About the project
ABATA – Assessment Based Training for Tourist Companies
Program: Leonardo da Vinci
Duration: 2 years (December 2007 – December 2009)
What is ABATA?
Abata is an international project with the goal of developing a package of measures for assessing
the competences of employees on one side and the training of missing competences of employees on the other side.
Assessment will be available via web in e-form. Training modules will be offered in combination of both e-learning and classical methods (for example workshops). E-assessment and training modules include soft competences, such as organization, communication, leadership etc., and also classical knowledge (e.g. languages, computer science…).
Purpose of the project
The purposes of the project are:
• to help companies obtain economical (in terms of time and costs) and professional assessment of the potential of employees (of existent employees and candidates).
• to provide tailor-made trainings for employees based on the outcomes of assessment.
The aims of the project
The aim is to enhance the competitiveness and effectiveness of the companies, especially of the small and middle sized ones working in tourism which are facing many different challenges nowadays (rapid development of technology, severe market demands etc.). These companies often have limited possibilities to invest in human resources development.
With Abata project we aim to: - design and develop innovative tests/activities which will satisfy the test characteristics in terms of practicality, sensitivity, reliability and validity;
- enable employees to discover their potentials and to find optimal use of their skills and competencies;
- enable small and medium enterprises working in tourism to prepare specific, tailor-made training programmes for their employees;
- implement these programmes in order to overcome problems regarding development of HR in small and medium enterprises in tourism and later transfer this approach also to other branches.
Target groups
The immediate target group of our project are people working in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in tourism. Because there are a lot of different positions in tourism, we will concentrate on those positions that require more complex skills and competencies. For testing purposes we will assemble a pilot target group combined of following profiles:
• Middle managers,
• Receptionists,
• Congress centre employees (sales representatives),
• Tourist animators (guides, organizers).
Advantages of developed tools
• Effective insight into the potential and competences of employees.
• Training is not based just on feelings and common sense, but on professional assessment.
• Individualised and targeted training courses (not just one programme for all employees).
• More economical HR development and easier access to testing and training (almost all activities can be implemented in the workplace).
With the help of an e-tool we will assess strengths and weaknesses of every person and then prepare individual training programme to maximize the effect of training. Thus the person will be properly educated in a shortest possible way. There is no need for longer absence from work and also no time is lost for individuals to learn things they already know. Better prepared professionals will help their organisations meet their goals and fulfil the market demands.
Developed tools will offer numerous advantages to employers, but also to employees. Employees will be given the opportunity to manage their own career, which should lead to positive outcomes such as higher satisfaction and increased motivation.
Phases of the project
• Research of key competences of specific workplaces,
• Formulation of e-tools for testing,
• Formulation of training modules,
• Pilot testing of e-tools and training modules on the pilot group of employees in tourist companies,
• Evaluation and
• Dissemination of the results.
The partnership
The promoter of the project is Kadis d. o. o. from Slovenia.
Partners are:
• Ballymun Job Centre, Ireland
• Pro-Orava, Slovakia
• National Tourist Association (NTA), Slovenia
• Siel d.o.o., Slovenia.
The main advantage of our partnership is the cooperation between assessment and educational organisations which will provide the necessary blending of experiences on key fields for the project.
More information: Valerija Čuček: valerija@kadis.si, kadis@kadis.si