Entrepreneurship pilot projects for migrants in the Netherlands

“If you are a migrant you generally speaking possess two outstanding entrepreneurial qualities: courage and perseverance,” says Dr. Josette Dijkhuizen, Honorary Professor in Entrepreneurship Development at Maastricht School of Management.

“I think that entrepreneurship should be a serious option for migrants and refugees,” Dijkhuizen explains. “Going to a new country means that you have to build up a new life again. This can be an opportunity to realize your dreams or to spot a gap in the market: you notice for example that there are no Iranian teahouses in your area, or no clothing shop selling Turkish bridal suits.”

In the Netherlands however, government agencies currently do not provide any specific help for migrant entrepreneurs.

“Dutch government officials are very focused on the idea that migrants and refugees need to fill in an existing vacancy, while this is often not easy for them.” says Dijkhuizen. “Another problem is often that civil servants have little knowledge of entrepreneurship.”

Dijkhuizen has set up a pilot project pilot in the province of North Brabant for a group of eightrefugees who wish to start a company. The project was launched at the end of February with an information meeting and intake conversations. Starting in March, the eight selected aspiring entrepreneurs will receive an intensive six-month coaching program during which they will take part in workshops, visit companies and also learn how to formulate a business plan in the Dutch context.

“The assistance is most needed in the first phase when you as an aspiring entrepreneur have to define who you are as an entrepreneur, build your business idea, find your target group and the added value you can deliver. This is important in the first phase because this is when you need your resources and you must spend them in the best way in order to create a viable business,” Dijkhuizen explains.

She shares some of the business ideas that were discussed during the intake conversations: “There is someone who wants to set up a restaurant. This is difficult in the Netherlands, so we’ll see if it can be a catering company. A Syrian who had a textile factory in his home country, will probably set up a trading company with products from the Middle East.”

Refugees can only participate in the pilot project if they are “emotionally stable” and reunited with their families, notes Dijkhuizen. “They must speak English well, convince me that they have a vision, a clear and viable business idea, work experience that fit the business idea, good communications skills, motivation, ambition and discipline.”

At the end of the pilot project, the city council will need to give its approval before the migrant entrepreneurs can start up their companies. “This is because of the social grant the refugees receive from the council,” Dijkhuizen explains.

Dijkhuizen hopes that this pilot will demonstrate what people can achieve when given the opportunity and that it will make it easier for other migrants “to realize their dreams by setting up their own business.”

The Ministry of Social Affairs has created a task force to promote smooth integration and employment among refugees. The task force is interested in Dijkhuizen’s initiative.

“If the pilot is successful my ambition is to spread the program across the country,” Dijkhuizen says.

MSM is responding in more ways to the refugee crisis at present. Next to the initiative of Dr. Josette Dijkhuizen MSM is organizing a tailor-made program providing training to the Institute on Family Health Care (IFH) in Jordan. IFH itself is supervising more than 15 NGO’s providing assistance to the refugees in Jordan. More information about this initiative in Jordan can be found here.