Start Up Advice for Migrants

People with immigrant backgrounds are twice as often affected by unemployment and poverty, as the total population (see Integration Report, 2009). The reasons concern the lack of required skills to the employer’s prejudices towards migrants. The business start-up advice plays a crucial role in terms of improving the employment opportunities of people with migrant backgrounds. They show an outstanding willingness to start their own business. By acting courageously they contribute to close gaps in supply in many cities and villages, and thus contribute to the stabilisation of municipal and regional infrastructure.Nevertheless, migrants are facing special difficulties when preparing a business start-up: Language barriers, a foreign legal and tax system, different customs and manners represent special challenges for them that impede starting the project. Our start up advice for migrants supports these people to start and to run their own business successfully.

Target Group

iq consult is currently operating the start-up advice for migrants in the Federal State of Brandenburg. It directs to all people with an immigrant background aiming to start their own business, if they have permanent residence in Brandenburg and are unemployed or threatened by unemployment. 

Services

The start-up advice is tailored to the needs of this special target group and responds to the variety of their entrepreneurial activities. The service is focusing on individual coaching and training. The advice is given in the native language of each client. Together with their advisers, the business starters develop a viable business plan. Even in the first year after having started their business, the participants are accompanied by the programme.

Success

The project start-up for migrants was established in March 2004. Since May 2010 it has been operated by iq consult. In total, about 750 initial contacts took place until today and approx. 450 participants enrolled in the programme. Of these, 250 people have actually started their business. Out of the businesses started in 2004, about 50 percent still exist today.

Contact

Julia Lexow-Kapp, lexow@iq-consult.com