Training programmes – the foundation for impact in Erasmus+ projects

The impact of Erasmus Plus projects depends on many factors. Investing significant effort into creating a well-balanced training programme is crucial, as it lays the foundation for achieving meaningful and lasting outcomes. In this article we focus on the trainings and why they are essential for achieving impactful outcomes in our ENRICHER hubs project.

Impact matters

Project impact refers to the changes and effects that a project has, both immediate and long-term. Achieving significant and lasting project impact requires careful planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation. Defining and measuring impact, is one of the most challenging tasks in RDI projects, because the effects of projects may only become evident after a long period of time. However, impact has to be planned in detail already in the project application. Transforming ideas into impactful actions is demanding.

Working for impact continues throughout the project as results are monitored and evaluated by the financer and partner institutions themselves. Monitoring includes collecting and using information to track project progress, while evaluation is a periodic assessment that examines the project’s design, implementation, and outcomes (Erasmus+ 2024). For example, at Haaga-Helia projects are evaluated according to our RDI impact vision, which highlights sustainability, responsible business, wellbeing and learning as well as innovation aspects (Huttunen & Koivisto 6.11.2024).

Employers worldwide state that skills are evolving, and employees need to upskill and reskill themselves continuously (WEF 7.1.2025). Our ENRICHER hubs project addresses skills gaps between education and the labour market in sustainable tourism by developing innovative training and learning activities that boost competences in the target countries of Georgia and Moldova. It is an Erasmus+ Capacity building in Higher education (CBHE) project addressing the skills gaps in the target countries (Erasmus+).

Training programmes matter for impact

The training programme of the ENRICHER hubs project is essential for the project’s impact. The project aims to create a sustainable future for tourism in Moldova and Georgia, both countries with tourism industries where sustainability considerations are only just emerging, as established in the Status Quo report in the beginning phases of the project.

The participants in the training programmes are introduced to various methods for sustainable and responsible business practices, ranging from service design tools to business model canvases. The universities in both target countries are still rather traditional with their teaching practices, with lectures being the norm, thus, the new methods have been embraced with enthusiasm.

All training participants, from students and staff at the target country universities to local businesses, touched by the project will benefit from development of skills and competences, enabling them to create new solutions and sustainable experiences for the tourism industry. The long-term impact of the project started already during the trainings and continues to spread into the local community and region as the internal trainings start at the hubs established at the universities in Georgia and Moldova later in 2025.

Project outputs matter for impact

Outputs are deliverables, direct products or services of a project (Erasmus+ 2024). Deliverables are part of the project impact, even its legacy, as they can be used for further training and inspiration by anyone.

ENRICHER hubs’ project deliverables include training guidelines and modules, best practices reports, and guides for innovative learning methods. Haaga-Helia has contributed to the training activities, for example, through its student-centered approaches and application of service design methods, such as design sprints which can have a lasting, concrete impact on the target groups.

In April 2025, the ENRICHER hubs project concluded its Training of Trainers work package, which included topics from sustainable tourism (video with insights by project partners during the first training week in Kutaisi) to service design tools (video of our Design Sprint in Comrat, Moldova) – both the two central themes of the entire project.

The topics and contents of the trainings were created in collaboration with all the trainers, who came from the three EU partner universities. The trainings are available in the Training Guidelines report – a project output evaluated by the EU – on the project website.

As one of the main outcomes of the project, the training activities are central to the project impact. They enable the establishment of green tourism hubs in Georgia and Moldova to share knowledge.

Partners and sharing matter for impact

Even though trainers may employ similar methods, they learn new approaches and resources from one another. For example, when putting together the best practice report for the ENRICHER hubs project, all trainers explored and shared sustainability programmes and successful cases in their own countries.

Trainings involve trainees and trainers, the people participating in the trainings. Sharing and learning from others remains one of the most rewarding aspects of any project.

Some of the training are conducted in the target countries. While most of the time is spent in the classroom, there are often opportunities to experience the local way of life and explore the region. We have visited nature sights with dinosaur footsteps of Sataplia in Georgia and a family-owned tourist complex in Gagauzia in Moldova. Moving from the classroom to the local environment is always eye-opening. These glimpses into the reality of the target country’s tourism scene are important for mutual understanding and gaining practical insights into the current situation. Theory and tools can do only so much, they need to be complemented with experiences that leave a lasting impression on the participants.

While the new methods and tools, skills and competences learnt in a project are impactful, it is often the collaborative learning and working together towards the common goal that matter the most. These shared experiences build trust and strengthen relationships, creating a solid foundation for future collaboration and impact.

Picture: Haaga-Helia