Experience For Training Erasmus Project

Project Title

Experience For Training

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The economic crisis continues to bring a range of widespread challenges: many people have lost or are losing their jobs, and youth unemployment is at record levels. Areas of existing deprivation are the most vulnerable to the risk of poverty and social exclusion: 16.4% of the European Union’s population (approx 80 million people) live below the poverty threshold and Eurostat estimates that 23,815 million men and women in the EU-28 were unemployed in January 2015 (18,059 million in the eurozone). The category of people “at risk of poverty” has expanded in recent years, as it has outlined a kind of “disadvantaged user” presenting multi-problematic characteristics, not only economic but of a those different kind, such as social exclusion or re-integration, health, culture, etc. For this “disadvantaged user”, traditional training, work placements and standard paths to employment are no longer an effective solution to integrating into the labour market – even if the person has potential for becoming a productive worker they may need specialist support to address wider barriers, such as support in confidence building, self-empowerment, rebuilding of social networks and relationships.

Another challenge of the economic crisis has been the re-distribution of funds towards countries with a deeper development gap (the so-called social security nets), leading to a progressive decrease in public funding and resources for education and training throughout Europe. Other sources and models of funding are thus fundamental to supporting training programmes, with a particular focus on non public funds, for example by strategically linking vocational training to industry.

The Experience for Training project is inspired by the successful work-based learning model established in Belgium, Entreprise de Formation par le Travail (EFT). This best practice demonstrates an innovative approach to work based learning for adult jobseekers based on three interlinked aspects: pedagogical (the development of skills), economic (the sale of goods), and social (working with marginalised people). One of the important aspects of the EFT model is that the training activity is intrinsically linked to a production activity that generates income: i.e. the EFT sells its products and services in a competitive market environment therefore creating self sufficient training solutions for vulnerable target groups.

The partnership involves 6 organisations active in social inclusion and vocational training. The initial rationale for the project was to better understand the existing ‘EFT’ approaches to work based learning in partner countries (UK, BE, TK, PT, AU, IT). From this understanding, the project has developed resources for trainers and organisations which complement existing activity, promote new ‘EFT’ style approaches and address specific gaps in trainer competences. They are intended as a general basis and are flexible enough to adapt to different sectors and target groups, such as training programmes for NEET young people, adult jobseekers, formal or informal education etc. They include:

– A Work-based Learning Common Framework, with initial desk research on the state of art and a collection of good practices in each partner country;
– A Professional Skills Profile of coaches/trainers in work-based learning environments;
– A joint staff training session for coaches in Italy (5 days) and 20 participants;
– A final recommendation report, that illustrates the Common Framework of Work-based Learning, the Professional Skills Profile, the results of the joint staff training session in Italy and the work-based learning methodology
– 5 multiplier events, organised at key points of project lifetime and the production of intellectual outputs (after completion of the guidelines, the Professional Skill Profile, the joint staff training in Italy and a final seminar in Turkey)

The EFT project targets three main groups upon which the impact is particularly strong 1) partners’ staff members, coaches/trainers whose competences/skills have been developed through project activities and transnational cooperation 2) trainees who will benefit from the improved skills and knowledge of coaches/trainers involved in the project; 3) project stakeholders (VET organisations, universities, public institutions involved in the sector, social enterprise networks and consortiums, private organisations, etc.) who were involved in wider networking and sharing of best practice, as well as promoting the value of the approach at national level. Overall the results contribute to the improved quality of WBL provision across Europe and the recognition of the unique skill set of trainers working in such environments.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 271416,1 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASPIRE IGEN GROUP LIMITED & Country: UK

Project Partners

• BEST INSTITUT FUR BERUFSBEZOGENE WEITERBILDUNG UND PERSONALTRAINING GMBH
• INNOVATIVE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION (Yenilikci Egitimciler Dernegi)
• Consorzio di cooperative sociali EVT
• Actions Intégrées de Développement
• SOCIEDADE PORTUGUESA DE INOVACAO – CONSULTADORIA EMPRESARIAL E FOMENTO DA INOVACAO S.A.