Strength from Peer Review – Developing the Quality of International Activities in VET Erasmus Project

Project Title

Strength from Peer Review – Developing the Quality of International Activities in VET

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Quality Assurance

Project Summary

Strength from Peer Review – Developing the Quality of International Activities in VET

The project addressed the objectives of the Erasmus+ program by fostering quality improvements, innovation and internationalization.Enhancing mobility is one of the objectives of Education and Training 2020 framework. Students with vocational qualifications are expected to have international competences.

National and European policy objectives have to be taken into consideration when VET providers plan their international activities. Student and staff mobilities as well as development projects are ways to carry out internationality. However the international activities are not always written in the strategies in all the participating countries. Thus the impact of the activities is not easily to be shown.

Quality management and continuous quality improvement of VET is a priority in the participating countries. Quality management can be actively developed in collaboration with national and international partners. In SEPRI project the Peer Review method was used to develop the quality of VET and to revise the profession of teaching by developing new skills and competences including quality and international aspect.

The project utilized the results of the nationally funded project Vertaisarviointi kansainvälisyystoiminnan työvälineenä in Finland.

Objectives of SEPRI :

We aimed at developing and piloting uniform operational principles, procedures and processes which help achieve the aims set for VET internationalization in collaboration with national and international partners through Peer Review methodology.

The project helped the participating organizations to
– get familiar with the Peer Review method
– learn how to utilize the method to evaluate not only their international activities but also other activities
– improve the quality of international activities
– understand the link between international activities and the strategy and development of the organization

Participants and activities:

The consortium consists of three Finnish VET providers, two of the Special Needs Vocational Colleges. Besides, two nationwide organizations from France and Italy and partners from Czech Republic and Estonia took part in the project. Ammattiopisto Luovi was the coordinator of the project.

The participants were staff members directly involved in international activities in the partner colleges either administration staff or teachers. The quality managers or persons in charge of the quality issues were also targeted with the project. The secondary target group was the management of the college. Each partner has chosen two to three persons to be trained as Peers.

Other staff, students and stakeholders participated during the self-evaluation and Peer Review Visit phases.

The project included a training module to instruct the participating organizations to carry out Peer Review including description of activities and self-evaluation of the quality area. Real practice took place at Peer Review Visit and transnational meetings were linked to Peer Review Visits. Besides training the project produced guidelines to carry out a Peer Review and designed and piloted criteria and indicators for chosen quality areas in the field of international activities.

Evaluation and dissemination were ongoing activities in the project.

Methodology used:

Peer Review is a method of external evaluation and can be used in improvement of the quality and development of the services and activities. The Peer Review method was introduced and the once piloted quality areas revised in order to create a truly European Peer Review system to evaluate and assess internationalization and international activities and their effectiveness and impact in VET organizations.

Results, impact and longer term benefits:

The results of the project are
– training module for Peer Review in internationalization in VET
– criteria and indicators for
o student mobility
o staff mobility
o strategic partnership projects, management
o international activities, international strategy
– guidelines for Peer Review in internationalization in VET

The impact and long term benefits can be seen at different levels.
At individual level the skills and competence of the trained Peer Reviewers increased. At organizational level the quality of internationalization and international processes in the participating organization improved. The link between the organization’s strategy and international activities was strengthened and the concept of quality in connection with international activities became more transparent. The project also created wider possibilities for co-operation and joint development. The impact and efficiency of the international processes became measurable.

At national and European level the idea of Peer Review as a tool for evaluating activities and processes was enhanced in partner countries and through dissemination activities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 222822 Eur

Project Coordinator

Hengitysliitto ry/Ammattiopisto Luovi & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Invalidisäätiö
• Stredni odborne uciliste a Stredni odborna skola SCMSD, Znojmo, s.r.o.
• Kainuun ammattiopisto
• Federazione CNOS-FAP
• Fondation d’Auteuil
• Viljandi Kutseõppekeskus