Getting European Business On-Line (GEBOL) had two key aims. The first was to increase the number of businesses in the partner countries that can set up and manage their own web sites. The second was to promote ECVET compliant qualifications in the skills associated with setting up and maintaining a business web site. There were several transfers of innovation involved but the two most significant were the Getting British Business On-line concept from Google (UK) and the ITQ national vocational qualification of the UK Sector Skills Council (e-skills) that is referenced to the EQF by virtue of its position in the UK Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). Google's research shows that a significant number (around 1 million) SMEs in the UK still have no web presence. Partner research has confirmed that this is replicated across Europe and is at least as bad as the UK position in their own locality. The reasons are many but one key issue is lack of training in the relevant IT User skills in owner managed businesses. This project provided a practical pilot identifying SME's in local areas and linking them to vocational training establishments where students are learning the appropriate skills. Partners supervised and managed these students in applying their learning to support development of web sites for the target beneficiaries, achieving sustainability by training their teachers as assessors of the ITQ. The project brought real experience for students because it directly addressed a real business problem. Skills transfered from the learners to the owners and employees in the business with ECVET compliant qualifications as the focus. The project created Assessor trainers accredited to appoint assessors of ECVET nationally recognised qualifications in order to allow the project to multiply. The motivation for sustainability came from VET organisations that seek quality work experience for their VET and pre-VET learners and cost conscious SMEs that want to improve their competitiveness through increasing practical competencies in web technologies. The consortium was made up of a balanced geographical spread with many partners who were very experienced in EU projects, running and managing small businesses and innovating in the field of VET technology. Most players were educated to graduate or post graduate levels themselves and had very good network links to VET organisations that could support the pilot and then enable it to expand through replication. The context of this proposal supported all 3 of the Leonardo programme general objectives, all the programme operational objectives apart from language learning and all the European and national priorities.
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