Smart Practice Piloting Phase
Vytautas Magnus University is currently implementing Erasmus+ strategic partnership project dedicated to smart practice: innovative approaches on internship in higher education which improve student entrepreneurship and employment skills.
After providing the theoretical background and defining what Smart Practice is, the piloting phase is taking place. At least 36 students, 16 lecturers and 12 mentors (business enterprise representatives) are participating in the project activities directly. The duration of the piloting phase is about 1 or 2 months depending on the needs of the stakeholders.
A Smart Practice internship is based on teamwork and interdisciplinary approach. It involves training of special professional abilities of students, improving their analytical and real-life problem solving skills. Thus, the entrepreneurial skills become of a high importance because these skills in turn empower students to develop and build the success full career.
Involvement of the universities in the different national and international research and development projects and activities becomes very important precondition to create the space for implementation and development of Smart practices. Other important element of Smart practices is a strategic social partnership between the universities, businesses and civil society based on the long-term and directed efforts and attempts to solve different socio-economic, scientific or technological problems.
As the results of the piloting phase has shown the stakeholders are satisfied with the work of the students and the insight they provided and are willing to continue the collaboration.
The Erasmus+ strategic partnership project Smart Practice – Empowering Entrepreneurial Skills in Higher Education (No. 2015-1-LT01-KA203-013477) is implemented by six partners from four European countries. The project’s coordinator is the Kaunas Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (Lithuania); project partners: VMU (Lithuania); European University Cyprus (Cyprus); consulting and training organization Eurosuccess Consulting (Cyprus); Lapland University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and the University of Verona (Italy).
