SOLOPRENEUR is the concrete answer to specific skills and capacity needs for enhanced employability through paths of self-employment for people in remote regions who face challenges of access to labour market.

In IO2 partners will map the competences and skills necessary to become a Solo-Entrepreneurs. In addition to developing innovative training, partners will also identify and select among existing tools/resources/solutions those that are more amenable to promote self-employment.

The Mapping of Solopreneusrhip Skills & Competences will outline real and perceived learning needs, through a series of qualitative and quantitative data and information.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction

At European level, during the period of economic growth before 2008, the European labour market had managed to adapt to new circumstances through internal and external flexibility. During the pre-crisis period (2005–08), many MS countries reduce the unemployment, except for the weak labour market groups. After the 2008 crisis, the unemployment rate increased again. Women and low skilled people were severely affected.
Roughly, in the southern and eastern MS Countries, they are more than 30% more unemployed people in some categories as regard as the north MS Countries. Obviously in Southern MS Countries, the self-employment are more developed, mainly for the men as regard as women, excepted for the services field. Young people, leaded by the fear of failure, are looking for a small group of people to start a business.
The proportion of self-employed people in the employed labour force is around 15%, in Europe, with a small decrease for the 2004 peak. The share of the self-employed without employees is more important than in the past.
More than 60% are self-employed based on their own choice, mainly high education sectors. Often self-employed is the only choice in Agriculture and transport activities.
In “Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan-Reigniting Entrepreneurial Spirit in EU” the European Commission identifies three areas for intervention to increase entrepreneurship:

• training support
• removing existing administrative barriers and support entrepreneurs
• reigniting the culture of entrepreneurship in Europe and nurturing the new generation of entrepreneurs

All the EU Countries Governments make the self-employment rules easier and encourage innovation and export and promote training to develop skills linked to Europe 2020 strategy.
In France, there is an increase of unemployment the last then years, with a recent improvement.
In Island, the self-employment doesn’t really change, but we notice the growth of SME. The Government aims to become one of the 10 most competitive nations in the world by 2020.
France, Island, Italy, Cyprus and Spain are also traditionally SME country, more than 95% of the global economy. These companies suffered greatly from the economic crisis.
In each country, people remain with a lack of skills and knowledges and this program will seriously help them.
Government and institutions create a positive environment to develop self-employment business, but challenges remain in power and Solopreneurs are called upon confronting them effectively.

From our assessment, mainly two concepts emerged behind the term ‘solopreneurship’: self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Self-employment is usually associated with the risks of customers and insufficient contractual framework or low social security coverage.
Solopreneurship is more trendy and responses to the economic crisis to become employed.
After an initial decrease, the number of solopreneurs is rising again, with typically middle age and seniors workers.
Recent public policies and incentives want to make the solopreneur business easier and ensure the social and financial self-employees situation.

State of Play of Solopreneurship in Consortium Countries
The development of the entrepreneurial capacity of European citizens and organizations has been one of the key policy objectives for the EU and Member States for many years and is one of the eight Key Competences for Lifelong learning.
According to this, countries lead many local policies for training and small business development.
Entrepreneurial activity, while intense, remains lower than expected and creates few jobs.
The rate of business transfers is at an insufficient level.
However, the appetite for entrepreneurship and solopreneurship has grown in recent years in France and the rest of the consortium countries although with less creations as intended.

With the evolution of regulatory rules and new frame at work, the frontier between employment and entrepreneurship is increasingly being reexamined.
In Martinique, the high level rate of unemployed, particularly for the young people, promotes the self-management. 12% of unemployed people will never work.
With more than 95,0 % are SME Companies ( 98,5 % Island), Governments are obliged to support with rules specifically intended for the innovation, with a gap between the frame and the fundraising capacity for a solopreneur. Training and skills development are also a must.
Everywhere, we noticed a tendency toward young entrepreneurship, we have also have found the existence middle age and seniors solopreneurs, particularly in Spain. SME enterprises claim for less taxes and need to ensure the business.
SME generates more than 50% of the GDP revenues in all these countries.

Solopreneurship Ecosystem in Consortium Countries
A key international player for solopreneurship policies is the OECD -Organisation for EconomicCo-operation and Development.
Different tools are available to minimize the difference between different workers and unemployed categories aimed to become a solopreneur, specifically for women.
For each countries, some training and support programs exist. A dedicated funds are also available but often long and not so easy to implement.

Conclusion:
ET 2020 pursues the following four common EU objectives:

• Make lifelong learning and mobility a reality;
• Improve the quality and efficiency of education and training;
• Promote equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship;
• Enhance creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training.

Entrepreneurship is a key competence for lifelong learning. It refers to the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas and to transform them into values for others In each country, the training and solopreneurs capacities need to be enhanced, through existing programs and through the Solopreneur platform.
The common need is to develop a positive Solopreneur attitude and, in this sense, we have to focus on how develop a good added value for the self-employed, in limiting the risk of a alone business and the pressure of the big companies which exaggeratedly take advantage of the business model.