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Key stakeholders join the SIVSEN research efforts

Almost 100 stakeholders from the UK, Sweden, Italy, and Romania have supported the SIVSEN team to map out the existing programmes, practices, and experiences related to the pathways from education into a social enterprise workplace.

During the spring and summer of 2021, the SIVSEN partners conducted research on the social enterprise sector and their interaction with the education system and work placement programmes run for learners by VET and higher education institutions, with a special focus on work placement programmes in social enterprises.

First, the partners researched already available data, reports, and studies on the topics mentioned above. They prepared four reports on their national contexts and one comparative analysis for the UK, Sweden, Italy, and Romania. Further, they wanted to explore the relationship between the social enterprise sector and the VET and higher education organizations in more depth. Thus, they organized focus groups and online surveys with 51 social entrepreneurs or representatives of social enterprises and 46 representatives of universities, high schools, public or private VET providers, etc.

We thank all 97 people that have joined our research effort for their time and valuable insights in understanding:

  • How the social enterprise sector collaborates with VET and higher education organizations;
  • How different work placement programmes currently work in the UK, Sweden, Italy, and Romania;
  • What expectations and benefits VET and higher education, as well as social enterprises and participants in work placements, have from these programmes;
  • How social enterprise employers envision a local or international collaboration with VET and higher education institutions in providing meaningful work placement opportunities for young people.

All the reports and the comparative data will be published soon on our website and directly shared with all the stakeholders that have contributed to the SIVSEN research effort.

The research results will be used to develop a work experience placement programme that can be transferable to any social enterprise in Europe.

SIVSEN project is developed under the Erasmus + programme by five partner organisations based in the UK, Italy, Sweden, and Romania: City College Plymouth, Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (UK), Foreningen Urkraft (Sweden), Materahub (Italy), and Fundatia Danis (Romania).