SEFED, practice entreprise network

Since 1987 Fundació Inform is the organization that manages and promotes the SEFED Project in Spain, with 310 practice entreprises fully operational in 2019. Fundació Inform is a member, since 1997, of the Global Practice Entreprise Network Europen-Pen International, with more than 42 member countries and 7.500 practice firms operating around the world. All practice entreprises around the world buy and sell their "virtual" products / services in the global and closed market for practice entreprises provided by Europen-Pen International.

The SEFED Project uses the setting up of a simulated company in a classroom as the pedagogical tool to train students in business in a practical way (learning by doing), by getting them to run their own company, performing actual business tasks like buying and selling their virtual products all around the world, and getting to know the ins and outs of running a small business.

To achieve the pedagogical objective and this business environment, the school sets up a simulated company in a classroom, which is divided into the usual office departments using current resources in business. This simulated company, which we call practice entreprise SEFED in Spain, replicates all of the functions and demands of a real business in both a structure and practice, from product development, production and distribution to marketing, sales, human resources, finance and accounting. As "employees" of the virtual business, students are accountable for their company's management and performance.

Students are in a business environment in the classroom that will engage them and which develops employability skills to achieve great employment outcomes.

These are the departments in a practice entreprise SEFED in Spain:

The simulation business methodology is based on the concept learning by doing. Students play the main role in their training and are provided with practical employability and life skills that will prove useful in whatever path they choose and achieve positive career outcomes.

Students work as "employees" in the different office departments, undertaking office tasks and achieving set up objectives like if they were in a real company.

The learning and working environment within the practice entreprise emphasizes project-based, collaborative learning and teachers who guide and direct student learning rather than present prescribed daily lessons.

Practice entreprises are the ideal framework to train and evaluate professional skills and the so called soft skills which can be seen while students "work" in the practice entreprises such as: initiative, managing and organizing tasks, collaborative working, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, versatility, etc...which are highly valued by employers.

This is also a very flexible methodology which allows different educational levels, working experiences and rates of learning of students in the same simulated business, with the possibility to design individual learning paths. Students show their potentials and have the possibility to emphasize their training in a specific office department if they would like to.

Schools/training organizations with practice entreprises SEFED, 310 classrooms transformed into offices in 2019 in Spain and more than 10.000 students into business employees/executives, have business contacts buying and selling "virtual" goods / services needed to have the company running as in real life, students also study their competitors, develop market research and use marketing strategies to sell their "virtual" goods.

To develop this whole business, SEFED practice entreprises use the same communication channels and processes than in real life ... email, phone, websites, blogs, e-commerce, social networks, etc.

This Global Network brings together all the practice entreprises around the world wishing to engage in international trade. In this closed market, practice entreprises around the world buy and sell their "virtual" goods / services as if they were in the real business market. Through a web-based platform that connects all worldwide students in practice entreprises in 42 countries, students experience the expectations of the global economy by trading across industries, borders and cultures.

Currently Europen-Pen International members are in 42 countries with a total of approximately 7.500 fully operational practice entreprises.

For further information on the Global Network and the practice firm concept:

Europen-Pen International members organize real trade shows in which practice entreprises exhibit in live their products and market them. At these trade shows, students negotiate in live purchases and sales with customers. In Fundació Inform we also organize our Global Practice Entreprise Trade Show biannually in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Our participants are not only SEFED Spanish practice firms but also international practice firms that would like to have business contacts and deals with our Spanish practice firms.

Our last Fair was in Barcelona city, Spain, last March 2016.

Central Office SEFED in Spain, as well as the rest of Global Central Offices in each member of Europen-Pen International Network, offers Spanish practice firms the resources they need to operate as real companies through a web-based platform:

• Electronic bank and credit card
  
• Transport of goods
• Tax Office
• Social Security Office
• Employment Office
• Local government services
• Administración local
  
• Raw material suppliers
  
• Clients to provide automatic orders for practice entreprises SEFED
  
• E-commerce: e-shops
• Insurances, other suppliers, etc.
  

• Professional and vocational training for unemployed people: employability skills to achieve great employment outcomes and engage students. Employability skills give students and people returners the confidence to meet everyday life challenges through a flexible and adaptive mindset: the "I can" factor!
  
  
• Schools, colleges and educational organizations that offer business administration, marketing, transport, trade and tourism careers. Practice entreprises are set up according to the standard-based curriculum to support the program's goals and objectives. The learning by doing concept highly motivates all type of students.
  
  

• Universities: emphasizing skills related to making-decisions, responsability, leadership and managing human resources.

• Special target groups: students with very low educational levels are highly motivated when undertaking their training in a practice firm. Students tasks are much easier, more basic and what we call transversal so as to help these students to easily get into the labour market or go on studying.

• Handicapped people: students are able to keep undertaking tasks according to their rates of learning, objectives and skills to be achieved.
  
  
• Entrepreneurs: practice firms are the ideal tool to learn to manage a company and to train skills such as creativity, initiative, leadership, manging business ventures, etc..with no risk at all.

Here you have an example of a practice entreprise in a college. Video made by students themselves explaining the concept, their company, etc.

Fundació Inform

Email: comunicacion@inform.es
Website: www.inform.es
Location: Carrer del Pi, 24, Sant Pere de Ribes, Spain
Phone: +34 938 964 700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004345202006
Twitter: @FundacioInform