Addressing the Regional Labor Market Needs through Development and Certification of New Programs for Adult Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Addressing the Regional Labor Market Needs through Development and Certification of New Programs for Adult Education

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

The overall objective of the project is to address the skills needs which exist at regional level in Macedonia and Romania. The basic premise is that labor market needs vary across different regions within a country. These regional needs are generally under-explored in both Macedonia and Romania. Good data broken down at regional level are not available. As a consequence, adult education programs offered by adult education providers often do not address specific regional needs, which has relevant effect both on employment as well as on regional competitiveness. To this end the specific objectives of the project are: 1. To thoroughly research regional labor market skill needs in 2 pilot regions in Macedonia and 2 pilot regions in Romania. 2. To develop, through a process of transnational cooperation and exchange of expertise and experience, and in cooperation with regional Adult Education Providers 4 adult education programs per country (2 per region) or a total of 8 AE programs which would address regional skills shortages. 3. To organize the certification of these programs with competent national authorities in Romania and Macedonia. 4. To pilot the training programs with the partner providers from the selected pilot regions in Macedonia and Romania, and to further disseminate the programs to other providers.
The process involved 5 Providers in the assessment of needs, the development of the training curricula which started to work on certification process of the programmes and initiated the piloting.
During the project progress relevant expertise was transferred by DVV International on assessment, and curricula development, as well as on adult training methodology. National competent authorities were invited to the meetings and training workshops to take part in the debate on challenges to certification of new training programs. They provided substantive inputs in the early design of the assessment process as well and during the process of design the adult education programmes.
Two assessment reports for both countries Romania and Macedonia were developed and were used as basis for selection and further on development of the Adult Education Programmes. Eight adult education programmes relevant to the labor market needs in each of the 4 regions were developed. The development was done by a transnational involvement of expertise and with consultations made with stakeholders and final beneficiaries of the Adult Education Programs. The long-term benefits of the programms are that once certified and implemented in the regions they will address the regional labor market needs and improving regional economic development in the future. There were six Transnational project meetings held and one training in Bonn. The meetings were dedicated for consultations around development of assessment reports and adult education programs. The training was dedicated to upgrading the knowledge of partner organisation in the specifics of the linkage of adult education development and responses to labour market needs.
The project undertook broad dissemination of the project results. A regional conference was organized (multiplier event) and results from the project were promoted among the stakeholders from the countries as well and to the relevant institutions and stakeholders in the region. The new curricula was disseminated not only to the providers from the regions but also to providers nation wide and to providers from the SEE region. Policy makers were invited to focus more strongly on regional labor market needs, and providers were encouraged to think in regional terms when developing their programs. This strengthened their regional role and it was expected and will in the future result with higher enrollment rates in adult education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 200325 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zdruzenie za obrazovanie na vozrasni Centar za Dozivotno Ucenje Skopje & Country: MK

Project Partners

• BIBLIOTECA JUDETEANA GHEORGHE SINCAI
• DEUTSCHER VOLKSHOCHSCHUL-VERBAND EV
• Scoala Populara de Arte si Meserii
• ASOCIATIA EURO ADULT EDUCATION
• Opstinska javna ustanova – Otvoren Graganski Univerzitet za dozivotno ucenje Joska Svestarot Strumica
• Community Development Institute