Retaining Students in School Together

ManualA step-by-step guide to organise events. How to successfully

connect Vocational Education and the Business World and combat Early School Leaving together.

Unternehmen für Bildung.

GOBIERNO DE EXTREMADURA

Consejería de Educación y Cultura

Legend

Student

Teacher Toolbox

MoneyEntrepreneur

Action point

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The RESIST project will make representatives of SMEs (entre-preneurs, managers, former VET students) and staff of vocational schools (teachers and counselors) truly connect and together de-velop and implement practical so-lutions to diminish the number of drop-outs.RESIST offers this hands-on ap-proach to drop-out prevention through SME involvement. It has been pilot tested in 5 European countries and has been fine-tuned

after the pilot tests. We encourage every VET institute in Europe to use this manual to combat early school leaving. This manual will give a clear view on how to organise an event where Vocational Education can truly connect with the Business World. This event can be organ-ised in many different forms and we provide you with some guide-lines on organising such an event. Everything you need can be found in this manual and several support-ive documents and templates are available on the RESIST website.

www.resist-project.eu

2Introduction

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Students

Better view of future jobs

Better preparation for internships

More motivation, less chance of disappointment

VET teachers

Better informed about practical matters

To better link the curriculum to real job necessities

Better able to inspire and moti-vate students

Entrepreneurs/Employees

Meeting potential clients

Meeting fellow entrepreneurs from the sector: networking

Relevant workshops

Getting the chance to provide input for the curriculum

Better understanding during in-ternships

Safeguard the quality of future employees

Objectives and Rationale

Rationale for participating

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The objective of organising such an event is to better connect the World of Work with Vocational Education to guarantee a better linkage for the benefit of VET students and to prevent drop-outs.

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The idea in practice

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Vocational school teachers will organise once or twice a year an event where the World of Work and Vocational Education connect and interact. To attract enough entre-preneurs and SME employees, it is necessary to present an attractive program for them. To be sure you will attract enough entrepreneurs and SME employees, it would be a good idea to involve entrepre-

neurs from the start so they can deliver input for the programme. Once they are committed, dur-ing the event teachers and entre-preneurs will gain understanding about both worlds and be able to understand how they can work to-gether to increase the number of VET students that complete their education and find a job suitable for their skills.

“How do you attract the right people and businesses for the event? You can label the event with a theme like “innovation” or by arranging interesting speakers on topics like SME growth or internationalisation. A new, original and surprising venue can also con-

tribute to this.”

PHASE 1

PREPARATION

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Organising a large event can be quite a time consuming task. It is therefore recommended that you form a team at your school that will be responsible for the entire event. It is useful to have subgroups within this team that focus specifi-cally on communication, catering, presentations etc. Your team could meet during multiple sessions to update each other on the progress made and to help with problems that occur. It would be a good idea to also involve entrepreneurs when organising the event so you will gain valuable insight into what at-tracts this group.

You like to organise your event to connect entrepreneurs and busi-nesses to your school, your teach-ers and students.

Note that although this is your higher goal, your visitors might need a bit more incentive to come to the event. Make sure that you offer an interesting and exciting programme and create networking opportunities. We have learned that a combination of activities will attract companies to come to the event. A combination of a seminar, workshops and a fair will appeal to many people due to the variety in the programme. Regardless of the form you choose, we have identified some necessary steps to take to ensure all your bases are covered before and dur-ing the event. You can use these steps as a guideline for organising the event.

10Getting Started!

Form a team within your

school for the organisation

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Important decisions to make for a successful event

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1. Why do you want to organise this event?

2. Whom do you wish to take part in this event?

3. What form should the event have? (seminar, workshop, etc.)

4. Where should the event take place?

5. What budget do you have for organising the event?

6. When is the best time to organise it?

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141. Why do you want to organise this event?

Make it clear from the start why you want to organise this event. This helps you to make sure you in-vite the right people and you reach your target group.

• Is your goal preventing drop-outs in general, or do you have a specific field of study where most of your drop-outs occur?• Why do you feel this event can contribute to prevent this?• What do you need to add to the program to make sure stu-dents and entrepreneurs are inter-ested to attend?

Make sure you put your reasons for organising this event in your invita-tion letters, so you will attract the right people.Note that although entrepreneurs and SME employees might find your goals honorable, they will be more likely to attend if you also present an informative and inter-esting program. Therefore you need to make sure you have your attractive program finalised before you start to invite people.Once your goal is clear, you can use this to try and attract sponsors for the event (See also 5. Budget).

Visit www.resist-project.eu for formats for invitation letters, etc.

Define your goal for the

event

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162. Whom do you wish to take part in the event?

Your goal for organising this event should be clear by now. Now it is time to make sure the right people attend your event. Here are some suggestions for people to invite:

• All teachers at your school and guidance counselors• Entrepreneurs who can in-spire and appeal to your students• Former students from your school now working in the region• Former students from your school who started their own com-pany

The list can be extended according to your goals for the event.

Note that it might help to invite young entrepreneurs and employ-ees because they can provide a valuable insight into what they liked and missed when they were still in school. Teachers can use this information to better relate to the students of today and their view of their future. Collect the

contact details of people you want to invite

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183. What form should the event have?

The success of your event depends on your methodology. In this case, we are looking for inspiration, in-teraction, networking, learning by doing… so your methodology has to match your objectives.

Of course, the venue and pro-gramme are also critical!

Remember that in order to reach your objectives and have your stu-dents feel they are part of it, you have to consider cocreating or codesigning it: after identifying the fields or sectors of interest, the programme and organisation of the event can be easily developed by students supported by teach-ers. Hereafter, we propose different methodologies you can combine or use separately to organise your event.

Also see www.resist-project.eu for some other examples of forms your event could have.

Choose a form for your event

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20Example 1: Trends Conference

Concept

At a trends conference, the focus lies on innovation and new trends.

The objective is to inform, train and promote networking among the participants so they can incor-porate this information into their projects.

Structure

It should be roughly a 4 hour ses-sion.

You could invite three experts who are innovation references in their sector, people who have used their imagination and creativity to make a difference in their fields.The first hour will then be dedi-cated to short presentations by 3 experts to introduce the second part of the event (3 x 45 min. work-shops).

Logistics

The venue for the first part of the event can be a conference room.

For the second part, we recom-mend an open, informal place, where chairs can be organised in a circle to facilitate the conference. We advise against having specific coffee breaks during the event as it is much more effective to integrate them in each workshop.

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22Example 2: Express Speed Dating

Other suggestions for the form

This method gets its inspiration from speed dating, commonly used in business networking.Speed dating can be used for giv-ing advice on specific knowledge fields in a short amount of time. The fields are determined accord-ing to the context and profile of participants.

You could place entrepreneurs, teachers and students mixed at the different sides of the bar so that after 5 or 10 minutes everybody moves 1 spot and will talk to some-body new. We recommend using a long table or bar where the different groups are mixed at both sides.

- Symposium- Workshops- Exhibition- B2B Event- Speed dating

- Work conference- Expert meetings- Brainstorm meeting- Training- Discussion panel

Make sure that regardless of the form you choose, your event has room for listening, discussion and networking. Also note that it is often more appealing to have 2 sessions of 20 minutes divided by a short break than to listen for 40 minutes.

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244. Where should the event take place?

The success of an event can be de-cisively dependent on the venue. The budget, of course, is also of vital importance. In general, the venue should be comfortable, un-disturbed and offer enough room for equipment etc, so that all prac-tical and image-building factors are covered. This means that the main focus should be on whether the venue suits the type of event.

Apart from its overall impression and atmosphere, logistic and finan-cial aspects are of highest priority when choosing a suitable venue.

On the next page you will find a number of suggestions for a venue to choose from. We have listed the pros and cons of each so you can make an informed choice.

Visit potential venues before

making a choice

Make sure you visit the venue before booking it for your event! It is also important to make sure you know the costs of the venue before agreeing to it.

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26Pros and cons of various venues

Venue

At school

At a company

Branch organisations

Chamber of Commerce

At a hotel

Positive

Low cost, entrepreneurs will visit the school, students and teachers do not need to travel

Teachers and students will gain insight into day-to-day practice

They might be willing to contrib-ute to the programme, new venue for your attendees

They could perhaps become a partner in the event, expertise in organising events

Very professional, luxurious

Negative

Less professional, perhaps not an exciting venue (for your students at least)

Availability of a suitable room and catering facilities is questionable

Might need to pay for the room, not all companies will be in this branche

Entrepreneurs might feel the pro-gramme is more about business only

Probably most expensive

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285. What is your budget for the event?

The overall budget of the event has to be calculated up front. Part of it could come from collabora-tions or sponsorship of public and privates institutions, related or not to the education or business sec-tors. Sponsoring in kind might be easier to arrange than cash. This could mean that you can host your event somewhere without having to pay rent for the room, of that a speaker might be willing to do-nate his time for the event. It will probably be more difficult to find people or companies willing to pay a certain amount of money for you to organise this event.Depending on the form and venue of the event your costs can vary. On the next page we give you an estimate of what it will cost to or-ganise an event for approximately

50 people at an external venue. You can lower the out of pocket costs by organising the event at your own school and have the stu-dents help with the catering. This might give a slightly less profes-sional impression though, there-fore it is important to decide whether this fits your goals. On the other hand, by organising the event at your school, entrepre-neurs will visit your premises which might not happen very often. By organising the entire event in-cluding the catering by yourself and students of your school you can lower the costs to just the costs of an interesting speaker.

Also see www.resist-project.eu for a template for the event budget.

Make a budget for your event

and ask the school how

much budget is available

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30Out of pocket costs of the event

Renting a venue for an afternoon €200-500 Speaker (including preparation time) €500Communication (printing invitations etc.) €200Catering costs (50 people, €10 per person) €500

You might also need:Sound and/or light system €100Renting beamer, flip-over etc. €100

The total out of pocket costs will vary approximately between €1000 and €2000 when you organise the event at an external location.

You could also ask an entrance fee from your visitors to balance the costs with some revenues. Although this has certain advantages (revenues, people will be more likely to actually show up when they have paid for this). It might also be a barrier for some people to subscribe. Keep in mind your own efforts in hours spent also have a certain value and costs. Be sure to take this into account internally.

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326. When do you want to organise your event?

Determine the date of your event early. Allow yourself 4 months be-tween the start of the organisation and the actual event. When choos-ing a date, bear in mind annual holidays. Avoid planning an event before or after important holidays. Again, possible conflicts with the free time of invited guests could mean that many of them will de-cline. Major sporting events have the same effect as holidays.A good way to make sure every-body’s agenda will have room for the event is to send out a “Save the Date” letter 8 weeks before the event. You will then have more time to complete the program be-fore sending out the invitations. A period of 3-4 weeks will be suit-able between sending the detailed and final invitation and the event.

The best time to organise an event would be during the week. At weekends students and teach-ers will be more reluctant to come. When choosing the proper time of day for the event, the following questions apply: Is the event best suited for a morning, afternoon or evening? We suggest the best time is starting in the afternoon. This al-lows for entrepreneurs, teachers and students to make the most of their working day and duties. You can choose to end your event around 6.30 PM but you can also offer a buffet, so people can stay longer.

Please visit www.resist-project.eu for a format of a “Save the Date” and invitation letter.

Choose a date and a

time for your event and start communicating

this date at school and through a “Save the

Date”

Phase 2 – Interlude  

PHASE 2

INTERLUDE

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36Planning: Important decisions to make

12 to 3 weeks before the event

1. Your goal is clear2. Your venue is clear3. Your budget is clear4. Your form is clear and corre-sponds with your goals5. Book a speaker6. Send out invitations to the guests and remind them7. Design a flyer for students

1 to 2 weeks before the event

1. Order catering2. Arrange sound system3. Confirm the date to all4. Collect and review the presen-tations5. Instruct the speakers6. Collect banners of sponsors etc. 7. Print badges for visitors

The day of the event

1. Organise the rooms2. Gift for speaker?3. Check hardware4. Make sure catering is ready and instructed 5. Welcome the guests6. Take photos during the event7. Registration form

Follow the steps indicated in these weeks

Please visit www.resist-project.eu for formats on badges and forms. After the event you will need to evaluate your performance. We will get back to this later.

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38Four organisational mistakes to avoid!

Wanting or being able to avoid every possible mistake is unreal-istic. That being said, certain seri-ous mistakes should be ruled out. Therefore, here is a list of four widespread mistakes:

1. Not confirming dates

Ensure the event date is set early and is repeatedly communicated.

2. Booking a venue without paying a visit

Never forget to examine the venue personally. Only then you can be certain it fulfils your requirements.

3. Not promoting the event

Start promoting early on. It is your objective that your event attracts a good crowd. Marketing and com-munication are key for promoting your event.

4. Taking care of important details at the last second

Likewise, take care of the most important items on your check list early on. This helps to avoid any rush or panic and the resulting mis-takes and increased costs. Keep a close eye on the organisational phases and be sure to carefully and punctually take care of the key items.

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So far... Checklist!

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So far you have booked your location, you have arranged a speaker and you know where your event will take place. You know the budget you have available for the event. The school will need to contribute in kind and in cash. Maybe you will also need sponsors or donations. Make sure you can sign off on all items on this checklist before continuing:

Goal is clearDate is planned and communicated (Save the Date)Group within your school is formed for the organisation of the eventYou have included a group of students to co create the event Your choice of venue is madeYour budget is clearYour form for the event is clearYou have booked an interesting speaker or more than oneYour invitation letters are sent out

This would also be the time to starting finishing these points:Your students have created posters/flyers to make teachers and stu-dents aware of the upcoming eventStart thinking on what you will need during the event. For example sign-in sheets, photo camera, gifts for the speakers etc?

Please find formats and templates at www.resist-project.eu

Phase 3 – On your marks, get set, go!  

PHASE 3

ON YOUR MARKS GET SET..

GO!

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Almost showtime!

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• How many sign ups did you re-ceive? Is this enough for a success-ful event? Give people a few weeks to sign up for the event and start calling 2 weeks before the event if you did not receive enough posi-tive responses. Approximately 50 attendees would be great.

• Instruct the caterer when you know exactly how many people will attend. Note though that some people might come that did not sign up for the event. It would therefore be better to order ca-tering for 10 people extra so you don’t run short.

• Send out an extra internal e-mail to all teachers and employees at school that the event is soon and that you expect many of them to attend. Make sure they also sign up so that you know how many people will attend.

• Make sure all the teachers know your higher goal for the event: the program should also be interest-ing for them but they should also use this event to connect to the Business World and develop long standing relationships with entre-preneurs and employees of SMEs in your region.

• Is your financial picture still in line with your budget? If not, contact your director and see what can be done about this.

Check the tools sections at www.resist-project.eu to make sure you have everything you need.

Your event is nearby and you have followed the steps listed above. Are you ready for the event?

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Showtime!

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Together with your team at school you have worked hard on organis-ing your own event. We want your efforts to lead to the best possible event so we will give you some more tips about important factors to consider just before and during your event.

• Arrive several hours before the event at your venue.• Make sure the setting is made ac-cording to your needs for the pro-gramme (tables, stands for the fair, chairs, podium etc.).• Make sure you have the presen-tations that will be given on a usb-drive and make sure the laptop, beamer etc. is working.• If you want to thank the speaker(s) with a gift, purchase flowers or per-haps a nice bottle of wine.

• Instruct the students on how to welcome the guests at the en-trance (they can show the attend-ees where to hang their coats, where the event is held etc.).• Make sure you have made an At-tendance List for attendees to sign. This way you will know exactly who came (this is helpful for the evalu-ation). Make 2 of your students re-sponsible for everybody signing in.• Put some glasses of water with the microphone for your speaker(s).• Have your camera battery charged and ready.

The forms mentioned here can also be downloaded from our website www.resist-project.eu.

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Showtime!

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You have been looking forward to this day for a long time and now it is here! Make sure you also enjoy the day and use this event to extend your network. Your higher goal for the day is to connect the Business World with Vocational Education and together develop and implement meas-ures to combat early school leaving.

This means a lot of networking for you this day. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities like:

• Are there entrepreneurs present that would be interested in giving guest-lectures at your school?• Are there companies that could host a training day for students at their premises?• Are there opportunities for continuous internships for students of your school at one of the companies?• Are the students, teachers and entrepreneurs/employees mixing during the event or do you need to introduce different parties to each other?• Make sure every entrepreneur and employee fills out the short ques-tionnaires you have prepared for them.

Phase 4 – Learning-by-doing  

PHASE 4

LEARNINGBY

DOING

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Evaluation

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It is very helpful to use a specific methodology to assess your event on various aspects, like:

• the participants• the activities• the organisation processes• results and opportunities • points of improvement

This assessment is important be-cause it provides a general over-view of all the activities and inter-relations which in the end allows to define the critical points that have a consequence on the successful development of future events.

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Main factors to be assessed

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After the event, these are useful questions to ask yourself:

• Has the general objective been reached?• Were the strategies well planned and did they work? • Were the objectives of the pro-grammes fully reached and what was their quality level?• Were the results those which were expected?

These are indicators that can help you assess the event:• Expected participants vs real par-ticipants• Expected exhibitors vs actual ex-hibitors• Expected costs vs actual costs

• Expected income vs actual in-come• Correct time development vs de-lays in the programme• Satisfied participants vs unsatis-fied participants.

A great tool to help you assess your event is a questionnaire hand-ed out at the end of the event. By doing this you can get a good view on how attendees of your event perceived it and how you can make it even better in the future.

An example of a questionnaire can be found at www.resist-project.eu

RESIST

The RESIST project addressed student drop-out issues in VET colleges (VETs). The project adopted an innovative practical approach to drop-out prevention in VETs. It is based on educational approaches from Ger-many, Finland, Spain, Poland and an entrepreneurial way of teaching &

training by lead partner Business Development Friesland.

The project directly confronted the lack of cooperation between VETs and SMEs and as an effect diminished the number of drop-outs in VETs.

This manual can assist you in organising an event where students, teach-ers, entrepreneurs and employees interact and foster important relation-ships for the future. This event could bring about an interaction between the different groups and diminish the number of Early School Leavers of VET level students due to their better understanding of their future in

working life.

Unternehmen für Bildung.

GOBIERNO DE EXTREMADURA

Consejería de Educación y Cultura

www.bdfriesland.nl