Project type:
Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education
Project number: 597931-EPP-1-2018-1-BE-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP
Period:
November 2018 – November 2021
Budget:
€998.345
Problem Statement
STEM-education is very relevant for East-African countries, as producing
added value is a way of improving life standard in these developing
countries. Moreover there is a high demand for technicians from
investors, NGOs and the emerging mid-class in Ethiopia, Uganda and
Tanzania, supported by legislative attempts to increase local
employment. To cope with this demand, there is a need for skilled
people, trained in relevant engineering trades, but they are hard to
find, due to the strong theoretical approach in universities instead of
practice-oriented competence-based teaching. This is directly related to
the lack of modern curricula in engineering and industry-grade
equipment.
Goal of the project
The ACTEA project aims to fulfil the specific needs in engineering,
provide better skills matching, deliver course material in 2
specializations, Computer Aided Manufacturing Technology and Electrical
Engineering & Automation and, establish technologic laboratories,
with virtual and remote accessibility, establish learning tools, give
academic staff additional training on technology and in developing
technologic course material according to EU standards.
Methodology
To ensure a good skills matching, the project includes research on both
labour market demands and competences included in current curricula. For
example, work package 1 includes the development, distribution and
analysis of surveys for stakeholders (teachers / students / local labour
market / output competences from secondary education). During the
project, pre- and post measurements of all training activities are
performed as well.
Output
The results will be disseminated and exploited with train-the-trainer
sessions, Master Classes and with training of a pilot group of internal
and external stakeholders. Good practices and results will be made
public through e-resources, radio and local media. The Business
Integration Bureau favors cooperation with local business, for
trainings, employing students or as client for end-products. All is done
according to a well-defined quality assurance scheme.
Impact
The impact on the short term is increased technological and pedagogic
knowledge, increased operational capacity, increase in engineering
students, and a better cooperation with local industry. On the long
term, the project aims at an increase in employability, in added value
produced locally, sustained life-long-learning and long-term
high-quality knowledge gain in technology.
” The project in short
First: Research the local situation: skills needed at the labour market – skills taught at the universities – local capacity in HR, IT and infrastructure
Second: Develop technology courses in automation, industrial electricity, renewable energy, CAD/CAM, industrial design and production
Third: Provide industrial equipment for technology labs and supporting learning tools
Fourth: Training in the EU and Africa
All supported by digital tools for project management, course development & quality assurance
Key ideas are openness, collaboration, synergy and respect”
Dirk Van Merode – project coordinator
Module 1: Computer Aided Manufacturing Technology
Courses
- Product & Process Design and Development
- Computer Aided Design
- Materials, Manufacturing Process Applications and Operation
- Materials Technology – materials testing and analysis
- Machining
- Welding Technology
Equipment
- CNC milling machine
- Multifunctional Welding booth
- CAD-CAM software
- Tensile strength tester
- 3D VR set
- 360° camera
- 3D goggles
- Smartphones
Module 2: Electrical Engineering & Automation
Courses
- Electrical Installations
- Electrical Motors & Drives
- Basic PLC Programming
- Advanced PLC & Motion
- Sensor Technology
- Process Simulation & Control
- Renewable Energy
- Embedded Measurement and Control
Equipment
- Electrical installation labs
- Electrical motor labs
- PLCs & interfacing
- Hardware automation models
- Process control unit for temperature, level, pressure and flow control
- PV sun panels 3kW/panel + invertors
- Photovoltaic module + battery + solar charge controller
- Sun boiler starter kit
- Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Internet of Things
- 3D VR set
- 360° camera
- 3D goggles
- Smartphones
Module 3: Labor Market Skills
Courses
- Project Management & Strategy
- Economics
- Soft Skills for Engineers
- Quality Control
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
