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Self-Responsible Learning of Key Competences in To..
Self-Responsible Learning of Key Competences in Tourism SME - a Mean to improve Competitiveness and Employment
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Nov 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The Tourism industry is a key industry in all of the partner countries. Tourism SME (TSME) are a source of employment for many low skilled employees. TSME as well as employees, according to studies in all of the partner countries, are affected by a number of problems, which productivity and employability. A lack of key competences is identified as a root of many actual and potential TSME employees and TSME problems.
TSME typically follow short-term strategies only and do not invest in their employees in a mid and long-term perspective. Managers and owners of TSME lack knowledge and competencies useful for training their own employees. In particular, the high potential of using the workplace as a learning opportunity remain unused.
This also the consequence of a lack of adequate consultancy on how to guide self-learning at the workplace in TSME. TSME associations and training providers have not put this issue on the agenda enough and also lack own competencies to provide this support.
Therefore the objective of our project is to improve the level of key competencies of employees in TSME as the foundation of the acquisition of professional skills and there by improve their employability as well as the productivity of TSME.
This will be done by
- building support for TSME through 20 consultants, trained in self-learning methodologies,
- through training 100 TSME owners and managers in acting as learning facilitators/coachers for at least 500 of their employees and by developing appropriate intellectual outputs to support this learning and to disseminate the concept.
These intellectual outputs will include
--A detailed study to identify the learning needs of TSME and their employees and to mobilise managers and their potential supporters and stakeholders for acting on the problem;
- A guideline for consultants to educate them on methodologies of facilitating workplace learning of key competences in TSME
- A guideline for TSME mangers on facilitating workplace learning of key competences in their companies;
- Modular learning material for TSME (potential) employees, which supports using situations in the work process fort he acquisition of key competences for Life Long Learning;
- A curriculum for a course to disseminate and spread the concept and the OER project outputs on a sustainable basis also after the end of the project.
All of these products will be available on paper and on-line.
--An evaluation, user feedback and impact report in order to inform future (potential users) in depth about the value of the products, their competent application and scenarios for future utilisation and policy recommendations
The products will be tested and piloted in learning activities (20 consultants, 100 managers, at least 500 employees).
Feedback will be obtained from all of these learning activities in order to shape the final version of the products. Learning outcomes will be documented according to ECVET principles.
The consortium consists of highly impactfull organisations, SME associations, focused on tourism, an University and a professional school, leading in educating actual and future TSME leaders and a research centre, highly experienced in the development of workplace learning methodologies. Knowledge and strategies of these organisations will be shared creating European added value.
Dissemination will contact 10000 potential end users and multipliers through the organisational networks of the partner organisations as well as by traditional and new media and 5 types of multiplier events which will reach out to up to a relevant audience of 275 direct participants and up to 2000 through social media and partner networks.
Methodologies used in carrying out the project include desk research, interviewing of key informants (focus groups and advisory boards), pedagogic development, curriculum design, developmental evaluation and quality assurance. The quality of the project and its outputs are evaluated and assured using methods of developmental evaluation (online survey system, feedback from end-users, partners and stakeholders, 6 interim feedback reports).
The impact and long term benefits of the project will be:
Partner organisations will be better able to foster and support the use of self-learning methodologies, impacting the practices in the whole sector as well as in SME in general.
The practice will spread from the core group to additional consultants in similar organisations, more TSME managers will build the key competences of employees.
2000 employees will improve and document their key competencies for lifelong learning as a prerequisite for a continuing improvement of their professional skills. This will increase the demand for facilitation of workplace learning from additional employees.
The success of these activities will impact the training policies of public and private companies and organisations.