The transnational partners’ meeting of the ‘EDIFY-EDU: Equality, Diversity, Inclusion For improving the qualitY of Management EDUcation, training and professions’ European project took place on 12^th and 13^th  October 2022, in Dublin (Ireland) and kicked-off its implementation.

The EDIFY-EDU project addresses the skills gap of Management education in regards to competencies on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). The project will facilitate skills for management students and managers in medium-sized companies, to respond to the societal transformation by setting up a system for skill assessment, learning offer and validation and recognition.

The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, the Greek Academic partner, actively participated in the hybrid kickoff meeting, represented by its Director, prof. A. Kameas and DAISSy’s project Manager, Ms E. Georgakakou, who delivered a detailed presentation about the activities and deliverables related to the EDIFY-EDU platform, for which DAISSy serves as the Leader partner on its design, implementation, maintenance and evaluation.

The meeting was hosted by the Irish project Coordinator, DUN LAOGHAIRE IADT-Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and all eleven (11) partners from six (6) EU member-states, were represented. Namely, the partnership consists of the following organizations, of which all participated in the meeting:

• Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Ireland – Project Coordinator
• Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber of Commerce, Ireland
• European Grants International Academy SRL, Italy
• Api Servizi Srl, Italy
• Aalto University, Finland
• TIEKE Finnish Information Society Development Centre, Finland
• Technische Universitaet Dresden, Germany
• Pro Arbeit – Kreis Offenbach (AOR) – Kommunales Jobcenter, Germany
• Hellenic Open University-DAISSy Research Group, Greece
• Achaia Chamber´s Development Entity, Greece
• Talent Garden Milano SRL., Italy
• The Female Factor, Austria

The partners used this opportunity to meet in person in a most fruitful way by discussing thoroughly about the project objectives, i.e. the:

• Identification of the skills considered strategic for the new millennium i.e. digital, green and social skills.
• Strengthening the cooperation between the Academic and VET sectors, as well as with the Adult Education and nor-formal learning.
• Boosting the capacity of a highly strategic sector, such as Business and Management, to tackle the new market conditions due to the pandemic.
• Managing the challenges of the post pandemic era as an opportunity for developing a new generation of managers, with respect to the equality, diversity and inclusion principles in all business strategies and policies.

Emphasis was also placed to the exchange among the partners about the content of the project outcomes and the sharing of tasks, namely regarding the:

• Research on training needs
• EDIFY Curriculum outline
• Massive Open Online Course-MOOC (EQF 5)
  • Higher Education and VET Management students, managers of small and medium sized enterprises, employers, etc
  • Sustainability and green competences for business and management, providing good practices to be implemented at the workplace
• Specialisation Training Course (EQF 6)
  • face-to-face, virtual learning, project-based learning, and a work-based learning phase
  • customized learning paths
• Face to face international training events (Winter School on Gender Equality)
• Work-based learning and learning mobilities

The EDIFY_EDU is a three-year project co-funded by the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant of the European Union and it also involves three Associated partners in Germany, Italy and Belgium. The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU and the Achade-Achaia Chamber Development Entity are the two partners which will be thoroughly linked for the effective implementation of the project activities in Greece, embracing also a number of respective stakeholders aiming at the multiple exploitation of the project results and its impact. Stay tuned!

For more information on the EDIFY-EDU project, and other activities of DAISSy:

• Website : https://daissy.eu/, edifyedu-project.eu
• Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup
• Linkedin :
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
  • https://www.linkedin.com/company/edify-edu/
• Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
• Instagram : @daissy_researchgroup
• Email : info@daissy.eap.gr

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.