The vocational education and training systems in Europe are currently facing huge challenges. Globalisation, demographic change, technological progress and rapidly progressing digitalisation are transforming the world of work and thus the requirements on education.  Professions with a low requirement profile are being redundant while, demand for highly qualified skilled labor is continually increasing.

Additionally, in Europe youth unemployment is very high, not only because of the economic crisis but also because many qualification needs are not being taken into consideration by the education and qualification systems. Many companies are complaining about skilled labor shortage, whereas in specific countries such as Greece, Romania and Bulgaria the unemployment rate of university graduates and skilled workforce remains relatively high after the crisis.

The project aims at developing a further training qualification at higher qualification level (EQF 6) in the field of international commerce for university graduates and unemployed individuals and strengthening the transnational networking between High Education Institutes, Vocational Training Providers at tertiary level and labor market. Universities or training institutes affiliated to universities would offer this qualification.

The specific objectives of the proposed project are:

  • Develop a joint higher VET Course on issues concerning business internationalization
  • Strengthen the project-based transnational collaboration between SMEs & VET providers at tertiary level
  • Improve and validate transversal entrepreneurial and communicate competences of the students
  • Use work-based learning (traineeship) & mobility components

The main results of the project are:

  • A joint qualification profile in the field of international commerce expert
  • A joint curriculum in the field of international commerce offered by three universities or further training institutes (VET Providers at Tertiary level) at universities
  • Assessment standards
  • Joint sustainable cooperation structure to ensure transparency, comparability of the relevant qualifications
  • Mutual quality assurance & recognition procedures

The main target groups of the project are:

  • Post & Undergraduate students in Business / Economic HEIs
  • Learners in VET
  • Unemployed
  • Young people & enterepreneurs
  • SMEs
  • HE Institutes / Vet providers
  • Relevant national and EU authorities/bodies

Finally, the implementation of the project will contribute to strengthen the links among Tertiary Education/VET Institutions, SMEs and human labor by providing undergraduate and post-graduate students of the business/economic HEIs, with quality skills that are able to ease on the one hand, the SMEs internationalization process, and on the other the adaptation of the targeted potential labor force to the demands of the specific labor market.