Business Ambulance
▶Summary
The main idea of the project was to create and pilot Business Ambulance learning module for all VET students to learn social media marketing in real company and get international skills by working...
▶Objectives
The main idea of the project was to create and pilot Business Ambulance learning module for all VET students to learn social media marketing in real company and get international skills by working as a member in an international group. In the project students used their business and social media marketing skills working as coaches for SME companies helping them by creating a social media marketing campaign for the companies. Students were doing this with the help of business experts and teacher coaches who supported them throughout the project. In the Business Ambulance project students learnt by coaching in real companies. This challenged the normal way of studying in a classroom and being taught by a teacher. Through this project students learnt valuable knowledge in real-life companies with a real marketing campaign. At the same time the pedagogical model made it possible for the students to do good for the companies and learn about being socially responsible. This project implemented a new learning approach where students teach and help real-life companies and learn VET skills needed in the future. At the same time this project transformed the way schools and companies engage with each other as company .
▶Activities
5 SCHOOLS FROM 5 COUNTRIES - created together a new pedagogical model to learn new social media marketing and international skills in real business life - helped local SME businesses in their efforts to improve their business and get more satisfied customers 125 STUDENTS FROM 5 COUNTRIES - with different backgrounds learnt VET degree studied in a real business life by coaching SME companies - studied individually customized part of VET degree in 3 learning environments (school, company, eKampus) - created for a real SME company a social media marketing campaign on social media, e.g. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok campaign - helped real SME company to find new target groups for sales 25 SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES FROM 5 COUNTRIES - got a social media marketing campaign for their company created by the students - got help in improving their business and reaching 10 TEACHERS FROM 5 COUNTRIES - learnt pedagogical skills by learning and implementing new business ambulance model
▶Impact
As a concrete output we created a Business Ambulance pedagogical model which is shown in the video attached to the final report. Students learnt by coaching, instead of being the only ones taught and coached. The teachers and students were first coached by business experts and after that they went to companies and planned, created and evaluated a social media marketing campaign for them. Students practiced their marketing skills in real environments and learnt also about different business cultures in an international environment. The model followed the structure: 1. Business experts coach teachers about social media marketing 2. Business experts coach students about social media marketing 3. Students coach SME companies about social media marketing and create a campaign on the company’s social media 4. Teachers coach and support student groups Together, the European and Thai partner schools planned and created a social media marketing campaign for total 25 SME companies in five countries to help their company develop, e.g. to reach new target groups and clients, and get new marketing channels. At the same time the project delivered new educational patterns for the students to enrich their understanding.