Argentina
INET

The National Institute on Technical Education, together with some other organisations, promotes Programa Innovar (Innovate Programme). Its purpose is to offer a permanent space of stimulus and assistance to "innovating entrepreneurship", by supporting the work of institutions particularly engaged in the promotion, financing and/or subsidy of technological activities.

With time, INNOVAR will become a National Centre to Support Innovations; it will be a permanent means of assistance to independent innovators across the country.
http://www.innovar.gov.ar/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28

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Brazil
SENAI

The "Relatório Anual do Sistema SENAI 2003" outlines SENAI's various objectives with regards to enterprise assistance and the promotion and training of entrepreneurs. Such document describes the plan of mobile education, which seeks to take vocational training to distant places across the country.

It is based on the actions developed by a vocational training agent, a specialised teacher who acts as a promoter and consultant for micro enterprises. Apart from designing didactic support material, teaching, supervising and certifying, these agents are in direct contact with communities and they take part in the whole transformation process.

The report also describes concrete actions bolstered to promote the development of small and middle-sized enterprises. Assistance implies mainly the following: aid regarding information technology and communication, worker and middle management training, technical cooperation. An example of this is the setting up of an information centre especially earmarked to the needs of such customers (the Brazilian Service of Technical Response).

Another interesting initiative carried out in 2003 was SENAI's inclusion in the Information Thematic Committee of the Permanent Forum of Micro-enterprises and Small Enterprises. It has the purpose of "guiding and providing advice regarding the design and coordination of a national policy for the development of micro-enterprises and small enterprises".
http://www.senai.br/br/home/relatorioSenai.pdf

Moveleira technology incubator
This Technology Incubator was launched in the year 2003 upon SENAI's initiative - Regional Department of Rio Grande do Sul together with Prefeitura Municipal de Bento Gonçalves (city council), where it is headquartered.

A business incubator is a physical space that is particularly designed to turn ideas into products, processes or services, where the entrepreneur can develop his or her enterprise, during a certain period of time, with technical and/or managerial assistance through the use and sharing of this physical space, infrastructure and services.
http://www.rs.senai.br/incmovel/

Training Entrepreneurs in the area of electricity services (Formação de Empreendedores na Área de Serviços de Eletricidade)
This programme is earmarked to 56,000 workers across the country. It seeks to prepare electricians to carry out energetic efficiency actions and promote entrepreneurs. It is the result of the coordination efforts of SENAI and SEBRAE and its activities are particularly oriented to students between 16 and 24 years old, by strengthening Federal Government's First Employment Programme.

Further information: Relatório Anual do SENAI e procure as Unidades do SENAI.
http://www.senai.br/br/home/relatorioSenai.pdf

SENAI Programme on Environmental Quality and Sustainable Development
Through agreements signed with institutions in countries that are leaders in environmental protection, SENAI has managed to develop and adapt the most advanced instruments in this area to the Brazilian context. This is achieved through effective and integrated actions that include environmental education, information services, technical and technological advisory service regarding the implementation of environmental management systems in environmental technologies, laboratory services and applied research, covering a wide range of needs and offering Brazilian businesses a variety of environmental solutions.
In this way, SENAI assists hundreds of enterprises in their process of becoming more productive, competitive and profitable, without ignoring their environmental responsibility and industrial competitiveness.

SENAI Programme of Santa Catarina
Some of the objectives the Programme suggests, are: to provide training to micro, small and middle-sized enterprises to generate new technologies (electric metalworking, pottery and food); to stimulate new technology-based enterprises by increasing the development of new technologies and employability; to promote managerial development of micro and small entrepreneurs, universities and researchers; including the environmental issue in the process of economic development of the State by means of environmental preservation techniques and technologies that minimise the effect of industrial waste. http://www.cinterfor.org.uy/public/spanish/region/ampro/cinterfor/temas/youth/exp/observa/bra/senai.htm

SENAC
"Caracterização de sectores de actividades econômicas. Informática: mercado de trabalho e atuação do SENAC"

The technological evolution that has taken place in all productive sectors and which has been bolstered by information technology poses growing demands of manpower qualification in all activities and occupational groups. In addition, the increasing need of specialised manpower opens up a big gate to access the labour market.
The document presents SENAC's participation in this sector through the development of courses aimed at training manpower, thus fulfilling one of the needs detected by SENAC and promoting courses to contribute to worker training.
One of the objectives of training is to offer workers of intermediate level possibilities of professional insertion and promotion. The intention is also to invite small and medium sized enterprises to participate, particularly in the segment of "IT services", since the adoption of these new technologies and tools will guarantee their survival in the market.

SENAR

"Capacitacao profissional para a cadeia agroindustrial"

This project is organised around three main training areas: aspects related to technological transfer for product processing, aspects related to raw materials, business management, trade, hygiene, packaging, marketing, quality, etc. They are considered to be producers but also micro and small agribusinesses already set up. Programme actions are designed according to regional needs and the qualification needs of each producer.

Dicas de sobrevivencia na crise.
This handbook has been jointly prepared by SEBRAE and SENAR and it gives recommendations to aid micro and small agribusiness enterprises during times of crisis. It is based on simple but effective measures taken to help the producer in his daily tasks.