FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY – EDUCATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN HOUSEHOLD, GUEST-ORIENTATED BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITIES Erasmus Project

Project Title

FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY – EDUCATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN HOUSEHOLD, GUEST-ORIENTATED BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITIES

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: Regional dimension and cooperation; Environment and climate change; Research and innovation

Project Summary

Rising greenhouse gas emissions the wasteful use of fossil fuels and the resulting impact on our climate have repercussions for the entire planet. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change, both the implementation of local initiatives and global projects will be of prime importance. In this regard, previous needs analyses have shown that private households, commercial kitchens, guest-orientated businesses and communities not only have a great demand for environmental measures but also a great potential for the implementation of sustainable schemes for the protection of their local environment. These professional fields have also a great impact on social and economic improvements for employees and staff members. The needs analyses and surveys in project partner countries have shown that vocational educators and trainers are insufficiently trained for a successful education on sustainability and its measures. So the target group of our project were vocational educators and trainers in the fields of home economics, guest-orientated businesses and sustainablity subjects. Research findings demonstrate that there exists a broad range of project results and materials in the area of sustainability, but teachers are often not able to use these results in a successful learning activity. A second problem was that in many EU-countries doesen´t exist a concept or a plan, how to teach sustainablity issues in vocational education and training. In this education areas also blended-learning activities were not frequently offered. The project provided a chance for vocational teachers and trainers to participate in extra-occupational (apprenticeship) training and learned to use sources of sustainability and digital learning tools to provide a successful and sustainable teaching. Teachers and trainers got the possibility of exchange of knowledge and teaching skills. Therefore the project reached the following objectives: The general objective was to contribute through digital and innovative lifelong learning for professionals to the improvement of ecological, economic and social sustainability in the EU. Specific objectives: 1- Development of a curriculum in the amount of 8 ECVET/ECTS and an corresponding blended-learning course with 4 modules (80 hours presence phase and 125 – 150 hours digital-learning including minimum 75 hours tutorials for self-study and 50 hours online-learning); 2- Pilot run of the course in Austria (UCAEP) and Finland (LAUREA) and optimizing of curriculum and blended-learning course; 3- Handbook with best-practice examples for vocational education on sustainability; 4 – All Learning materials and handbook in English was translated into 5 national languages for successful learning and dissemination. Our general objectives were:1- Implementing sustainable behaviour in home economics profession and guest-orientated businesses; 2- Improving access to education for sustainable behaviour in profession and daily life for pupils, trainees and unskilled employees through teachers and multipliers; 3- Developing innovative ICT-based content, pedagogies and practices for lifelong learning to react on changing challenges in the field of profession mentioned above. To reach these objectives the project partners worked on the following main outputs: 1. Collection of practical needs, tools, materials and recommendations to arrange professional learning processes to improve education for sustainability in the fields of Home economics 2. Prototype transnational curriculum for a blended-learning course (8 ECVET/ECTS) which includes 4 Modules (2 LTTs). The full course including all materials is provided in Moodle. 4. Handbook with pedagogical concepts, background informations of the course and best-practice examples for lesson concepts to motivate pupils for learning sustainability and implement sustainable measures in local households, guest-orientated businesses and communities. This project made a great contribution to the education of vocational educators and trainers, that they holding competencies to conduct the processes in their professional fields in a sustainable manner and use digital learning tools. In addition they were able to share their knowledge with colleagues from different countries and built relationships and communities in social media for future exchange of knowledge.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 314575,89 Eur

Project Coordinator

Hochschule für Agrar- und Umweltpädagogik & Country: AT

Project Partners

• CISME COOPERATIVA PER L’INNOVAZIONEE LO SVILUPPO DEL MERDIONE – SC
• Anne Fox ApS
• LAUREA-AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• LATVIJAS LAUKSAIMNIECIBAS UNIVERSITATE
• International Federation for Home Economics e.V.