European Voice of Sales (EVS) is a project that wants to respond to the challenge of a shortage of sales expertise in Europe. Through the EVS project, we want also to develop sales know-how and increase its reputation in Europe. Partners in this project have found that old classroom learning does not contribute to the development of sales skills by students. We believe that project based learning and new innovative learning environment (EVS events and weeks) will enhance sales competence among the students. We also believe that this project enhances to take initiative and risk, innovate and engage in further learning. In the future training a student will be less focused on teaching the actual job and more about being able to make transfers, see possibilities and be competent to do them. Key competences of lifelong learning become are crucial. The main purpose of the project is to activate the students into learning to learn in a more informal setting, in the EVS weeks and during those weeks organized four EVS semi-final and two final events and before EVS weeks organized pre-selection phases in each partner organization. Each of the five project partner (Raisio Regional Education and Training Consortium FI, Ole Vig upper secondary school NO, Cometa Formazione IT, Escola de Comércio de Lisboa POR, Breidholt College IS) will pre-select and engaged altogether 16 student from any field of study to participate in this project. Also each partner will select and engage 2 teacher per EVS event. Beside these students and teacher there is student and teacher that can participate and gain key competencies at their own institute when organizing EVS event. The themes of the sales speeches in EVS event will be given by local company or entrepreneur. The participant are not to be taught of their future profession but to look at the future though their input and enhance the lifelong learning skills through the whole learning process. The Voice of Sales concept is not new. It was introduced in European Social Fund funded MILLI project in Finland where Raisio Regional Education and Training Consortium was actively developed it and this project will be the next step for Voice of Sales concept. Through this project we will exchange best practices to Europe and will test the concept usage in international surroundings. Prior each EVS week there will be pre-selection phase at all partner organizations where they will select the participant for the next EVS week. This pre-selection phase is open for all and there is no study field boundaries. The students have to "earn" their place into the semi-finals by presenting their own sales expertise and motivation to participate in the semi-finals week in video based self presentation. Students learning process is facilitate by experienced "older" students and by the coach (teacher). Participation gives teacher too a chance to get familiar with the new innovative learning environment and test one's ability to guide the students on the path of learning to learn. This project allows students to develop skills and knowledge in a range of subject and not only their own professional field. Participation to the project and methodologies used give students the right to wonder, ask and understand. The project will enhance its participants’ self-esteem and self-reliance as well as teach them skills to regulate their learning path, take responsibility and be flexible and aware. The learning outcomes will differ from student to student and teacher to teacher, dependent on the individual needs and abilities. The recognition of the learning outcomes will follow the procedures of each participating organization. The project based learning puts the emphasis on what was learned and what competencies were acquired. Also teachers involved in this project will benefit, they will be working with their international counterparts, get knowledge about this type of training and will improve their coaching skills. The success in assessed with a survey to the participants at the end of each of the week. There will be separate one for the participating teachers and students as the impact of the participation varies. The findings and the EVS design are shared by each of the participating organisations in their EU-national agencies forums to share the knowledge on the chosen learning methods. The model used in the planning of the activities can be reused and easily adjusted to be used in a national or international setting with student of any age group and background. The methodologies can be implemented to other projects and supports the skills on recognition of learning outcomes. New learning environment EVS is one idea to meet with the clear demand for a change in the education institutions to quickly adapt as a response to the changing society by integrating multidisciplinary training and learning trough gamification activities to the educational path.
as above