Thursday, February 9, 2012

World Premiere – Global Business Incubator Project for Women to Launch

World Premiere – Global Business Incubator Project for Women to Launch

2 March 2012

A ground breaking social enterprise called the BPW Business Incubator Project initiated by Belmont Business Enterprise Centre in Western Australia (Belmont BEC) and Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCF Global) and supported by The International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International), will launch internationally on the 2nd of March 2012.

The BPW Business Incubator Project will provide ‘ONLINE’ training and mentoring to develop the business skills and business growth potential of women in new or existing homebased, micro small businesses. Workshops will be on offer in areas such as Business Planning, Risk Management, Import/Export and eCommerce. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about global sourcing from women vendors.

The project will be officially launched by the BPW International President Freda Miriklis in New York on March 2nd 2012 at a parallel event during the fifty-sixth session of the United Nations – Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.

Carol Hanlon, CEO of Belmont BEC, TCF Global and member BPW International Asia Pacific Committee will present a forum about the project titled ‘Empowering Creative Rural Women Through Enterprise Development and Global Fashion Opportunities’ at the prestigious event.

In Australia, the project will launch as part of International Women’s Day Celebrations to be held at the City of Belmont Civic Centre on the 8th of March 2012. As well as launching the Global Business Incubator project, those celebrations will also include the sharing of stories, skills and talents with a huge range of interesting and inspiring speakers, artists and designers representing women around the globe and also sharing stories from local Aboriginal women.

Carol Hanlon said of the project, “I developed the BPW Business Incubator Project so that women would be able to better develop their business skills and as we are a leading ‘virtual’ small business incubator, we are now calling on sponsors to partner in this project to provide scholarships for women around the globe to gain training & mentoring, in particular to take advantage of the opportunities of the Global Platform for action on Sourcing from Women Vendors.

For further information:

Carol Hanlon

CEO

Belmont Business Enterprise Centre

TCFWA - TCF Global

P| 61 8 9479 3777 M| 61 417963231

E| carol.hanlon@belmontbec.com

About Participating Organisations

TCF GLOBAL

TCF Global is a non-profit community organisation assisting designers and fashion industry with business skills development, linkages in the global supply chain, trade and industry networks, coordinates village sewing projects and facilitates the International Fashion Incubator Network.

www.tcfglobal.com

BELMONT BEC

Belmont BEC is a non-profit community organisation providing training and mentoring support services to individuals to start or improve their small business and is a specialist in virtual business incubation. www.belmontbec.com

BPW International

The International Federation of Business and Professional Women – known as BPW International – is one of the most influential international networks of business and professional women with affiliates in 98 countries across five continents. BPW International has general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and participatory status with the Council of Europe. Members include influential women leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, professionals and young career women. BPW lobbied for the formation of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 1947 and supported many women’s initiatives over the years. Since 1996, BPW affiliates worldwide have supported over 45,000 women become economically empowered.

Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc.

Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCFWA)

PO Box 370, Cloverdale WA 6985 Phone 08 9479 3777 Fax 08 9479 3888

www.belmontbec.com www.tcfwa.com www.tcfaustralia.com www.tcfglobal.com www.designedge.net.au www.fashionincubators.com www.bpwbusinessincubator.com