The objective of the project: Development and implementation of an innovative method of accelerating the development of transversal competences of students by improving the use of practical training. Background: Changes which are taking place on labor market e.g. popularization of teamwork, teleworking, the work in multicultural environments causes, that increasing emphasis is placed not only on high level of professional knowledge of a particular field, but also on the practice and the transversal competences. Besides poor practical skills, insufficient transversal competences are the one of the most frequently problems related to young employees listed by the employers. The project responds to the needs of the labor market connected with the transversal skills of the university graduates. It is to accelerate the development of these competences and also make the universities able to respond in a more purposeful and flexible way to the needs of employers. Many studies have shown that the deficiency of transversal skills among university graduates were recorded all over the world. Therefore, the project is to be implemented in international cooperation(8 partners from 4 countries). This will also affect the broader scope of results’ impact generated in the project. Description of the planned activities and results: - In the first stage of the project the report concerning applied teaching methods of transversal skills and methods of practical trainings will be made. It will be the analysis of reached and applied solutions of the practical vocational training of students used by the organizations in the project which take into account the develop of transversal skills. - the research of transversal skills requirement among min. 100 entrepreneurs will complete the analysis of teaching methods. Inclusion of entrepreneurs from all countries involved in the project in research process will ensure the knowledge of the labour market needs. - after receiving the data both, from the higher education sector and from business sector, the sets of methods of practical training and transversal skills will be further elaborated. The partners will prepare the matrix which will consist of methods of practical training (considered as the tools to teaching transversal skills) and transversal skills (taking into account their validity for entrepreneurs). This will result in analyzing which transversal skills and to what extent are taught in the frame of which methods of practical training. - the designed matrix will be the basis to make the choice of forms of learning and transversal skills corresponding with them. Then it will be examined how the next steps of education should be planned so that the increase of transversal skills is as quick as possible. At least 5 reference models of developing transversal skills will be designed in such a way, and will be tested in further implementation of the project. - the test implementation is planned, during which the consortium will examine the developed reference models of acquiring the transversal skills most important from the point of view of entrepreneurs, with the use of selected methods of practical training. Min. 17 groups of students from all of the participating countries will take part in tests. - using the results of test implementation, representatives from all partner countries will review obtained results and will prepare the characteristics of education processes, whose implementation is the most effective for increasing the development of transversal skills among students. Before the final verification and selection of process or processes, the consortium will analyze the factors which may affect the development of transversal skills in students who undergo the validated education processes. In particular the analysis of cultural factors will be made, which may affect effectiveness of teaching of transversal skills in individual countries. - the final version of the method will be prepared in the form which will allow to realize the whole dissemination process and also to implement the method in partners’ countries and outside them. Additional instructions, summaries and guidelines on the implementation of the method will be prepared for institutions interested in this project result, which will allow to implement the method in any country without significant modification in the basic teaching process. - the dissemination of project results - during the project there will be organized two conferences to disseminate the results developed in the project. The monograph summarizing the research results and analysis from partner countries will be also published. The monograph will concerned the transversal skills in regard to the methods and tools of practical training in each partner countries.