Adult and Work: an Aid to Reduce the Distance Erasmus Project

Project Title

Adult and Work: an Aid to Reduce the Distance

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 adult education

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; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

In the first quarter of 2013, according to ISTAT data, the unemployed in the range 35-44 years are 400 thousand and 349 thousand those between 45 and 54 years old, numbers which show that unemployment is far from being exclusively a youth problem. The conclusion of the crisis is far away and appropriate intervents are needed to solve the difficulty of finding employment and reintegrating into the labor market many people with previous experience and skills gained during the course of life and business. A labor crisis that threatens to turn into a crisis of identity of persons who have lost or are at risk of losing that source of livelihood. A crisis which creates difficulties in the assessment on their job prospects but also on their skills, competences and tools needed to activate in order to raise their professional skills necessary for a re- working. The experiences and skills should be valued and capitalized through active labor market policies that can understand the needs and abilities of adults and to accompany them in paths that allow them to spend their skills in the current labour market, even in fields other than those from which they come.
The project “AWARD – Adult and Work an Aid to Reduce the Distance” aimed to differentiate the offer of services in the active labor market policies for unemployed adults, through the exchange of good practices between operators from different EU countries (Italy, France, Bulgaria and Turkey). AWARD addressed in particular to the unemployed in the age group above 30 years, with previous work experiences, also gained through temporary jobs, in different economic sectors. Particular attention was given to the field of manual and craft trades.
The project had a total duration of 26 months. It addressed directly to the operators of the active labor market policies, guidance counselors, vocational training operators and consultants for start up projects and enterprise managements who work or collaborate in the project partner organizations. As indirect beneficiaries it had the same adults got out of the labor market. Parties involved in the partnership: So. & Co. Lucca (consortium of social cooperatives), CNA Lucca (National Chamber of Crafts and small and medium enterprises), the Directorate for Education of Sanliurfa (Turkey), the Agency for Work and Employment of Sanliurfa (Turkey ), the Cooperative ADREP (France) that deals with vocational training and the non-governmental organization My World (Bulgaria) that deals with start-up and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In the first step of the AWARD project, partners have been analyzing the situation of women and men in their thirties, who got out of the labour market, but who also had some previous work experience and previous skills and the policies that each state has put in progress regard to this target. The analyzes have been shared in the Transnational Project Meetings and served as a working framework for viewing good practices in guidance activities, training, starting up enterprise to be played in other contexts, in order to face the raised issues and to find new solutions.
During the study visits, lasting a week each (in Marseille and in Lucca), operators were able to see the most significant projects first-hand, projects that have been implemented to promote the re-employment of unemployed adults. Study visits were interesting and engaging and operators have been able to acquire new knowledge to improve their working methods.
Identified common points: the need for a customized approach to the user, to support him/her in cross proficiencies and technical skills, by alternating group training, coaching and consulting, projects planning in a medium-term (6-12 months), financial support for people with the greatest difficulties, the ability to activate self-employment paths with a strong initial help.
The identified results were shared by each partner with other local bodies involved in WARD project such as government agencies, trade associations, etc. The goal was to propose new instruments and to strengthen the links between the fields of education, entrepeneurship and the the labor market in general.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 78845 Eur

Project Coordinator

So&Co Consorzio per la cooperazione e la solidarietà-Consorzio di cooperative sociali & Country: IT

Project Partners

• NGO MY WORLD ASSOCIATION
• SAC ADREP
• C.N.A. Associazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato e della Piccola e Media Impresa
• Sanliurfa Il Milli Egitim Mudurlugu
• Sanliurfa Calisma ve is Kurumu