<< Background >>BPM is an assumption for digitalisation in enterprises. The utilisation of an enterprise resource planning software (ERP) is feasible only as a following step to mapping processes throughout the enterprise, improving them via eliminating the bottlenecks and developing BPM based on analysis of processes. Linking ERP with other software solutions used in enterprise is a key to compose the information system in enterprise therefore the enterprises need digitally competent specialists. Accordingly, higher education institutions need to develop their study programmes and courses for the undergraduates to gain corresponding skills and competences described in EU Digital Strategy and professional standards, such as Record and Information Management Coordinator, Production Manager, etc.In most HEI-s of applied sciences teaching the skills related to process-based management is fragmentary, and is divided between different subjects.It does not form a single whole and is not related to teaching business information systems.In different study programmes teaching business processes is very incoherent and therefore the quality of handling the topic varies drastically and as a result, different subjects are taught but there is no unifying system.This, in turn, hinders students from receiving a consistent overview of business processes, their management and the role of supporting information systems in enterprises.Several of level 6 professional standards, that are the basis for the study programmes, assume that the specialist is able to understand and manage business processes.The quality of teaching process based management and information systems supporting business processes has to be improved and unified in different study programmes in order to prepare more competent specialists for the labour market. “The European Commission is determined to tackle the digital skills gap and promote projects and strategies to improve the level of digital skills in Europe. Over 70% of businesses have said that the lack of staff with adequate digital skills is an obstacle to investment. Europe also faces a shortage of digital experts who can develop cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of all citizens.” (Shaping Europe’s digital future, 2021). Labour market needs skilful employees who are able to use, develop and manage technology in different areas (Estonian Qualifications Authority, OSKA Report, 2019). European Commission Digital Economy and Society Index Report 2020 - Integration of Digital Technology shows that Croatia, Estonia and Bulgaria are the countries in the EU that are being left behind in deploying up-to-date digital solutions in enterprises (less than 50%). PRODIMOD project aims at developing the business study programmes in higher educational institutions primarily in these countries.<< Objectives >>The goal of PRODIMOD project is to develop the module “Process Based Management in Enterprises” for higher educational institutions of applied sciences. The module corresponds to the needs of the contemporary business environment, includes digitalisation and automation of business processes, and considers the principles of experiential learning.PRODIMOD project includes joint development of a module for different curriculums in partner HEI-s, and training materials. International, regional, national and local knowledge is combined to produce high-quality output. The credibility of the module is high, when experts from different countries have created it in collaboration.<< Implementation >>In the course of the PRODIMOD project a process-based management module is designed by partner institutions that can be implemented in different study HE programmes and which foresees the following activities:-specifying the expectations of enterprises in the field of process management and the requirements according to national and international professional standards;- preparation of digital handbook consisting of teaching, training and guidance materials supporting team-based learning in the BPM module;-design in BPM field of experiential learning materials for applied sciences higher education studies implementing team-based learning methods;-informing stakeholders about the project results.<< Results >>Project activities lead to three distinct outputs:PR1. The module “Process-Based Management in Enterprises” for higher educational institutions of applied sciences.PR2. Collection of BPM field teaching, training and guidance materials. PR3. Digitalisation of the results achieved in PR1 (learning materials of module) and PR2 (teaching and training materials of module), and their publication on e-platform. The project steps from the real needs of the participating higher education institutions to develop practical and effective entrepreneurial learning. It strengthens international cooperation between partner organisations.Higher education institutions are well equipped for providing training to help students meet future BPM requirements in companies. This will be reinforced by relevant transnational experience,and the development and provision of higher education. The ways how the project PRODIMOD contributes to this derives from 1) the improved didactic approaches for teaching, and 2) the content that better meets the future learning needs.This project strengthens HE institutions’ readiness to provide additional training and support for their students to gain a level of comfort with new sustainable technical solutions. Impact of the PRODIMOD project on the needs of the target groups:● students - the increase in competitiveness through digital competences and the skill to understand business processes; encouragement for international student mobility; source input from stakeholders, from the industry and from expert networks make the education course more lively. These include case studies, examples of business cases, calculations used in real projects, etc. to illustrate the materials and issues in the field.● enterprises - are able to recruit digitally competent employees who are ready to map, analyse and develop business processes.● lecturers - expand knowledge in the field of business processes and teaching methods through best practice (knowledge transfer).partners - framework enriches the quality of teaching, empowerment of digital skills and creation of the basis for the follow-up activities.

PROJECT BACKGROUNDThe project concerned ICT - a key issue for the politics of the EU. This was consistent with the recommendations of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the European Higher Education Modernization Agenda. The project was based on a needs analysis, which proved the inadequacy of university curricula in the field of Business Informatics. It pointed to the lack of appropriate staff,tools and the increasing demand for skilled professionals from IT on the labor markets in Europe and worldwide.The project was based on the modernization of the content of education and improving the quality of teaching and learning processes in the Business Informatics area. The project provide universities with prepared teaching tools and solutions where Open Digital Resources are used by placing the project results on the educational and communication public portal dimbi.eu.THE AIM OF THE PROJECT was to strengthen and improve the quality of higher education in the field of Business Informatics through the modernization of curricula and creation of innovative solutions in Polish and European higher education of Business Informatics.Specific objectives:- providing attractive new curricula reflecting the individual needs and expectations of the labour market on the basis of optional Business Intelligence [BI] and Data Warehouse [DW] subjects- developing, implementing and disseminating innovative practices by creating and promoting new teaching methodology in [BI] and [DW] areas.- creating and providing an innovative education and communication platform based on modern ICT- preparing and facilitating interactive textbooks for teaching and learning [BI] and [DW].PARTNERSThe project involved four partners from different countries who have extensive experience in conducting EU projects - three universities and one business partner who focused on research, project management and transfer of innovation. The partnership was complementary because each partner brought significant added value to the project and provided high level specialists. In the project 28 people took part: 10 from administrative staff, 16 researchers, a proofreader, a reviewer. Two scientific teams were created – one for curricula and one for teaching methodology.The consortium consisted of:- Jan Wyżykowski University, Poland – the leader,- University of Economics, Wrocław, Poland,- University of Economics, Varna, Bulgaria,- Paragon Europe, Mosta, Malta.ACTIVITIESThe project investigated the needs for curricula content and methodologies, as well as developing the new programs and a methodology based on innovative solutions, manuals, tools, and practices.The main activities of the project included:-organizing and running the project office,-choosing the project staff members and creating a scientific team,-preparing the curricula, methodology and books,-preparing the educational and communication portal,-implementing two editions of ISP in Wroclaw and Varna,-evaluating the main project products,-disseminating intellectual outputs and other project results.RESULTS AND IMPACT OF THE PROJECTAs a result of the project a set of tools was provided available for implementation for free at institutions of higher education in the project partners countries and abroad, i.e.:- Curriculum for Business Intelligence,- Curriculum for Data Warehouse,- Methodology of Teaching Business Intelligence,- Methodology of Teaching Data Warehouse,- Interactive Book for Business Intelligence ,- Interactive Book for Data Warehouse- Educational and Communication Portal.The project resulted in improving the quality of higher education quality both in partner universities, as well as in other universities in the country and abroad.Unrestricted access to the created tools and solutions provided a possibility of implementing them at any university in Europe and worldwide. Furthermore, the project contributed to unifying education in the BI and DW fields by the standardization of the teaching methodologies and curricula. All the universities participating in the project implemented the results of the project, thus enriching their educational offer and increasing their competitiveness on the European market. During the Intensive Study Program, 30 students from partner universities increased their knowledge and skills and received ECTS points. Moreover, placing the portal DIMBI on the UJW server created a possibility of the long term use of project results. The portal created has the potential to become the most frequently chosen place of meeting and information exchange concerning BI and DW.

The project “Business and Competitive Intelligence for Entrepreneurship” (CIEN) creates a network of universities in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and France, aimed at developing knowledge, skills, and competencies in the field of business and competitive intelligence (BI and CI). The project develops curricula for short-term and long-term programmes in this field, to be implemented in partner universities, where appropriate, or other educational facilities, creates study materials, adjacent to the aforementioned curricula, develops training module kits for both sections (BI and CI) and proposes a Survival Kit for Entrepreneurs with interactive resources to be used in order to collect, select, analyze data and information related to BI and CI. Thus, the project proposes a complete package of elements (curriculum, study materials, resources, training kits, etc) to be used in the development of courses on BI and CI in partner universities, as well as any other university which may decide to adapt its educational offer to the demands of the global, evermore digital and flooded by information and big data. In order to deliver these packages, the project creates an online platform, the project website: cien.ase.ro, to be used for the learning activities within the project, to facilitate virtual mobility for participants and further on for common usage of the kits developed.The project strengthens the cooperation between the five partner universities from four countries, by having transnational mobility of teachers for the training modules on BI and transnational mobility of students for the summer schools focused on CI. Furthermore, the network of these five universities shall have a common curriculum as standard, to be implemented where such a need is identified, allowing for streamlined transferability of credits, skills, and competencies at a European level, enhanced by the ECTS allotted to each learning activity. The project targeted 100 students (undergraduate and graduate) from the partner universities, 70 with a business background and 30 with any other type of background, split into two waves (50 for each year of project implementation). The project lasted for 24 months, between September 2016-September 2018, and had two summer schools (one for each year, in Varna, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania) lasting 5 days and 10 training modules (blended learning – 5 days of face to face action in home university+ virtual mobility). Overall, the project involved more than 600 participants in learning activities and multiplier events. It created 7 intellectual outputs: Analysis of Best Practices on Curriculum in Business and Competitive intelligence, Curriculum Design in Business and Competitive intelligence, Study Materials for Business and Competitive Intelligence, Business and Competitive Intelligence Training Modules, CIEN Survival Kit for Entrepreneurs, Study on Entrepreneurial Survival kits, CIEN Online Platform (cien.ase.ro). The main results of the project are: an enhanced cooperation between the five partner institutions, manifested through a common curriculum on BI and CI, mobility of teachers to deliver the training modules, mobility of students to the summer schools; shared knowledge in the field of BI and CI, through the cooperation of the project experts, team members, as well as wide dissemination of created knowledge through the online platform and the multiplier events (6 online seminars/webinars, 2 information sessions and 2 knowledge fairs). The main activities in the project may be packaged in 5 different areas: 1. Project management activities (5 transnational meetings, Financial Management, and Project Management, Monitoring and Reporting); 2. Curriculum Development (Analyses and studies of Best Practices, Curriculum design, Study materials: eBooks, dedicated Multiplier events), Learning activities (Student Selection, Summer schools, Training modules, Virtual mobility, dedicated Multiplier events), Training module development (Module development and redesign, module delivery, dedicated Multiplier events) and CIEN Survival Kit (Similar kits studies and Kit design, Kit OEP development, Online Platform - Design and Content, dedicated Multiplier events). The project is sustainable through the implementation of the curriculum in partner universities, where such a need has been identified (e.g. A master programme in Varna, Bulgaria and post-graduate studies in Bucharest, Romania), the inclusion of BI, CI courses in the education offering of the partners, the online platform containing all the materials developed, the CIEN survival kit available for current and potential entrepreneurs and the annual Knowledge fair to be continued even after the end date of the project.

The ESSENCE project intends to improve employability opportunities for HE students by stimulating soft skills development. Project objective is to maximize their engagement in the labor market through offering professional development paths that go beyond formal HE trainings. In order to meet the expectations of entrepreneurs and recruiters connected with the most desirable soft skills, the courses will be based on the demand-driven employers’ perspective. According to a ground-breaking research published by World Economic Forum around 2016; in the era of digital automation and AI, career success factors are facing times of significant changes especially in industry sectors at high technological coefficient (but not exclusively!). From 2020, at the very edge of the forth industrial revolution, strategic competitiveness relies more and more on intellectual capital assets – hence the needs to cultivate new managerial talents that are strongly empowered not only on technical knowledge but mostly on soft and intangible capabilities. ESSENCE aims to nurture a complete set of new soft skills on HE students and fresh graduates to complete, enhance and enrich their education and employability competitiveness beside the formal University training. During the project, partners will develop trainings, courses, educational modules and content that is in line with the CEDEFOP guidelines for Learning Outcome and fully aligned with the EQF from levels 3 to 5. In addition, the project will develop operational tools (i.e. self-assessment means) that systematically engage multiple organisational studies field and functions - communication, people management, HR, etc.ESSENCE brings together an extensive sample of experiences, knowledge and practices represented by each partner involved. Partners’ unique backgrounds mean an exceptional opportunity to leverage on a system of values grounded on diversity, heterogeneity and variegation. The project will be implemented by 8 partners from Poland, Croatia, Italy, Belgium, Latvia, Bulgaria and Spain representing different backgrounds (business/ICT field, HE Institutions and social partners/NGO) over a period of 24 months.Project aims to reach its major target groups, which include HE students and recent graduates, HE teachers, HE schools/institutions, business trainers/mentors, entrepreneurs and SMEs. Among the project results, a few can be distinguished as the major ones:1) An online interactive platform (OER Platform) at the service of each target group addressed by the ESSENCE project (HE students, business consultants, entrepreneurship facilitators, HR specialists, and so on): the platform will be fully available to all interested parties even after the formal conclusion of the project in order to better exploit and valorise ESSENCE planned results.2) A vast catalogue of training tools to support HE students on soft skills for employability.3) An online business glossary to be used as a concepts-map as well as a reference to orientate oneself through the universe of soft skills models and studies. 4) Custom-made training courses related to self-empowerment and career development solutions.In order to reach the project’s goals, the development of four innovative and transferrable Intellectual Outputs is foreseen:IO1 - Development and Maintenance of Open Educational Resource Platform,IO2 - Identification and Mapping of Soft Skills for Enhanced Employability,IO3 - Development of Toolkit and Training Content + Conduction of Training,IO4 - Soft Skills Manifesto for Universities + Operational Guidelines.The project management and methodology will be tailor-made, involving development of personalized project management, quality assurance and dissemination plans, monitoring/evaluation tools. Thanks to the presence of partners with a high level of experience and multiplication potential, the project will benefit from increased visibility and impact at national and European level. To widen the impact of the project, a number of 7 multiplier events, including national and international participants is foreseen.The XXI century is characterized by a high level of volatility when it comes to the labor market. At a time when new professions and positions in companies are created more frequently, employers are paying more and more attention to the unique features of each candidate willing to work in their enterprise.Through its activities and outputs, ESSENCE proposes an innovative approach to the development of factors influencing employability and professional performance of young workforce - soft skills.

This project is based on the conviction that intercultural learning and training programmes through transnational cooperation between students, teachers, and SMEs are an accessible way to enhance transversal capabilities and intercultural competences. It aims to develop a holistic process of learning, teaching, and training through the integration of the cognitive (knowledge-based), metacognitive (perception-based), motivational (emotion-based), and behavioural capabilities (verbal and non-verbal) of intercultural competence. This project is based on a transnational approach which aims to develop a four-tiered model of an online learning and training platform to promote students, teachers, and SMEs to participate in an all-inclusive and iterative process of experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting in various cultural frameworks. The transnational approach ensures the development of an authentic resource pool of transversal capabilities and facilitates an enhanced level of cultural awareness. It is based on the methodology of experiential learning and training which undoubtedly leads to heightened personal and social competences, and better employability, and highlights that specific tangible experiences are essential for reflective observations which become the basis for actively practicing the acquired transversal skills in diverse cultural environments. The estimated number of direct target groups is 246, which includes 168 students, 63 teachers, and 15 SMEs. These target groups will be trained to eliminate rigorous dependence on culturally-bound thinking, to monitor cultural assumptions and adjust mental models, and to exhibit appropriate transversal capabilities to improve employability and mindfulness across diverse cultures and situational contexts. The total number of estimated indirect beneficiaries is 39 765, which involves 6,300 first year students; 590 teachers, and 32875 from SMEs across the partner regions or countries. The activities of the project are divided into six work packages, which include the PROMINENCE Interactive, the interactive on-line learning and training platform to develop a versatile pool of resources to deliver considerable insights into culture-specific interactions in diverse situational contexts through a wide-scale of interactive tools; the on-line curriculum to provide the detailed description of the course; resource materials; assessment tools; requirements; policies and procedures; and resource materials; surveys reports to measure the transversal capabilities of the target groups; articles to professional journals to raise awareness about the positive benefits of intercultural learning and training programmes through transnational cooperation; the E-book as a learning tool to help target groups to reinforce cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioural capabilities of intercultural competence; and the international conference to introduce the project, its outcomes and conclusions to a wide range of audience, including students, teachers from each partner university, SMEs, public authorities, and the general public. There will be three intensive programmes which will revolve around the thematic topics of Different Worlds, Different Languages: Getting to Grips with Cultural Diversity; Managing and Leading in Different Cultures; Practicing Cultural and Emotional Intelligence across Cultures. These aim to help students acquire universal and work-related transversal capabilities through real-life scenarios and experiences which help them: Students, teachers, SMEs and other indirect beneficiaries will learn to negotiate a shared meaning based on culture-bound differences and develop all-inclusive intercultural competences. They will learn how to evaluate intercultural competencies important for succeeding in the global context. These competences will embrace those core skills which are a prerequisite for individuals to lead, strategize, organize and implement strategy in a global and intercultural context.