The structural change of a region is closely linked to the people who are to produce innovations. In this context, the professional development of skilled workers is an inseparable part of innovative technological developments and has a significant positive influence on economic innovation. The new research project, which is part of the major structural change project and alliance "Lusatia - Life and Technology", aims to design and test a further training academy in Upper Lusatia, the "Europe Open Academy" ("EurOpA"), and to found and establish it in the long term. The team headed by project manager Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil is currently asking itself the following key questions:

What educational opportunities are needed for promising digital technologies in the context of the digital transformation of the economy? What regional potential is already available for this in Upper Lusatia? How can education and innovation be promoted even more, especially in our region? First of all

• identify the needs of large companies in Upper Lusatia as well as small and medium-sized enterprises
• derive an evidence-based and needs-based program concept,
• develop concrete teaching scenarios,
• set up a video workshop,
• tested and evaluated the training program with partner companies on the basis of criteria and
• developed a well-founded sustainability strategy.

Large companies such as Siemens and SMEs such as Arnell and ULT from Upper Lusatia have already been identified as test customers for this training academy.

This will help to increase the global competitiveness of companies in Upper Lusatia by enabling employees to, for example, design digital business processes:

1. Designing digital business processes and
2. trained in the use of digital technologies.

The project to design and test the "European Open Academy" (EurOpA) further education academy in the Upper Lusatia innovation region is supported by the specialist working group on digitalization and student-centered approaches in competence-oriented university teaching (Diskoh) and the Science Center Oberlausitz - Technologie-Transfer-Innovativ (SCO-TTi).

#Research #Higher education #Higher education didactics #Continuing education #Structural change