Business MENTOR training and CERTification Erasmus Project

Project Title

Business MENTOR training and CERTification

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: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Recognition, transparency, certification; Regional dimension and cooperation

Project Summary

MentorCert project is an organic follow-up of two previous initiatives: TRUST ME was a curriculum development project of Budapest Business School with the major outcomes of skill card and competency framework and blended learning materials for future SME business mentors; CERTI4TRAIN produced an ISO 17024 compliant certification scheme for trainers of dual mode trainings. The first main objective of the new project was to extend the general results of TRUST ME towards specialisation of mentors to support SMEs in different stages of their development and to operate in different industrial sectors.

The second main objective, through the marriage of the experiences of the two foregoing projects was to elaborate a certification scheme defining standards for different levels of mentoring and starting the process leading to internationally certified, standardised mentoring of SMEs.

The partnership was composed of four universities from two old EU member countries and from two less old ones, of a private company operating mentor networks in several countries and finally of a Foundation experienced in certification of crafts and professions.

The activities were the compilation of state of art analyses in the selected vertical and horizontal sectors (4+4) together with the mentor level assessment based on the theory and practice; the development of training materials with methodology collection (8 per country) and case studies (4+4 per sector) on the prioritised profiles of SMEs needing mentoring and on the ongoing mentoring practices; piloting the trainings; elaboration of the mentor certification scheme with criteria of business mentor assessment; the dissemination of the results; the conceptualisation of the follow-up activities and a strict quality monitoring.

The main results are the new curricula embedded into the curriculum systems of the university partners, the strengthened university – business contacts through the intensive pilot trainings and through the dissemination activities. In addition, an important result is the certification scheme and the start of the certification procedure in cooperation with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). This ISO 17024 compliant certification will be carried out individually partner by partner.
The longer term benefit will be the development of national SME mentor networks and their cross national integration.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 263938 Eur

Project Coordinator

BUDAPESTI GAZDASAGI EGYETEM & Country: HU

Project Partners

• UNIVERSIDADE CATOLICA PORTUGUESA
• POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKA
• LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY
• Fondation EFCoCert
• ADINVEST INTERNATIONAL