Occasion for the initiation and aim of the TecCOMFrame

Throughout Europe, we have identified a gap between the number of students graduating in technical communication and the number of open jobs in this field. Thus, the demand for formally trained technical writers is high. However, at present, only some European universities offer programs in technical communication. Furthermore, the occupational profile of “technical communicator” is not explicitly represented. This is why education and special training programs with appropriate curricula have yet to be developed at universities.

Consequently, the project consortium aims to develop standard curricula based on a common academic qualification and a competence framework. The TecCOMFrame will enable and support transparency, recognition, and transferability of the qualification and competences of technical communicators. In the end, this will result in more graduates who will be well prepared for the labor market. By assigning the Erasmus+ project to tekom Europe, the EU underscores the importance of establishing more higher education programs in technical communication across Europe.

Project Scopes and Stakeholders

TecCOMFrame is a Europe-wide project involving eight project partners from universities in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania and Poland. The project engages many stakeholders from industry and service companies as well as from other European universities. Target groups of the project are European higher education institutions, students, and high-school graduates as well as employers, career changers and placement agencies.

Major Output and Impact of the Project

The project will deliver the TecCOMFrame as an academic competence framework for education and training in technical communication across Europe. The project partners will also work on the development of prototype curricula for the different EQF levels. The framework and prototype curricula will be a major contribution to any higher education institute that is planning to integrate a study program or specialization courses in technical communication.

The most important major long-term impact of the project will be to increase the number of different study programs in three areas: Specialization, Bachelor and Master programs. As a result, the number of graduates and qualified professionals in technical communication will concomitantly increase. Further, the project will facilitate employment and job mobility, as students from related studies can be employed more easily with a specialization in technical communication. Student and staff exchange will also have a positive impact. Finally, it will be easier to understand the profession of technical communication and its competence requirements.

Project Kick-Off

tekom Europe is acting as the project coordinator. The kick-off meeting with all partners takes place from October 22-23 in Stuttgart. If you have any questions about the project, please contact Anke Neytchev (project coordination) at a.neytchev(at)tekom.de or Daniela Straub (content) at d.straub(at)tekom.de.