New 400 unemployed persons registered at the Employment Agency of the Republic of Macedonia today can apply for the announcement of a € 3,000 grant, grants awarded by the state to open their own business.
According to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy Dime Spasov, this is a great opportunity unemployed persons who have a business idea to gain support, become self-employed and develop their own business.
Besides the grant of € 3,000 in the form of equipment and materials, self-employment program participants receive a range of other benefits that will help them become successful entrepreneurs, such as training for entrepreneurship, expert support for developing their business idea into a sustainable business plan and advisory support to business registration.
This year, the best rated 50 business plans will have an opportunity to receive a grant of extra € 1,500 per additional employment in the newly formed company.
This is the second cycle of the employment program. In the first cycle, which began in January this year, the grant should receive 500 unemployed that late June would have to establish their own businesses.
The opening of additional 400 firms from the second cycle will end the projected number of 900 businesses, which will be opened by unemployed persons with help from the state.
In the past seven years from 2007 to 2013 a total of 5835 people started their business, 75 percent of them are sustainable and work successfully, and many have already opened additional employment for members of their families or other unemployed persons.
So far over 21,000 unemployed people applied to the program, and over 7,000 candidates completed entrepreneurship training and business planning and acquired the basic knowledge and skills in management, finance, marketing, sales and business planning.
In the past seven years of this program, the government has invested around € 18.5 million and operating plan for the year is to further provide about €3.3 million budget funds.
Advertisements for the program and the conditions provided therein can be found on the websites of AVRM- www.avrm.gov.mk, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy- www.mtsp.gov.mk and info site www.samovrabotuvanje.mk.
Director of the Agency of Employment Vlatko Popovski announced an additional call for additional employment in existing micro and small enterprises in grants of € 1,500 for equipment or materials.
The program was founded in 2010 as a means of ” start up” businesses started through the Self Employment Program . During 2012 and 2013 it was extended to other micro and small enterprises . So far, 224 companies participated , and about 327 people were exploited resources . From 2010 to 2013 a total of 30 million have been allocated for this program .