Communicating Professional Competence Erasmus Project

Project Title

Communicating Professional Competence

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

ComProCom was developed in response to issues with using various models of occupational competence across Europe, particularly where these had been based on the British occupational standards (NVQ) model or attempted to follow the structure of the European Qualifications Framework. Research in the UK indicated that an alternative approach was emerging that was activity-based but more expansive in scope than the NVQ model, and more able to reflect the complexities of higher-level work. Discussion between the UK, Greek and Polish partners indicated that this had scope for further exploration and adaptation to inform developments in Europe.

The main objective of the project was to improve the way that professional competence is described and represented, particularly in relation to complex work in higher-level occupations. To achieve this, it set out to develop an appropriate model and methodology and trial it through developing competence frameworks in five fields, one in each of the partner countries. A methodological guide and developer training course would then be developed to enable the project approach to be taken forward and exploited, and project materials and approaches would be disseminated in partner countries, more widely in Europe, and via academic publication.

Six organisations participated in the project:

EETAA (GR), the Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government (lead partner and project manager)
ITEE-PIB (PL), national research institute in sustainable technologies, with expertise in adult and vocational education including NQF and professional standards
SBG-Dresden (DE), industry training provider for chemical engineering, major provider of higher-level ‘dual system’ training
Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD) (IR), the professional body for training and development practitioners
Die Berater (AT), vocational training provider and consultancy
Stan Lester Developments (SLD) (UK), consultancy specialising in professional standards, development and regulation (scientific co-ordinator).

The main activities of the project were:

– Research into current approaches to occupational competence in the project countries, including production of a synthesis report (IO1, co-ordinated by ITEE-PIB).
– Development of a revised approach for describing professional competence, finalised as a methodological manual and associated resources (IO7, co-ordinated by SLD).
– Development, trialling and finalisation of competence frameworks for five fields (IO2-IO6) according to the project methodology.
– Publication of four academic papers (IO8, co-ordinated by SLD) discussing different aspects of the project.
– Development of a training course for standards developers (IO9, co-ordinated by IITD).
– Development of the project web site www.comprocom.eu (co-ordinated by EETAA).
– Multiplier events in the UK (SLD) and Poland (ITEE-PIB), and a final conference in Athens (EETAA/all partners) to disseminate the results of the project.
– Various dissemination activities undertaken by the partners relating to the project approach as a whole and to the individual frameworks developed in each partner.

The project has been successful in:
– Establishing a relevant methodology that overcomes many of the problems of describing ‘competence’ for higher-level work
– Developing an approach that can be used by professions, VET, and professional higher education, has relevance across Europe, and is capable of being used in different types of VET system
– Developing frameworks in five fields, including two emerging fields, that have been well-received
– Gaining interest from academia, professions, national agencies, and CEDEFOP.

It is difficult to predict the impact of the project’s outputs in the longer term. Dialogue is currently taking place for instance with CEDEFOP, with the Institute of Apprenticeships (UK), professional bodies in partner countries, project principles are being incorporated into the development of professional standards in Poland, and there is also interest in using the project approach from professional bodies in the UK.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 226346,22 Eur

Project Coordinator

ELLINIKI ETAIRIA TOPIKIS ANAPTYXISKAI AFTODIOIKISIS AE & Country: EL

Project Partners

• DIE BERATER UNTERNEHMENSBERATUNGS GESELLSCHAFT MBH
• Irish Institute of Training and Development
• SACHSISCHE BILDUNGSGESELLSCHAFT FURUMWELTSCHUTZ UND CHEMIEBERUFE DRESDEN MBH – SBG
• INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGII EKSPLOATACJI-PANSTWOWY INSTYTUT BADAWCZY
• Stan Lester Developments Ltd