"MINDS into MATTER - the "Book of Business" sustainable training tool in the tourist industry"
This is Erasmus+ KA2 Programme strategic partnership project focused on professional development of VET teachers, trainers sharing best practices in the field of tourism and hospitality. Six partners from Iceland, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Spain will participate in this two years project (2016-2018). Coordinator is "Step by Step" NGO, Iceland. Eesti People to People is one of the partners.
The general objective of the project is relevant to Erasmus+ Programme priorities - promoting the development of skills and competences of teachers and trainers, with a particular focus on work-based teaching, partnership between school teachers and in-company trainers. The specific objective is to visualize knowledge from the mind of entrepreneurs in tourism into usable training tool/matter, called in this project the sustainable "Book of Business". Through project partners will achieve these objectives by using innovative methods working inside the business with the business owner, asking, exploring, documenting and describing what they are doing in their business in order to visualize their methodology and experience in establish business in the rural tourist filed. This will be the bone-structure of book. By doing this we intend to improve learning, knowledge, skills and competencies to increase profit and to maintain sustainability in the fast growing area of rural tourism in Europe.
Another important objective in this project is to have an impact on the definition of learning/education in VET by giving some sort of approval to the entrepreneurs companies.
There will be multiple target groups: 1) staff members/students/ learners from partners' organisations, 2) Mentors & Turbos - the Tourist Rural Business Owners, (3) participants of multipliers events), 4) participants of dissemination activities (different stakeholders and general public), 5) web-surfers engaged in social networks and in the reading/ watching of partners websites. More then 300 people will be directly and more then 3000 indirectly involved in project activities.
International and local training courses, seminars, study visits, multipliers events and dissemination activities are foreseen by this project, all are aiming at increasing the cooperation among partners' institutions, enterprises and other stakeholders. Project partners will be involved in activities at local and European levels: at local level via trainings, seminars and study visits chosen in order to maximize partners' expertise and fulfill local needs, while at international level fostering broader participation. There will be 3 international meetings in Iceland, Czech Republic and Estonia, 7 learning,teaching, training activities in all countries except Estonia and 3 multipliers events in Poland, Czech Republic and Estonia. We aim for 3 intellectual outputs - a) Turbos, Mentors and Mapp&Rapp database. b) BoB - Book of Business, sustainable training tool. c) GODs quality on-line working manual/guidelines for transnational cooperations in EU projects.
Best methods of formal and non-formal education and work-based training will be used by project partners. Cooperation among institutions which are different in respect of scope, typology and market orientation - vocational school, non-governmental organisations and enterprises will give wider perspective, synergy and strong European dimension and added values to the project. Furthermore the project promotes encouragement of cooperation between VET, the world of work and NGOs via the advancement of the best practices linked with different stakeholders involved at different degrees in recognition of formal/ informal qualifications, the matching about job and workplaces needs.
The framework of the project is focused on intangible results - highly professionally skilled VET staff who will be multipliers in their institutions and other stakeholders organisations. The main output and tangible results will be the sustainable BoB -"Book of Business" with the best practices and methods in tourism.
An impact of this project will be felt in long term in improvement of staff competences, teaching methodology in tourism and hospitality, the trained students will find jobs in tourism companies or create own jobs and help in solving unemployment problems.
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The project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This webpage section reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
