The aim of Mentor Plus is to strengthen professional (immigrant) entrepreneurship in the Westflank. A sub-objective is to make the employer confident in the use of the employer network, including the Chamber of Commerce and employers' associations. The project will also significantly improve job opportunities, the social environment and social structure in the neighbourhood.

The recruitment, selection and intake of mentors, individual assistance and the setting up of collective schemes for immigrant employers in the Westflank, will increase their professional entrepreneurship. The recruitment of participants will take place through various channels. The Chamber of Commerce maintains excellent contacts with starting employers, but there are also relationships with (immigrant) employer associations. The Mentor Plus project can also be made known to the target group through neighbourhood stimulation projects.

The result will be measured on the basis of a reduced number of bankruptcies, satisfaction on the part of the participants, a higher degree of organisation and the experience of mentors. The intended effects include a reduction in business failures, direct solutions for bottlenecks in business administration and better embedding into employer networks. In the space of four years the project leaders hope to link a minimum of 125 (predominantly immigrant) employers with a mentor, after an adequate intake (problem identification). A minimum of 35 mentors must be recruited.

European subsidy: € 60.909
Total cost: € 244.588

This project has been partially funded with Objective 2 funds. Since 2000 nine cities have been eligible for the Objective 2 Urban Areas in the Netherlands programme, which forms part of the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) of the European Union. EFRD is one of the four Structural Funds of the European Commission. The programme helps cities to carry out projects that benefit disadvantaged areas.

In the Netherlands, total European Objective 2 subsidies concern 192 million euros. 4.25% of the Dutch population lives in the selected areas.

The European Commission prescribes that for every euro from the EFRD, a minimum of one euro must be contributed from the government. The cities must therefore add their own public or private funding to the European subsidy. The European programme is linked to the urban plans agreed within the context of the urban policy of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For this, the cities can make use of funds that have been allocated to them in the context of the national urban policy.

Utrecht Westflank - local programme management
Phone: +31 30 2861603

01/05/2001

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Business support