Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2023-11-11

Description

Description (EN):

The project BOOSTED aims at providing an aligned and relevant skillset for the CB region tourism industry to grow as a coherent tourism destination. As pointed out in the EUSBR the region should be developed as a common tourism destination: it has joint markets and challenges. Skills and competencies of the tourism industry should also be aligned in the region in order the industry to grow and to be competitive. However, the business skills needed to attract and to receive more international tourists are lacking. In practice, the project aligns higher vocational tourism education with the needs of tourism industry and labour market in Finland, Estonia and Latvia into a new, joint curriculum and a study programme (32 ects). In the project relevant and mutual skillset is identified and aligned by research, it is translated into a VET curriculum and implemented as an online study programme. The study programme is created in close co-operation with the tourism industry and around real-life business cases in order to support the industry development. Teaching material is also produced and experience is exchanged during an innovation camp. When the project ends the curriculum and the study programme are integrated as a module to the institutes’ bachelor curricula and online course offerings. The curriculum is spread to higher vocational institutes delivering tourism education in Finland, Estonia and Latvia. To ensure this, a teachers guide is produced and future teachers are coached. As a result, the project enhances quality of higher vocational tourism education in the CB region through internalization and digitalization. The project supports joint curriculum development, increases physical and virtual mobility and attracts more students outside the region to study. By matching the education with the skills needed in the industry the project boosts the growth of tourism businesses and contributes to creating new partnerships.

Achievements (EN):

Teachers´ Guide: The Interreg Central Baltic project BOOSTED aimed at providing a common and relevant skillset for the Central Baltic Area to grow as a coherent tourism destination. In practice, the project aligned higher tourism education with the needs of the tourism industry and the labour market in a new, joint curriculum and study programme of tourism business development. Tourism curricula cannot be designed in isolation. Higher education institutions should consider the rationales and purpose when designing their curriculum. If tourism is to contribute to the economic regeneration and to the growth and competitiveness of destinations and businesses, it is necessary to understand the needs and state of the art of the tourism industry. At first, a relevant, common skillset in tourism business development was identified by gathering data from more than 100 tourism professionals and by reviewing existing tourism curricula and national tourism strategies. Second, the data were analysed and the necessary skillset was translated into a joint curriculum with eight different courses. In the last phase, the curriculum was implemented as an online study programme. All the project activities were implemented in cooperation with four higher education institutions: Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Tallinn University of Technology, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and University of Latvia. National borders were blurred and the curriculum and the study programme are truly an initiative of three countries. This Teachers’ Guide is published to ensure that the results of the project are spread to higher education institutions delivering tourism education in the Central Baltic Area. The guide is a tool for future lecturers to adopt the curriculum designed in the project. The guide also provides essential tips for designing and delivering an eLearning course and an innovation camp with tourism students in international cooperation. Hopefully, the experiences gained during the project will support other tourism lecturers in their aims to develop international, industry-driven tourism education.

Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/

Expected Results (EN): R4.2. Increased share of aligned vocational education and training (VET) programmes in the Central Baltic region

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project’s main result is a joint curriculum and a study programme of 32 ects in advanced tourism business development. The programme is implemented online in English by distance learning. Courses (4 x 5 ects and 4 x 3 ects) are divided between the partners based on their expertise. Every partner organizes a 5 ects core course and a 3 ects course providing specialized knowledge. The programme is created with the tourism industry and around real-life tourism business cases in order to support the industry development and to achieve stronger integration of learning and local tourism enterprises. Thus, SMEs co-operating with the project partners provide cases to the courses that are jointly solved. The programme is placed at level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework. The programme is targeted to higher vocational education students (bachelor level) but also tourism sector workers can participate through open university. The content of the curriculum and the study programme is based on the reseach results identifying the joint skillset and competencies. Each PP sends second or third year tourism students and SME''s workers to participate in joint courses. The programme is implemented using joint eLearning platform, and one course of 3 ects is organized as an innovation camp (1 x 5 days) in Kuressaare. In the programme also joint teaching material, teacher''s guide and coaching events for CB region tourism lecturers about the curriculum and the programme are produced. Altogether 150 students from CB countries participate to the programme. The result indicator for the objective is the share of aligned vocational education and training (VET) programmes in the CB region: the project result links directly to that by designing a joint curriculum and implementing a joint study programme (32 ects) in the CB region. The curriculum is spread in Finnish, Estonian and Latvian higher education institutions in the CB region.

Thematic information

Tourism Education and training

Specific Objective: More aligned vocational education and training (VET) programmes in the Central Baltic region

Thematic Objective: (10) investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning by developing education and training infrastructure

Investment Priority: (10 ETC) ETC specific, for cross-border cooperation: investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning by developing and implementing joint education, vocational training and training schemes

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: SATAKUNNAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY

Department: Service Business

Address: Tiedepuisto 3, 28600 Pori, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.samk.fi

Total budget: EUR 247 351.90

ERDF budget: EUR 185 513.92

Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Department: Kuressaare College

Address: Tallinna 19, 93811 Kuressaare, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ttu.ee/kuressaare

Total budget: EUR 80 058.60

ERDF budget: EUR 68 049.81

Vidzemes Augstskola (ViA)

Name: Vidzemes Augstskola (ViA)

Department: Knowledge and Technology centre

Address: Cesu street 4, 4201 Valmiera, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.va.lv

Total budget: EUR 143 179.85

ERDF budget: EUR 121 702.87

Latvijas Universitāte

Name: Latvijas Universitāte

Department: Faculty of Economics and Management

Address: Raina Blvd 19, 1586 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.lu.lv

Total budget: EUR 100 491.40

ERDF budget: EUR 85 417.69

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Tallinn University of Technology

Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Partners and Projects info

Vidzemes Augstskola

Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Partners and Projects info

Latvijas Universitate

Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Partners and Projects info

Satakunta University of Applied Sciences

Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Project acronym: BOOSTED

Project start date: 2016-11-01

Project end date: 2019-10-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 571 081.75

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 460 684.30

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 460 684.30.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Project Informations

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/project/55

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2019-10-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Skills Needed in International Tourism Business Development

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/skills/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2017-04-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

WP 1 Identifying and Aligning the Skillset

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/skills/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2019-10-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Competencies Needed in Competitive International Tourism Development

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/skills/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2017-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Joint report of WP 1 Identifying and Aligning the Skillset - Finland, Estonia, Latvia

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/skills/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2017-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Media releases / articles

Newsletter #1

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Media release / article

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/news/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2017-02-28

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Newsletter #2

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Media release / article

Data source: https://www.projectboosted.eu/news/

Publication date: 2022-11-18

Document date: 2017-09-05

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-11

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

137 / 137 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

663 / 663 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://centralbaltic.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08, 2023-01-12 and 2024-03-08.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

Languages

Contact Form

Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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