About the project

The project is implemented as part of strategic partnerships for higher education, under the Erasmus+ program. Project implementation period December 2020 - November 2022 (inclusive). Project coordinated by the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow in cooperation with partners:
Internet Web Solutions
University of Dubrovnik
Italian Development Partners
Institut de Haute Formation Aux Politiques Communautaires
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga
University of Economics in Varna

The ESSENCE project intends to improve employability opportunities for HE students by stimulating soft skills development. Project objective is to maximize their engagement in the labor market through offering professional development paths that go beyond formal HE trainings. In order to meet the expectations of entrepreneurs and recruiters connected with the most desirable soft skills, the courses will be based on the demand-driven employers’ perspective.

Goals

According to ground-breaking research published by World Economic Forum in 2016, in the era of digital automation and AI, career success factors are facing times of significant changes especially in industry sectors at high technological coefficient (but not exclusively!). From 2020, at the very edge of the forth industrial revolution, strategic competitiveness relies more and more on intellectual capital assets – hence the needs to cultivate new managerial talents that are strongly empowered not only on technical knowledge but mostly on soft and intangible capabilities. ESSENCE aims to nurture a complete set of new soft skills on HE students and fresh graduates to complete, enhance and enrich their education and employability competitiveness beside the formal University training. During the project, partners will develop trainings, courses, educational modules and content that is in line with the CEDEFOP guidelines for Learning Outcome and fully aligned with the EQF from levels 3 to 5. In addition, the project will develop operational tools (i.e. self-assessment means) that systematically engage multiple organisational studies field and functions - communication, people management, HR, etc.