BEST PRACTICE

Training firm is an educational concept based on “learning by doing”. It is a simulation of a real company, which can be achieved through the direct involvement of a specialist coordinator. BEST PRACTICE

The method of study in training firms is based on observation and monitoring business processes and links established between themselves and acquire relations structure and supporting administrative overheads and management of a company executive.

The place of business firms is a laboratory equipped with appropriate furniture, necessary learning technique (computers and specialized software packages), to conduct economic and commercial operations to simulate the activity of a company in the field of real economic growth. The goal is acquiring firms core competencies that enable them to achieve successful graduates in the real economy.

This concept addresses all the students in vocational schools, school education, higher cycle, that evolve both personally and professionally, by directly involving in the learning process and thus acquiring:

key competences: entrepreneurial skills; teamwork skills; leadership capacity; work autonomy; making decisions and taking responsibility; independent collection and processing of information; practical application of theoretical concepts; creative thinking or organizing workplace AND

specialized competences: organizing and managing companies’ activity; grounding strategies; development of product; services offerings, book-keeping or analysis of economic and financial efficiency of the company

Romania has implemented a quality management system for developing students' entrepreneurial skills called training firm This system has the following main objectives: Increased labor market insertion of graduates; reducing their period of adjustment to work; better adaptability to changing workplace and flexibility; positive attitude in taking initiative and risk.

A practice firm has to operate in the same way as a real company. That is why it is compulsory that all the essential processes that take place there should be simulated, starting with the simple ones (like simulating a job interview, receiving an order, sending an offer or making an advertising material) and finishing with achieving accounting books which should concretely highlight the ongoing activities at the firm level over a longer period of time. The special events where the practice firms are present are important occasions for their development. The exercise of participating at an exhibition, at a trade or at another event offers special practice situations for the entrepreneur students.

An institution which adopted this quality system is Commercial High School "Nicolae Kretzulescu" in Bucharest One representative training firm operating in this institution is TF Whispers of Elegance Ltd. The students were involved in specific events called Fairs of Training Firms, the most important being: International Fair of Training Firms Prague 2011 International Fair of Training Firms, ROTIFE, Timisoara 2011 International Fair of Training Firms, Bratislava 2011 International Fair of Training Firms, Prague 2012 ROTIFE Fair, Timisoara 2012 International Fair of Training Firms, Plovdiv 2013

To gain economic knowledge this training firm achieved the Quality Mark by: Preparing documents required for incorporation Start-up funding specific commercial activities in an enterprise Preparing documents specific to each department Simulation of AGA meetings to make decisions The development of economic transactions The conclusion of economic contracts

Commercial High School „Nicolae Kretzulescu” decided to develop the economic knowledge by participation at the Business Plan competition. Among the most important benefits of this competition are: Skills needed for a business Computer skills and competences necessary for starting a business Skills and competence about what professional behavior, namely: "To know what to do and know how to do " Communication skills in business language.

The target group This concept addresses all the students in vocational schools, school education, higher cycle, that evolve both personally and professionally, by directly involving in the learning process

The main aims and objectives of the good practice Romania has implemented a quality management system for developing students' entrepreneurial skills called training firm / sham company. This system has the following main objectives: Increased labor market insertion of graduates; reducing the period of adjustment to work; better adaptability to changing workplace flexibility; positive attitude in taking initiative and risk

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