BEST Institute for vocational training and personal training GmbH

TransCSR

Transparency of CSR skills through ECVET in European tourism

Background

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a growing area of concern in society. Responsible corporate management is getting increasingly important for consumers. This world-wide trend finds its evidence within several surveys, for example in the ‘Travelscope’ survey of the GfK (2010): the survey reveals that 35% of German households, which are actively travelling, are interested in CSR, which makes 7,6 million people. The implementation of CSR is a quality feature especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that allows meeting future market requirements and enhancing their competitiveness. This requires qualified employees able to drive and lead this change.

 

Aims and target group

In line with the identified challenges of the European Commission about the European labour market, the TransCSR project aims at transparency and acknowledgement of CSR skills in the tourism sector of at least six European countries using the tools of the ECVET system and the EQF. The project is based on the results of the currently running LdV-project “Train to Change”. A holistic CSR training system for the employees of tourism companies has been adapted and is being transferred to seven European countries. The system covers the whole CSR process of implementation and data collection, the production of a sustainability report and the development of an improvement programme. The training system uses a methodology of blended learning in order to meet the necessities of learners in a fulltime working routine.

 

Partners and Outcomes

As many as nine European partners have come together from six countries (Germany, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom, Latvia and Austria) to form the partnership of this project and will deliver the following outcomes:

  • Thorough analysis of CSR key competences in the tourism industry
  • Production of a common transparent model for documentation of the additional qualification in the skills pass
  • Web-based self-assessment tool tested by at least 200 CSR qualified persons evaluating the skills gained in diverse learning environments
  • Additional CSR qualification supported by a first network of acknowledgement ensuring transparency and
  • Memorandum of Understanding to create a European-wide network
EU-Program: LLP, Leonardo da Vinci, Transfer of Innovation
Coordination: KATE – Kontaktstelle für Umwelt und Entwicklung e.V. (Germany)
Contact: Karin Kronika
Duration: October 2013 - September 2015
EU - Partner für lebenslanges Lernen This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.