Solution By Inclusion: Development of digital, innovative Prevention & Intervention Solutions to strengthen Social Inclusion, Well-being and combat Early School Leaving in Vocational Education & Training (VET) and Second Change Learning (SCL) schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Solution By Inclusion: Development of digital, innovative Prevention & Intervention Solutions to strengthen Social Inclusion, Well-being and combat Early School Leaving in Vocational Education & Training (VET) and Second Change Learning (SCL) schools

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

SolutionByInclusion gathers 4 countries from Denmark, Italy, Malta and Norway. Hereby all 4 countries struggle with ESL. Project research partners are Capacity Building and Evaluation (CABE) – a research group under Department of Culture and Learning Aalborg University (DK), NLP Aalborg subdivision Center for Unges Livsmestring (DK) and Norwegian regional center, RVTS Sør, focusing on mental health of the children and young people. Schools involved in development and test of the tools for prevention and intervention are vocational education school in Denmark (Tradium), community college in Italy (IAL INNOVAZIONE APPRENDIMENTO LAVORO FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA SRL IMPRESA SOCIALE) and Guze Ellul Mercer school (GEM 16+) under Ministry of Education in Malta.

In Denmark statistics of 2019 for VET institutions shows average ESL of 47%. https://dbrs.dk/artikel/trods-stigende-optag-erhvervsskoler-skal-skrue-op-for-fokus-p%C3%A5-frafald
The statistics of ESL in Italy shows a rise in the amount of early schools leavers in 2018 by 0.5 % (15% in 2017). It places Italy in the 4th place (14.5%) in Eurobarometer data of 2018 between the EU countries having highest ESL rate. Malta is placed in the 2nd place by Eurobarometer data of 2018 between EU countries with highest early school leavers rate with 17,5% in average. Accordingly ESL is an overreaching challenge in Malta in school education as well as in VET institution.

As ESL data is based on the young pupil in the age of 18-24, most of the youngsters are in the upper secondary institutions or VET institutions, accordingly this project addresses challenge in the cross sectoral perspective testing and developing tools in cooperation with schools and VET institutions, hereby developing approaches that can be applied at vocational education institutions and schools in the EU.

ESL is a problem still affecting all member states of the EU to a different degree and it has a serious impact on the future of young people as well as on a society at large. Young people between 18 and 24 that drop out of their education can face difficulties to find an employment as well as they have limited career prospects. ESL is also connected with disengagement from social, political and cultural activities and may lead to significant mental challenges and social exclusion. As it requires differentiated and inclusive approaches to prevent and intervene before the ESL becomes a solution this project focus on methods and tools that will increase students social inclusion and mental well-being.

SolutionByInclusion will contribute to tackling ESL through a digital toolbox with innovative methods and tools developed and tested in co-creation with the users and target groups: Students, educators and parents. Thus, Peer Advisory Boards that consists of students, educators and parents will be established. In co-creation with the Peer Advisory Boards the content of the digital toolbox will be developed and produced. The content will include: Videos with coaching techniques and tools, educational material with innovative approaches for teaching and learning, guidance, skills and competencies for educators based on the LINK program (used in Norwegian schools), questionairre and radar chart for measuring students mental well-being and social inclusion. The digital toolbox will be tested, implemented and adapted to the partnering VETs/SCLs curriculum making it easy for all VET institutions, SCLs and upper secondary schools in Europe to transfer, adapt and use the toolbox.

Key results and outputs:
1. Statistic tool to monitor students drop out and comparative baseline report of dropouts at VET institutions and SCL
2. Questionnaire and radar chart for measuring students metal well-being and social inclusion (integrated in the digital toolbox)
3. A digital toolbox implemented and adapted to the partnering VETs/SCLs curriculum.
4. Evaluation report

The key results and outputs will lead to the achievement of the project objectives:
-To reduce the amount of drop outs by 40 % at each of the partner VETs/SCL at the end of the project
-To provide new innovative tools strengthening competencies and one of the key skills – social skills (intrapersonal and social competencies) to social inclusion of youngsters
Co-create and develop in cooperation with educators, parents and students more inclusive educational curriculum that will support student learning, applying and testing it on youngsters with different backgrounds and cultures.
-To strengthen educators competencies and skills to deal with students well-being and challenges to fit in the class, group (social inclusion) and follow with the subjects on the same level as the rest of the class
-To strengthen parents competencies to deal with their children’s challenges.
Increase the mental well-being that lead to social inclusion of students at VETs/SCLs.

At the completion of the project the outputs and key results have involved approximately 5400 participant.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 317158 Eur

Project Coordinator

NLP Aalborg & Country: DK

Project Partners

• REGIONSENTER FOR BARN OG UNGES PSYKISKE HELSE, HELSEREGION ØST OG SØR
• IAL INNOVAZIONE APPRENDIMENTO LAVORO FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA SRL IMPRESA SOCIALE
• Guze Ellul Mercer 16+
• AALBORG UNIVERSITET
• Tradium