RC4VETS: “Take the cake to the Moon”
I. Executive Summary
The project “Real Challenges for VET Students” (RC4VETs) is based on five challenges which engage students from Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain to work on real business cases, led by local companies.
“Take the cake to the Moon” was the 11th challenge under the Erasmus+ project “Real Challenges for VET students”, intended to create business ideas for Julina’s Café and confectionary for rebranding, promotion of both cake shops, new packaging, healthier recipes and future development on a regional and national markets.
This challenge was an excellent example of how vocational training provides students the opportunity to work together on a real business case (learning by diong) and during this process to gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the labour market.
II. Business partner involved: Café and confectionary “Julina”
Café and confectionary “Julina” is located in Ruse, Bulgaria. The cake company has more than 20 years of experience and provides handmade cakes for different occasions — birthdays, weddings, family holidays, etc. The dedication of the owners to quality and excellence is what made “Julina” well-known in the region for their delicious and gorgeous art cakes.
The cakes offered by “Julina” are favored by customers of all ages. More and more orders are coming for children’s cakes, which must not contain the usual products, but instead must take into consideration a number of health issues and allergies. The team of the confectionary is constantly developing new recipes, experimenting with healthy ingredients and has the desire to develop and enrich its menu with more sweet delights, which even people with problems such as diabetes, lactose and gluten intolerance, allergies, autism, etc. can enjoy.
The company operates two shops in Ruse, Bulgaria and provides cakes, sweets, salty snacks, handmade candies, cookies and birthday decorations.
III. Challenge Description
Title: “Take the cake to the Moon challenge”
Main idea:
A group of vocational students from various countries and specialties, such as marketing, management, IT, design and culinary, came together to work on a challenge presented by Julina, a Bulgarian confectionary based in Ruse that produces cakes of different shapes, muffins, sweets, salty snacks. The challenge consisted of five main activities:
- Conducting a research on the availability of packaging for cakes (standard and non-standard).
- Based on the research, identify and offer the most suitable 2 types of packaging for Julina (lightweight, made of cheap and transparent material);
- Proposal for a website development;
- Ideas for marketing campaigns, communication channels and promotion to clients;
- Proposals for a healthy menu or separate recipes for cakes, candy, biscuits and salty snacks, which should meet the following requirements: to be suitable for people with allergies, as well as lactose and glucose-intolerance (incl. combination of several allergies and intolerances); to be suitable for diabetics (without sugar and white flour); vegan recipes for cakes; vegetable (salty) cakes; healthy recipes — for people, who just want to increase their quality of life.
Through this challenge, the students gained valuable experience in cross-cultural collaboration, project management, and creative problem-solving. They learned how to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and specialties, and how to develop in practice a cohesive strategy that reflects the values and objectives of a real business.
Period of the implementation: November 2022 — April 2023
Participants involved:
Students and staff from each partner country include the following different fields of studies: entrepreneurship, management, digital marketing, design, IT, health and care, cooking and pastry.
Expected results:
Julina has proposed different activities related to possible rebranding, packaging research by country, proposal for light and flexible packing for the cakes, website development, communication through social media, healthy and vegan recipes. Below are presented in detail all specific tasks to be implemented by the students:
Activity 1: Conducting research on the availability of packaging for cakes.
Goal. Research in the respective partner country what are the types of packagings for the cakes (material, dimensions, price if available).
Activity 2: Based on the research, identify and offer the most suitable 1–2 types of packaging for Julina.
Goal. Julina’s cakes are with various shapes and layers, different types of packaging are necessary, with specific design for the individual cakes, which the confectionery does not have at the moment. The students are expected to propose the best packing options (also based on the results from the research).
Activity 3: A website development for Julina confectionary.
Goal: Identify websites of companies with similar activity and coordinate with Julina the design, the colours, the information and photos during the elaboration of their website.
Activity 4: Ideas for marketing campaigns, using appropriate communication channels for promotion to clients;
Goal: Design of flyers, new logo, communication campaigns via different social media.
Activity 5: Proposals for a healthy menu or separate recipes for cakes, candy, biscuits and salty snacks
Goal: Analyze the current recipes of Julina and identify typical Bulgarian ingredients. Propose new recipes from your country for sweets and salty snacks tht allow using local products from Bulgaria.
Activity schedule
November 2022:
- Start of the research activities by country on the availability of packaging for cakes.
- Begin brainstorming ideas for a communication and marketing campaigns to promote Julina confectionery.
December 2022:
- Continue with the research on the availability of packaging and present a draft to the team for feedback and approval.
- Use the findings from the research to begin with identifying suitable types of packaging for the cakes of Julina.
- Start of the development of the website — communication with the owner of Julina (colours, photos, information about the company).
January 2023:
- Continue with the website design ideas.
- Draft of the communication campaign via different social media.
- Design new recipes from the partner countries that incorporate local ingredients.
February 2023:
- Online meeting with the owner of Julina company to provide feedback for the students’ work and give some additional information they need.
- Website development.
- Add the new recipes to the restaurant’s menu and promote them to customers.
- Finalisation of the packaging research by country and design proposals for 2 types of packings.
March 2023:
- Add final recipes to be presented during the LTTA in Bulgaria.
- Final version of the website.
- Celebrate the successful completion of the challenge with the team.
April 2023:
- Evaluate the success of the activities and make adjustments as needed.
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IV. Contributions from participants
The working groups to find solutions for each of the four activities were created taking into account the studies offered by each partner and whose students could work on these activities. In this respect these groups have an international and multidisciplinary characteristic.
Activity 1: Research on the availability of packaging for cakes (standard and non-standard).
A group of students with specialties Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Higher Technician in Management and Commerce, as well as Digital Marketing from Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Spain have worked in the following tasks:
- research on the availability of packaging for cakes (standard and non-standard)
Used tools/resources
● Computers / Internet.
The participants who worked in this activity from IEK Glyfada, CIFP, BRCCI and Submeet concentrated their efforts on researching in their countries of the available packaging for cakes, their producers and where possible their price. The research resulted in a summary of the findings which were presented during the 1st day of the LTTA.
Activity 2: Based on the research, identify and offer the most suitable 1–2 types of packaging for Julina.
- design and proposals of the most suitable 2 types of packaging for Julina
Used tools/resources
- Computers / Internet
- Julina’s logo and branding
- Image design software
The students from CIFP and IEK Glyfada put their efforts on the computer design and later on producing prototypes of packaging for cakes, muffins, candies, etc.
Activity 3: A website development for Julina confectionary.
Used tools/resources
- Computers / Internet
- Julina’s logo, branding, photos and videos provided by the owner
- Image design software
The students from CIFP designed prototype of a website of Julina’s confectionery: http://julinabakery.x10.mx/wp/
Activity 4: Ideas for marketing campaigns, using appropriate communication channels for promotion to clients
Used tools/resources
- Computers / Internet
- Julina’s logo, branding, photos and videos provided by the owner
- Image design software
The participating in this activity students from BRCCI, CIFP, IEK Glyfada and Submeet analysed the current marketing situation of Julina and presented options for the corporate image, new logo, flyers, proposal for using different social media for different purposes.
Activity 5: Proposals for a healthy menu or separate recipes for cakes, candy, biscuits and salty snacks
The idea of this activity was the participants to provide proposals for a healthy menu or separate recipes for cakes, candy, biscuits, which should meet the following requirements:
- They should be suitable for people with allergies, as well as lactose and glucose-intolerance (incl. combination of several allergies and intolerances)
- They should be suitable for diabetics (without sugar and white flour)
- Vegan recipes for cakes / vegan ice cream
- Vegetable (salty) cakes
- Healthy recipes — for people, who just want to increase their quality of life
Slovenian and Portugese students have been working to choose some traditional recipes from our partner countries and added some typical local Bulgarian products.
To implement the task, the resources used were discussions with Mrs Yulia Georgieva to get ideas what is currently offered in the cake shops as a healthy cakes or salty snacks. They also made a research for Bulgarian traditional herbs and ingredients that could be added in the recipes for salty muffins and cakes.
LEARNING, TEACHING AND TRAINING ACTIVITY IN RUSE, BULGARIA
The sixth and last LTTA related to the Bulgarian business challenge in the Real Challenges for VET Students project, hosted by the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry took place from 27th to 31st March 2023. BRCCI hosted the participants from Spain, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Portugal.
The first day started at BRCCI premises with the welcoming of Mrs Eleonora Ivanova — Executive Director of the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Mrs Desisava Pencheva — Administrative Manager and Director of the VET centre within BRCCI.
The students from Proandi Consultores Associados Lda, CIFP César Manrique, DIEK Glyfadas, Submeet and PCO decorated their own gingerbreads baked by Cafe-confectioneries Julina from Ruse.
After the first working session with Ms Yulia Georgieva who provided the challenge, the participants visited English Language High School “Geo Milev” — Ruse and had the task of making short videos and presentations of the Bulgarian pie with cheese, called “banitsa”.
The students had the task to produce short videos presenting the Bulgarian banitsa for the social media (Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook). 4 videos were produced and 1 advert was elaborated.
During the second day of the LTTA after after the workshops in the morning at BRCCI office a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Ruse, Ms. Zlatomira Stefanova was organised. It gave the participants in the Real Challenges for Vocational Educational Training project the opportunity to get acquainted with the local government practices and to discuss topics or ask questions that were interested to them.
The advantages of Ruse, the possibilities for investments and living in the city, as well as the cultural and natural attractions were the highlights of Mrs. Stefanova’s exposition. Young people asked about the challenges facing local government and made comparisons with their own countries.
Divided into teams, participants from DIEK Glyfadas, AEG “Geo Milev” — Ruse, BRCCI, Submeet Association and CIFP Cesar Manrique discussed which are the most suitable social media channels that Julina’s confectionary and candy shop can use in the future, in what types of packaging they can offer its sweet delights and salty snacks, and how to rebrand the company. Culinary specialists from Proandi Consultores Associados Lda and PCO presented a variety of healthy recipes for cakes, muffins, saltines and vegan pancakes.
During another session of the LTTA innovative student companies were presented by the graduates of “Elias Canetti” Vocational High School of Economics and Management — Ruse to their peers from Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy and Slovenia. The participants in the RC4VETS project had to choose, together with the Bulgarian students, the five most important things that would help them to survive after an alien invasion.
On the last day of the LTTA and the work on the Julina confectionery challenge, the participants presented their final proposals for the future development of the company. There were questions, there was a discussion, and finally there was cake. After the participants received their certificates for the training in Ruse, they went to Bucharest where visited the most interesting sights.
V Recognition
The Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a hosting partner for the “Take the cake to the Moon” challenge recognized the hard work and dedication of the students who participated in the LTTA and the challenge by providing them with a certificate of participation. This certificate acknowledges the students’ contribution to the project and their commitment to learning and development.
DIEK Glyfada — the academic recognition of our participants in the Bulgarian Challenge is the exemption from the final exam of the course DIGITAL MARKETING.
In PCO were the following recognitions:
- the two participating on the LTTA were having a presentation of the menus and the menus of the other participating organisations and were receiving a special mark for this at the dietetics subject
- the other students on school were excused of writing a special seminar paper in the subject dietetics and received a mark instead
Students of CIFP César Manrique who have participated have been recognized with except a part of the curricula for:
-students of Technician in Microcomputer Systems and Networks course: except part of the curricula for “Integration” subject
-students of Higher Technician in Sales Management and Commercial Spaces course: except part of the curricula for “Management Products and Promotions at the Point of Sale” subject.
In Submeet and Proandi the students presented their job to their teachers and it has been included in their school curricula, which is going to give them extra-marks at their final exams. Each participant received a certificate of attendance, which will be included in his/her training folder too.
