One more Erasmus+ project in the field of higher education is in Tetra’s portfolio!
The project “Sustainable quality management – to foster future-proof job skills of HEI learners” (PEN-QM project) has been approved for funding by the Lithuanian National Agency. It is going to be implemented by a consortium of six partner organizations: the University of Applied Sciences in Vilnius, Lithuania (project coordinator), the University of Graz, Austria, the University of Pavia, Italy, PEN Worldwide – the International Practice Enterprise Network registered in Germany, REEP – the Practice Enterprise Network in France, and Tetra Solutions, Bulgaria.
PEN-QM is a two-year project, starting on December 1, 2022. It utilizes the concept of “Practice Enterprise” (PE) – a virtual trainee-run company that operates like a real business. Practice Enterprise simulates a real enterprise’s business procedures, products and services. Each virtual company engages in business activities, both at national and international level, with other companies within the Practice Enterprise network, following standard commercial business procedures and frameworks.
The main idea of the PEN-QM project is to develop a new-to-date web-based auding tool for monitoring and assessment of Practice Enterprise activities. The minimal quality requirements will be developed for ten business management areas, including: 1) General management; 2) Procurement; 3) Sales; 4) Communication; 5) Marketing; 6) Human recourses; 7) Finance; 8) IT and digitalization; 9) Corporate social responsibility; and 10) Sustainability. University students will be involved in evaluation of Practice Enterprise activities, which will help them develop business skills (quality assurance of business processes), and transversal skills, such as analytical and critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving, persuasion and negotiation among others.
What are the top 10 job skills needed in the 21st century?
According to the World Economic forum (Future of Jobs Survey 2020), the following ten skills are in the top 15 future jobs list: Analytical thinking and innovation; Complex problem-solving; Critical thinking and analysis; Creativity, originality and initiative; Leadership and social influence; Technology use, monitoring and control; Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility; Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation; Service orientation; and Persuasion and negotiation.
Engaging in the evaluation of Practice Enterprise activities will help university students to develop these skills. Students will be actively involved in the evaluation activities and experience learning-by-doing in a simulated business environment.
Why the Practice Enterprise model?
The Practice Enterprise prepares learners for their eventual entry into the real business world. It puts theory into practice in a simulated work-based environment, and often serves as a first work experience for students. It makes the connection to the real world of work, which can be much different from the academic environment.
What is Tetra’s role and added value?
Tetra’s team will provide expertise in quality assurance by co-leading the development of a methodology for external evaluation of Practice Enterprise activities.
In addition, we will lead the project’s quality management and evaluation work package, which includes continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project activities, results and impact on the target groups and stakeholders.
Stay tuned for project updates!
Check out our website for news about the project activities and results.
