The collaboration between education institutions at all levels and industry is not a new priority in the European debate and policies, but the scenario of collaboration is not homogeneous in Europe, the good practices of some countries and regions in fields like apprenticeship, work-based learning and dual learning at all educational levels contrast with the limited experience of others and, even in the most “virtuous contexts”, an image of fragmentation, overlapping and –most important- serious gaps results from the analysis. The recently concluded COKLEECO Project, that was focusing on the school and VET sections of education systems in six EU Regions (of five MS) has allowed partners and stakeholders to reflect, in each of the regions, on what works and what is missing in order to improve and systematise the collaboration framework. The ED-EN HUB project is aimed to improve the quality of education (focusing but not limiting itself to VET) through the consolidation and systematisation of the education-enterprise relationship in a long term perspective. Dual learning and work-based learning in their different forms (to be defined and classified also through the help of existing glossaries and a renewed mapping/classification exercise) will be a significant part of the scope of the project, but other ways to cooperate (co-design of new qualifications, tracking employment results of former students, proving input to guidance and career services, developing entrepreneurship competences, maintain the existing set of qualifications) will also be covered, coherently with the review of good practices conducted by COKLEECO. In particular, the project will have the following operational objectives: 1. To develop a methodology for the joint (education-enterprise) development of innovative complex competences resulting from the emerging needs of the labour market and active citizenship; 2. To create the conditions, in the partner regions, to make joint training of teachers/trainers/tutors from VET and trainers from industry an easily accessible opportunity; 3. To support the development of regional ED-EN HUB, as visible and institutionally supported Centres of Excellence for Education-Enterprise collaboration; 4. To co-create, test and diffuse collaborative education-enterprise approaches for the professional guidance and individual support of young and adult learners searching (re)qualification and employment perspectives; 5. To link the activities of the ED-EN Hub Network to Regional Development policies and maximise their impact at the regional, national and EU level. In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, the project will develop the following Intellectual Outputs: IO1 – A Toolkit for the joint development of transversal and transferable competences IO2 – A European platform and model for ED-EN HUB structures, to be proposed to other EU regions, as an impact multiplier of the project. IO3 –Guidelines and learning resources for Joint Training the Trainers, including instruments for joint design of collaboration activities between education and Industry IO4 – Guidelines for cooperative guidance and support to individual learners searching qualification and employment perspectives, following the principle of Learner’s agency (autonomy and intentionality); IO5 – Policy Recommendations to support education-enterprise collaboration through the integration of private and public funding (structural funds, Erasmus + and local resources). The project is expected to produce a significant increase in the level of collaboration and synergies among existing initiatives in the partner regions, and to inspire similar developments in other EU regions in the later phases of its development. It will allow an in-depth analysis of collaboration approaches and the broad diffusion of methodological know how within and beyond the partner regions. At least 100 teachers and trainers will be directly involved in the validation of the joint training-the-trainers model, while at least 10 organisations per partner region will be involved as active stakeholders in the development of the ED-EN Hub structures.
The aim of the ED-EN Hub project is to contribute to the development of individuals' transversal competences through cooperation between education and enterprise. It aims to improve the employability of individuals, their professional efficiency and the development of their autonomy. It also aims to develop new forms of cooperation between the stakeholders responsible for skills development: guidance, training and enterprise stakeholders, as well as individuals themselves. Its objectives are to develop tools and a methodology to support the identification, development and assessment of transversal competences (through a toolbox), the design of a collaborative approach to training and guidance (through resources and guides), a means of widely disseminating resources and tools (through a digital platform) and the conditions for developing collective territorial intelligence (through local ED-EN hubs). The aim is to transform the practices of the various stakeholders, as well as their vision of transversal competences and cooperation, through an experiential approach.
There are major gaps in the quality of cooperation between the worlds of education and enterprise in Europe. Collaborative practices therefore need to be improved, systematised and consolidated. ED-EN Hub proposes to do this around the development of transversal competences (often known as soft skills). A recent topic in Europe, transversal competences (basic and behavioural competences that can be used in different professional contexts) are generating a real interest. They respond to economic needs (investing in complex skills), social needs (developing individual capacities, reducing inequalities), societal needs (acting in an uncertain world, responding to new aspirations) and technological needs (supporting current transformations). ED-EN Hub's raison d'être is to contribute to the development of these competences by strengthening cooperation between education and enterprise. This approach makes it possible to see cooperation in a new light and to make a concrete contribution to the need for transversal competences, the latter requiring the development of a method that respects individuals and is mindful of their autonomy.