Aim
CAMEO stands for Coaching and Mentoring for Empowerment and Opportunity. As the name suggests the CAMEO Project supports individuals by providing a range of coaching and mentoring support mechanisms to empower individuals to develop their own successful enterprises.
Objective
LIPA is the lead partner in this major project which is seen as a trailblazing scheme to provide new-style apprecenticeships designed for the 21st century. LIPA has teamed up with a range of local and regional development partners, national strategic partners and transnational partners to develop, deliver, monitor and finally disseminate the best practice findings of this two-year project.
Background
The project supports individuals known as ‘entrepreneurial apprentices’ from their first ideas (i.e. their entrepreneurial beginnings) through to securing contracts and sales. This is achieved through a progression approach, starting with skills assessment, leading to support mechanisms that will include a number of aspects such as: confidence building, specific skills training, vocational training with technical based support, business support training, paid work placements, assistance in developing products or portfolios and help in finding customers. All of the help is underpinned by ongoing coaching and mentoring, using the expertise of staff at LIPA and its project partners.
Main Outcomes
The method used at CAMEO should be mainstreamed so that others can benefit from the unique training ground that entreprenurial companies can provide, with a larger organisation acting as a broker and offering additional support to the apprentices and to the SMEs. The coaching and mentoring activities for disadvantaged young people enabled them to examine their professional and persoal lives so that they could pursue their objectives. The blend of training and workplace programmes ensured that individuals received practical training and real life exerience to help in the decision making and to increase confidence and employability.
