PROMEnhance - Enhancing management profiles for innovative local development

<< Background >>The digital and green transition in EU pushed local and regional authorities to create multi-stakeholder platforms and co-design development paths aligned with local needs and EU strategies in National Recovery Plans. New and consolidated sector-specific working routines needed to be integrated into system-level efforts, bringing together different disciplines and professional practices. Public Administrations were not the only ones seeking new professional profiles for next-generation planning; the private sector and civil society were also expected to play a significant and positive role. That is why the project partners saw the necessity and opportunity of exploring, analyzing, and structuring the emerging professional area that referred to innovation-oriented participatory local development, and proposing a reference and a learning community to support the initial training and continuing professional development of qualified professionals, based on a common European platform of partners and digital learning resources. The bottom-up approach was crucial, as innovation required local adoption rather than just policy declarations. The project’s “practice approach” embodied this principle, fostering grassroots social innovation.<< Objectives >>The project aimed to support the professionalisation at EU level of participatory and innovative local development processes, in line with 4 ERASMUS+ priorities: Inclusion and diversity, Digital transformation, Environment and climate action, Participation in democratic life and civic engagement.Its specific objectives were:SO1: To collect evidence on recent approaches adopted by territorial communities (local authorities and stakeholders) to address current development challenges, with a focus on integrating human resources from diverse sectors and backgrounds.SO2: To identify emerging competence needs and develop a reference framework to assess learning needs, design integrated curricula in higher education and VET, match professional development demand and supply, and explore the feasibility of a competence certification system at EU level.SO3: To design and test a modular curriculum prototype for various job roles (e.g. Territory Analyst, Community Manager), based on a shared body of knowledge and adaptable specialisations.SO4: To provide learning opportunities and foster a transnational professional learning community through a collaboration platform aimed at sustaining project results and expanding active participation.<< Implementation >>The project implemented the following activities:WP1 Project managementWP2 Methodological phase – state of the art and competency framework development. This WP produced an analytical report on current and innovative territorial development practices in 5 partner countries, with an in-depth analysis of 10 case studies, as well as a competence framework for local development based on the analysis.WP3 Pilot and development phase – curriculum and digital resource creation. This WP focused on designing and testing modular curriculum prototypes. Design thinking workshops were organized in each partner country to inform a common curriculum. Digital tools and videos were created for students and trainers and made available in 5 languages.WP4 Implementation phase – joint transnational learning and exchange and launch of the multilingual learning community platform. Partners developed guidelines for curriculum integration, recommendations to strengthen participatory practices and launched the multilingual learning community platform. A winter school for 25 students from 5 countries was organized. Dissemination activities were carried out to share project results, engage stakeholders, and maximize long-term impact.<< Results >>The project delivered:Analytical report featuring 10 detailed case studies from 5 partner countries, highlighting essential skills and approaches for successful territorial development.Competence framework developed based on the analyses, defining emerging competencies.Modular curriculum prototype:.design thinking workshops were organized in each partner country (5) to inform a common curriculum.Digital learning tools, including 10 modules or units for students and 10 guides for trainers, were created in five languages.Multilingual learning community platform: The digital tools are accessible on an existing platform to facilitate e-learning and exchanges among teachers and learners https://edu.s-nodi.org/A 5-day Winter School in Italy was offered to 25 international students.Guidelines and recommendations: Guidelines were developed for integrating the new curricula into existing academic offerings, along with recommendations for cooperation among CSOs, HEIs, and local authorities.To ensure credibility and impact, all project results were validated by external partners and integrated into a scientific publication, enhancing academic depth and positioning the project within the wider research landscape.