EBBD prime project close to its successful termination
The EBBD prime project is close to its successful termination, thus providing a contribution to the European Education Area. EBBD graduates receive a Europe-wide harmonised certificate of excellence and institutions for vocational education working in the aera of business education a strong impulse for their internationalization. For further details see for yourself: link to article on the EfVET Website and https://ebbd.eu/about-ebbd/overview/
EBBD prime is the abbreviation for “professional recognition of internationalization, mobility and excellence”. It is our answer to the ever-accelerating digitalization that fundamentally changes the competences needed for employability and active participation as citizens.
The EBBD program also provides learning opportunities for acquiring necessary competences and attitudes besides digital competences, such as flexibility, mobility, open-mindedness, creativity, commitment, courage to experiment and learning from mistakes, as well as the willingness to make extra efforts. It fosters realistic aspirations and excellence.
When we started the project more than two years ago, we had ambitious objectives. We wanted to
- adjust EBBD to the challenges caused by accelerated digitalization and equip students with the competences they need in the future
- further standardize and harmonize EBBD in the different European countries by implementing ECEVT based Learning Units and the European
Frameworks (Dig.Comp., EntreComp and Council Recommendations concerning lifelong learning and democratic culture and citizenship) - strengthen the network of EBBD colleges and their cooperation with stakeholders, in particular companies
- better inform and guide students and parents
- accredit more EBBD colleges in more European countries, also by facilitating the accreditation process and providing an online tool.
Although we had to struggle with the hurdles the pandemic had thrown in our path, we are now proud that we have managed to achieve almost everything we had set our mind on.
After a process of development and collecting feedback from existing EBBD colleges, the new design of the EBBD portfolio and the guidelines for colleges the AGM approved of the new design unanimously, thus guaranteeing that the same standards are being applied at all colleges accredited for EBBD throughout Europe.
Based on this decision further development was possible: The EBBD website was relaunched and now provides every accredited college, institutions and persons interested in EBBD with detailed information about the new EBBD design, but also displays the development from the beginning work on the certificate. Come and visit our new website to see for yourself: https://ebbd.eu/
Marketing Material
The existing marketing material (flyer and overview brochure) have been adapted to the changes of the new EBBD design. Two completely new brochures (EBBD portfolio and EBBD guidelines) have been developed in order to help colleges to implement EBBD and also to help colleges to prepare for (re-)accreditation. They are available for download on the website: https://ebbd.eu/about-ebbd/ebbd-portfolio/
Accreditation Tool:
The online accreditation tool has been developed and has been tested by the project partners. It seems to be working well – since handling it is much easier now than with the old one. It will be made available in January 2022 for the public via the website – combined with a detailed description on how to use it and what to consider. Thus, colleges interested in (re-)accreditation can already try it out before the EBBD conference in March in Barcelona, where it will be presented, too.
Student Portfolio
Material with which the students can develop their transversal skills and document the process in a portfolio has been developed. A short brochure explaining how to use the material will be created until the EBBD conference in March. The material itself will be made available in Word format for EBBD colleges via an internal part of the website.
Alumni Network
The foundation of the alumni network has been laid by creating a LinkedIn group for EBBD graduates and the EBBD coordinators of the colleges. The alumni network shall bring the EBBD family in Europe closer together by helping to get to know each other better across borders, provide possibilities for exchange and keep the EBBD profile up to date.
Now, almost at the end of the project, it only remains for me to thank all partners for the excellent, constructive and extremely harmonious cooperation and to express my hope that the new EBBD design will convince many, many other vocational schools and institutions in Europe and that the EBBD family will continue to grow.
Ute Pentke (coordinator), BBS Wirtschaft 1 Ludwigshafen (D)
Project Partners
BBS Wirtschaft 1 Ludwigshafen (Germany) – (coordinator)
International Business College BHAK (Vienna, AT)
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, DE)
EBBD e.V. (Ludwigshafen, DE)
Gustav-Stresemann-Wirtschafts-schule (Mainz, DE)
Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College (Copenhagen, DK)
Nazaret Fundazioa (San Sebastian, ES)
Business College Helsinki International (Helsinki, FI)
Andrassy György Katolikus Közgazdasági Technikum Gimnázium és Kollégium (Eger, HU)
Istituto Istruzione Superiore A. Volta (Frosinone, IT)
Stichting ROC Summa College (Eindhoven, NL)
Zespol Szkol Ekonomicznych (Czestochowa, PL)