Coopower project

19/05/2026

💡 Podnikavosť sa nezačína až založením firmy

Začína sa oveľa skôr - schopnosťou premýšľať, hľadať riešenia, spoznávať svoje silné stránky a nebáť sa skúšať nové veci. Práve o tom sme sa rozprávali so žiakmi 9. ročníka v 🏫Základná škola s materskou školou Plaveč, kde sme otvorili tému budúcnosti, zručností, možností po základnej škole a podnikavého myslenia.

SBA sa dlhodobo venuje podpore podnikateľov a rozvoju podnikateľského prostredia na Slovensku. Zároveň však vnímame, že podnikavosť má svoje miesto už oveľa skôr, a to v schopnosti mladých ľudí spoznávať svoj potenciál, rozhodovať sa, spolupracovať a aktívne pristupovať k vlastnej budúcnosti.

🎯Stretnutie preto nebolo klasickou hodinou. Jeho cieľom bolo motivovať žiakov, aby premýšľali o tom, čo ich baví, v čom sú dobrí a ktoré zručnosti môžu ďalej rozvíjať a používať - či už v rámci ďalšieho štúdia, budúcej práce alebo raz možno aj vlastného projektu či podnikania.

🤝 Vďaka Coopower project a spolupráci s Digitálna Koalícia si žiaci vyskúšali aj ich online nástroj 💻Digitálny štart, ktorý prepája sebapoznanie, pracovné záujmy a digitálne schopnosti. Praktickou formou im pomáha lepšie pochopiť, kde sa dnes nachádzajú, v čom majú potenciál a kam sa môžu ďalej posunúť.
🌱 Aj prostredníctvom projektu COOPOWER chceme mladým ľuďom v regiónoch ukázať, že ich zručnosti, nápady a rozhodnutia majú význam pre ich vlastnú budúcnosť aj pre prostredie, v ktorom žijú.

15/05/2026

Follow COOPOWER on Facebook, LinkedIn and the Interreg DRP project page for more updates.

13/05/2026

💡 Entrepreneurial thinking starts long before starting a business.

It begins with curiosity, problem-solving, self-awareness, cooperation and the confidence to try new things.

As part of the COOPOWER pilot activities in Slovakia, pupils of the 9th grade at 🏫Základná škola s materskou školou Plaveč took part in an activity focused on future pathways, skills, opportunities after primary school and entrepreneurial thinking.

The session was not designed as a traditional lesson. Its aim was to encourage young people to reflect on what they enjoy, what they are good at and which skills they can further develop — for their studies, future work, their own projects or perhaps even future entrepreneurship.

💻 Thanks to the cooperation with the Digital Coalition ( Koalícia), pupils also had the opportunity to try the online tool Digitálny štart, which connects self-awareness, career interests and digital skills. In a practical way, it helps young people better understand where they are today, what potential they have and where they can move next.

🌱 Through its pilot activities, COOPOWER supports young people in regions by helping them recognise their strengths, develop future-oriented skills and make more confident decisions about their education, work and future.

🤝 Thank you to ZŠ s MŠ Plaveč for the cooperation and openness, and to the Digital Coalition for their valuable contribution to the programme.

13/05/2026

Watch our short video to learn more about the role of Local Cooperation Incubators in the COOPOWER project.

You can also read more about this topic on our project page on the Interreg Danube Region Programme website:
https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/coopower/news/d212-concept-note-for-the-establishment-of-local-cooperation-incubators

Follow COOPOWER on Facebook, LinkedIn and the Interreg DRP project page for more updates.

12/05/2026

COOPOWER has reached another important step: stakeholder mapping has now been completed across the partner countries.

It may sound as though stakeholder mapping is a highly technical endeavor, but in reality it is about something very practical: identifying the people, organisations and institutions that can truly make a difference in the lives of vulnerable young people who need labor market integration. Schools, NGOs, public institutions, employers, local communities, to name a few, can all be part of stronger support systems if cooperation is to work well.

Our new article shows what kinds of stakeholder patterns emerged in the different COOPOWER countries, why this matters for local cooperation, and how it helps prepare the next steps of the project.
Read the full article here:
https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/coopower/news/deliverable-211-stakeholder-map

Building on the previously published article about the COOPOWER stakeholder mapping methodology, the project has now reached the next important step: the completion of stakeholder mapping across the partner countries. While the stakeholder mapping methodology established the common framework for ide...

27/03/2026

The European Rural Youth Observatory (EURYO) – a research-oriented association bringing together researchers, representatives from the third sector and public services, youth workers, and rural young people – has presented their new policy brief, titled “Future employment opportunities and changes in rural youth labour markets”, in a webinar on 25th March.

Among the speakers of the webinar were two colleagues from HETFA Research Institute (Hétfa Kutatóintézet), Luca Koltai, who also works on the COOPOWER project.

The presenters stressed that rural youth employment – despite continuous policy efforts – is still a persistent challenge in the EU: young people living in rural areas are more likely to face limited access to education and training and have a harder time finding high-quality employment. These constraints strengthen territorial inequalities and can drive increasing depopulation.

Speakers have presented local experiences of young people living in rural areas in Lithuania and Hungary, highlighting the barriers they face, and the often-pessimistic outlook of the future of the area they are living in.

The webinar highlighted that there are emerging jobs and skills, of which European rural areas have the potential to profit from: new roles in the agri-food and agri-tech sector, in the renewable energy sector or in the sustainable tourism and local services are just some examples of opportunities.

However, these trends can only become real opportunities for rural youth if education and training become more accessible for them, and the content of those reflect the needed transversal skills better, equipping young people with the skills needed for the upcoming green, digital and inclusive transitions.

The policy brief calls for more place-based policies, which better responds to differences among territories and labour markets, and to take the rural dimension more into consideration during policy implementation.

These findings are closely connected to the core challenges which brought COOPOWER to life: young people living in rural areas face systemic barriers, which can only be overcome by cooperation of stakeholders and sectors and targeted policy actions.

For more information:
https://www.euryo.org/web/
https://www.euryo.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Policy-Brief-WG-2026-02-final.pdf

23/03/2026

On March 3, 2026, Slovak Business Agency hosted a Local Cooperation Incubator (LCI) as part of the Coopower project. The pilot in the Prešov region supports young people in making decisions about their education and careers, fosters their entrepreneurial mindset, and helps them discover their talents. 🤸‍♂️

The meeting sparked valuable discussions about the challenges young people in Slovakia face in the labor market and about the opportunities for collaboration between schools, companies, and organizations. LCI is becoming a powerful platform for supporting youth in the region. 🙏

13/02/2026

As part of the COOPOWER project, the Slovak Business Agency is launching a pilot programme in the Prešov Region to support young people from the age of 15 in their personal development and career orientation.

By building skills, confidence, and local opportunities, we aim to help students envision a meaningful future in their home region — without the need to leave for education or work elsewhere.

Business Agency

04/02/2026

🌊 Skills for Seasons: Upskilling Youth for Sustainable Tourism Employment 🇧🇬
In the Bulgarian Black Sea region, tourism is a key economic driver, yet many young people (aged 15–29) face barriers to stable employment. The Skills for Seasons pilot is changing that by providing practical, job-focused training, mentoring, and workplace-based support tailored to the needs of local tourism businesses.
🤝Through strong collaboration between municipalities, schools, universities, employers, and employment services, this initiative, leaded by UBBSLA, helps young people gain the skills employers really need—customer service, language, and on-the-job experience—while supporting them throughout seasonal work.
👉The goal? Local youth. Local employers. Real opportunities. By strengthening skills and creating structured pathways into employment, Skills for Seasons is building a sustainable, resilient workforce for Burgas’ thriving tourism sector.
📅 April 2026 – March 2027
📍 Burgas region/ Bulgaria
📩 Contact: Polina Antonova – [email protected]
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30/01/2026

26/01/2026

What do we bring to the HUB? What do we expect from the HUB?

A HUB comes to life through exchange, collaboration, and shared thinking.

This post was created as part of the COOPOWER project, co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Danube Region Programme.