The project involves four schools in Sweden, France, Norway and Spain. The motivation for the project is to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills and to develop the concept of international students’ mini-companies in the European economic surroundings as a pedagogical method. We will use innovative methodologies such as the Design Thinking and the Problem Based Learning: students will learn by doing in a “real-life situation”. Each school specializes in a different aspect of the project: the Norwegian school is an expertise in design, communication and video editing. Swedish school has extensive experience in developing Business Plans. French school has a large experience in importing and selling goods, while Spain's school specializes in creativity and brainstorming techniques to find business ideas.We will set up six students’ teams to be six international mini-companies. Each mini-company will have students from all four countries so that each team all aspects of the project are covered. In each mini-company the Norwegian students will be responsible for the Graphics and Communication Department, Swedish students will be in charge of the Marketing and Financial Department, French students will be responsible for buying and importing of raw materials and product selling, while the Spanish ones will be in charge of Creativity and Production Department. The members of each team will communicate every two weeks with videoconferencing to coordinate their work. Each mini-company will have to select a social problem to be solved with a business idea. Throughout each mini-company will have to make the necessary steps to implement its business idea. At the end of the project an exhibition will be organized in each school with the products or services developed by each mini-company.Each school will have to organize the tasks concerning its department. Workshops organized in each project short-term exchanges will focus on one of the four aspects of the project. Before these workshops take place, every school prepares their students for participating in training activities which will take place in the workshops at the project meetings. At every short-term exchange there will delegations of about 6 students (one from each International team from each country) and 2 teachers from each school and there will be two major lines of action. For instance, at the first meeting in Girona workshops about creativity and brainstorming will he organized. The project is planned to consist of four steps and after each meeting the new step starts with the preparation for the next training activities meeting.The results of the preparation and the meetings will be presented on a project homepage and eTwinning platform. Throughout the project two movies explaining the methodology is also prepared and the results achieved. Moreover, the project itself will be presented on eTwinning. The materials and concepts for the preparation of the students and the implementation of the workshops will be available with Creative Commons license to teachers and interested professionals in digital and printed form.In June 2017 and June 2018 the four schools involved will organise an exhibition to present the results of each project’s team. Representatives of the local educational authorities and of local schools and journalists will be invited to these presentations.The effects of the project will be measured with the help of questionnaires (https://self.entrepreneurialskillspass.eu/), self-assessment tests, and curricular tests. Students will assess the effects of participation on their skills improvement and students and teachers will give a feedback on the structure of the workshops and the organization of the meetings. The results of these polls will influence the structure of the following activities within the project and this will lead to an ongoing process of enhancing the project and the strategies used.
The project has involved four schools in Sweden, France, Norway and Spain. The motivation of the project was to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the students and to develop the concept of mini-companies of international students in the European economic environment as a pedagogical method. Each school has specialized in a different aspect of the project according to the specific studies it teaches: the Norwegian school is an expert in design, communication and video editing. The Swedish school has extensive experience in Marketing and the development of business plans. The French school has a great experience in importing and selling products, while the school in Spain is a specialist in brainstorming and Design Thinking techniques We have organized six teams of students to be six international mini-companies. Each mini company was made up of students from the four countries so that each team has specialists in each of the aspects of the project. In each mini-company, Norwegian students have been responsible for the Department of Design and Communication, Swedish students have been in charge of the Department of Marketing and Finance, French students have been responsible for the purchase and sale of products; while the Spaniards have been in charge of the Department of Creativity and Production and of Design Thinking. The members of each team have communicated monthly via videoconference (Skype) to coordinate their work. Each mini-company has selected a social problem to be solved with a business idea. Throughout the project, each mini-company has taken the necessary steps to implement its business idea. For example, one group developed a bracelet that connects with an app to locate people who become disoriented. Another group, made a boardgame that was featured during the regional trade fair in Western Norway. Each school involved has organized the tasks related to their department. Each of the organized movements has focused on one of the four aspects of the project: Creativity and Production and Design Thinking (activity C1), Marketing and Finance (C2), Design and communication (C3); and Buy and sell (C3). Prior to each mobility, the sending school provided the rest of the partners with the materials that were to be used in the activity. In each of the mobilities a minimum of 6 students from each country (one from each international team in each country) and 2 teachers from each school participated. Throughout the project we have used innovative methodologies, such as design thinking and problem-based learning: students have learned by doing in a "real-life situation". For students, to practice and learn by actually doing the work, while at the same time learning languages and cooperation across borders – is very valuable for the future of their studies. The results of the preparation and the meetings have been presented on the project website. During the project, four movies have also been prepared that explain the methodology and activities carried out in each mobility. The materials (guides and tutorials) for the preparation of the students and the implementation of the workshops are available on our website and on the Creative Commons license platform for teachers and professionals interested in digital and print. In June 2017 and June 2018, the four schools involved have organized an exhibition to present the team results of each project. Representatives of institutions (Chamber of Commerce, Business Associations, etc.), as well as local authorities and journalists have been invited to these presentations. The whole schools body have been updated on each part of the project, with teachers presenting the mobilities and project outcome on staff meetings for the entire school. This has built awareness amongst the staff, and have encouraged more international cooperations, like using Skype for international videochats, and getting foreign students to visit school to learn about Norwegian education. The project have increased cooperation outside school. We have also presented the results of the project in international events: in Madrid (May 2017), Brussels (July 2017) and in Vienna (March 2018). These events involved more than 100 teachers from schools in different European countries, as well as businessmen, authorities and representatives of various institutions. In Brussels, for example, we had the opportunity to present the project to the King of the Belgians. The results of the project have been evaluated with online questionnaires, (https://self.entrepreneurialskillspass.eu/), self-assessment tests and curricular tests. The project has involved a methodological change in each of the schools involved, incorporating Design Thinking and project work into its curriculum and organizational structure. According to the results of the evaluation, with this project, students have improved their entrepreneurial skills and employability.