Universal model of professional course for new age child carers dedicated for women aged 50-64 years. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Universal model of professional course for new age child carers dedicated for women aged 50-64 years.

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

In connection with the progressing process of the aging of the EU society, initiatives are taken to activate professionally as well as socially adults and seniors. In a special situation on the labor market there are women whose statistical life expectancy is longer than men*, but the length of professional life is lower**. Many women whose children are grown up and become independent would like to start a professional career that will give them a sense of meaning. Unfortunately, returning to the labor market for many of them is a challenge because they often feel that their skills have become obsolete and they have nothing to offer to a potential employer.
According to Eurostat data (access from 27/06/2018) regarding the employment rate in EU28 in 2017 – there is 58,9% professionally active women aged 50-64, while men, in the same age group – 71.1%.
Project entitled “Universal model of professional course for new age child carers dedicated for women aged 50-64 years” responded to the need for professional activation of unemployed women and inactive people over 50, so that they could transform unique skills and knowledge related to bringing children into a professional career. In addition, access to the services of professionally trained child carers would also allow young parents to return to the labor market more quickly.

The aim of the project was to exchange best practices and ideas for developing a universal model of a professional vocational course for future child carers, with particular emphasis on the training needs of women aged 50-64.

As part of the consortium, the recommendations on personality characteristics and skills necessary for a child carer were developed, a self-assessment test was prepared as the first element to check the predispositions for working with children, tools and methods for verifying candidates for the profession were presented and a training program consisting of nine modules was prepared concerning different areas of knowledge related to childcare.
Six partners from the following countries were involved in the project implementation: Poland, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. In order to best take into account the needs of women aged 50+ and the requirements of parents looking for a suitable child carer, among the institutions creating the course were Non-profit organizations (M’am’amloca, ProActivate Ireland) involved in activating older people and caring for their well-being, regional institutions dealing problems of the labor market (Voivodship Labor Office in Katowice and Government Office In Bekes County) and institutions leading and creating trainings (COOS and Bimec).

Project activities were related to the implementation of international partner meetings (5 meetings during the project) and the development of project results:

– creation of a project website containing the most important information about the project, project meetings and partnership results and its ongoing update;
– carrying out two surveys concerning the personality traits of a guardian for children and the most important issues of the course conducted among parents and women aged 50+;
– design and publication of a leaflet informing about the project;
– preparation of a self-assessment test to test predispositions in the profession of a child carer;
– evaluation of the test by professionals dealing with child care;
– preparation of a model (program of a vocational course) containing 9 thematic modules, comprehensively preparing for the role of a child carer;
– evaluation of the course by institutions involved in the creation of courses, professional activation and conducting training to confirm the high quality of the program and its minor modifications based on the analysis of suggestions received by the partners;
– preparation and publication of a handbook showing the results of the project.

The results will bring long-term benefits, especially for people interested in taking up a job as a child carer. The self-assessment test is one of the tools to assess the predisposition to work with children, based on test results, unemployed people or those wishing to change their career path may decide to take action to achieve this goal.

The professional course model prepared by the partner group is comprehensive and flexible. It allows training institutions to choose all or the most important, from the point of view of the target group, modules and subjects in order to prepare professionally trained child carers.

*Based on data from the Eurostat database, access from 27/06/2018, the difference in life expectancy of women and men in Ireland is 4.1 years, while in Poland it is 7.5 years.
** Statistically, men in EU28 work 38.1 years and women 33.1 years.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 70990 Eur

Project Coordinator

Wojewodzki Urzad Pracy w Katowicach & Country: PL

Project Partners

• M´am´aloca
• ProActivate Ireland Limited
• Bimec Ltd.
• Békés Megyei Kormányhivatal
• COOPERATIVA SOCIALE COOSS MARCHE ONLUS SOCIETA COOPERATIVA PER AZIONI