Final report - European Commission - Europa

EUROPEN QUALITY CERTIFICATES:THE EVALUATION OF PRACTICE FIRMSSuzana Temkov, EUROPEN Worldwide Practice Firms NetworkEUROPEN is the worldwide network of practice firms with over 5.500 practice firms in more than 42 countries. A practicefirm is a virtual company that runs like a "real" business silhouetting a "real" firm's business procedures, productsand services. Each practice firm trades with other practice firms, following commercial business procedures inthe practice firm's worldwide economic environment. The practice firms buy and sell all different kinds of productsand services and trade with other practice firms in the network in Europe, Canada, USA, South America, Asia andAustralia. Trainees quickly develop skills in identifying potential clients for their business, promoting their productsand organising their work efficiently. Many practice firms have a mentor country company (real company) that assiststhem by giving commercial support in the running of the business, in line with the mentor company’s products andpolicies. Central Offices support the practice firms by offering some of the commercial services., which are expectedto be available to the business world (e.g. bank, tax office, labour office, customs office, utilities..)Target groups of practice firms are: pupils in business schools, high school students, college and university students,unemployed people, returnees to work, employees in “real” companies, other disaffected persons, people wishingto set up their own business, people with disabilities, future employees being assessed for a job, prisoners.Training institutions from Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Spain andSweden participated in a Leonardo project co-ordinated by EUROPEN between 2001 and 2003, with the objective todevelop minimum quality certificates for practice firms and practice firm trainees. In order to determine the minimumstandards for the practice firms network as a whole, the partners questioned the following target groups: the institutionsin which the practice firms operate; the trainers working in the practice firms; the trainees being trained inthe practice firms: the ex-trainees who have been trained within the practice firms and real companies. Research wasalso undertaken to identify skills shortages in all partners’ countries. By questioning companies to find out abouttheir skill needs, by highlighting basic skill shortages in training and development published by GovernmentalDepartments, Employers, Chambers of Commerce and other National and European institutions and comparing themto the skills trainees obtain in practice firms it was ensured that practice firms are and will be training staff to meetthe needs of employers.Practice firms and its trainees belonging to EUROPEN can nowadays obtain two kinds of bilingual quality certificates ifthey fulfil the defined quality criteria. One is a minimum quality certificate for practice firms and the other one is a minimumquality certificate for practice firm trainees. 14 European countries are already using these quality certificates.Added Value of the Certificates: Meet needs of labour market Enhance employment + career advancement + increased mobility of labour The motivation to reach higher competence levels for students + trainers The sharing of minimum quality standards among European countries Standardised assessment and verification of competencies and skills A target group skill competency recognition New candidate selection tool for employers Recognise the effective, efficient, reliable methodological environment in which the trainees are being trained Ensure and increase quality of training Added value tool to be incorporated in students curriculum vitae demonstrating students life–long learning -practical experience Adding international dimension to education – employers can recruit internationally58Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindsets through Education and Learning