project summary

Administration. These skills are transferable from study to work and from one work setting to another: foreign language skills (English and French as widely spoken, plus Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Basque), ICT skills (including use of the Internet and Web 2.0), teamwork and negotiation (also in international teams through online collaboration), general and professional intercultural awareness and knowledge, entrepreneurship, other self-management skills and motivation for lifelong learning.

The Office InterActors target groups are at three levels:

1. educational / VET professionals and institutions interested to include the Office InterActors model in their educational offers,

2. employers and umbrella organisations representing employers, interested to invest in the training of their staff, apprentices or new recruits,

3. students (in Business & Administration but not exclussively), graduates, employees and would-be employees.

The project has transfered, adapted and used the existing InterAct model, proven successful and adaptable to learning at the workplace in the fields of health care and hospitality. InterAct project was awarded the European Label in 2007.

Key activities within the project

Office InterActors tutor trainings – with hands-on activities and simulations to illustrate students’ experience within the courses. At the same time trainings have been structured as piloting sessions and further teaching material development to ensure a better customisation of the courses to the learners.

The syllabus for the trainings includes aspects such as: Office InterActors tutor and student profile, attitudes and motivation, positive approach to team work and problem solving, coaching and mentoring skills, Web 2.0 technologies.

The trainees became tutors involved in the development of the teaching material, especially the scenario. Trainee tutors typically already have an idea of who their students would be, which enhances addressability and potential impact.

Office InterActors courses – Office InterActors can best be described as a strategy for building learning and awareness of business culture and related ICT and language skills. The focus of these courses is not on teaching but on creating collaborative learning opportunities. This vision for learning is put into practice at several levels (type of input, instructions, evaluation, feedback, classroom management etc.).

So far, we have organized one round of courses in Autumn 2009 (30 contact hours, 5 countries), and we are preparing for another round in Spring 2010.

Office InterActors Integrated Training and International Conference – in Iasi - Romania, on 15-17 February 2010, hosted the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration - ”Al. I. Cuza” University Iasi (beneficiary institution in the project). This event aims to offer participants from 10+ European countries useful knowledge, skills and opportunities to use the methodology collaboratively (through joint courses from spring 2010 onwards) or adapted to their own contexts.