About EBC*L
The main objective of EBC*L is to assist everyone in acquiring fundamental business knowledge for better career and job chances, as well as encouraging at least some to start up their own entrepreneurship, thus contributing to the development of a local small and medium-sized enterprise (SME).
The backbone of a knowledge-based society with a healthy economic system has to promote a new modern way of career development, job finding and encouraging entrepreneurship, in particular among youth. The long-life-learning-concept of EBC*L is offering these opportunities.
The EBC*L concept is available in 24 languages, including in English, German and Arabic
History
Economic core knowledge is one of the most significant key competences to meet the challenges of globalization and encourage entrepreneurship in local economies.
The initiative “Business Competence for Europe” was started in order to spread core business management knowledge among those who have not studied business administration. It developed the internationally recognized certificate European Business Competence* License. EBC*L International in Vienna is the licensee and responsible for the international recognized EBC*L certificate.
EBC*L was established back in 2003, first in Austria and Germany. In the first years, EBC*L started its successful operation in Hungary, Poland and Switzerland. The years 2005/06 saw 9 newcomers from Europe (Bulgaria, Italy, Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, UK, Croatia, Serbia).
In 2007, EBC*L not only successfully entered other European countries but for first time in its history also expanded to other continents and trainings were delivered in 13 new countries such as Ukraine, Macedonia, Albania, Malta, Kenya, Andorra, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Nigeria and The Netherlands (2008). In the last few years, EBC*L International continued its effective expansion policy and made partnerships also in the Arab world.
Vision & mission
Vision
“EBC*L The Netherlands would like to provide core education in the field of business administration within The Netherlands and Belgium and serve as a standard in training on a professional level with an inspiring lifelong learning program.”
Mission
“As a business training provider, EBC*L the Netherlands, wants to stimulate and develop (young) entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship by disseminating business administration and entrepreneurial competences with its unique and standardized training and examination system.”
Business Education for Everyone, European business concepts in one long-life-learning training system
The international EBC*L Standard
EBC*L sets an international standard in economic education containing:
A LEARNING TARGET CATALOGUE which is internationally effective. This learning target catalogue was compiled in close co-operation between economy and science comprising all relevant practical business topics. The learning target catalogue focuses on economic core knowledge, less relevant marginal topics were deliberately omitted.
An internationally standardized EXAMINATION The EBC*L examination is carried out exactly the same, no matter in what country or at what educational institution. Only those having achieved 75 % of the points possible are given the EBC*L certificate as they have given proof of their excellent economic know-how.
EBC*L CERTIFICATE The EBC*L certificate gives evidence of the fact that the candidate has successfully learnt and understood the economic topics determined in the learning target catalogue. There is no difference in where he or she did the examination.
Benefits
Fostering entrepreneurship and management. These core competences are central to the EBC*L initiative.
Foreign language competences: The EBC*L education and exam can beside Dutch, English and German be taken in 24 languages, including Arabic. The exam is acknowledged in every country regardless of which language it has been completed in.
Mobility: across educational as well as national borders (=bridging). For example: Anyone who successfully completes an EBC*L Level A exam at a school in one country is able to take the Level B exam at a university in another country.
Linkage to the real economy: The EBC*L catalogue of learning objectives was created in intense cooperation with the real economy. Its practical relevance and applicability is underlined by its implementation in countless businesses’ career and education programs.
No barriers to entry: As no prior qualifications are necessary, anyone is free to undertake an EBC*L education and its exams.
Affordable education: Both the education and the EBC*L exam are extremely affordable and cost only a fraction of other educational programs in business administration.
Language and mathematical core competences: The EBC*L exam is not just a multiple choice exam. It challenges its candidates with comprehension questions and case studies, which have to be answered in their own words, including appropriate calculations. Therefore, it is necessary for candidates to practice these competences in the preparatory courses.
Output oriented: The EBC*L system is designed to verify acquired knowledge, regardless of how that knowledge has been acquired.
Quality assurance: The standardized EBC*L catalogue of learning objectives, continuous schoolings of the EBC*L staff at training institutes, constant and rigorous evaluation through a feedback system in the case of high fail rates.
Train the Trainer: In Train the Trainer seminars, the newest and most innovative teaching methods to convey business competences are explained to the trainers. ‘To-do’s’ and ‘not-to-do’s’ when handling e-learning and blended training concepts are explained.
Lifelong learning: The EBC*L is in Europe well established at different schools, universities and other educational institutions.
Standardized exam: Guarantees the international comparability of the results.
E-learning competences: A special e-learning program and a corresponding blended learning seminar were developed to give candidates an ideal preparation for the EBC*L exams. Thus knowledge can be conveyed by state-of-the-art teaching and learning methods of blended learning.