Case Study in North Macedonia: Entrepreneurial Learning and Training Needs Analysis

Abstract

This report provides and analyzes the training needs of potential entrepreneurs per sector in the Macedonian side of the cross-border area with Greece. The research is trying to achieve, explain and understand the priorities, missing skills and skills upgrade needed for the young people who are engaged with ICT enabled technology and aspire to become entrepreneurs. The report juxtaposes the findings with information on education background, personal skills and personality traits, gender and other relevant parameters. Also, complements the training needs analysis of the direct beneficiaries of the accelerator with interviews of people who were in their position a few years ago and have either become successful entrepreneurs or have failed in their enterprise. The research was seeking to learn what were the difficulties they face, what were the major challenges, what are the critical skills that young people need to acquire and what are the best ways of acquiring these skills. The research has been conducted as part of the project activities of the University of Information Science and Technology St. Paul the Apostle from Ohrid, Macedonia with the purpose to provide better opportunities to young people who aspire to become entrepreneurs, especially in the south-west region of the country. The main goal was to identify the skills gap among young people to establish business, as a starting point for the potential establishment of a business startup accelerator. Once the skills gap is identified, the University would develop an intense training, personalized mentoring, pitching events and workshops to assist in creating ICT-enabled startups.