Dates of the Training: 18- 23 September 2023
Location: Vienna, Austria
Participating countries: Albania, Austria, Kosovo, and Greece
The official language of the course: English
About the project
BECBA (Boosting Employability through Circularity of Bio-waste in Rural areas) aims to engage and empower young people in agro-entrepreneurship actions turning bio-waste into valuable bio-products through innovative circular business models for job creation and environmental protection of rural areas. The project addresses two major issues related to rural areas: unemployment of young people and high amounts of segregated and mixed bio-waste that are not properly managed. In line with the general objectives, these challenges will be addressed by developing capacities of youth workers to recover valuable nutrients from bio-waste (food waste, manure, sewage sludge, municipal waste, etc.) and adapting them for reuse in agriculture as a fundamental part of shifting WB agriculture away from its current linear model and an integral part of the New Circular Economy Action plan.
The project’s main aims are:
- Development of a new form of training scheme with the purpose of empowering youth workers to become circular economy coaches, and to support rural youth in the adoption of circular conversion techniques and methods towards bio-waste streams generated from agriculture in rural areas.
- Engaging rural youths to develop knowledge, skills and competences in CE and green entrepreneurship with the purpose of starting pilot actions in conversion of growing agricultural bio-waste and by-products into eco-efficient bio-based products viable for setting up green businesses.
- Designing a Virtual Incubator for the rural youth start-up development, integrating the training path of the pilot actions with didactic resources for viral training based on new circular business models and marketing concepts for cross-sectorial valorization of agricultural by products in compliance with the relevant stakeholder’s demand.
About the Training Course
Agenda: The training will be a 5-day event that will take place in Vienna, Austria. The activity programme will provide participants with knowledge, methodologies, and Non-Formal Education tools to facilitate the introduction and adoption of CE practical knowledge and convey the linear agricultural bio-waste management system in the direction of circularity, re-production, and waste recycling into new valuable products.
The trainers will share European circular economy and waste policies and strategies, conversion methods of bio-waste (aerobic composting or anaerobic digestion), and new technologies to produce value-added products from agricultural residues and food processing side streams. Study visits in recycling companies applying for the organic waste compost program throughout the country will be conducted to improve the experiential learning process.
At the end of the training, at least 10 action plans for the concerned territories and target groups will be prepared to support the rural youths during the local activity phase (WP3), providing additional inputs in the overall frame of the Manual.
Expectations from the participants:
Participants of the Training Course, who are Austrian youth workers, will take on the role of coaches responsible for leading local activities in Austria. To prepare for this role, they will undergo this one week course in September, where they will receive training and acquire essential knowledge and skills. Subsequently, they will share this knowledge with five younger participants in the next phase of the program.
About the Agro-Circularity Pioneers program: To kick-off the impact of the BECBA project, we are recruiting 20 participants from Kosovo (8), Albania (4), Greece (4) and Austria (4), for a 5-day Pioneers course in September 2023 in Vienna, Austria, to become our Agro-Circularity Pioneers. (See below the page if this course is right for you!). You will be early adopters in the BECBA project and during this week in September you will be guided through the process of becoming a Circular Agro-Entrepreneur and through the steps of idea generation for a Circular Start-up dealing with agricultural bio-waste. During this explorative week, we will generate ideas on how to identify, prevent or use agricultural waste (think of: edible / inedible food surplus, other types of bio-waste (e.g. seeds, stems), wastewater, etc.) and use it as food for other products. After the 5-day September course you will be part of our community as Pioneer and will share your gained knowledge to guide other young aspiring entrepreneurs.
5-day Agro-Circularity Pioneers course in Vienna, Austria (18 Sept – 23 Sept)
The 5-day course will contain three different types of activities: in the GET INSPIRED time blocks, participants and facilitators will visit best practice examples in Vienna. In the GET KNOWLEDGEABLE time blocks, participants will be able to slightly lean back and train the brain by attending lectures and semi-interactive workshops provided by experts from the field. In the GET ACTIVE time blocks it is time for the participants to develop an idea, a business model for a Circular Start-up and work towards pitching that idea at the end of the week. The exact time schedule for the entire week will be shared later, but the three different time blocks will be divided throughout the entire week.
GET INSPIRED:
Field visits to showcase best practices (circular start-up, farmer and start-up collaboration)
GET KNOWLEDGEABLE:
- Circular thinking
- Types of circular start-ups, circularity strategies and circular business model innovations (& best practice examples).
- Circular economy and more specifically agricultural waste management
- Design thinking lecture: learn the steps of the design thinking process
- (International) Laws & regulations: waste management and circular economy
- How to measure your impact
- How to prevent Green/Circular Washing
- Access to Finance: learn about the different financing opportunities for circular start-ups and how to access them.
- Pitch training
GET ACTIVE (active workshops working towards a start-up idea)
- Map your region
- Identify waste-streams (hunt the waste)
- Idea generation (following circular design thinking)
- Business Modelling: build a circular business model (CBM) or sustainable business model (SBM) around your idea.
- Pitch Session: Share your idea with the group and show-off your newly acquired pitch skills.
- Workshop: boost your impact! Let’s determine how you will guide 5 young agro-entrepreneurs on their journey in your region and teach them what you learned! A brainstorming session will function as a stepping stone towards several action plans for each region.
Accommodation and travel costs will be provided for by the BECBA project.
Go home:
- Being part of a growing community of young, aspiring Circular Agro-Entrepreneurs and Circular Economy experts within Austria, Greece, Kosovo and Albania!
- Equipped with the right tools to develop yourself further as a Circular Economy expert
- As an pioneer of the BECBA project and a coach to youth entrepreneurs offline and via an online incubator system.
Is this course right for you?
- Are you 25+ years old?
- Did you finish, or are you enrolled in, a relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree? (Environmental Sciences, Agriculture (or related fields such as environmental engineering, or any other arguable field)
- Could you spend the 17 – 23rd of September in Vienna, Austria? (Accommodation and travel costs will be provided for).
- Detailed knowledge of circularity is NOT required, although a keen interest is desirable!
This 5-day Pioneers course is most fitting if you are willing to learn more about:
- Circular design thinking
- Types of circular start-ups, circularity strategies and circular business model innovations
- Circular economy and more specifically agricultural waste management
- Upcycling biowaste
- Business Modelling
- Entrepreneurship skill (pitching, marketing, etc.)
- Impact measurement and green/circular washing
- Access to finance for entrepreneurial and circular economy initiatives
This training course is most fitting if you are aspiring to:
- Nurture or develop your circular mindset.
- Experiment and learn during the program.
- Start your own Circular Start-up and/or
- Start circular farming and/or
- Become a coach to young Circular Agro-Entrepreneurs working on circular ideas.
- Stay linked to the project as an ambassador after the training week in September, to teach others what you have learned.
Financial Coverage for Participants:
alchemia-nova will bear the expenses for each of their participants, which encompass transportation to and from Vienna, Austria, as well as all meals and accommodation. Participants must provide the necessary tickets and invoices, and they will be reimbursed according to the guidelines set forth by Erasmus+. For further information, please reach out to sarah.gilani@alchemia-nova.net
Application Instructions: To apply for this course, please follow these steps:
- Create a brief video introducing yourself and discussing your motivation for applying. Include any relevant background information that highlights your suitability for the course.
- Upload the video to an online platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
- Complete the application form, which will also require you to provide the link to your application video.
- Please wait as we shortlist four candidates for this training.
- Shortlisted candidates will hear from us about the September training soon afterward.
- Deadline to apply: 30th of July, 2023
