Hands-on approaches to support learners with special educational needs to complete VET cycles and transit into the labour market Erasmus Project

Project Title

Hands-on approaches to support learners with special educational needs to complete VET cycles and transit into the labour market

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Pedagogy and didactics; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

In Europe, recent estimates place the number of learners with special educational needs (SEN) at 15 million. Learners with SEN frequently leave school with few qualifications and are much more likely to become unemployed or economically inactive. The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2013) formulated recommendations relating to the four “patterns of successful practice” that are likely to improve VET system effectiveness and the transition to employment of learners with SEN. These patterns focus on the perspectives and roles of key stakeholders within VET, namely (1) head teachers/managers of VET organisations (management pattern); (2) teachers/trainers/support staff (VET pattern); (3) SEN learners (learners’ pattern); and (4) current and future employers/labour market representatives (labour market pattern).
HANDSON was designed as a response to such evidence. It aimed to develop an inclusive production-based learning model and innovative didactic resources to support SEN learners to complete VET cycles and successfully transit into the labour market.
To achieve this, the projects objectives were to:
Carried out an extended national and Pan-European study and mapped success factors related with SEN and production-based models in order to define the key elements to be included in the model;
Develop a set of multilingual innovative approaches and ICT-based didactic resources to support the efficient implementation of the model;
Created local workshops and web app for use by the vocational areas targeted in each country, in line with future employers’ needs and job opportunities;
Carried out practical implementations, testing, validation and fine-tuning with end-users and final beneficiaries during the pilot trails;
Mobilised a multi-disciplinary boards of experts to participate in developments and provide legitimacy to the foreseen outputs;
To engage partners and key-stakeholders and disseminate the findings via activities, including multiplier events in all participating countries, ensured networking opportunities.

Project activities have been delivered by a transnational consortium, composed of 8 partners from 8 EU countries, all having expertise and experience in the field of SEN and wanted to develop new approaches and tools in to improve their VET and WBL practices to increase work placement opportunities for SEN learners. The partnership consisted of Hertford Regional College (UK), CARDET (Cyprus), TUAS (Finland), IASIS (Greece), CWEP (Poland), AEVA (Portugal), ITC (Spain) and Elderberry (Sweden).

The Main activities have included:
The first phase of the project the partners focused on the development of the Inclusive production-based learning model for SEN learners.
Secondly, a manual was produced that offered a comprehensive set of didactic content to support the implementation of the Inclusive production-based learning model for SEN learners.
Thirdly, the partners developed an interactive toolkit offering a range of resources to support the implementation.
Finally, a Digital learning space and web app generator was developed to provide open and instant access to the project’s output.

An overview of the HANDSON project and its results was also presented during multiplier events and these were used to further develop the outputs and create networking opportunities. The project provides a set of tangible products for better support VET managers, educators, SEN learners and employers: a tailored inclusive production-based learning model, and supportive didactic resources – eManual, eKit, and a Web app. The project benefited from the direct participation of educators, SEN learners and key-stakeholders (VET managers, employers, experts) in activities related with the development of the outputs, including research, content development, piloting, external validation. Moreover, 282 VET providers, educators, schools, universities, associations supporting SEN, municipalities, chambers of commerce, employers, employers’ associations, public bodies, decision and policy makers, will attend the eight multiplier events in partners’ countries. And more than 1,000 stakeholders across Europe will be reached through the project dissemination activities.

Project Website

https://handson.erasmus.site/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 196044 Eur

Project Coordinator

Hertford Regional College & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Innovation Training Center, S.L.
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET
• ELDERBERRY AB
• TURUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• IASIS
• AEVA – ASSOCIACAO PARA A EDUCACAO E VALORIZACAO DA REGIAO DE AVEIRO
• STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM WSPIERANIA EDUKACJI I PRZEDSIEBIORCZOSCI