Are EU ready for life and work? Erasmus Project

Project Title

Are EU ready for life and work?

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Inclusion – equity; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

Our three year project built upon the strengths of previous partnerships and further developed our pupils understanding of other countries and cultures. Throughout the project we worked with pupils in our partner schools to compare our lifestyles, our countries and our culture. We created a Work Related Learning curriculum for young Europeans with learning disabilities to support them in transition into the world of work, employment and independent living. The opportunities for some of our most vulnerable young people are very limited when they come to leave school. There are a number of factors surrounding this; a curriculum which does not encompass the skills and attitudes required for the world of work, the lack of appropriate facilities and college courses geared to meet the needs of those with special educational needs and ultimately the lack of employment opportunities for young people with learning difficulties.
The aim of our project was to address some of these deficiencies in provision and to support and enable our students make the greatest success possible of their lives. This includes being economically active and to recognise that they have a valuable contribution to make in their local and global community. All partners have tremendous expertise in the area of education young people with special educational needs with a wide range of learning disabilities and have used this knowledge and expertise to develop learning and curriculum activities in all of our schools. We share a philosophy which is to improve the lives of those citizens with learning disabilities by giving them the same opportunities as their mainstream peers. We have been involved in a number of Comenius partnerships which have been recognised as exceptional by the EU. We have worked collaboratively for many years and value the opportunity of sharing our expertise and experience.
Our partnership aimed to address some of these issues and problems by sharing our expertise to develop a work related curriculum which will provide our students with the skills and attitudes required for the world of work. During our project we aimed to develop a meaningful WRL curriculum for students 14-19 yrs and beyond which will be challenging and teach the skills required for employment and life after school. This was developed by sharing good practice; allowing our facilitators to visit schools and places of employment in our partner countries. We tracked a group of 14 year old young people who have severe to moderate learning disabilities throughout our project. This included information on student’s literacy, numeracy, social skills, independence skills and aspirations for the future. This informed the project of the content of the work related curriculum required in order to be effective. Data was regularly collated, analysed and used by all partners and shared at transnational project meetings.
Each transnational meeting included an international seminar or workshop which engaged us in conversation and debate about the areas we considered to be important in the development of our work related curriculum including: Employability and the Importance of Social Inclusion; Sharing good Practice of Basic Skills; Sharing Good Practice in Work Related Learning and Developing a Work Related Curriculum; Sharing Good Practice and Links with the World of Work and Post School Providers; Sharing Good Practice in Developing Social Skills; Sharing Good Practice in Assessment and Monitoring; Sharing Expertise Sustaining a Work Related Curriculum. In addition all partners visited examples of best practice linked to each seminar/workshop and partner country expertise.
Students completed a variety of activities which included identifying the skills needed to get jobs. Representatives from local employers visited schools and students visited employers to identify the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Charities in the community were explored and an enterprise activity allowed students the opportunity to develop and use the skills required to raise funds including team building, decision making, problem solving, communication, confidence all important skills required by the world of work. Basic skill development including literacy and numeracy activities including form filling, reading instructions, writing a CV, using the telephone and ICT as a means of communication, personal finance including budgeting, shopping, paying bills, bank accounts and health and safety in the workplace including risk assessment, bullying, relationships and use of advocates. Works experience/shadowing works experience has taken place in each partner school enabling students to have the opportunity to use the skills developed in a place of employment. Students also planned and delivered an enterprise activity involving the local community enabling them to use the skills gained which are vital in employment post school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 118200 Eur

Project Coordinator

Durham Trinity School & Sports College & Country: UK

Project Partners

• APPACDM de Viana do Castelo
• Scoala Gimnaziala Speciala – Centru de Resurse si Documentare privind Educatia Incluziva/Integrata
• Rigas 1. speciala internatpamatskola- attistibas centrs
• Võru Järve Kool