The Partnership on Entrepreneurial Centers of Vocational Excellence (Entrepreneurial CoVEs) works on developing Entrepreneurship as a key competence from a life-long learning perspective. The initiative promotes knowledge sharing, participation, and collaboration of CoVEs.
Participants are called to use peer-learning techniques and strategies. The current CoVEs are: LEPL College Modus (Georgia), ESITH, (Morocco), CFA Bizerte (Tunisia), PI Centre of Excellence in Economy and Finance (Moldova), Goychay Vocational Training Centre under the State Employment Agency (Azerbaijan), CIFP Politecnico de Santiago and IES Arca Real (Spain).
The Partnership is presented on ETF website: Entrepreneurial centres of vocational excellence | ETF (europa.eu)
As a first step, the ETF and CARDET, developed a conceptual framework and a reflection tool. The conceptual framework sets the theoretical frame of the concept of entrepreneurial CoVE around four dimensions: a) Organisational Practices; b) Teaching and Learning Processes; c) Products and Services; d) Ecosystem. Based on the conceptual framework, a reflection tool was developed to support CoVEs to reflect on their journey of becoming more entrepreneurial. The tool guides CoVE teams to critically reflect on their own practices, identify their strong areas, the areas they can improve, and plan their own development strategies. The reflection tool was distributed and completed by the participating CoVEs. In addition, representatives from all the participating CoVEs were invited to one-to-one sessions and consultations with members of the CARDET Team. Based on the findings and results both from the answers from the reflection tool in combination with the one-to-one meeting with each CoVE, four common areas for improvement emerged:
- Digital Strategy
- Social Entrepreneurship and Sustanable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Business incubators and Start-Ups
- Collaboration with external key stakeholders
As the following step, four webinars were offered with the aim to present and to share good practices to the members of the consortium (CoVEs) in each of the four topics.
In the first webinar on 29 March 2022, the focus was on 3 different opportunity fields of cooperation: Erasmus+, COPCoVEs and EntreComp community.
In the second webinar on 5 April, the focus was on how TVET centers can become more digital to be more entrepreneurial - and we learnt good practices from European CoVES and projects that work on developing digital strategies and tools.
In the third webinar on 20 April, the focus was on how TVET centres can work to promote and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular, women entrepreneurship, in their approaches and activities.
In the fourth webinar on 10 May, the focus was on how CoVEs can support Business Start-Ups, including: a) specific training approaches and modalities, b) cooperation with other stakeholders, c) Financial mechanisms etc.
The Entrepreneurial COVEs initiative also prepared on-line individual and group coaching sessions. Coaching is going beyond peer-learning and involves individualised support so that CoVEs would develop some new approaches and products, in practical terms, CoVES are changing something to become more entrepreneurial. Coaching makes things more concrete.
Coaching sessions run from July till October 2022 and members of the initiative were the protagonists.
To show the results of the coaching sessions two other webinars were organised in 2023.
In the online sharing session SDGs and digitalisation for entrepreneurial CoVEs: Practical examples from Moldova, Tunisia and Azerbaijan on 1 March 2023, participants learnt how three Vocational centres of excellence from Moldova, Tunisia and Azerbaijan are producing new training products and services to become more entrepreneurial adopting a more digital and equitable (SDGs) approach.
CoVEs explained the success factors and the challenges to make change happen and how coaching as a specific support method adopted in this partnership has facilitated entrepreneurial efforts.
The second coaching online sharing session ‘‘BUSINESS START UPS AND INTERNATIONALISATION FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL COVES: Practical Examples from MOLDOVA, MOROCCO, AND AZERBAIJAN” was held on 29th March 2023.
During the event, attendees learnt from successful entrepreneurs and experts from these three countries, who shared their experiences and feedback on their entrepreneurial journey through coaching sessions and CoVEs. The event provided practical examples and insights into how to start and grow a successful business in today's globalised economy.
All webinars aimed to foster collaboration and synergies among the participants.
For more information about the presentations, please see the attachments below.
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