Blue Cluster Manager Training (Erasmus+)

Maritime Clusters represent strategic “policy actors” that support the sustainable growth and the competitiveness of the Blue Economy Sector across the European Union and, in particular, the Mediterranean Area. In this context, Clusters promote the uptake of innovation, knowledge transfer, financial access, ensuring that the support provided is effective and locally grounded. In the Mediterranean area, Maritime Clusters register a lack of Competitive Managerial Staff often without specific innovation and management skills or without specialization in specific areas such as, for instance, maritime spatial planning background.

At the same time, the necessity of more effective Entrepreneurial and Innovation skills for Maritime Clusters professionals continuously increases, and therefore it results essential to promote competitive profiles for Marine and Maritime Clusters across Europe and, specifically, in the Mediterranean Area.

At this purpose, the project aims at providing innovative and accessible tailor-made curriculum, knowledges, and skills; at enhancing the capacity building of Blue Clusters Managers; at producing a set of Recommendations for Blue Clusters Managers Training and capacity building, addressed to all the actors of the Blue Economy ecosystem.

The project is co-funded by Erasmus+, the EU Programme for education, training, youth and sport, in particular under the Key Action 2: Cooperation among Organizations and Institutions. It lasts 24 months, from December 2022 to December 2024. Under the coordination of ForMare – Polo Nazionale per lo Shipping the MarMED - MARitime cluster Management Education Development project consortium is composed of seven Partners and three Associated Partners, operating in the Mediterranean Area.

More information about the project can be found on the project's official website.

The curriculum developed by the project consists of 75-hours of blended learning, developed as per below:

Section A: 40 hours of asynchronous e-learning (at own pace).

Section B: 16 hours study visit.

Section C: 19 hours of online-live interactive discussion.

Detailed curriculum can be found below:

Section A: 

Module 1: Basic introduction to Blue Economy Sectors

• Unit 1. Current Status and Outlook of the Blue Economy
• Unit 2. The emerging sectors and the role of Clusters in promoting them
• Unit 3. Marine fisheries and aquaculture
• Unit 4. Environmental Protection and Sustainability
• Unit 5. Commercial shipping (trade, transportation and logistics)
• Unit 6. Coastal and Marine Tourism and recreational activities management
• Unit 7. Synergies with complementary sectors (shipbuilding/repair/recycling, ports/terminals, shore-based agencies)

 Module 2: Soft skills

• Unit 1. Strategic thinking and decision-making: how to master the design and implementation of multi-faceted strategies
• Unit 2. Leadership in Business Networks & Industrial Ecosystems
• Unit 3. Multicultural communication and negotiation
• Unit 4. Human as the strongest asset: the ability to manage, motivate and inspire human resources
• Unit 5. Time management and ability to work under pressure
• Unit 6. Entrepreneurship/intrapreneurship

Module 3:Managerial and Technical skills

• Unit 1. Cluster management
• Unit 2. Program and Project Management
• Unit 3. Stakeholders' Engagement
• Unit 4. Events management and Social Media
• Unit 5. Finance and identification of funding opportunities
• Unit 6. Lobbying and the development of an internationalization strategy
• Unit 7. Analysis of Industrial Value Chains and Value Networks

Module 4: Policy knowledge

• Unit 1. Basic policy concepts and terminology
• Unit 2. Introduction to key national policies in the partner countries
• Unit 3. Introduction to key regional and EU policies
• Unit 4. Introduction to key global policies
• Unit 5. Harmonization of national, regional, EU and global policies: Cluster as a mechanism of cooperation, synergies and joint actions.

Section B:

Two day (16 hours) study visit in Trieste, Italy. Scheduled for: 13 -14 June 2024.

The cost of for travel and accommodation will be fully covered by the project.

*Whilst this section is not mandatory, the final certificate issued will reflect whether or not one has participated in the study visit.

Section C:

19 hours of synchronous, online-live discussions with experts in the field.

Starting in May 2024. Register your interest here.

Deadline for registration is Thursday 18 April 2024.

If you require further information on this project and this training course please contact: info@projectmarmed.eu.

Participants must :

• be over 18 years old;
• have a good command of the English language;
• have previous/current experience in any sector of the blue economy, or are currently following a higher education related programme.