Seven organisations based in Denmark, Malta, Romania, Spain and the Netherlands have just launched LEADER, an Erasmus+ project aiming to support students in Vocational Education and Training (VET) to develop appropriate ‘people skills’, allowing them to take control of their careers.

‘People skills’ refer to the competencies needed to communicate, cooperate and work productively. In most competitive job markets, employers do not only look for technical ability and specialist knowledge. Instead, they seek candidates who can become leaders, and leadership itself depends on both technical and ‘people’ skills. Exposing students to a comprehensive skill-set thus increases their chances for professional success.

Training in ‘people skills’ is, however, far from straightforward as these competencies tend to be complex and vary from one situation to another. This is where the students’ motivation becomes an increasingly important factor, coupled with the employed training method and delivery.

For this reason, LEADER has set out to develop an innovative serious game which will help VET students acquire insight into their qualities and allow them to develop the skills required to occupy a rightful place in the labour market. The LEADER game will include real-world, decision-making scenarios demonstrating how specific skills work in different situations.

In addition, educators and trainers will also be trained to make sure they are well-equipped to teach ‘people’ and leadership skills. A strong and thorough research will be undertaken to make sure the LEADER project meets the criteria of both VET students and employers in business.

For more information about LEADER, kindly contact MBB Senior Executive Marija Elena Borg on mborg@mbb.org.mt.

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).