Interview with Mr. Vasile Cataraga, President of the Basarabian youth Community in Constanta

MIraGe Entrepreneurship courses – a good start for Basarabian and Ukrainian young people who want to start a business in Romania

We approached Mr. Cataraga Vasile, President of the Association “Basarabian Youth Community in Constanta” (CTB) to tell us a few words about the story of their Association and about its involvement in the MIraGE project.

“For me and many other young people who came from the Republic of Moldova to study in Constanța, it was a great challenge to adapt to the social, cultural and educational life here. Each of the founding members encountered problems from the beginning – whether it was finding a job, staying in dormitories or adapting to everything that the university means. And the establishment of the Association comes precisely from the need to help each other” he pointed out.

He underline that the Association “CTB Constanţa” provides essential support for integration into social, cultural and educational life in Constanta. Support is needed especially during admission period at Romanian universities, while the Association’s volunteers offer free advice so that this process to be easier. Once they reach local universities the students feel the need to look for a job, and CTB Constanţa, supported by the Basarabian entrepreneurs from the local labour market, facilitates possible employment. At the same time, there are quite a number of entrepreneurs who are directly appealing to CTB Constanţa to recruit young people who have finnished their studies to work in different fields. Thus, Mr. Cataraga said that employers often consider that “foreigners thae come to work in Romania are safer!”

He welcomed the MIraGE training experience and he was confident that the young Moldovans and Ukrainians who participated in the project have learned a number of new things that they will certainly implement in what they have proposed in the future.

“We also value the initiative and collaboration that we have with the Novapolis Association. One of the few associations that contacted us and offered us all the necessary support for adaptation and training in the very purpose of the MIraGE project – encouraging migrant entrepreneurship”, added the CTB President.

He stressed out that it is important for Moldovan students to attend courses dedicated to entrepreneurship, as there are more and more young Basarabians who, once they complete their studeis or even during their faculty, have business ideas.

“Entrepreneurship courses are certainly welcome as they contribute directly to the information that a student needs to have a successful business. It is highly appreciated that these courses are absolutely free and students do not have to search for consulting firms to start a new business” added Mr. Cataraga.

Moreover, according to him, one of the greatest challenges facing both foreigners and Basarabian young people when looking for a job or starting up a business is low wages and the impossibility of finding a specialized job, in particular, a large number of employers are seeking experience in this field. In addition, when it comes to starting up a business, it is also about the huge bureaucracy faced by any young person who chooses the path of starting a business.

On the other hand, the Presedint of CTB Constanta has referred to a lot of Basarabian entrepreneurs who have successful business in all areas. Some of them have been doing business since the ’90s.

“To give an example, I could talk for hours about Chirila Gheorghe, a businessman in the area of pastry. His business dates back to approx. 6 years In this time, if we refer to the income figures, according to the statistics provided by the Romanian Chamber of Commerce, the “Sophie” patisserie in Constanta, has registered a real success  for seeral years being in the top 3 companies in the sector with the highest turnover.”

Photo’s credit Novapolis Association