Project: a trainee‐oriented training method, an empirical approach

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a new trainee‐oriented teaching method: “The Project Method”. The aforementioned method highlights the important role of the experience of the training process and the links between training and the trainees' social life.Design/methodology/approachThis method draws its origin from the American Pragmatism and the German “Project Education”, while it is based on the principles of Gestalt and cognitive psychology. The application of the Project Method in vocational training is examined through the emotional intelligence skills, that a group of people has developed — and claimed so in a relevant questionnaire — in a seminar concerning the subject of Marketing.FindingsThrough the Project Method's application, the trainees have developed their emotional intelligence skills, and have instilled new pedagogical ideas; providing long‐run benefits to themselves, the enterprises, the society and the economy in general. Research contends that this method is efficient when there are no time constraints.Practical implicationsWhile the focus is vocational training, the implications have a broader focus, enabling the Project Method to be applied to adults' education.Originality/valueThis paper provides empirical results of the Project Method application in vocational training. The Project Method training provides the effective cooperation of the human resources that is of high importance for the efficiency and the profitability of the enterprises.