ImProve STEAM Training Kit for Youth Workers
In this rapidly advanced technological age which is predominantly characterised by innovation in Entrepreneurship as well as in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), aspects of Intellectual Property (IP) seem to be entirely or partially absent from the education provided to young people. This realisation contradicts recent publications of the future of Europe which estimate that nearly six million additional positions related to Entrepreneurship and STEAM will be created in Europe by 2030 while it is also foreseen that the demand for STEM skills will increase by 39% (McKinsey Global Institute, 2020). From conceiving an innovative idea in Science to patenting an app in Engineering and safeguarding copyright infringement in Arts, the notion of IP is deeply embedded in STEAM and Entrepreneurship and thus a more comprehensive education on the subject is essential in order to prepare young people to appropriately comply with the demands of their future careers.
To respond to this need, the Erasmus+ funded project ImProve STEAM, - Enabling youth workers to improve their training programmes by introducing IP rights in their STEAM learning approaches aims at educating young people on Intellectual Property concepts appearing in the field of STEAM and in entrepreneurial efforts. To this respect, the consortium of the project has developed a stand-alone Training Manual with a purpose to introduce young people to some basic knowledge on the aspects of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Copyrights in order to better understand the importance of Intellectual Property in their daily and professional life. The training kit, which targets the needs of youth workers responsible for delivering the knowledge to young people, is designed taking into consideration the needs, expectations and competences of both youth workers and young people. To facilitate and optimise the learning process and experience, guiding sessions and assessment questions are included in the training kit which is available in five languages: English, Greek, French, Romanian and Polish.
The Training Manual is divided into four chapters, each related to one type of IP: Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Copyrights. In particular, the reader is expected to understand the legal framework regarding Intellectual Property concepts, acquire practical knowledge on the procedure to apply for a patent, comprehend the difference between discoveries and inventions as well as navigate through the benefits of patenting an invention. Furthermore, the Training Manual explores Industrial Designs, that is, “The appearance of the whole or a part of a product resulting from the features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture and/or materials of the product itself and/or its ornamentation” emphasising on the requirements to register a design while providing a practical demonstration on how to file a design application. A concise discussion on how to create a powerful and distinctive sign (e.g. name, logo) for your product is provided under the Trademark chapter allowing learners to understand why trade names such as Apple, Sony, Nike and Amazon are considered leading brands in their domains. Finally, the Training Manual is complemented with aspects of Copyright referring to “the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (such as a literary, musical, or artistic work)”.
You can read more about the project and download the Training Manual by visiting the project website at https://www.improvesteam.eu/
