The overall objective of the Conventus project is to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of people working, or planning to work, in cooperatives.
The project has target groups and beneficiaries on local/regional, national and EU-level. Short term beneficiaries are groups like the employees, members and tutor/mentors in co-operatives. The most important long-term beneficiaries will be the cooperative organisations and their staff at local, national and international level who offer training to their members
Goals
The purpose of the project is to create a greater understanding and knowledge among the co-operators themselves of the situation of cooperatives in Europe, so as to to strengthen their self-esteem, cooperative identity and entrepreneurial skills. This will be done through regular meetings to learn and develop together with new contacts. ICT solutions will be employed to facilitate the meetings and to give added value to the cooperation. The new skills that are required for the cooperative enterprise nowadays mean cooperative employees need to update their competences to assure a better match with labour market needs. Cooperatives can contribute to new job creation and address changes in society (new disadvantaged categories of job seekers, such as more older and younger unemployed due to ongoing demographic changes).
During the project an innovative learning model will be introduced. The learning model will be a combination of peer-to-peer learning and use of eLearning tools and social media. Transnational cooperation is an important factor in this work.
The project partners are:
- Bifrost University (Iceland)
- Coompanion Co-operative Development Agency of Skaraborg (Sweden)
- Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
- National Cooperative Council – Cooperative Research Institute (Spółdzielczy Instytut Badawczy, Poland)
- Trentino Federation of Cooperation (Italy)
- Osuustoiminnan kehittäjät Coop Finland ry (Finland)
For more information on project activities and results, please check our Final Report (2011_3591_FR_Conventus_public report, pdf)
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication [communication] 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.