The PROMINENCE project addresses key objectives of policies concerning the relevance of higher education (HE) by opening avenues for cooperation linking teachers, students and employers. PROMINENCE is about providing SMEs with greater opportunities, by providing them with graduates entering the job market who have been trained using authentic, up to date, digitalised learning materials, focused on the actual needs SMEs identify in overcoming cross-cultural communication problems affecting their business activities. PROMINENCE therefore works to ensure the partner universities earn their proper places the European society of the future – today. In other words, PROMINENCE represents one clear example of a way forward for higher education. The main output is an online learning and teaching platform to the development of which stakeholders from educational institutions (both students and teachers) and working life (Employers and employees from SMEs) contribute. The digitally created environment allows accessibility to all stakeholders across borders. The content of the project, promotion of cross-cultural communication skills together with the utilisation of ICT tools and modern pedagogical approaches, aims to increase interoperability and portability of applicable information, as well as to encourage educational institutions to adopt innovative ways of teaching and learning.

The PROMINENCE project supports the following educational goals, with regard to this priority:

  1. on-going curriculum reform, in where students and teachers are involved. The curriculum that will be developed during the project is designed and developed in close collaboration with the students, teachers and SMEs.
  2. strengthening mobility. By 2020, 20% of graduates should have had study or training abroad. The project provides first home-based internationalization with the help of PROMINENCE on-line platform and training at the three intensive courses in various European cultural contexts.  The aim is to increase the motivation of teachers and students of participating HEIs in mobility schemes in such a way that there will be an average 10 % increase in short-term staff and student exchanges after the project is completed.
  3. improving employability of HEI graduates and maintaining and renewing skilled workforce.  The project objective is to improve the transversal competences, not only among the HEI students and teachers but also SME staff in the partner regions/countries. Based on the open access principle, the PROMINENCE platform is available to be used by interested SMEs in training their staff. The e-handbook will assist in using the platform. The Intensive Programs organized in three different countries will focus on three different thematic topics a) Different Worlds, Different Languages: Getting to Grips with Cultural Diversity, b) Managing and Leading in Different Cultures, and c) Practicing Cultural and Emotional Intelligence across Cultures.
  4. reinforcing the global dimension as the curriculum, intensive programmes and on-line platform are of use not only to European degree students but also those coming from outside Europe.