Our wish was to further develop our business and organisation through partner cooperation, as well as determine the principles of innovative approach to leadership of a European language institution. By exchanging our experiences we aim to implement the partnership model and upgrade our institution, as well as become a part of an international network. Firstly, by assessing our activities and leadership model in the past, specifing our weak and strong points, we would identify key elements of a 21st century organisation and secondly educate our employees as managers and trainers. Our employees should be introduced to innovative and creative methodology, development of communication, managerial and leadership competences, as well as be provided with a wider understanding of sucessful practices of educational system. Through job shadowing we will understand the managing principles of a different language centre, which will help us exchange experiences at an international level. We will experience innovative approach, development, interdisciplinary cooperation and implementaton of specific added value language learning programmes which connect the labor market and economy. Their goal being to revitalise, stimulate and further develope local economy of cities of Vinkovci and Vukovar.
Throughout the years of experience with adult learners we have observed that our programmes have outgrown the boundaries of simple language education. By observing the needs of our students, we have started upgrading our existing programmes with our own skills, however it was soon obvious that these tendencies outgrow our posibilities and competences. The need is to identify and deepen our holistic understanding of a student as a human being, with his skills and expectations, which we will, by respecting social and culturological differences, intergrate in our programmes through various methods. We decided to open up to the world and find a partner with the same principles and vision, but who has already found a solution to our problem. Our project is a qualitative upgrade of POU Vinkovci, through inovation, increase in quality and competitiveness, international networking, and raising of knowledge and competences of our educators. We would like to establish the cooperation and network with Harmony Academy, Slovakia in order to develop strategically, managerially and upgrade our educational team. Job shadowing would allow us to learn how to create new language courses for different target groups and develop better programmes which better suit the needs of individuals and so expand the offer of our organisation.