ABSTRACT

This paper defines and analyzes strategies to foster development in rural areas from an academic approach. It is based  on a case study located in Sierra de Ávila, central Spain. Its main objectives are to design and implement a  development programme aimed at entrepreneurs. One of the most important pillars of this program is based on its  plan of capacity building and education for business, which form the basis of this study. The university’s group that is  carrying out the field work has used for over 25 years participatory tools that permit involving the various actors of  the area from the early planning stages. This methodological approach has allowed the development of an advanced  planning model called "Working With People" that connects expert and experience knowledge in the territories where  it is applied. Until recent time, the diagnosis of the territory and the design of the program’s strategy have been  carried out. In order to ensure the sustainability and applicability of future entrepreneurial initiatives it is necessary to  support and strengthen potential entrepreneurs through training activities and capacity building. In this context, this  article aims to study the implementation strategy of these training and capacity building activities studied from an  academic perspective.