About
VETENTRE is an Erasmus+ project that aims to empower VET educators to develop their entrepreneurial mindset and to make VET education more attractive across Europe by creating an innovative set of tools.
One of the fundamental premises of the project is that, for educators to teach entrepreneurship, the educators themselves first need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Overview
VETENTRE identified two key challenges and addressed them directly. The challenges were:
- The need to improve the attractiveness and quality of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Europe and the competences of VET educators to engage their students in meaningful learning.
- To promote entrepreneurship education across European education systems.
To this end, the project developed an innovative set of tools and resources to empower VET trainers and educators to nurture the entrepreneurial mindset of their learners. The rationale behind this initiative is that, for educators to be able to teach entrepreneurship, the educators themselves first need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Aims & Objectives
The aim of this project was to increase the entrepreneurial mindset of VET educators and to make VET education more attractive across Europe.
The project objectives are fully aligned with the EU priorities and the needs documented above. More specifically, the objectives set by the VETENTRE project were to:
- Build the entrepreneurial competences of VET educators
- Support VET educators to design programs and activities promoting the entrepreneurship mindset of learners
- Promote entrepreneurship education through the use of alternative pedagogical resources and digital tools
- Enhance the employability and entrepreneurial skills of VET students and graduates
Partners
CEFE International is a private organisation founded in 2003 in order to further develop and deliver CEFE trainings.
CEFE (Competency based Economies through Formation of Entrepreneurs) is a comprehensive set of training instruments designed to stimulate positive change in various development processes via experiential learning methods. It provides highly participative, action-oriented training in all areas related to entrepreneurship and private sector development.
Through the promotion of entrepreneurial competence and better performance of businesses and organisations, CEFE contributes to employment creation, income generation and thus to a sustainable economic development.
Next to the delivery of CEFE trainings, CEFE International implements short-, middle- and long-term projects in various fields of development cooperation together with and for different public and private donors, stakeholders and ministries.
CEFE International has the following main objectives:
- facilitate, coordinate and implement projects in sustainable economic development, inter alia, entrepreneurship, private sector development, rural development, green economy, youth employment, TVET;
- Development and conduction of Entrepreneurship Trainings and Tools mainly through its CEFE Competency based Economies through Formation of Entrepreneurs Training;
- serve as principal platform and global network for all CEFE trainers and users worldwide;
- collect and disseminate the comprehensive CEFE knowledge, available around the world; set rules for quality assurance of CEFE Trainings; certify CEFE trainers at national and international level;
- bridge the gap between demand for experiential training and qualified trainers;
- encourage regional and international cooperation and exchange
The Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute ACQUIN is a registered association with recognised non-profit status. Its 160 members are higher education institutions, professional associations and business companies. The institute operates under the license of the German Accreditation Council and is thus empowered to award its quality seal to study programmes (higher education, continuing education) which have successfully undergone accreditation.
The core task of ACQUIN’s work is to promote the quality of study programmes in all disciplines in order to ensure the highest quality, to create market transparency, to increase the attractiveness of HEIs/VET for foreign students and to promote the comparability of academic degrees in Germany and abroad. The institute is participating in multiple co-funded projects, including capacity building, policy reforms, strategic partnerships and Sector Skills Alliances.
At European level, ACQUIN is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR), is a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance (ENQA), as well as of many other professional associations and networks (CEENQA – Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, EUA – European University Association, INQAAHE – International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education).
Future In Perspective is a private company based in the border region of Ireland specialising in the areas of education and e-learning, media production, strategic planning and business development and evaluation. Through our work on national and EU funded projects, we have engaged and supported local youth groups, migrant communities, older persons, and individuals who have been absent from education to re-engage with service providers and mainstream education and training offerings. We have expertise in supporting businesses in niche markets such as the creative, cultural and green sectors to develop sustainable business models. In addition, we have collaborated with young people and adults to deliver a range of diverse programmes in the areas of media production and career management – supporting the next generation of creative individuals to build and sustain successful careers in the sector. Future In Perspective is a modern business that is structured to reflect the current business reality. It operates in an ecosystem comprising dynamic partnerships and alliances. We have a core staff of 12 highly skilled experts in complementary disciplines that include project management, media production and design, instructional design and e-learning, youth development and research and general administration. Our core team is supplemented by a panel of part-time experts from Ireland and Europe.
“Con Valores” association (ACV) is a non-profit organization working for work reintegration & social economy. We are creating bridges between the business & social spheres in order to implement an inclusive approach that supports entrepreneurship for people at risk of exclusion. ACV is formed by business professionals who share their know-hows in order to create a fairest society. Our mission is to use our business experiences and contacts and to generate employment opportunities for excluded groups of society. Our business vision is crucial and fundamental to match with social organizations needs. It allows us to identify, to generate and to boost work opportunities.
Moreover we aim to develop together tools and methodologies that support entrepreneurship among people at risk of exclusion in different contexts. In that sense, we created in 2019 an inclusive incubation model for excluded people. Our incubator is involving different business profiles: entrepreneurs, business associations, universities, technology centres, public institutions, etc. All those professionals are volunteering and bringing professional and specialized support in small business creation. Created companies will then be managed by excluded people with the support of a network of high level professionals from the business sector.
Since October 2019 we have supported 35 persons at risk of exclusion. 18 new business models with the support of 90 professionals have been developed. Our supportive approach is mainly based on agile and practical methodologies (Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Canvas Business model…). Our volunteers’ intervention is organized between training courses, mentoring, coaching, evaluation and feedback committees…
From September 2020 we are upgrading our model according COVID19 conditions and restrictions. We believe that those adaptations will allow us to define a resilient model for small businesses incubation in time of crisis.
INNOVADE LI is an SME based in Cyprus, with a team of professionals with several years of experience in strategic visioning, business development, social entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, and academic industries. Its goal is to assist clients to define and attain their Strategic Goals and achieve their operational objectives by providing an unparalleled level of expert support. INNOVADE LI works with organizations to help them streamline technological advancements and productivity tools into their processes to ensure that they improve performance, and increase their productivity and profitability.
Eurotraining is a Vocational Educational Centre of national scope, specialising in the sectors of Entrepreneurship, ICT, Financial Management and Tourism. The organisation aims to satisfy the needs of enterprises, bodies & organisations both in the public and the private sector, by addressing the labour potential of the market who wants to upgrade their qualifications and abilities. This may include unemployed people, newly employed people, new and young entrepreneurs, employees, disabled people, enterprises officers, graduates of high schools and
Universities, and others. Key Activities provided are modern vocational training programs (blending learning using ICT), web-based Learning Management Systems, human resources training seminars, and inter- entrepreneurship training seminars. Eurotraining holds 3 affiliations in three main cities in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, Volos), with teaching classrooms, IT Laboratories, specialised equipment for disabled people, libraries with internet access, child care facilities, and evaluation system of training tasks (ARGUS ERP).
Eurotraining’s main objectives are the:
- acquisition and development of qualifications and professional skills for employees,
- upgrade and the continuous update of professional skills for individuals,
- development and promotion of entrepreneurship with special emphasis on young people,
- the provision of integrated consulting and training services.
CARDET (Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental, research and development organisation based in Cyprus. It is one of the leading research and development centres in the Euro-Mediterranean region, with global expertise in project design and implementation, capacity building, and e-learning. CARDET is independently affiliated with universities and institutions from around the world, such as the Yale University, the University of Nicosia and the International Council of Educational Media. CARDET has completed numerous projects relating to the development of capacity building and planning in education and VET, youth support, adult learning, literacies, digital tools, eLearning, educational technology, and social integration of marginalised groups.
