As announced one year ago, Euroconsumers Invest (ECI) is focused on providing financial advice and creating financial products and services to reach more consumers through a network of partners.
Luxembourg is known to be a leading financial centre in Europe. However, we have also discovered that there is still much to do for consumers, families, businesses - tiny businesses- and entrepreneurs.
In this context, in the first meeting at the Economic Forum Portugal/Luxembourg, held in May 2022 in Lisbon, the heads of Euroconsumers Invest and Chambre des Métiers identified fields of complementarity for joint work. After a few months of preparation, we will begin the collaboration in March.
To mark this important step, we spoke to Tom Wirion, Luxembourg’s Chambre des Métiers’ General Director, Helène Mayer, Chambre des Métiers Training Director and Pedro Moreira, ECI's Board Member.
The central pillar of the Luxembourg Economy
The Chambre des Métiers (CDM) is a professional chamber representing all craft companies in Luxembourg. The Chambre des Métiers is a central pillar of Luxembourg’s economy.
For Tom Wirion, “MAKE. SHAPE. CREATE.” are the mottos of the chamber. According to the director, “MAKE” (it happens) consists of promoting entrepreneurship and support for creating, developing, and transferring businesses. “SHAPE” (a favourable environment) is helping to design a good framework for the development and innovation of the craft industry. A key player in responding to the megatrends of today's and tomorrow's world and “CREATE” (performing learning opportunities) is creating vocations by offering people wishing to make a career in the Craft Industry an effective initial and continuing professional training offer.
According to Tom Wirion, Euroconsumers Invest's training proposal perfectly fits the broad and innovative approach that characterises CDM’s offer. The match was precise when Euroconsumers Invest postulated that the companies are the best economic agent to increase financial literacy.
“I wanted the Chambre des Métiers to be part of that movement”, says the CDM director. “One of our missions is to assist and advise its members on economic, technological, legal and innovation issues. In this dimension that the partnership with Euroconsumers Invest was established”, Mr Wirion completes.
Training and objectives
In terms of training, the Chambre des Métiers mission is to promote initial and continuing vocational training, as well as the related support and advice, and to participate in the training and further training of young people and adults within the scope of the legal regulations concerning initial vocational training and the* Brevet de Maîtrise* (reference diploma in the Luxembourg craft industry).
“We are fully aligned with the concept of lifelong learning”, says the Chambre des Métiers Training Director Helène Mayer.
The Brevet de Maîtrise et Formation Continue Department offers general interest courses, business technology courses and tailor-made training to help achieve personal and professional goals.
The fields are varied: human resources and personal development, public procurement, health and safety, quality management, business technology, energy performance, environment, digitalisation, business management, law, business creation, takeover and transfer...
“We strive to offer training courses that are open to everyone, and that is very 'hands-on' but still strongly oriented to meet the needs of our members in the craft sector”, adds Mrs Mayer.
The proposal of the course 'Investing Serenely in times of economic uncertainty”, presented by Euroconsumers Invest, had the immediate support of the Department of Continuing Training.
“The post-pandemic context, the tensions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, aggravating inflation, inflation and interest rate hikes have generated widespread apprehensions, “ says Hélène Mayer. “We think that the course proposal arrived at the right time”, Mrs Meyer completes.
About the training proposal
Pedro Moreira, Euroconsumers Invest Board Member, has been promoting for Europe that financial literacy will grow significantly when it is part of companies’ overall strategy. This is because companies are the most active economic agents with the most means to change the paradigm.
A human resources policy where financial education is an integral part, as is the issue of sustainability today, will have a decisive impact on employees, their families and the companies themselves.
Schools, universities and financial regulators must continue their actions - and in many countries, increase - in financial education. But the panorama will be complete with activities in the companies themselves. Hence, "we welcome with great satisfaction the vision of Chambre des Métiers in Luxembourg", personalised in close adherence to the proposal by its Director General, Tom Wirion, the Director of Training, Hélène Mayer and its Coordinator of Continuous Training, Rafael Raimundo. "We hope the partnership with Chambre des Métiers will be a reference and replicated by other entities in Luxembourg and other countries", states Mr Moreira.
The Investir Sereinement in Temps d'Incertitude économique Course is a 13-hour course that aims to give participants tools to manage their savings better. It is a face-to-face course with practical cases accessible to all levels of knowledge.
From the beginner to the active investor. What can trainees expect?
All construction is done so that it is a practical course and that, in the end, the participants can say that this was one of the best investments they have ever made.
And to discover this world, we invite all members of the Chambre des Métiers and all Luxembourg families to participate in the webinar on 30 March at 17:30 (Luxembourg time). Registration is completely free.
About the Chamber
The Chambre des Métiers, or CDM, is a professional chamber representing all craft companies in Luxembourg. From 1924 until 1945, it was called the Chambre des artisans. Then, following a reorganisation and a Grand Ducal decree, the Chambre des artisans became the* Chambre des Métiers*.
About Euroconsumers Invest
Euroconsumers Invest – Empresa de Investimento Unipessoal, Lda (ECi) is an investment firm registered with the CMVM (Portuguese Securities Market Commission) under n.373, focused on providing financial advice and creating financial products and services.
ECI work with all stakeholders in the Financial Market by enhancing the Financial Literacy of all investment products available to businesses and consumers in Europe, Latin America, and the Rest of the World.
ECI promotes collaboration, through agreements and partnerships, with companies (Financial and Non-Financial Companies), the Government and other organisations (associations, foundations and private corporations) to create more sustainable products and markets.
Contact us if you have any question.