TUS and the Design & Crafts Council Ireland announces an open call for €1.8m programme to help craft professionals develop their business skills.
The Crafting Business programme forms part of a wider, three-year Crafting Europe Project, being run in eight countries including Ireland.
The professional online training programme will provide expertise and knowledge to support the business development of newcomers to the craft industry.
The programme will focus on building business skills, generating revenue, and supporting marketing and promotion in micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It will encourage access to national and international markets, and establish a platform for information sharing, networking and peer-to-peer learning.
Gillian Barry, Head of Innovation & Enterprise at TUS said, “An important focus for this programme is to improve the business skills of new and practising professionals in the crafts sector. This includes encouraging business innovation, which is vital to competitiveness in the global economy. By using the Crafting Business programme to learn about the fundamentals of business, new craft professionals can gain skills that will strengthen their business performance.”
The Crafting Business Programme, now in its second year, is open to new or early-stage Crafting Business Entrepreneurs, and is made up of eight online workshops taking place between February and April 2022.
The programme will include expert training and tutorials and opportunities to collaborate with other makers and designers. The project seeks to engage future generations of skilled craft professionals and to open up potential new markets and opportunities for the sector.
Rosemary Steen, CEO at DCCI said, “Design & Crafts Council Ireland is delighted to lead the Crafting Business programme in partnership with TUS. Delivering on the overall objective of the Creative Europe Project, this programme enhances new skills and improves employability of emerging and current professionals within the craft sector.
“We believe it is important to equip newcomers with the right business tools at this important stage in their career. This is why we have worked with TUS to develop a programme focussing on entrepreneurship. This programme will provide craftspeople with the skills to develop successful businesses and contribute to the growth of the sector.”
Participant from the first programme, Malú Colorin, founder of TALÚ – a natural dye and design company said, “This programme really opened my mind about what is necessary to make a successful business. It’s not just about outstanding crafting products; there’s a lot of things behind the scenes that need to happen, and I feel inspired to do them to make my business thrive.
“The world of business can be a very intimidating place for crafters, but I think the programme really helped make it all more understandable, relatable and somewhat less scary.”
The call for applications is now open. The deadline for applications is 4pm on February 7, 2022. This is a competitive programme with limited places to support engagement and collaboration.