Training workshop for the provision of a master’s degree
in Family Business Management, via the European FAB Project

A Capacity Building Training in Higher Education workshop was recently held in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, with great success.

The training programme was developed and implemented by the University of Nicosia (UNIC) and the Center for Social Innovation (CSI) and was presented by Dr. Yioula Melanthiou (UNIC) and instructors Kleovoulos Stylianou and Loizos Pitsillidis (CSI) to a total of 40 academics from six Cambodian universities.

The workshop was targeted at transferring significant know-how and practices from the European Educational System, to be used by Cambodian Institutions to design an advanced, practical MS curriculum for Family Business Management.

Special workshop guests included Dr. Demetris C. Hadjisofocli (CEO of the Center for Social Innovation) and Dr. Alkis Thrassou (Professor at the UNIC School of Business) with whom a fruitful online conversation took place on the topics of entrepreneurship, innovation and family business.

Master’s degree in Family Business Management

According to the Cambodian National Institute of Statistics (NIS), about 72% of businesses in the country are considered “family businesses”, employing between one to three employees.

Based on these statistics, which could also be exemplary for other Asian countries, the Master’s Degree in Family Business Management/FAB project aims to develop a framework for learning and understanding the nature, importance, and uniqueness of family business.

The project proposes a methodology for the design of Postgraduate programmes that promotes a shift from degree-focused qualifications to competence-based qualifications.

FAB is an EU-funded three-year project running from November 2020 to October 2023 and comprises 22 partners from Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bhutan, the Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh.

A second Capacity Building workshop is expected to take place in the Philippines, with the participation of academics from nine universities located in Malaysia, Bhutan, the Philippines, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Both workshops aim to reinforce the capacity of Asian university staff, tackling the delivery methods of respective curriculums, to ultimately provide the best possible training on the matter.

For more information about the project visit www.fab-project.eu.