About the partnership

Get to know the partners involved in the project and their role in it.

The partnership involves 9 partners from 6 different countries: Belgium, Cameroon, Ghana, Italy, Nigeria and Spain.

Spain

Partners in Spain

Mundus

Leader of the project

Website

Mundus, an organization with over a decade of experience in international mobility projects,  dedicated to improve young people’s employability. Established in Spain in 2013, with its headquarters in Zaragoza, Mundus is a key player in international mobility, focusing on two core activities:

Coordinating Hosting Services: By 2023, Mundus has collaborated with over 300 VET providers by 2023, facilitating 4,000 mobility opportunities annually for students and professionals under the Erasmus+ program for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and partnering with 1,000 hosting companies.

Developing  and managing International Cooperation Projects: Mundus has participated in more than 40 international projects covering different topics, including education, innovation, mobility expertise, and youth employability, among others. It is also the coordinating entity of SAAM, a pilot project funded with 4 million euros by the European Commission to promote VET mobility between Africa and Europe. SAAM involves 24 countries (16 African and 8 European nations), with 35 partners and over 500 mobility initiatives, showcasing Mundus’ commitment to enhancing vocational training quality beyond Europe.

Furthermore, Mundus actively participates in various VET networks such as EfVET, EVBB, EAFA, and EUPROVET and has served as the National Contact Point for three consecutive years for the European Vocational Skills Week.

Mundus

Leader of the project

Website

Mundus, an organization with over a decade of experience in international mobility projects,  dedicated to improve young people’s employability. Established in Spain in 2013, with its headquarters in Zaragoza, Mundus is a key player in international mobility, focusing on two core activities:

Coordinating Hosting Services: By 2023, Mundus has collaborated with over 300 VET providers by 2023, facilitating 4,000 mobility opportunities annually for students and professionals under the Erasmus+ program for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and partnering with 1,000 hosting companies.

Developing  and managing International Cooperation Projects: Mundus has participated in more than 40 international projects covering different topics, including education, innovation, mobility expertise, and youth employability, among others. It is also the coordinating entity of SAAM, a pilot project funded with 4 million euros by the European Commission to promote VET mobility between Africa and Europe. SAAM involves 24 countries (16 African and 8 European nations), with 35 partners and over 500 mobility initiatives, showcasing Mundus’ commitment to enhancing vocational training quality beyond Europe.

Furthermore, Mundus actively participates in various VET networks such as EfVET, EVBB, EAFA, and EUPROVET and has served as the National Contact Point for three consecutive years for the European Vocational Skills Week.

Mundus, an organization with over a decade of experience in international mobility projects,  dedicated to improve young people’s employability. Established in Spain in 2013, with its headquarters in Zaragoza, Mundus is a key player in international mobility, focusing on two core activities

Coordinating Hosting Services: By 2023, Mundus has collaborated with over 300 VET providers by 2023, facilitating 4,000 mobility opportunities annually for students and professionals under the Erasmus+ program for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and partnering with 1,000 hosting companies.

Developing  and managing International Cooperation Projects: Mundus has participated in more than 40 international projects covering different topics, including education, innovation, mobility expertise, and youth employability, among others. It is also the coordinating entity of SAAM, a pilot project funded with 4 million euros by the European Commission to promote VET mobility between Africa and Europe. SAAM involves 24 countries (16 African and 8 European nations), with 35 partners and over 500 mobility initiatives, showcasing Mundus’ commitment to enhancing vocational training quality beyond Europe.

Furthermore, Mundus actively participates in various VET networks such as EfVET, EVBB, EAFA, and EUPROVET and has served as the National Contact Point for three consecutive years for the European Vocational Skills Week.

UPV

Partner

Website

The Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) is a Spanish public university located in Valencia, with a focus on science, technology, and arts. It was founded in 1968 as the Higher Polytechnic School of Valencia and became a university in 1971.

UPV hosts over 36,000 students and employs over 5,000 people (teaching, research, administrative, services staff). It is the first technological university in Spain according to international rankings and offers 39 undergraduate programmes, 14 dual undergraduate programmes, 103 official Master’s degrees and 32 Doctorate programmes.

Even though UPV focuses mainly on engineering studies, it also hosts a Faculty of Fine Arts and a Faculty of Business Administration and Management. UPV has repeatedly ranked among the top 10 European Universities in student exchange figures under the Erasmus Programme. UPV has broad experience in the management of European projects and takes part in different actions and in several international networks.

UPV was the first Spain’s university establishing an entrepreneurship area -IDEASUPV- to help their undergraduates or graduates to create their own business. IDEASUPV won the promotion award on entrepreneurship from the EU commission in 2009 and contributed to the EU label of EER for Valencia Region in 2015. In 2022, UPV was internationally recognized as the second best entrepreneurial university in Europe by Triple E Awards, a global recognition of efforts toward the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education.

Belgium

Partners in Belgium

CEA-PME

Partner

Website

European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME (Confédération Européenne des Associations de Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) is the largest confederation of voluntarily associated small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). CEA-PME is a  Brussels-based business federation that currently counts  27 European associations among its members, with more than  2.4 million enterprises, employing over 20 million people. CEA-PME promotes cooperation and exchange of experience with 12 partner associations in Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

The priority of the confederation is to represent the interests of the small and medium-sized enterprises of all sectors towards the European institutions with the aim to give SMEs a voice commensurate with their importance to the European economy. It furthermore offers extensive information and advice to its members and their associated companies in all matters related to European legislation, EU-Policies, Internal market, European programmes and EU Structural Funds. As CEA-PME is interested in promoting the values of SMEs, it is strongly engaged in several policy areas, such as the promotion of entrepreneurship, the reduction of bureaucracy and the shortage of skilled workers, the promotion of R&D and innovations in & for SME – in particular Digital & Green transitions, as well as to advance of fairer economic cooperation with developing countries centered on SMEs. In order to achieve this ambitious objective, CEA-PME prepares newsletters and position papers, and it periodically organizes online webinars and high-level live events, as an occasion to build stronger partnerships among its partners as well as to encourage the exchange of ideas.

Italy

Partners in Italy

VIS

Partner

Website

VIS (Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working in development cooperation and international solidarity besides being an educational agency promoting awareness raising activities, education, development and global citizenship training.

Established in 1986, VIS is member of Don Bosco Network – DBN, the international network of Salesian inspired NGOs, engaged in the promotion of sustainable development and human rights protection of the most vulnerable and poor young people.

VIS vision conceives a world where every person can fully enjoy his/her rights and participate with dignity and actively in the life of the community favoring his/her development. VIS mission is to promote the development and strengthen each person’s capabilities – as individual and as member of a community – with particular attention to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people, providing them with education, training and employment opportunities as well as tools for the promotion and protection of their rights.

VIS is active in many countries through development, emergency, long-distance support and support to the Salesian missions’ projects. VIS operates in 40 countries around the world, focusing its engagement above all in Sub-Sahara Africa and in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Cameroon

Partners in Cameroon

CPDB Mimboman

Partner

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Don Bosco Vocational Center, located in Mimboman, Cameroon counts with a great diversity and quality of training courses where students and apprentices acquire  the skills they need for their future professional careers. With an offer of more than 13 disciplines including carpentry, computer science, tailoring, and metallurgy,the school provides education for vulnerable youth in the Mimboman neighborhood of Yaoundé. A three-story building includes 12 classrooms, laboratories and offices. A newer school building added in 2021 allows more students to attend and provides space for additional educational programs including a bachelor’s level course.

Salesian missionaries in Cameroon provide education and social development services to poor youth so they are able to gain the training needed to find and retain long-term employment. They in turn are able to give back to their families and communities.

Don Bosco Vocational Centre in Mimboman, as a Salesian Vocational Institute offers a great diversity and quality of training. Don Bosco schools are appreciated throughout the country and internationally.

INTIME

Partner

Website

INTIME is a HEI in Cameroon providing initial studies, TVET and continuing education in the field of agriculture, engineering, social sciences, ICT, business and management. The INTIME training offers lead to the following diplomas: Certificate of Vocational Qualification (CQP); Vocational Qualification Diploma (DQP); Higher Technician Certificate (BTS); Vocational Bachelor degree (LP).

INTIME uses several companies in the Region for apprenticeship training. In addition to teaching, INTIME has research and development support missions. Support for local development is provided through our INTIME-CONSULTING design office. The ultimate mission of INTIME is to get learners to create their own businesses in the incubation structure that we want to set up from the next academic year.

Our research activities are carried out within the LIRAD laboratory which is a multidisciplinary laboratory providing innovative solutions to the main technological problems for human development. Our Research areas include Studies and design of industrial systems; Renewable energies and sustainable development Agronomy and agri-food; Water health environment; Construction of structures; Industrial integration, Quality, safety and industrial logistics. 

Ghana

Partners in Ghana

DBYN

Partner

Website

Don Bosco Youth Network, referred to as DBYN, is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) registered with License in Ghana.

 

The Don Bosco Youth Network (NGO) is the Administrative Office and the Instrument for the Animation of the Salesians of Don Bosco West Africa South St. Joseph Province (AOS) for a sustainable and relevant mission for children and young people.

 

DBYN serves as a link, a bridge, between the consecrated Salesians and civil society in the work of promoting youth development and empowerment, justice, and holistic human development.

 

SSC Ghana

Partner

Website

Start-Up SME Centres (SSC) Ghana Ltd is a private company, part of the Resourceful Organisations Network (RON), involved in business formalization, business development, entrepreneurship, investor readiness and investment and trade facilitation for Start-ups, Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and informal sector businesses of the private sector advocating and championing its interests. 

SSC has a network of 54 franchised Centres ( as offices, hubs, Incubators, accelerators and networking for its members and constituents) through its franchise model in cooperation with Consulting firms, businesses, Civil Society Organisations and individuals, in all 16 administrative regions of Ghana, making it the most widely spread and represented private Organisation for MSMEs. 

SSC identifies Talents, Innovators, Makers, Inventors, young entrepreneurs, Innovations and Technologies and develop them into full-fledged industries for market and commercialization, by providing their felt needs at the point of entry and engages in business, productive, profitable and sustainable models with them. The Thematic Modular approaches of SSC Curricular enables them to start from anywhere and end in the complete cycle of training in a flexible and responsive manner, with basics of entrepreneurship built into the structure and content as the foundation of the curricular. 

Thus, SSC enables MSMEs to receive Training and provide means for training unemployed youth in apprenticeship and industrial training so that they can get employed within the MSMEs, self-employed in the ecosystem or elsewhere. To do so, MSMEs need to widen their scope for providing young people training to be employed in decent jobs and they need capacity to expand in order to provide more spaces for apprenticeship, industrial training and job opportunities for unemployed youth.

Nigeria

Partners in Nigeria

Apodissi

Partner

Website

Apodissi specialises in transferring knowledge and technology between Africa and Europe. We are innovation specialists working to inspire and empower African organisations to exploit and adopt innovative technologies, such as cobots, smart remote experts solutions, industrial 3D and additive manufacturing. We foster their customisation and uptake by vocational training schools, African innovators, start-ups and industries. Apodissi also fiercely promotes African innovation by partnering with digital innovation hubs, research centres and universities to stimulate and advance digital entrepreneurship, innovation and cross-continental partnerships. We have accumulated a reservoir of experience through 20+ years of experience in Africa and our involvement in several European-African EU-African projects designing innovative vocational training and capacity building programmes, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among vulnerable youth (Green VET Africa; Digilogic Africa) and research and innovation projects PrAEctiCe; Ruralities). We conceptualise, develop and promote international research and innovation projects fostering collaboration between centres of excellence in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We pilot innovative solutions on the ground and disseminate the results for market uptake. We know how to navigate Africa’s complex and variegated context. Our team, based in Lagos (Nigeria), Windhoek (Namibia) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates), combines local knowledge with an international network and exposure.

This website is co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Smart Step partners and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

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