THE SIMULATED ENTERPRISE AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR A FUTURE CAREER

The paper describes our experience in the implementation of a simulated enterprise product in the framework of the CONPROF Project, developed jointly by the automation engineering company IPA SA, the University Politehnica of Bucharest and the Romanian-American University. The project contributes to the cooperation between higher education institutions and businesses by assisting the undergraduates in their practical training and in the transition from being a student to being employed.The project combines counseling, vocational guidance, practical training and interactive learning using simulated enterprises in a process that blends the curriculum and the student's initial skills with the labor market requirements.

The important novelty proposed by the project is the provision of entrepreneurship and managerial experience to students by facilitating them to establish and manage simulated enterprises, as an interactive study method. The preparatory work ensured through internships in companies is continued through the participation of the target group to the simulation of an enterprise operation, providing a collaborative working environment by simulating the entire life cycle of a company. The registered students form teams made up more than four students and create virtual companies in which they can act in different roles. Professors supervise the development of the company and the involvement of the students, grading the results based on the guidelines elaborated by the consortium, a deliverable of the project and the documents uploaded by the student in the web application.

Additional experience is acquired by connecting the simulated company to the Romanian simulated enterprise network ROCT (Romanian Coordination of Training Firms), where the students come into direct contact with the functioning of public institutions relevant for companies