Social Innovation Training for Virtual Work Based Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Social Innovation Training for Virtual Work Based Learning

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Research and innovation; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Innovation is a key source of competitiveness and sustainable economic growth, which has earned major political attention and corporate interest in the partner countries. In one hand there are increasing number of support programs/financial aids to promote innovation, on the other hand social innovation is still in its infancy, nevertheless there is much need for such initiatives in the fast changing social and economic environment of the digital era.

There is much need for such initiatives in the fast changing social and economic environment of the digital era. With Coop-in project our partnership aims to raise awareness about the advantages of implementing social innovation at work by developing a complex Social Innovation Training kit for the most important potential actors of the field, primarily focusing on corporate VET trainers and mentors.

Social innovation is often seen as a privilege of charity based organisations, and not as a skill/knowledge/know-how that has its well deserved place in a company’s knowledge portfolio. However, social innovation can make an important impact on the world of work, reduce costs or lead to higher revenue (e.g. by creating a work conditions where employees are more satisfied and produce better; where diversity can bring an added value and new ideas, products, processes). As a topic it is still in its infancy in the partner countries and in Europe. There is a need for VET teacher/trainers and business coaches and advisors to better understand how to facilitate and support enterprises to exploit social innovation.

Coop-in will encourage individuals, groups and organisations that would otherwise not participate in social innovation. In this sense, Coop-in partnership addresses all those actors whose cooperation would accelerate social innovation in the societies. The project partnership believes that collaboration is a key, not only for the successful realization of the present project but also for the systematic promotion and sustainable management of social innovation. The target audience of Coop-in project therefore is fairly wide.

The project builds on the latest educational trends, applying gamification and micro learning approaches; enhances commitment, learning motivation by game elements; and micro-learning and scenario-based learning approach to ensure learning efficacy.

Coop-in Social Innovation Training kit includes a game based learning platform enhancing practical approach on social innovation and collaboration, b-learning course book, self-assessment tool for social innovation scrutiny, an offline toolkit comprising co-working exercises and group dynamics with major attention on the recent CEN/TS 16555-5 innovation management standard.

Based on our background research in the partner countries, currently there is no such a multi-lingual open learning portal in Europe that enables a complex methodological, theoretical and practical training on social innovation like the one described in Coop-in project. Furthermore, the application of the European Innovation Management Standard on Collaboration Management in VET is a novelty as well. The standard ensures a systematic approach for VET training and enables the development of strategic business partnership between corporate sector, VET providers and educational institutions.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 268544,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative Limited & Country: UK

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE
• Exponential Training & Assessment Limited
• ASOCIACION INSTITUTO EUROPEO DE ESTUDIOS PARA LA FORMACION Y EL DESARROLLO
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET
• TREBAG SZELLEMI TULAJDON- ES PROJEKTMENEDZSER KORLATOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAG
• MEATH COMMUNITY RURAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP LIMITED