Success stories

The Host Entrepreneur Ms. Laura Volpe, based in Valencia, has been running "Centro G. Leonardi” an Italian-language and cultural centre for many years. She took part in the exchange with a win-win perspective in order to improve the services she provides, enriching them with new ideas. The New Entrepreneur, Mr. Giovanni Catalano, had two passions, literature and sport and wanted to make a difference in his home town of Palermo. He decided to start a project mixing sport and learning to prevent young people from school leaving early and to help those promising football stars in study activities. What intrigued him in an exchange with Laura was the chance to learn how a language academy works, how to deal with managing a big learning centre and developing new ideas and collaborations for his own project. This would help him organize and promote cultural activities and events in Palermo together with more effective teaching methodologies put in practice.

The work was developed in a dynamic environment that requires flexibility in order to take care of conversation lessons or other activities that would occur. The activities undertaken were around conversation, grammar lessons, translations, administration, engaging new students, managing the cash register, customer service and social media (through Facebook and Instagram). Laura and Giovanni also tried to establish new joint projects.

The experience helped the NE to strengthen his knowledge in the education and training sector and deepen his knowledge in the methodologies of teaching together with all aspects related to managing of a language centre, including all the social media, promotional and commercial services, website maintenance and administrative tasks. Laura had the chance to broaden her network of collaborators and strengthen the effectiveness of the promotion activities also through social media tools. Though Giovanni and Laura designed a new project did not go ahead due to COVID-19 restrictions, they both intend to stay in touch with one another and help develop each other’s businesses.