Our official guidelines have finally been published and we are now moving ahead with our training modules
We are proud to announce that, now that the research phase of the EN ROUTE Project has come to its end, the official guidelines of the project have finally been published. We can therefore provide some more insight into the common method that we have developed in order to build the new and recognised profile of the "Sport and Tourism Outdoor Manager".
There are also exciting news concerning the training of our project participants, who are currently being trained on the development of both their life skills and their technical skills.
RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
All project members have come together to draw up some conclusions concerning the outcomes of the research phase of the project. We have tried to answer some questions which would allow us to explain to any third parties, step by step, what processes were put into place in order to get to the definition of a shared model for both the figure of the “Sport and Tourism Outdoor Manager” and its training.
1. What to do in order to design an effective cross-sector curriculum that can work in all EU territories?
Firstly, define your focus. Identify the specific needs for the "Sport and Tourism Outdoor Manager" qualification both in terms of knowledge and in terms of personal competences
Secondly, understand that knowledge and skills have been defined within an interdisciplinary context
Finally, propose different learning methodologies and evaluation criteria designed to be relevant, practical, effective and flexible depending on the learning objectives.
2. How was the training for the "Sport and Tourism Outdoor Manager" role designed?
The first data collection phase demonstrated that it can be useful to have a single shared method to detect the skills and abilities necessary to perform in a particular sector - that of tourism, for example. The main challenge was defining a common training programme due to the many levels of application (European, National, Regional) and to the wide variety of stakeholders. Therefore, the approach had to be flexible in order to be able to diversify the learning experience and to satisfy the needs of all the stakeholders involved in the process.
3. What conclusions did we manage to draw?
By defining the main criteria of every phase of the research, we were able to maintain a high level of transparency throughout the research process. We managed to find agreement on all issues and to produce a clear definition of the final qualification. We have managed to design a common approach by sharing resources and outputs to produce material. We have also defined clear and measurable learning objectives, which were described in a holistic way; this holistic approach allowed us to have a wider margin of flexibility to harmonise all the different systems and to include all the aspects that are more closely linked to the learning path and to the employment needs. We created a methodology open to procedures of feedback to ensure continuous improvement and a regular review of qualification.
TRAINING FRAMEWORK
Life Skills
The training phase of our project is aimed at developing both technical and life skills in project participants. Such skills are necessary - or at least desirable - to possess in order to fully participate in everyday life. However, developing these skills is not enough to build strong professional profiles. The next step is that of instilling in project participants a higher level of self-awareness and the ability to understand their strength and weaknesses so that they can better exploit their strengths in the work environment and at the same time work to improve in the areas of weakness.
We have developed a system that would allow us to increase the self-awareness of project participants while maintaining a non-judgmental, collaborative environment. Not only have we kept constant track of the progress of the project participants on an online visual collaboration platform called Miro, but we have also developed a number of self and peer assessment surveys in order to make the participants aware of their progress and of their skills.
What were the results?
Our project participants gained confidence and discovered they had more skills than they thought. They also increased their self-awareness levels concerning their technical and life skills.
Project Work
Our project participants are now in a phase in which they should develop their project ideas. The main focus of the projects is always placed on sports and on how sporting activities can be used in order to design innovative tourism concepts that can add value to our local realities in a sustainable way. Examples of these projects are:
Virgilio – Health and wellness tourism for people with Special Needs or Chronic Disease. The goal is creating a new approach and protocols among local institutions to fill the existing lack of adequate structures and experiences for tourists who have special needs or are affected by Chronic Disease. The Sport and Tourism Outdoor Manager becomes both a travel coordinator and a healthy coach.
The Castles’ Way – A sustainable tourism model to promote green mobility and the local culture and heritage. The aim is to create a brand to promote green mobility in naturalistic areas to relaunch them from both a tourist-sports and a cultural perspective. Technology will be an essential element of the relaunch.
A modern root river - Sustainable tourism on navigable rivers for a natural and active travel experience. The aim is creating a new, innovative model of sport and tourism services on rivers that can enhance and add value to local realities and at the same time be replicable in other EU territories.
E-learning
Our project participants certainly possessed a number of skills before starting with the EN ROUTE Project. However, we wanted them to not only gain a more thorough understanding of their pre-existing skills, but we also wanted them to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the processes that are necessary in order to start a successful business.
How was this achieved?
We developed 7 e-learning modules, which are currently being taught to our project participants. This e-learning section should come to an end in July. The modules are as follows:
The Tourism sector in the European Union
Project Management
Project Management in a Sport and Tourism Scenario
Promotion and Marketing - Designing a product, Branding & Communication, Promotion
Sport and Tourism Business Strategy Budget and Economic Plans
Sport and Tourism Business Strategy Stakeholders Roles
Sport and Tourism Business Strategy Entrepreneurship Development
Stay in contact with us to find new assessment tools for transversal competences and for other news on training technical modules.