Introduction to the Erasmus+ Project „Flexible Educational Tool for Leadership Skills Development“ (FETLED) 2018-1-LT01-KA202-047026
The word leader is heard daily – leaders of countries, business leaders. We hear questions: Who are they, the leaders? Are they the ones who lead? Are Leaders Born Or Made? Or maybe each of as is a leader?
In the current world atomic speed, we are facing not only an uncertain work environment but also the attraction and retention of skilled workers. New Generation Z workers entering the labor market and is certainly shaking things up! Next level – Generation Alpha.
Here various methods, like lifelong learning, learning from each other, learning by example, teaching from each other comes. And the essential part is the WILL to learn. The most effective way is to combine forces, not according to generation, whatever it’s named, but for reaching a common goal has to be gathered.
The business faces the changes fastest, so the need for leaders to effectively address and overcome the challenges of the work environment has come. The leader brings together a strongly motivated team, leads the company and team forward, overcomes challenges on the road to achieving goals. It is also very important for the leader to feel responsible for his or her actions towards his colleagues, the environment, our future.
The idea of writing a project came while meeting and observing vocational schools’ students, Practice Enterprise trainees, at various events and their transformation from a non-talkative and non-self-confident into a communicative, trustworthy, cooperative, eager to win, enthusiastic, persistent person. Through patience and continuous learning and consistent accumulation of experience, at least in vocational schools in our case, trainees become leaders while working and training in Practice Enterprises.
A Practice Enterprise is a trainee-run company that operates as a real business. It silhouettes a real enterprise’s business procedures, products, and services. A Practice Enterprise resembles a real company in its form, organization, and function.
More information about the PE concept can be found here: https://www.penworldwide.org/about-us/concept/.
Within the FETLED project, the materials related to leadership competencies were review, applied and tested in the practical context of the business training system. There was research done on what key leadership competencies could be developed in Practice Enterprises. The nature of leadership competencies was highlighted, with a strong focus on the perception of socially responsible business.
The project objectives are to:
- Review the literature, best practices, development, and implementation of similar initiatives and programs and conduct a gap analysis and needs assessment to promote entrepreneurship and leadership skills, with the use of Practice Enterprise.
- Develop material for trainees, in order to foster the development of leadership competencies, to form the knowledge base-ground of being a socially responsible person, to improve the level of skills for employability and new business creation.
- Disseminate the created material to relevant multipliers and support its further promotion, implement online activities targeting the wider network in all partner countries.
The main result of the project is to expand the concept of Practice Enterprise by forming and developing a business idea, improving social and entrepreneurial skills. As part of the project, the consortium aim was to apply the Practice Enterprise methodology to young people in developing leadership skills. In order to specify what key leadership competencies could be developed through practice in Practice Enterprise a work was done and the intellectual output – the Leader SkillBox is created.
Practice Enterprise Leader SkillBox is the guide for trainees on how to acquire leadership abilities while working in the Practice Enterprise.
Leader SkillBox is a tool, designed for students and it will:
- help to assess their leadership skills and to improve and refine them;
- provide them the opportunity to gain sufficient leadership skills;
- empower you to reach sufficient leadership skills to pave a way to becoming socially responsible leaders and to develop as members of society and European citizens.
The SkillBox consist of 2 parts and 5 documents:
- QUESTIONNAIRE,
- RESULTS,
- RESULTS INTERPRETATIONS,
- RESULTS ACCORDING TO LEADER COMPETENCIES,
- MATERIAL FOR IMPROVEMENT.
To improve their leadership skills, they should do step by step all 6 stages of Leader SkillBox.
Leader SkillBox
DOCUMENTS IN ENGLISH
Leader_Skillbox_Introduction Document in EN (.pdf)
Leader Skillbox Documents in EN (.zip)
DOCUMENTS IN LITHUANIAN
Lyderystes_Kompetenciju_Aplankas_Ivadas Document in LT (.pdf)
LYDERYSTĖS KOMPETENCIJŲ APLANKAS Documents in LT (.zip)
DOCUMENTS IN SPANISH
Fetled 01 ES LEADER SKILLBOX Documents in ES (.pdf)
DOCUMENTS IN BULGARIAN
Fetled 01 BG LEADER SKILLBOX Documents in BG (.pdf)
DOCUMENTS IN GERMAN
Fetled 01 DE LEADER SKILLBOX Documents in DE (.pdf)
Target groups:
Trainees, working in PE (VET students).
The project also involved:
Trainers working with PE methodology (VET teachers).
Indirect target group:
Parents, VET schools.
Project Coordinator:
LIETUVOS IMITACINIŲ BENDROVIŲ ASOCIACIJA „LIBA“ (Lithuania)
Partners:
BULGARIAN CENTRE OF TRAINING FIRMS (Bulgaria)
FUNDACIO PRIVADA INFORM-INSTITUT PER A LA FORMACIO DE JOVES VERS L’ADMINISTRACIO D’EMPRESES (Spain)
EUROPEN-PEN INTERNATIONAL EV (Germany)
Project lifetime: 01/12/2018 – 31/01/2020