ARTISAN Pilot Testing Programme in Cyprus

The ARTISAN TRAINING PROGRAMME was pilot tested in Cyprus on the 15th and 16th of February 2018 at the Center of Environmental Information in Larnaca (Κέντρο Περιβαλλοντικής Ενημέρωσης Ορεινής Λάρνακας). The training in Cyprus was delivered by UCLan Cyprus and GrantXpert Consulting and was attended by 13 participants. The main aim of the training was to pilot test the ARTISAN Training Programme developed and receive valuable feedback from the participants in order to be able to fine-tune the training programme to their needs and finalise it.

The participants were fallen either in the senior generation either on the younger generation of ARTISAN and Agrotourism sector. There were also two cases in which participants from both generations of a company joined together the ARTISAN Pilot testing programme.

The training programme has 5 different modules aiming to help the participants develop important entrepreneurial skills, expand their knowledge and collaborate effectively with their family to expand the activities of their family business in artisan or agrotourism sector. The following modules have been presented and analysed during the pilot testing in Cyprus:

Module 1. Family Entrepreneurial life cycle

Module 2. Strategic Planning and Operationalisation toolkit

Module 3. What is your business model?

Module 4. Marketing essentials

Module 5. Succession and continuity planning

Also, the piloting was a really good opportunity to inform the main target groups, relevant stakeholders and the general public about the main activities of the ARTISAN project, the most important programmes (offline and online) developed under the context of the project and the useful tools that the participating organisations developed, such as ARTISAN Online platform and CASEBOOK.

During the ARTISAN pilot testing in Cyprus, participants had also the opportunity to develop their own Family Business Model Canvas and re-examine their company’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances. Participants discussed in detail their case with the trainers giving emphasis on their growth opportunities and continuation and succession of their family businesses.

The participants of the ARTISAN pilot testing phase in Cyprus expressed their enthusiasm and gratitude for the opportunity offered to them in discovering a new world and they acknowledged that this has opened new opportunity paths and has helped them in developing a different mindset.