Facebook has introduced a training scheme in Poland to help female entrepreneurs build an online presence and use digital tools to promote their businesses.
Launched in Warsaw on 31 January, the #SheMeansBusiness programme hopes to train 720 Polish business owners over the coming year, according to Forbes.
“The aim of the programme is to inspire women to be creative and bold when running their own businesses,” says Agnieszka Kosik, head of Facebook’s Polish office.
“It will also be a space where they will foster valuable connections with other female leaders, share their knowledge, and move forward together,” she added.
The scheme is built around a series of workshops promoting business tools available on Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram, and will be held in five Polish cities: Warsaw, Gdynia, Poznań, Kraków and Wrocław.
The programme is run under the patronage of the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Digitization, in partnership with the Entrepreneurial Women’s Network (Sieć Przedsiębiorczych Kobiet), a foundation.
“An internet presence is now a necessity for any business – that’s where all its customers are,” said Wanda Buk, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Digitisation.
“Thanks to the skilful use of digital tools, they [companies] can now reach even the furthest corners of the world with their products and services,” she explained.
According to a report published on behalf of Facebook by Copenhagen Economics, a consultancy, companies founded by women are more likely to use Facebook applications to reach customers than those founded by men.
Facebook boasts that 44% of Polish small and medium enterprises on Facebook are run by women, reports Forbes.
Since its global launch in 2016, the #SheMeansBusiness programme has trained over 500,000 women in 48 countries around the world.
Main image credit: #SheMeansBusiness