ENRICHING FISHERS’ KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Erasmus Project

Project Title

ENRICHING FISHERS’ KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The main aim of the SeaofSkills project was the contribution towards the improvement of the quality and attractiveness of Continuing VET for fishers, to address existing needs of both the fisheries’ and the CVET sectors. The fisheries sector is recognized as one of the pillars of global development. The extent of its contribution to sustainable development, economic growth, and food security highly depends on the knowledge, skills, and competences of fishers. Continuing Vocational Education and Training (CVET) has a central role in responding to the changing training needs and new challenges this target group faces. Through CVET, knowledge, skills, and competences are improved and updated, whereas new ones are acquired as well, allowing adaptation to any changing requirements and new developments.

In the E.U. agenda and strategy, investment in human capital through training and improvement and adaptation of CVET systems to the ongoing developments is a priority.

The objective of the project was to identify the IVET needs in knowledge, skills and competences of fishers and subsequently develop an enhanced and updated open source Training Course Curriculum. Moreover, in countries (like Greece) where no form of VET for fishermen exists, through the Pilot implementation and the Project’s publicity, the project has assisted in popularizing and spreading such activities.

A consortium of nine partners from five countries, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Spain, and Ireland was formed utilizing individual and collective expertise. The Project consisted of 11 Work Packages covering in well thought detail Project Management and Implementation and Intellectual Outputs issues. More specifically: Project, Quality & Financial Management, Design and Development of a Portal and Transfer of Innovation and Best Practices in Fisheries and CVET website, Identifying Fishers’ Needs in Knowledge, Skills and Competences Development of the CVET program and guides, Design and Development of an E-learning Platform, Development of Short Courses’ Learning Material, Learning/Teaching/Training Activities, evaluation and review of the CVET program and guides, Implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Dissemination Activities, Development of policy recommendations.

The Project covered a well-identified need in CVET in regions and a sector that were not well versed in those principles. Its continuous aim is to have a lasting contribution to the field by establishing and popularizing the best standards for those who gain their livelihood in the fisheries sector.

The benefits have penetrated local and regional communities (Greece-Turkey), since special attention was rendered to map local needs in knowledge, skills and competences and test and evaluate the curricula by getting feedback from the local target groups, in addition to paying special attention to fortifying the community capacity building and the regional development.

In addition, its aim was to contribute to the understanding of, and implementation of the E.U. policies and recommendations (e.g. Mediterranean fisheries policies, ICVET policies etc), while furthering the E.U. efforts by mapping the current situation in the sectors involved and give feedback on the way forward based on the outcomes of the project. Lastly, the project assisted in engaging relevant stakeholders to promote such activities

SeaofSkills has produced sustainable added-value in three major dimensions:

1. At the educational-training level: The research team drew together and incorporated the innovative intellectual output developed in relevant Lifelong Learning E.U. Programmes and other EU funded projects, as well as the practices successfully implemented at the European context, while adapting them to the new developments and requirements of the E.U. fisheries, education (VET) and economic sectors. A learning outcomes approach was used, based on the principles of European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) to enable the development of a Sectoral qualifications framework within the framework of European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and set the basis for official future recognition and accreditation.

2. At the operational level: A special emphasis and care was given to quality assurance of processes, deliverables, and communication/sustainability strategies by a. setting a quality assurance framework based on E.U. requirements, b. testing and assessing the deliverables through pilot training in the participating countries, and c. by creating a web-network of stakeholders through a web-platform for communicating the need for empowering fishermen and the deliverables of the project, while setting the ground for the sustainability of the initiative.

3. At the policy-making level: Policy recommendations on Continuing Vocational and Education Training (CVET) for fishermen were developed in view of supporting the policy-making at the E.U. and national level and assisting its implementa

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 347162 Eur

Project Coordinator

“MARIA TSAKOS” PUBLIC BENEFIT FOUNDATION-INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND TRADITION & Country: EL

Project Partners

• EGE UNIVERSITY
• HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCH
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
• PANEPISTIMIO AIGAIOU
• AquaTT UETP Ltd
• RISE
• CHIOS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE