BEST by Futuremakers project will continue with funding from Standard Chartered Foundation

Standard Chartered Foundation is proud to announce the extension of funding for BEST by Futuremakers which aims to support job seekers into employment and provide integration and business development for established and new entrepreneurs. BEST (Business Employability Skills Training) aims to reach 4700 participants through a business incubation programme, advanced webinars, and advisory services by the end of June 2024.

As part of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, BEST is delivered in collaboration with Youth Business International (YBI) and Youth Business Poland (YBP), a foundation supporting the development of entrepreneurship in Poland. The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) will donate 200 000 USD to support disadvantaged young people under the age of 35, majority of them women, and help them achieve financial stability by equipping both job seekers and entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure professional and business development.

BEST by Futuremakers project launched in June 2022 and has reached 11 000 participants to date. Over the past year, the project has mainly supported women displaced in Poland with finding employment, starting or re-locating their own business. The project will build on the emergency support provided in the project’s first phase, to provide more tailored, targeted solutions for young entrepreneurs who have established their businesses in Poland and are looking to continue their sustainable growth. In addition, BEST will target differentiated groups from Poland-based communities in order to foster greater social integration and cohesion, as well as create an inclusive environment of learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange for all participants.

A major innovation that will be introduced within the project is the incubator programme for existing businesses. It will support participants with creating and managing stable companies that can generate employment opportunities and grow dynamically. By completing the programme, participants will have the confidence and tools they need to turn their ideas into a thriving business, making them well-positioned for long-term success. Participants will receive intensive trainings covering topics of business management, followed by mentoring opportunities, enabling them to effectively implement the knowledge and skills gained throughout the programme’s duration.

In parallel, a host of other activities focused on supporting both job seekers and entrepreneurs will be offered to project’s participants, including individual consultations, mentoring services, business and educational webinars, networking mixers and access to a knowledge database.

Standard Chartered employees will continue to support the delivery of the project as part of the Bank’s employee volunteering programme.

I’m extremely proud to see the results of BEST by Futuremakers project so far and the impact that it has on young people’s lives here in Poland. I’m thrilled that we will be able to continue delivering the project in cooperation with YBI and YBP, proactively responding to the changing needs of beneficiary groups. I’d also like to thank all Standard Chartered colleagues who have been involved in the project as mentors, advisors and trainers and I’m looking forward to seeing even more volunteering activities connected to the project.

Anna Urbanska, CEO, Standard Chartered Poland

It has been inspiring to see the impact of the BEST by Futuremakers project to date. We’re delighted to be able to continue our support for displaced Ukrainians and other communities based in Poland with a new focus on empowering young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create employment for others. YBI is grateful to Standard Chartered Foundation for their ongoing support and to our member Youth Business Poland for their commitment to driving inclusive entrepreneurship and increasing access to employment for displaced people in Poland.

Anita Tiessen, CEO, Youth Business International

We are looking forward to the second edition of the BEST by Futuremakers program. Thanks to our cooperation with Standard Chartered Foundation, we can continue this program in a new format. In the first edition, we focused on helping as many people as possible to grow and relocate their businesses, and to help them find jobs when the demand after the war was huge. Now, we are focusing on individual development and long-term cooperation with beginner entrepreneurs. Our aim is to stimulate the development of new companies and creation of jobs which positively impacts our country’s GDP, as well as its competitive advantage.

Adrian Migoń, CEO, Youth Business Poland