CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE ARE HELPING CREATE JOBS, SAYS EUROCHAMBRES.

The Association of European Chambers of Commerce - Eurochambres - has just published a report, entitled Enterprise and Employment: Innovative Actions by European Chambers of Commerce, to unveil one or two of the innovative initiatives Chambers of Commerce are taking in the various Member States so as to promote business start-ups and employment. As an example, the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce has launched a car sales training programme targeted on women. 20 or so women underwent the training and 86% of them found jobs at the end of the course. In France, the Chambres de Commerce and the Association Francaise des Banques have set up a network (in cooperation with organisations from the public and private sectors and social services) in order to boost business start-ups and the entrepreneurial spirit among young people. As a result, 4,700 businesses have benefited from the programme, 10,500 jobs have been created or saved, 6,300 entrepreneurs have taken part in the programme and more than ECU 24,500 worth of...