Get to know the FEMPOWER Consortium
The FEMPOWER Consortium is lead by PEN Worldwide – Worldwide Practice Enterprise Network and has partnered with ACT (Austria), Tryangle (Belgium), Fundació Inform (Spain) and Vilniaus Kolegija (Lithuania) to develop a Mini-Course programme to empower youth and raise awareness of gender-based discrepancies in the job market.
Each of the partners administers a national Practice Enterprise network. The reach will be much broader as the consortium is spread out geographically to represent the realities of the diversity of the EU. All partners also have their own national youth programme networks. The lead’s status as an EU-wide network will ensure all other EU countries will also benefit from this project.
PEN Worldwide (PEN) is a non-profit association providing coordination of and support to the international Practice Enterprise networks. The European network consists of 17 legally autonomous national Practice Enterprise Central Offices that together include close to 5,000 Practice Enterprises training upwards of 120,000 VET students every year.
With an emphasis on career readiness, Practice Enterprises offer a live European and worldwide business simulation that provides trainees with a competitive edge through project-based learning and the development of skills in entrepreneurship and international business.
ACTIF Österreichisches Zentrum für Übungsfirmen, Innovation und künftige Organisationsformen is the host for ACT, the Central Office and service point for all Austrian Practice Enterprises. ACT is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
ACT currently looks after ca. 900 active Practice Enterprises in different school types, institutions and HEIs. In order to provide a realistic environment for practice enterprises, it is necessary to simulate existing services and facilities in a real business environment. ACT provides access to all services and authorities an enterprise would need, such as the bank, tax office, court or social insurance.
Tryangle works together with companies on the well-being and happiness at work of employees. The Tryangle Team works on the level of the organisation, the team or the individual employees.
Tryangle helps integrate happiness at work into the overall business strategy for more engagement, higher productivity and less absenteeism. The Tryangle Team supports and guides the implementation of well-being interventions and happiness at work activities with customised solutions in the form of workshops, training, coaching, team building, consulting, webinars, lectures, etc.
Fundació Inform is a foundation aimed at managing, coordinating and implementing different educational programmes and projects in the educational system in Spain. These programme and projects are implemented specifically in the formal and informal educational system in Spain and in continuous training.
Since 1987 Fundació Inform manages the SEFED Programme (Practice Enterprises) in Spain which is used to train people in business a administration and management. The transnationality of the SEFED Programme has always been a key point in Fundació Inform strategical business plan and this is why Inform participates in European programmes since more than 30 years, so as to try to adapt training to work.
Vilniaus kolegija / Higher Education Institution is open to novelties. It is a flexible and continually changing higher educational institution that is harmoniously combining labour market needs with the development of promising areas of science and art.
The educational institution has been encouraging the teachers and students’ creativity and responsibility likewise the requirements for a high quality performance. Vilniaus kolegija /University of Applied Sciences has gained its international recognition and is successfully integrating into the common field of European higher education.
Are you interested in contributing to the FEMPOWER Mini-Course Programme or wish to start a Practice Enterprise? Join our international community and implement the awarded learning-by-doing methodology in your institution. Support the empowerment of youth now!