Closed projects - Strategic Partnership for Higher Education - HEIPNET
Project: HEIPNET – Inclusion of Innovative Work-Based-Learning and Business Partnerships in HEI Curricula Development
Involved UNIPV structure: Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche ed Aziendali
UNIPV Team: Prof. Chiara DeMartini
Total Budget: € 222.760,00
UNIPV Budget: € 44.310
Project duration: 01/09/2018 - 31/05/2022
Coordinator: Vilniaus Kolegija
Full Partners:
Universität Graz - Austria; Europen-Pen International Ev - Germany; Klaipėdos Valstybinė Kolegija - Lithuania; University Of National And World Economy - Bulgaria.
Description:
The objective of the HEIPNET project is to integrate and combine academic knowledge with practical experience in the curricula of higher education institutions (HEIs) so that students can develop employability attributes and skills. The concept of Practice Enterprise (PE) will be supported, promoted, and adapted to the study programs of HEIs in the EU, and strong strategic links will be built between practice enterprises and businesses using work-based learning methodology.
Practice Enterprise (PE) is a well-known tool for entrepreneurship education, used in 20 European countries for over 60 years for various target groups. A PE is a virtual company run like a real business with actual business procedures, products, and services. Each PE trades with other PEs following the commercial procedures of the worldwide PE network. Practice Enterprise is a practical training tool and a training place for trainees to work and learn, using all the necessary documentation, procedures, and programs to run an enterprise, but without real money and goods (https://www.penworldwide.org/).
The main target groups of the project are:
- Trainers/teachers/practice organizers/higher education institutions;
- HEI students;
- Business representatives.
The methodology applied in the project will promote education and business synergy and create appropriate conditions for the interaction of trainers/practice organizers, students, and businesses. The benefits for HEIs include building links with businesses, a better understanding of employers' needs regarding graduates' skills, and active work-based learning programs for students in PE. For commercial businesses, there is the opportunity to contribute to study programs and the development of future employees. This can help improve the quality of education and training and support permeability between different education and training pathways. A transnational project offers the opportunity to combine the expertise of national experts in their field to further develop the teaching and learning setup.
The objectives of the project are:
- Improve the PE curriculum/module by updating its content based on labor market needs and the educational institution's strategy.
- Develop a program and reference manual that can be used by new HEIs interested in implementing the PE concept and tools.
- Strengthen the partnership between universities, their PEs, and the business world.
