Simulation for New Opportunities of Work

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Simulation for New Opportunities of Work
Web-book
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Simulation for New Opportunities of Work
Web-book

• Content
• Introduction
• The target group
• The Simulated Enterprise teaching method
• Description of the simulated enterprises of
  SNOW
• Presentation of SNOW to the European parliament

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Introduction
Web-book
The main purpose of SNOW was the implementation
of the innovative training model of simulated
enterprises with a group of disadvantage
youngsters to give them a concrete alternative to
the mainstream educational system. For those that
have dropout from school or do not have the
skills needed in the labor market, this project
became a must. SNOW represented a unique
opportunity of owning the means and instruments
for personal growth and professional key
qualifications including the acquisition of
technical, communication, language and social
skills. The simulated enterprise methodology,
helped developed a workplace culture that
facilitates understanding of the organization and
future insertion into the world of work. The
results of SNOW have been very encouraging.
Through interviews with the participants we have
been able to gather data on their impressions and
all have been very satisfied with the program.
The working simulation groups soon forgot to be
working for a simulated enterprise and behave as
real employees/workers of a company. They tried
to make it more profitable and got familiar with
advanced infomatics and telematics instruments.
The use of information technologies and
informatics motivated these youngsters and filled
a skill gap. These technologies also gave them
the possibility to act with autonomy and to see
immediately the results of their own work. All
these are factors that stimulated the
participants to act, overcoming barriers and
prejudice
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The Simulated Enterprise teaching method
Web-book
Simulation is a soft methodology that builds up
on the spontaneous collaboration of the actors
involved and, as such, is the most appropriate
for this target group which is often composed by
young drop-outs or youngsters leaving difficult
situations and at the margin of society. It is an
active instrument since it experiments and
constantly applies what is learned during the
theory-practice training modules, allowing
testing immediately add to its effectiveness.
The approach learning by doing as experience
has shown, is the most suitable methodology for
target groups that very often have refused the
main stream school system with its methods and
pedagogical approaches. This method stimulated
these youngsters through actions of
self-promotion, growth of self-confidence and
entrepreneurship to overcome the conditions of
disadvantage and social exclusion that they are
presently facing in the labor market.
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... teaching method
Web-book
The single courses did not function as such but
as individual simulated enterprises, working in
the market, with their own staff, their different
operative sectors, their management and
accounting, their clients and suppliers, their
budget, etc., everything like in a real
enterprise. As a real enterprise they could also
communicate with other enterprises and with the
external world. The external world is represented
by National Simulation Centers that simulated the
business dealings external to the enterprise such
as banking, insurance, Chamber of Commerce,
Public bodies, among others. Training took place
in a regular classroom (theory and practice) and
in a simulation classroom that was logistically
and physically orga-nized as a company with all
the relevant sectors secretarial,
admini-strative-accounting, personnel,
import-export. The trainers, as managers of the
enterprises have to run the company in a
profitable way. The innovative aspect of this
teaching method was represented by the fact that
it transformed the traditional theory-practice
method preceding in-company training in a
concrete professional experience. It allowed the
participants to come out from the classroom way
of reasoning and to enter in the enterprise logic
with its own space and time.
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The target group
Web-book
The participants were young people that have
dropped-out from school and had a low educational
profile. They were usually living within a
critical employment context that was locally
turning into of a social emergency. This
situation contributed to discriminate against
these young people growing in conditions of
social, personal and cultural disadvantage. The
youngsters started or came back to a training
path. Learned to be aware of owns possibilities
and acquired knowledge and skills that are
demanded in the labor market. They made a life
and a professional plan in which promoting
oneself individually and socially were an
advantage to overcome social and economic
exclusion.
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Simulated enterprises of SNOW
Web-book
The participants were young people that have
dropped-out from school and had a low educational
profile. They were usually living within a
critical employment context that was locally
turning into of a social emergency. This
situation contributed to discriminate against
these young people growing in conditions of
social, personal and cultural disadvantage. The
youngsters started or came back to a training
path. Learned to be aware of owns possibilities
and acquired knowledge and skills that are
demanded in the labor market. They made a life
and a professional plan in which promoting
oneself individually and socially were an
advantage to overcome social and economic
exclusion.
University of Cadiz Spain GEOMASI in
Foggia Freewheel simulation of Leeuwenborgh
Opleidingen
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University of Cadiz Spain
Web-book
The company The simulated enterprise was called
Futuronet, S.A.S. It simulated a software design
company. The main activities of this company
were to develop web pages, and design tailor-made
software for specific purposes. The latter
resulted to be too difficult for the target
group. The company had three main departments
Administrative and management, Marketing
department and Personnel department. One student
coordinated each department. The trainees also
set up Futuronet. In fact, they designed
every-thing from the decision-making system to
the internal papers, the publicity, etc.
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The training program
Web-book

• The training took place in two sites the theory
  classroom and the simulation office.  The main
  topics dealt with by each department were
• In the Administrative department Customers
  and suppliers, reception, invoicing,
  accounting and finances, taxes, banks, and
  so on.
• In the Marketing department Delivery and
  billing, sales, storage, advertising and
  marketing.
• In the Personnel department Employee records,
  including salaries, benefits, social
  security, contracts, etc.
• The training program began with seven days of
  theory, because it was necessary to lay a base.
  The simulation module started during the second
  week, and continued parallel to the theoretical
  part.
• The last phase included the on-the-job training
  during the mornings and classroom-simulation in
  the evenings. This organization enabled students
  to bring up any questions or problems they
  encountered in a real company, although it was a
  bit hard for the trainees.

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The participants
Web-book
The training started with 11 females and 4 males
between 17 and 24 years. Only one participant
had a high school certificate, 7 had compulsory
education and the others had dropped out from
school before reaching compulsory education
level. Almost half of them had no work
experience and the others had some experience
mostly as shop assistance, cleaning lady and
delivery services. The 11 participants that
finished the training were very much satisfied
because it has the first time they had the
feeling of learning something useful. They also
increase their self-awareness I realized what I
knew and what I need to improve. But what they
liked the most was the learning environment.
During an interview at the end of the training
they had comments like t was almost like a real
job we worked as a real company with
work-mates and bosses. It was pleasant we had
to work as a team and help each other. We soled
our problems among ourselves. Most of them want
to continue their training which they considered
to be too short.
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GEOMASI
Training program for Operators for
the realization and maintenance of green areas
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Activity of Simulation IFoggia
Web-book
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This activity of simulation has been developed
from Monday to Friday for five hours a day,
according to a pre-arranged weekly plan, in order
to ensure the rotation of the trainees in the
various departments. At least two trainees are
assigned to each department, with charges of
responsibility corresponding to the skills
developed. Every trainee has a job description to
respect. The trainees autonomously organize
themselves and they interact in accordance with
previous arrangements Two trainers are constantly
present in the centre one with the role of
manager (director) and the other with that of
teacher-coordinator
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Web-book
Activity of Simulation IIFoggia

• ORGANIZATION OF ENTERPRISE
• the order, after being registered, passes on
• the technical dpt.that examines the feasibility
  of the orders, it draws the map and estimates the
  budget
• the administrative dpt. effects payments
  concerning the orders as well as the operation of
  enterprise
• the commercial dpt. publicized the activities of
  enterprise, it sends invoices and beads of
  accompaniment

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Our experience of simulated enterprises
Web-book

• WEAKNESSES
• difficulty of obtaining collaboration from
  private companies (at least in our reality)
• difficulty to link the different sectors of the
  simulated enterprise

• STRENGTHS
• Trainees are helped by the practical acquired
  knowledge of activities done during the
  simulation
• Trainees receive individual training
• more involving of the trainees in the training
  activity
• acquisition of a method in a specific
  environment, even if its simulated
• ability of linking with national and
  international reality

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Freewheel simulation of Leeuwenborgh
Web-book
Target-group youngsters between the age of 16-26
with a low educational profile. (some of them
might be a bit older)   Target to try, with the
help of the simulation programme, to give
youngsters a second chance to obtain a starting
qualification for work.   Starting date week 35
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Programme
Web-book
During a period of 4 months participants will
follow a special training in the administrative
field. The participants will get the opportunity
to start with a follow-up programme in februari
2001, on either a level-1 or a level-2 programme
depending on their abilities. Both Leeuwenborgh
Opleidingen and Contracting take part in the
programme. Leeuwenborgh Opleidingen will take
care of the classroom-training Leeuwenborgh
Contracting takes care of the simulation part. An
excellent co-operation and integration is taken
care of. The on-the-job training will be the
follow-up of the simulation. During simulation
the participants will be prepared to make a good
start with the on the job-training. They will
be trained in all the aspects needed.The
on-the-job-training will take place in an
accredited enterprise, so that there will be a
personal guide on the spot. Besides each trainee
is garanteed to get a special working-spot and a
training-programme on the job. They will meet
each other one day a week at school, where they
will get the theoretical support they need to
perform their work adequatly.  
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Computer-typing
Web-book
Word 97 Windows start and close make a
document, save it, open and close, select, alter,
copy, replace, undo, print text, lettertypes,
tabs, numbering, margins and shades, elementary
table techniques, what is a mailing,
documents Freewheel Reception pre-selection of
incoming morning-post, sort out alfabetically,
book morning post, make copies, store and
distribute post, make notes and telephone-notes,
pre-selection afternoon-post, sort it out
alfabatically etc., sort out documents, packages,
routing of post, the staffs journal. Freewheel
Secretariat Fridays post sort out outgoing
post, register outgoing post, stamp outgoing
post, sort it out for distributing todays post
sort out outgoing post, register outgoing post
stamp, sort it out for distributing. Freewheel
Buying and Selling place orders and register
them, calculate final amount of orders, register
orders, make invoices, register orders made by
phone and make invoices Social and communicative
abilities basic communicative capacities,
observe, listen, speak, non-verbal communication,
give and receive feedback, rules of intercourse
and communication in business surroundings,
presentation and representation. Customer-directed
telephoning who is the customer, what does he
ask for, answer the phone, connect, take a
message, give and ask for information, deal with
difficult callers. Filling in forms in a rapid
and accurate way, bring in practice an
integration of listening and typing Call centre
simulation bring in practice the knowledge and
capacitiy of making a conversation, using a
telephone and headset, working with a diversity
of scripts, looking for and assimulating relevant
information with the help of a computer.
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Presentation of SNOW to the European Parliament
Web-book
The presentation of SNOW took place on May 5,
2001 within the framework of the Open Doors Day
of the European Parliament. The youngsters that
participated took care of organizing the SNOW
Desk. For the purpose of the exposition they
prepared a video and a CD-Rom and brought
posters, photographs, and teaching material to
illustrate the methodology used by the Simulated
Enterprises. During the presentation, a
representative of the BBJ Bruxelles, Italian
branch gave a brief presentation of the SNOW team
and then explained the philosophy of the
Simulated Enterprise teaching method. Afterwards,
two youngsters from the Simulation Project of the
Masi Institute, illustrated with a practical
example the steps followed in their simulation
project. The Masi institute had simulated an
enterprise that develops and provides maintenance
of green areas.
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... Presentation of SNOW
Web-book
Finally, some youngsters, as the best testimonies
of SNOW, gave a declaration of what the project
had meant for them. In their own words, .SNOW
has demonstrated that even youngsters that have
not had a good rapport with main stream schools
can successfully finish a training program and
become active citizens. The opportunity to
participate in the presentation of SNOW to the
European Parliament was rewarding for the
youngsters. They showed enthusiasm and were
happy to meet youngsters from the other
Simulation Projects of SNOW and from other
Connect projects. They showed that it is easy
for youngsters to overcome language barriers.
During the afternoon, the youngsters from the
SNOW Simulated enterprises went together for a
City tour.
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