Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2023-11-11

Description

Description (EN):

The EDU-SMEs project aligns partner institutions curricula in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. New knowledge and pedagogical approaches will be integrated in existing curricula and students gain new competencies especially in the field of Internationalization of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). EDU-SMEs corresponds to two main challenges in the Central – Baltic countries: 1. The need to develop business curricula to include more real-life practice. Vocational education and training plays an important role in providing students with skills that match with labour market needs. But a main challenge today is to achieve stronger integration of classroom learning and practice in the workplace. EDU-SMEs educational partners are all universities of applied sciences that will cooperate with SMEs through real-life assignments. 2. The need to increase internationalization of SMEs. SMEs form the backbone of the economies of the C-B states, but their international activities are small. Unfortunately SMEs generally have a low ability to enter foreign markets, and available public support is not always according to their needs. EDU-SMEs directly supports individual SMEs in their internationalization through cross-border activities that link SMEs with faculty and students in their target markets. The new and innovative elements of EDU-SMEs are • extensive use of ICT for cross-border course activities • a modern e- learning environment open for both educational institutions and SMEs in the region • a joint e-learning course with new learning and support materials on Internationalization of SMEs. The course is delivered by faculty from all partner institutions and it is open for students from all these institutions • a pedagogical approach linking SMEs with faculty and students abroad • real-life and cross-border assignments with genuine central-baltic cases

Achievements (EN):

EDU-SMEs project - an aligned VET programme in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship: A team of teachers from four partner universities of applied sciences in Estonia, Finland and Latvia designed and implemented an e-learning course in five modules, by creating new co-operation platforms for SMEs and higher education institutions across national borders. A real-life cross-border assignment (CBA) provides a genuine learning environment, where students and SMEs work closely together across national borders. The CBAs directly link SMEs with faculty and students abroad; i.e. with their target markets. Around 180 students participated in the project during its implementation, and cross-border assignments provided a strong integration of classroom learning and real-life practice. The concrete cooperation with an SME in another country trained the students and gave new competencies in the field of internationalisation of small and medium-sized companies. A large number of companies – more than 300 representing a variety of sectors - were reached during project implementation. They benefitted from direct support in their internationalisation processes. The course "International Business Strategies of SMEs" sums up to 10 ECTS. It is web based, free of use. The EDU-SMEs Handbook provides guidance to teachers in designing materials for the e-course and assisting in implementing the real-life cross-border assignments (CBAs). Good cooperation between the partners and the fact that the project was based on a real need have helped the project to reach all expected results and to ensure sustainability of the results. Other forms of cooperation have emerged as an additional result of the project. Among these are e.g. guest lecturing about growing market areas, such as Asia and Africa.

Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/

Expected Results (EN): R4.2. Increased share of aligned vocational education and training (VET) programmes in the Central Baltic region

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project has 4 main results:1. Partner schools align their curricula in business management and entrepreneurship. The curricula will include new knowledge on internationalization of SMEs2. New learning materials will be developed and implemented 3. An e-learning environment (IT- platform) will be developed, that will benefit both educational institutions and SMEs. The platform includes the following: a. an e-learning course on Internationalization of SMEs, jointly developed and delivered by the partners b. an area where students and SMEs can test their readiness for internationalization (“internationalization scoreboard”)c. description of existing support functions and resources for SMEs internationalization in all partner countries, with webb-links for easy accessd. a match-making area where assignments provided by the SMEs can be chosen by faculty and students in other countriese. videoclips and interviews with SMEs that have successfully internationalized their business in the central-baltic region (Best Practice examples).4. A pedagogical model for cross-border cooperation between VET institutions and SMEs. That model will be widely disseminated in the region.All these results contribute to increased share of aligned vocational education and training in the Central Baltic region. During the project, partner institutions align their own education. They also produce useful materials and support for other VET and SMEs in the region, for long-term exploitation of project results.

Thematic information

ICT and digital society Education and training SME and entrepreneurship

Specific Objective: More aligned vocational education and training (VET) programmes in the Central Baltic region

Thematic Objective: (10) investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning by developing education and training infrastructure

Investment Priority: (10 ETC) ETC specific, for cross-border cooperation: investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning by developing and implementing joint education, vocational training and training schemes

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Yrkeshögskolan Arcada AB

Department: Business Management and Analytics

Address: Jan- Magnus Janssons plats 1, Fi - 00550 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.arcada.fi

Total budget: EUR 91 304.00

ERDF budget: EUR 68 478.00

Vidzemes Augstskola

Name: Vidzemes Augstskola

Department: Faculty of Social and Science

Address: Cēsu iela 4, LV4200 Valmiera, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.va.lv

Total budget: EUR 41 763.70

ERDF budget: EUR 35 499.14

Eesti Ettevõtluskõrgkooli Mainor (AS Erahariduskeskus)

Name: Eesti Ettevõtluskõrgkooli Mainor (AS Erahariduskeskus)

Address: Suur-Sõjamäe 10a, 10145 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.eek.ee

Total budget: EUR 48 944.50

ERDF budget: EUR 41 602.82

Valmieras Biznesa un inovāciju inkubators

Name: Valmieras Biznesa un inovāciju inkubators

Address: Purva 12A, LV-4201 Valmiera, Latvia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.vbii.lv

Total budget: EUR 32 381.50

ERDF budget: EUR 27 524.28

Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool

Address: Pärnu mnt 62, 10135 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tktk.ee

Total budget: EUR 42 298.50

ERDF budget: EUR 35 953.72

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Vidzemes Augstskola

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Estonian Entrepreneurshp UAS (Erahariduskeskus Ltd)

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Valmieras biznesa un inovāciju inkubātors

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Partners and Projects info

TTK University of Applied Sciences

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Arcada-University of Applied Sciences

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Project acronym: EDU-SMEs

Project start date: 2015-09-01

Project end date: 2017-02-28

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 256 692.20

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 209 057.97

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 209 057.97.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Cross-border assigment for educational model

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/results

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2017-02-28

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Course handbook for teachers

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/results

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2017-02-28

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-11

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

137 / 137 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

663 / 663 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://centralbaltic.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08, 2023-01-12 and 2024-03-08.

Languages

Contact Form

Curriculum alignment and cross-border cooperation with SMEs

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Disclaimer