Thrive! Entrepreneurial skills as solid base for a future in the Creative Industry Erasmus Project

Project Title

Thrive! Entrepreneurial skills as solid base for a future in the Creative Industry

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

Central aim of “Thrive! Entrepreneurial skills as solid base for a future in the Creative Industry” project is to support the (young) (female) entrepreneurs and companies and its employees in the creative sector to go through a transformation and innovation process, necessary to survive the present times and to become a company with a sustainable business case. Project results: relevant company profiles within the (sub)sectors Digital Marketing, Packaging, Graphic media, Sign & Display and Apps & Gaming sector, in their path of development until 2026, learning material focussed on 3 target groups: (young) (female) entrepreneurs and companies and its employees, and digital self-assessment tools. The core of the company profiles is the description of core competences and entrepreneurial skills that have to be present in the company at management level and the entrepreneurial skills at employees’ level.

Context: the Creative Industry has always been part of the communication & information industry. Last 30 years the industry has gone through a great deal of technological changes and revolutions. From a manual manufacturing industry dominated by production and output based companies, single channel companies, a change-over to full service communication and information companies, multi-channel companies are now needed. Technology has always been the main driver for initiating change in the companies. In many cases there is no real research based analyses to support the implementation of the production tools financially. Market research is not a strong point of entrepreneurs.

Goals, results and impact:
The aim of this project has been to develop innovative ways of learning about entrepreneurship and company development and to promote and create awareness on these subjects in schools and companies in the industry. This awareness is the start to implement the appropriate tools and strategies to drive that road up hill to a sustainable future in this extremely interesting Creative Industry of the future. The company profiles connected to the three direct target groups are the foundation of the three learning modules that we have focused on. Modern, entrepreneurial skills that will support the individual and company development into a full service provider in the Creative Industry. The modules have various work formats, from textbooks, workshops, a management game to assignments with shared responsibilities of the students. Eight E-tools are developed for benchmarking and self-assessment. Individuals and companies can apply an e-tool to benchmark their present position on the development scale that has been implemented in the tool, based on the company profiles(5) or the target group (3) they belong. By doing this self-assessment, the individuals or companies will get a clear analysis of the gaps they have in entrepreneurial sense to have a successful transformation to the desired situation.

Long term:
The effect of working in a sustainable manner on the development of a company in the Creative Industry, in particular the communication sector, to get a better connection between the entrepreneur, the company, its customers and their needs. A higher level of customer experience will lead to more employee satisfaction. This all has to be managed by an entrepreneur with the adequate skills. In this way the company can be more profitable and more competitive. The partnership entails partners from VET education at the initial level and higher / academic education; consultancy organisations representing the industry, training services providers closely related to the Creative Industry.

Project partners:1. Stivako, NL, industry based training service provider on middle management, strategy and marketing: coordinator of output development and project activities, content development e-tools, development of learning materials and the implementation in industry, company relations;2. NYTA Ltd, NL, management and consultancy in educational and labour market related projects: development and testing / validating of materials, development of the professional profiles, international dissemination;3. Hill Top Consulting Ltd – UK, consultants of trade organisations, companies and organisations in UK and Europe: profile development, research and analyses of materials, learning materials production;4. Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Institut für Systemforschung der Informations-, Kommunikations- und Medientechnologie, DE: research & development of profiles, analysing present situation in the Creative Industry and development of learning materials;5. Artevelde Hogeschool, Ghent, BE, higher level VET education; development of learning materials, profiles development, validation and assessment;6. Fundació Privada Indústries Gràfiques – Escola Antoni Algueró – ES, industrial VET school in Barcelona with close ties with the Catalonian Employers federation; development of E-tools, validation and assessment of developed materials.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 344865,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stichting Stivako & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Hill Top Consulting (Yorkshire) Ltd
• Fundació Privada Indústries Gràfiques – Escola Antoni Algueró
• ARTEVELDEHOGESCHOOL
• BERGISCHE UNIVERSITAET WUPPERTAL
• NYTA B.V.