B-WISE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION – PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES

B-WISE (Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills in Work Integration Social Enterprises) is an Erasmus+ project that aims to develop a European strategy (Blueprint) to address the skills needs, in particular regarding digital skills, in the Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) sector.

To achieve this goal, the project gathers 30 partners (2 European organisations, 14 national and regional WISEs sector representatives, 13 VET providers, 1 European Research Institute), who will work together for 4 years (until December 2024).

WISEs? Work Integration Social Enterprises are enterprises whose main objective is the social and professional integration of workers with support needs. They are at the core of the economic system and include a strong pedagogical dimension. Workers with support needs can be long-term unemployed, persons with disabilities, older persons, migrants, NEETS and other groups who are more at risk to be excluded from the labour market.

The B-WISE project targets the skills needs of workers with support needs, their supporters (such as their job coaches, trainers) and their managers. The project also promotes the attractiveness of the WISE sector as a career choice and raises awareness on the importance of the use of digital technologies to support workers – who are more at risk to be excluded from the labour market – in work placement.

The B-WISE project will:

  • Identify the skill gaps – mainly digital skill gaps – currently experienced by the WISEs sector;
  • Chart the skills that the sector will need in the future;
  • Develop a credible and sustainable plan to match demand (employees/employers) and supply (VET providers) of identified skills needs;
  • Update the transnational vocational training curricula according to the new needs of the labour market;
  • Support the exchange of good practices at national and regional level, favouring the development of a sustainable community supporting skills growth, innovation and competitiveness in the sector;
  • Enhance the attractiveness of the WISEs sector as a career choice.

To reach these goals and prepare WISEs to face future challenges, the project implements the following actions:

  1. Develop a report to provide an overview of the WISEs sector across Europe and identify the skills needed in the sector.
  2. Design three training curricula to meet the skills gaps of workers in integration, their supporters and their managers.
  3. Make those curricula a reality by testing them in 13 countries and validating them by certification authorities.
  4. Develop a European Strategy to continue addressing the skills needs in the WISEs sector even after the end of the project.
  5. Raise awareness to promote the WISEs sector as a career choice and on the importance of the use of digital technologies to support people who are more at risk to be excluded from the labour market in work placement.

PARTNERS

The partnership is composed of 2 European networks, EASPD and ENSIE, 16 WISEs sector representatives, 13 VET providers and one European Research institute. The partners are from 13 European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain. They are:

  • EASPD – European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities
  • ENSIE – European Network of Social Integration Enterprises
  • arbeit plus (Austria)
  • Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz (Austria)
  • Lichtwerk (Belgium)
  • RES – Réseau d’entreprises sociales (Belgium)
  • La fédération française des entreprises d’insertion (France)
  • AFPA (France)
  • de omslag (The Netherlands)
  • ROC van Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
  • NASOR – National Association of the Socially Responsible Employers (Bulgaria)
  • Excellia (Bulgaria)
  • Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (Latvia)
  • Samaritan Association of Latvia (Latvia)
  • Stowarzyszenie Współpracy Regionalnej (Poland)
  • ACT Group (Croatia)
  • Faculty of Law in Zagreb University (Croatia)
  • Margarita (Greece)
  • Ev Zin (Greece)
  • AIAS Bologna onlus (Italy)
  • Idee In Rete (Italy)
  • EURICSE – European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Italy)
  • SCF – Scuola Centrale Formazione (Italy)
  • SENT (Slovenia)
  • Cene Štupar (Slovenia)
  • Fundacion ONCE (Spain)
  • Fundación Coremsa (Spain)

The partners are supported by an advisory board that gathers 7 umbrella organisations, 1 international organisation and 8 representatives of national and regional authorities, as follows:

  • AAATE – Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe
  • CECOP – European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives
  • EDF – European Disability Forum
  • EFVET – European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training
  • EPR – European Platform for Rehabilitation
  • FESE/EFSE – European Fund for Southeast Europe
  • RREUSE
  • ILO – International Labour Organisation
  • TUV Hellas
  • Regional Labour Office in Katowice
  • POM West-Vlaanderen
  • Groep Maatwerk
  • City of Zagreb
  • CIE
  • ANOFM România
  • Bulgarian agency of employment

More information on the B-WISE project can be found on the project’s website – http://www.bwiseproject.eu/.

RESULTS

The RISE team will upload below the results of the B-Wise project as they are completed.

Leaflet Download
Report on current situation of skills gaps, especially in the digital area, in WISEs sector and anticipating future needs. March 2022
Report on skill needs (especially digital ones) in the WISEs sector September 2022
Report on Occupational Profiles in WISEs sector October 2022
Learning outcome statement November 2022
Universal Training curricula for WISE sector May 2023
MOOC for WISEs sector August 2023
Tutorial toolkits for teachers and trainers February 2024
Report from Pilot Implementation February 2024
Report from national certification authorities February 2024
Promotional plan for WISEs February 2024
Report evaluation of the pilot April 2024
Certification/Label and related explanatory material June 2024
Report with adjustment measures for VET curricula June 2024
Sectoral Skills Strategy for WISEs November 2024
B-WISE Community of Practice December 2024
B-WISE Sustainability roadmap December 2024
Memorandum and Alliance partners including long term action plans December 2024