An overview of the initiative
The SKIPPER – ‘Skills Portfolio of Personal Development’ project funded by the European Union has been launched from 30th of December, 2022.
The European Union provides a grant of EUR 400 000 for the implementation of the project for the period: 30th December 2022 – 29 th March 2025. The Partnership consisting of the University of Pannonia (coordinator, Hungary), Wrocław University of Economics (Poland), Menat BV. (The Netherlands), Learning Innovation (Hungary), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) successfully started the project work in the Kick-off meeting.
RESULTS AND DELIVERABLES
What we plan to do
Our project is aimed at creating a Skills Portfolio of Personal Development (SKIPPER) for students that contains their achievements during the university years in a way that both curricular and extra-curricular activities are recognised. In order to make the Portfolio useful and part of the everyday practice of higher education institutes, we will assess the skill mismatches and we will promote the skills development to ensure that students, universities understand the necessity of the improvement of skills. We plan to do this within a consortium of members with considerable amount of experience in the fields of competence measurement, skill development and higher education.
This goal encompasses the following 4 specific objectives:
1, Assessing the gap between the competencies/skills developed by higher education institutions and the skills expectations of the labour market.
2, Establishing a Skills Matrix containing the key skills required from graduates, identified by desk research and stakeholder feedback.
3, Developing a Skills Portfolio, a gamified digital tool incorporating curricular and extra-curricular learning pathways that contribute to students’ skills development
4, Devising a Skills Passport based on the Skills Portfolio, serving as a diploma supplement to graduates, providing an objective depiction of their skills.
ACTIVITIES PERFORMED TO DATE
Progress made
As a first step to achieve the defined goals and harmonize the partnership, we held the first transnational project meeting on 26-27 th January, 2023. The Kick-off meeting was organised in Veszprém by the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pannonia with 5 Partners from 4 different countries who discussed besides financial, dissemination, QA and management issues the overall process and the main milestones of the project but with particular emphasis on the preparation for the first project results e.g. conducting desk top (existing competence measurement systems, tools and measurement of skills and gaps on EU level) research in EU countries; identification of learning paths; focus-group interviews with students; skills matrix; stakeholder pool; etc.
NEXT STEPS
Future issues
In the first stage we will conduct a comprehensive research, according to the following process:
- Assessing the gap between the competencies/skills developed by higher education institutions and the skills expectations of the labour market,
- Establishing a Skills Matrix containing the key skills required from graduates, identified by desk research and stakeholder feedback (potential future employers, such as companies, SMEs, not-for profit organisations),
- Defining Students’ attitude towards the Portfolio and the digital form,
- Creating a Stakeholder pool with at least one member in each country and each role. (4 roles: university educator, company HR leader or decision maker, enterprise HR leader or decision maker, SME decision maker),
- Creating a Working Competence Wheel,
- Developing a Learning Paths Pool with at least 25 crossroads.
CONTACT DETAILS:
This project (n° 2022-1-HU01-KA220-HED-000086240) has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author(s), and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.