Enterprise in Action (EnAct)

Centre for Entrepreneurship WIT - Enterprise Programmes

EnAct - Enterprise in Action - was a collaborative pilot programme concerned with the implementation of an innovative business development model for micro-enterprises in the South East region of Ireland. Innovative components of the programme were; action-oriented learning, problem-solving and knowledge sharing in peer-groups, the intervention of business coaches, knowledge and technology transfer and the leveraging of networks via Institutes of Technology, state agencies and businesses themselves. The overriding objective of EnAct was to enhance the capability skills of the owner-managers of the participating companies.

Funded by the EU Regional Innovative Actions Programme, administered by the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly, and managed by Waterford Institute of Technology, the programme was delivered by three distinct groups of organisations, namely institutes of learning, state enterprise support agencies, and regional government, all of whom vary widely in their support and interaction with enterprise. More specifically, those involved included Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and the Institute of Technology Carlow (ITC), the five County Enterprise Boards (CEBs) in the South East (Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, and South Tipperary), Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the South East Regional Authority (SERA). Twenty companies based in the South East of Ireland participated on the programme

The EnAct programme has brought clear benefits to micro-enterprises in the region such as:

The formation of sustainable networks,
A culture of action learning, and
An understanding and belief in the value of utilising expertise external to their organisations.

As a result of this collaboration, EnAct created a network that included diverse stakeholders from private and public sector organisations that contributed to the programme?s success. The vibrant network that has evolved through EnAct is a practical legacy of the programme that can operate to the benefit of each of the stakeholders involved, thereby further stimulating growth amongst micro-enterprises in the region and indeed nationally.

For further information on EnAct contact Eugene Crehan
Tel: +353 (0)51 302953 E-mail: ecrehan@wit.ie Website: www.enact.ie