June 2020 – The LEADER partnership, comprising of seven European organisations operating in the vocational educational and/or entrepreneurial spheres, announced the recent launch of its project website. Leadertheproject.com is now serving as a one-stop-shop for students as well as academic/in-company trainers to learn more about the project and access the resources which are currently being developed to promote soft skills development. These include a soft skills curriculum for European students in Vocational Education and Training (VET), a train-the-trainer guidebook and ultimately, a serious game which is expected to complement more traditional forms of teaching and training. At present, the game developers are interviewing a selected sample of students to assess their needs and demands and ensure that they stand to benefit from the real-world, decision-making scenarios which will be featured in the digital game, demonstrating how specific skills work in different situations.
As the partner organisation responsible for the project’s dissemination actions, the Malta Business Bureau (MBB) was tasked with the development of this website and e-learning platform. The MBB’s Chief Executive Officer, Joe Tanti, stated that, “As an organisation that has the interests of the business community at heart, it is important for us to contribute to initiatives that support the education and training of our future industry leaders. Students, academic tutors and industry trainers have a lot to learn from one another and should always find time to consult one another and work collectively”. He thanked the LEADER partners for the time and energy which they are investing in the implementation of this project, and especially acknowledged the sterling work conducted by MBB Executives Sarah Abdilla and Marija Elena Borg in the setting up of this user-friendly platform.
The LEADER Project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, is led by Friesland College (the Netherlands) in collaboration with Technical Education Copenhagen (Denmark), Malta Business Bureau (Malta), Spektrum Educational Centre Foundation (Romania), CEBANC College (Spain), Inqubator Leeuwarden and 8D Games (the Netherlands).