Partnership for Creative Apprenticeships Erasmus Project

Project Title

Partnership for Creative Apprenticeships

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Access for disadvantaged; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

The Partnership for Creative Apprenticeships (P4CA) project seeks to apply new models to support the delivery of Quality and Effective Apprenticeships in the Creative and Cultural Sector, by building the skills of apprenticeship coaches and In-House Company trainers. P4CA will promote the application of the European Framework for Apprenticeships to the CCIs in 6 European countries and develop new training content and joint VET qualifications for apprenticeship coaches and in-company trainers, to integrate work-based learning and apply knowledge in practical workplace situations in the CCIs.

In the context of high levels of youth unemployment and youth poverty across Europe, the CCIs have been identified by the European Parliament as playing a key role as a driver for growth in the European economy. They contribute more than any other sector to youth employment and have proved to be most resilient during the post-2008 economic crisis. Whilst the new creative technology and working patterns of the CCIs are attractive to young people, the entry routes are often through personal networks or unpaid internships which exclude young people from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. Apprenticeships can help increase access and diversity, but take up in the CCIs has been slow. The CCIs comprise a very high proportion of small and micro-businesses (95% of the workforce). Such businesses lack capacity or resources to take on apprenticeships. And VET trainers and training institutions often do not well understand the working patterns of this new dynamic and fast-moving sector.

To address these multiple challenges P4CA brings together a partnership of experienced VET providers from 6 countries (UK, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Hungary and the Republic of North Macedonia), who are based in creative clusters or hubs that bring together in dynamic networks the three target groups that need to collaborate in order to create a successful creative apprenticeship (CCI employers; VET trainers and institutions; and young creatives). Recognising the complex hybrid eco-system of the CCIs and their distinct sub-sectors, PC4A will take a novel approach that is based upon cooperative networks to build the capacity of the sector to host more apprenticeships. P4CA will use a model of Peer Review and Development Groups bringing together the interested parties and connecting them transnationally through peer-to-peer mentoring. It will also embed international mobility experiences in order to transfer and exchange practice between countries.

P4CA will promote a ground-breaking transnational European approach to the validation and accreditation of competences acquired through informal and non-formal learning, based upon the EQF-aligned CLOCK YOUR SKILLS framework, recently launched in 2016 and now recognised in 10 EU countries. The development of CLOCK YOUR SKILLS involved some of the P4CA partners over a period of over 10 years. CLOCK (Collective Learning Open Curriculum Kit) is designed to validate real-life work-based experience and is supported by a European network of peer-to-peer mentor and assessors including 20 Sector Experts, thus complementing P4CA’s model of widening its impact through PDR Groups and communities of practice.

Specific results of P4CE will be:

36 Apprenticeship Coaches and In-Company Trainers in the CCIs trained to support delivery of effective and quality Apprenticeships and to act as advocates for Apprenticeships with Creative Employers

18 Apprenticeship Coaches have their competences validated and accredited through the international CLOCK YOUR SKILLS informal learning programme

144 learners (young people, CCI employers, VET trainers, advisory experts) participate in PDR Groups

37 apprenticeship trainers and learners have participated in transnational exchange and transfer of practice through blended mobilities and staff training events

180 attenders at 6 dissemination events in 6 countries

The primary impact of P4CA will be in training Apprenticeship Coaches to support the promotion and delivery of more Apprenticeships in the Creative and Cultural Industries. They will realise enhanced skills and knowledge, a better understanding and overview of the context and needs of the Creative and Cultural Industries and of how to support young people and employers in developing better and more effective apprenticeships. They will have access to a range of new and innovative learning resources, tools and Self Directed Learning materials tailored to their needs which will enable them to develop their skills and practice, and they will have access to recognition and accreditation of their skills at a European Level. Beyond this P4CA draws upon extensive networks of the partnership and 21 Associated Partners including engagement with policy development to animate and mobilise the impact at regional, national and international levels.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 422555 Eur

Project Coordinator

RINOVA LIMITED & Country: UK

Project Partners

• CONSORZIO MATERAHUB INDUSTRIE CULTURALI E CREATIVE SCARL
• REGIONALNA ROZVOJOVA AGENTURA SENEC-PEZINOK
• ZDRUZENIE ZA SOVREMENA UMETNOST I KURATORSKI PRAKTIKI PROEKTEN PROSTOR PRES TU EGZIT
• Cultural Innovation Competence Centre Association
• Fundacja ARTeria