How can universities integrate sustainability into the management of their initiatives and build skills that will continue to be used over time?
SuProM addresses this challenge through new Sustainable Project Management programmes at universities in the Western Balkans, combining training, practical experience and collaboration with the local community.
On 14 and 15 September, SuProM visited Palermo, at the University of Palermo, to share the results of the pilot scheme and discuss ways to integrate and build on what has been developed.
The meeting focused on the experiences of the five universities in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina involved in the initiative, which ran pilot courses in Sustainable Project Management between May and June.
Over 140 students, alumni and external stakeholders took part in the five pilot courses, learning and putting to the test tools for designing and managing initiatives that take economic, social and environmental dimensions into account. Building on a common methodology, each university adapted the training to its own needs, combining theory, practical workshops, the development of proposals and discussions with experts from the public and private sectors.
In Palermo, the comparison of the five initiatives made it possible to identify the most useful elements that emerged from the pilot projects and the potential for transferring and adapting them. Training thus becomes a tool for linking universities, professional skills and local organisations, whilst also strengthening dialogue with the world of work. We at CESIE contributed to the training with practical activities on European project design, focusing in particular on the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education actions.
Over the course of the two days, the discussions continued at Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, the Rector’s Office of the University of Palermo, with a tour complementing the sessions of exchange and sharing between the organisations involved.
However, SuProM’s work goes beyond simply piloting the courses and opens up new perspectives: how can they be integrated into universities’ educational programmes? How can we continue to use the materials and methodologies? And how can we strengthen partnerships with businesses and institutions?
The challenge is to ensure continuity in what has been achieved, ensuring that the skills acquired and the tools developed become a permanent feature of university activities and can be adapted to new needs and opportunities. This is a way of transforming the pilot project into a resource capable of generating value over the long term.
To find out more about SuProM’s activities, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, visit our website at suprom-project.eu, or contact caterina.impastato@cesie.org
About the project
Partners
- University of Ljubljana (Slovenia, coordinator)
- Università degli Studi di Palermo (Italy)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- UNIMED (Italy)
- Aleksandër Xhuvani University of Elbasan (Albania)
- Ismail Qemali University of Vlorë (Albania)
- “Fan S. Noli” University (Albania)
- University of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- University of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
For further information
Read more about SuProM.Visit our website or contact Caterina Impastato: caterina.impastato@cesie.org
