practice in different ways – emphasises Bartek.

Poznan Science and Technology Park has been appointed by the European Commission as a contact point for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme in western Poland.

– We share our knowledge and offer organisational support to all young people who are planning to gain business experience in such a creative way. We are also looking for Polish companies who wish to become host entrepreneurs and in this way support future businessmen. After all, our region is a popular business district in Poland – says Anna Tórz, coordinator of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme in Poznan Science and Technology Park.

Only last year as many as 1,863 young European entrepreneurs, including almost 100 Polish people, took part in the programme.