1. MAIN INFORMATION

On May 16, 2022, The e-commerce association of Macedonia, within the framework of the “Digital Skills for Growth” project, announces a public call for participation in an educational and practical program to strengthen digital skills for e-commerce and digital marketing aimed at companies from the tourism, information and communication technology (ICT) and agricultural sectors.

The project “Digital Skills for Growth”, which is supported by the Program for Increasing Market Employability (IME) aims to help companies improve their work processes in e-commerce by strengthening the digital skills of participants, to enable them promotion and easier management of their e-stores and to improve their online presence in order to obtain new customers and increased sales.

2. GOAL

The aim of the call is for companies from these sectors to get the opportunity to improve the processes in their operations and to keep up with the latest trends in e-commerce, by strengthening their digital skills related to e-commerce, digitization and marketing, which will help companies increase their visibility and online sales.
With this call, the Macedonian E-Trade Association joins efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of companies from these sectors and motivate e-traders to improve and advance their operations.

3. WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM CONSIST OF?

3.1. Educational sessions

Selected candidates will have the opportunity to attend three (3) practical educational sessions with physical presence on the following topics:

Digital marketing tools for e-commerce
Marketing and advertising on social media
Digitization of processes and tools for managing and maintaining an e-store
Participants will have the opportunity to work on solutions for their companies through the tools that will help them improve their work for specific cases arising from their work.

3.2. Mentoring sessions

In order to facilitate the process of mastering the new tools for capacity development of the participants, and through that of the companies, 2 mentoring sessions will be provided after each educational session. The mentoring sessions will discuss in more detail the open questions arising from the sessions and the practical application of the acquired knowledge. The mentoring sessions will discuss in more detail the open questions arising from the sessions and the practical application of the acquired knowledge.

3.3. Presentation of e-commerce platforms

At the end of the program, several e-commerce platforms will present their work models, as well as opportunities and ways of cooperation. Through the potential cooperation with these platforms, participating e-merchants will be able to increase their availability and visibility in the market, and thus their sales and profits.

4. DURATION OF THE PROGRAM

Each of the educational sessions will last four hours with a lunch/coffee break included. The educational sessions will take place once a week for two weeks, during June and the first week of July 2022. Between the educational sessions, the participants will be able to participate in two online mentoring sessions with the lecturers with a duration of one hour each, with the opportunity to discuss the open questions on the topics of the sessions.

5. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The public call is open to all companies from the agro-sector, tourism and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors that have an existing e-store or are part of an online marketplace, i.e. sell their products/services online. Each company can participate with a maximum of 2 participants.

6. WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS GAIN?

Three professionally organized practical educational sessions in Skopje (with physical presence) on important topics related to running an e-shop, held by experts in the fields of e-commerce and digital marketing with many years of experience;
Online mentoring sessions between the educational sessions, for a more detailed elaboration of the topic of the educational session and the opportunity to develop specific solutions for their companies
Certificate for successful completion of the program from the Association for e-commerce of Macedonia – AETM;
Networking and connecting with representatives from the e-commerce ecosystem;
A meal and a coffee break are provided at each of the educational sessions.

7. APPLICATION DEADLINE AND HOW TO APPLY

To apply, you need to fill out the online application here, no later than 31.05.2022 at 11:59 p.m.

8. PRICE OF THE PROGRAM

The largest part of the funds needed for the organization of the program for the promotion of digital skills in these three sectors is provided by AETM through the initiative “Digital Skills for Growth”, which is supported by the Program for Increasing Market Employability (IME). The promotional price for following all three educational sessions by the participants is MKD 990 per educational session, ie MKD 2,970 per participant for the entire program. For companies that will provide two participants, a discount is provided on this price.

9. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Due to the limited number of participants, a selection of participants will be made who will be able to follow the educational sessions to strengthen digital skills for e-commerce and digital marketing at a promotional price. The criteria for the selection of the participants are the following:
Completeness when filling out the application
Legal status of the applicant (registered legal entity).
To sell its products and/or services online (through its own e-store or online marketplace).
To belong to one of the sectors for tourism, information and communication technology or the agricultural sector

10. SELECTION AND EVALUATION

A committee composed of experts in the field of e-commerce will review the applications and, according to the pre-determined criteria specified in this public call, will select the participants who will follow the program to strengthen digital skills for e-commerce and digital marketing at a promotional price. The evaluation will be done on a “first-come-first-served” basis until the total number of maximum participants in the program is finally reached.

Applicants whose applications are selected will be publicly announced on the AETM website and will be contacted at the attached email addresses.