Preparing the next generation of Supply Chain staff Erasmus Project

Project Title

Preparing the next generation of Supply Chain staff

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits)

Project Summary

NextGen4SC (Next Generation for Supply-Chain) forms a project aiming to strengthen the professional profile of young people willing to work in the supply chain sector, supporting them by providing tools & methods (like open education & innovative digital practices) to develop such high-quality skills & competences, promoting this way the quality youth work. Two were the agents motivated this consortium’ synthesis to plan & develop such project: 1) the high rates of Youth unemployment in EU-28l according to Eurostat (March 2018: 1st place for Greece: 43,2% , 3rd place for Italy with 31,9% & 5th place for Cyprus with 22,4%) and 2) the fact that the supply-chain sector claims for well-trained young professionals to carry out positions of responsibility; It seems to appear a great demand of supply-chain experts’ personnel, highly qualified & well prepared by means that achieving excellence in logistics is vital for EU-competitiveness. Even there is a great offer of senior-level staff with supply-chain skills & competencies, in contrary there is a great demand by businesses to find entry- level experts, mostly young. Based in current statistics, reviews & analysis, there are several indications that countries can reach higher levels of logistics competences than their economic output per capita predicts. Considering the stated challenges, NextGen4SC consortium, defined its target groups as following: 1) Generation Z, 2) Employers,3) Youth stakeholders, 4)Company stakeholders, 5)Economy (local, regional, national & European) stakeholders. Within firms, skills need to be nurtured & developed through improved provision of training. There is need for the development & enhancement of career paths for lower skilled young workers. To meet the demand for skilled workers, the relatively poor image of the supply-chain sector needs to be improved. Motivated by this, the consortium aims to increase the number of qualified & certified specialists to work in supply-chain sector around Europe as well as to support low-skilled unemployed young people to upgrade their skills, providing them with better job placement opportunities. The fundamental element of the ” NextGen4SC” project is the aim to create a “Win-to-Win” background for youth working in the supply chain market, supporting them & empowering their involvement & competitiveness to the job sector, facilitating their preparation as the next generation of the supply Chain staff, to win the employment bet. The innovative character of this project is that is addressed not only to youth workers. The other interesting & innovative aspect is that is pursued the establishment of e-incubators, which using the digital technologies trends, which will lead to new relationships between partners & local entrepreneurial ecosystems, regional authorities & the labour market. All those, will lend their support to mentor NextGen4SC beneficiaries as either entrepreneurs or youth workers, to gain the enhanced skills & competences demanded by a 21st Century Supply-chain market. NextGen4SC focus to create this winning situation through activities as: 1)Encompassing the use of technology in order to create a training methodology, addressed to Generation Z, to prepare a successful training approach for Junior-Level supply-chain staff, that will best service the interests of their workplace.2) Following a blended-training method, engaging the participants through exercises, role play, case study discussions and team work presentations, the aims is to develop a train-the-trainer training curriculum to prepare the Gen Z entry level new entrants to the Supply Chain sector. 3) Creating an open & free for access online platform operating as Network/ Information Hub, will enable access to a plethora of targeted information focused in supply-chain addressed both youth & employers. Amongst the general outcomes of the project are considered the improvement of the job-matching procedure within Youth & Business in Europe, the contribution to the decrease of Youth Unemployment in EU-level, the facilitation of information finding (+access), the facilitation of creating links between youth-business world.The impact of NextGen4SC project is not limited to the partnership level, but is wider as project’s results are expected to foster not only the local business development but generally the European as well as the cooperation transnationally. The society will also have benefits as the younger people will contribute to enhance the skilled labor force which correspond better to the labor market needs & will have the potential to strengthen the social inclusion & improve equal work opportunities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 182415 Eur

Project Coordinator

DEKAPLUS BUSINESS SERVICES LTD & Country: CY

Project Partners

• EDUFORMA SRL
• ASOCIATIA CENTRUL PENTRU STRATEGII DE DEZVOLTARE A TINERETULUI
• REZOS BRANDS ANONYMI EMPORIKI ETERIA IDON DIATROFIS
• Asociacija “Aktyvus jaunimas”