Smart Step is an Erasmus+ capacity-building project in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Ghana and Cameroon, co-funded by the European Commission. The project seeks to prepare students for entrepreneurship and bridge the gap between the education system and the labor market.
Apodissi has developed the e-learning platform that hosts, among other resources, the entrepreneurship course created in collaboration with the project’s partners. The course is available free of charge to learners across Africa in both English and French, It is structured into four comprehensive modules and enhanced with video lessons and knowledge assessment tools.
The 5-day capacity-building programme took place in Accra, Ghana, at the Don Bosco Training Institute, and it offered the participants insights on how to explore business priorities, market segmentation, integrating work-based Learning into TVET programmes, defining value propositions, and building competitive advantages, among others.
Israel Griol Barres from Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), explored topics on how to assess business impact, integration of green practices, and apply life cycle assessment (LCA) in entrepreneurial planning. This session provided a case study to the students, giving them practical scenarios on building a business, marketing, and sustaining the business. Gerd Benzmüller shared his experiences as the CEO of enpa Energiepartner GmbH, an energy consulting firm in Germany. His session gave a different perspective on being an entrepreneur in Germany and practical business skills for SME success, connecting it to the Ghana ecosystem, ensuring that students see the possibilities of building a successful business.
Blessing Sorinola, Apodissi Junior Dissemination and Communication Specialist, presented the Smart Step eLearning Platform, showcasing its key features, functionalities, and best practices that can help trainers and students fully exploit the platform. This session was designed to create a multiplier effect, empowering trainers to cascade their knowledge to students and significantly extend the platform’s reach and impact across the TVET teachers and students.
“It was inspiring to see the trainers’ enthusiasm and curiosity. Their engagement with the platform shows strong potential for impact not only in how students access entrepreneurial education but in how trainers adopt digital tools to support learning outcomes.” Blessing noted
Following the success of the Ghana session, the next phase of the Smart Step Train-the-Trainers programme is set to take place in Cameroon, where we look forward to further strengthening digital learning, entrepreneurial capacity, and TVET innovation across the region.
Apodissi is heavily investing in the Smart Step eLearning platform to enrich it with valuable and innovative training materials. In the next few months, it will host new courses from other projects, such as SUSTAIN-IT and METAVET. Furthermore, we are working on advanced features such as blockchain-based certificates, AI functionalities to match learners’ profiles with the most suitable courses, and Zoom integration to allow the trainers to conduct online live classes.
