Regional Awareness Day 2 brings together International Partners to advance Soft Skills in Higher Education

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University successfully hosted the Regional Awareness Day 2 (RAD 2) of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project DeSIRe – Development of Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions of Armenia and Georgia in Compliance with the 21st Century Labour Market Requirements on 21–22 July 2026. The event brought together representatives of partner universities, international experts, policymakers, students, and project stakeholders from Armenia, Georgia, and European partner institutions to review the project’s achievements and discuss its future development.

The event opened with welcome speeches by the Head of Quality Assurance Service of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Dr Vladimer Glonti, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Dr. Irma Aphkhazava, and the DeSIRe Project Coordinator, Dr Lusik Vardanyan, followed by a presentation highlighting the project’s progress. Participants then explored the results of the first and second piloting phases, examining the implementation of the newly developed soft skills modules and MOOCs, their impact on student learning, and opportunities for further improvement. Leading experts from TU Dresden, LUT University, the University of Granada, and IADT shared their evaluations and recommendations for strengthening the project’s educational outcomes.

An important part of the event was dedicated to the experiences of module and MOOC co-creators from partner universities, who presented lessons learned from the piloting activities and discussed effective practices for integrating soft skills into higher education curricula. The programme also featured a discussion session with students, focusing on the growing importance of soft skills for employability, employer expectations, and regional development.

On the second day, representatives of Armenian and Georgian higher education institutions presented the business plans and roadmaps for the newly established Soft Skills Labs, outlining strategies for ensuring their sustainability and long-term institutional impact. Additional sessions focused on dissemination and exploitation activities, including the project’s social media achievements and research dissemination outputs, as well as the development of MOOC-based micro-credentials and certification procedures. The event concluded with a coordination meeting, where project partners discussed the next implementation steps and future collaborative activities.

Regional Awareness Day 2 provided an excellent platform for exchanging experiences, sharing best practices, and strengthening cooperation among the DeSIRe consortium. The event reaffirmed the partners’ shared commitment to enhancing the quality of higher education by embedding labour market-oriented soft skills into university curricula and promoting innovative teaching and learning approaches across Armenia and Georgia.