CONTEXT Despite official attempts for the creation of regular paths starting from TVETs and continuing with a third year and a bachelor’s degree, this connection is not systematized yet. I-THEN TVET partners have activated agreements with Universities to recognize their EQF5 degrees and enable students to obtain an EQF 6 or 7 degree. This system has proved to be very effective and needs to be adopted on a larger geographical scale to become ordinary practice. AIM To establish a strategic and structured cooperation between Universities and TVETs delivering technical HE by creating a network for the development of joint international courses. OBJECTIVES - to overcome the skill gap encountered by students entering international business environments by developing a set of methodologies that can be embedded in joint international curricula to foster the development of key entrepreneurial and cultural awareness competences. - to establish a synergy between Universities and TVETs that will facilitate the transition between different EQF level courses and degrees - to bring technical HE in the fields of marketing and business management closer to the requirements of the international job market - to upskill HE teachers enabling them to successfully contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and cultural awareness competences among their students. PARTICIPANTS • >30 teachers of TVETs and Universities • ca. 140 HE students • >250 people among the following categories: deans and teachers of TVETs and Universities; SMEs and trade associations; students; representatives of associated partners, public authorities and other national/regional/local stakeholders) • >40 SMEs • >20 TVETs, Universities, Chambers of Commerce, Public Bodies, Corporations and International Organizations from Europe and Worldwide ACTIVITIES - Project Technical Management - Financial Management - Quality Assurance, Evaluation, Impact Assessment - Dissemination OUTPUT 1: I-THEN SET OF METHODOLOGIES AND GUIDELINES - O1-A1: Definition of key competences needed from students attending international joint courses - O1-A2: Draft of a set of I-THEN methodologies - O1-A3: Alignment of the methodologies with requirements of the job market - O1-A4: Development of methodological guidelines - O1-A5: Piloting and evaluation - O1-A6: Fine-tuning of the methodological guidelines C1 – SHORT-TERM JOINT STAFF TRAINING EVENT OUTPUT 2: AGREEMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE I-THEN NETWORK - O2-A1: User needs assessment and requirements analysis for the digital platform - O2-A2: Selection, configuration, installation and maintenance of the digital platform - O2-A3: Design of the I-THEN Agreement Model - O2-A4: Creation of a wider network of TVETs, universities, Chambers of Commerce, public bodies, corporations and international organizations - O2-A5: Signing of the Agreement by the partnership E1-E9: Multiplier events in Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Turkey, Slovenia, Germany MAIN TANGIBLE RESULTS • I-THEN Workplan • Interim and Final technical and financial reports • Detailed set of competences • Set of I-THEN Methodologies in 8 languages • 7 National Pilots • 24 short video interviews to students • Final version of the I-THEN Methodological Guidelines • Installed and functioning digital platform • Signed I-THEN Agreement • List of potential new members of the I-THEN network • Short Term Joint Staff Training Event • I-THEN web showcase • National Multiplier Events IMPACT • 140 students will acquire news skills and key competences in the field of international marketing and business management, increasing their opportunities on the job market • 32 teachers/professors will master innovative methodologies useful to deliver key entrepreneurial and cultural awareness competences, strengthening their CV and competences • 100 teachers/deans/rectors of HE bodies will benefit from the participation to a worldwide network of HE bodies expert in the field of marketing and business management courses • TVETs and Universities will exploit I-THEN methodologies for their marketing and business courses and offer update the competences of their teaching staff • The network of TVETs and Universities members of the enlarged I-THEN Network will allow students registered to the I-THEN courses to obtain a university degree in different countries after completing I-THEN's 2-year courses, acquiring the opportunity to study in at least 10 different countries, obtain a EQF 5 degree and – eventually – continue their studies in one of the partner Universities to obtain an EQF 6 or 7 degree • SMEs and private business involved in the I-THEN network will increase their internationalization capacities and will be able to host I-THEN’s students for international mobilities and internships, gaining access to a class of potential new staff members highly prepared to work in international contexts.
Main aim of ITHEN was to establish a strategic and structured cooperation between universities, VET centers delivering technical higher education, SMEs and other market stakeholders, by creating a network aimed at to facilitating the geographical mobility of teachers and students as well as the mobility between EQF levels. Main objectives at the center of the ITHEN project were: - to overcome the skill gap encountered by students wishing to work in international business environments; - to establish a synergy between Universities and TVETs that will facilitate the transition between different EQF level courses and degrees (from EQF 5 to 6 and 7), thus increasing the learning and job opportunities of TVET students in Europe; - to upskill higher education teachers, enabling them to successfully contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and cultural awareness competences among their students; - to connect higher education with the jobs market, by involving market representatives in all stages of the design and delivery of international courses and curricula in the fields of marketing and business management, in order for technical higher education to be coherent with the requirements of today’s international job market.
In Europe, despite official attempts for the automatic recognition by universities of the credits issued by EQF5 VET providers, this connection is not systematized yet. Only few TVETs assign ECTSs for their modules, making it difficult for universities to recognize them and placing TVET graduates wishing to continue their studies in the position where they must start their Bachelor’s degree from year 1. Only specific agreements between TVETs and universities allow this recognition, which, anyway, is often incomplete, requiring some integrations. JAC, IET, IVIC and Atlantica are among the TVETs and universities that have activated this type of agreement, and this system has proved to be very effective and needs to be adopted on a larger geographical scale to become ordinary practice in the medium term and – hopefully – officially systematized with dedicated policies in the longer term. In addition to this, the project addressed specific educational needs of higher education bodies. In fact, marketing and business management courses are often not in line with the real job market requirements because they lack an international approach, while these professions always have a multinational and/or global reach.