Mobile APPs for in-company VET trainers to facilitate the participation of SMEs in apprenticeship programs Erasmus Project

Project Title

Mobile APPs for in-company VET trainers to facilitate the participation of SMEs in apprenticeship programs

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

As identified in the initial project proposal, the App and Teach Project sought to facilitate the participation of SMEs in apprenticeship by equipping in-company VET trainers with the necessary skills and innovative ICT-based tools to support both the management and the training activities involved in apprenticeship programs. The project achieved this primary goal by providing cutting-edge digital resources and training for the promotion of digital skills and innovative ICT-based tools that support a variety of learning approaches which can be offered to apprentices during progression through the different levels of apprenticeship programs and work-based VET.

The developed project outputs have been subject to testing, feedback & re-development a number of times over the course of the project to align them as closely as possible to the needs of the target audience & VET sector & the main outputs (primarily the mobile app, online platform & associated training material) are currently freely available on all major mobile formats & in public repositories such as the iOS store & Google play store. Feedback from pilot participants indicated an extremely positive opinion towards the use of the app and mobile platform for learning.

The project has exceeded expectations in a number of key areas. In particular, the project has developed a large number of resources, beyond the initial targeted expectations identified in the project proposal. In particular, the project has developed a number of online platforms (3 in total, a project website, an “app generator” platform and the e-learning platform) in order to diversify and promote the individual elements of the project – the developed project app, a “app generator platform” supporting the development of apps for users and the “official” online project platform housing all developed project resources.

The project has developed a large and varied amount of training material as part of the app development process and has made this material across multiple formats and media, ranging from the online training courses to printable resources, to mobile learning apps and online resources to support all of the above. The project has developed an innovative mobile app, which not only serves as an engaging tool addressed to teachers and educators from VET schools, training providers and intermediary bodies to design and co-create tailor made Mobile Apps to be used by in-company VET trainers- but has also, as part of this development, created a range of innovative mobile apps, developed by in-company VET trainers and others involved in the management of apprentices with the necessary skills and innovative ICT-based tools to support both the management and the training activities involved in apprenticeship programs. In-company VET trainers can build on apprentice’s learning by accessing a range of these existing mobile apps, developed by and for those involved in the training and management of apprentices, but can also create their own bespoke VET online training resources through the online learning platform and/ or project app (and app generator platform) in order to deepen apprentice’s learning in addition to face to face activities and supports. In this way, the project has provided project stakeholders with the tools required to take concrete and practical steps within their own country, in order to create genuine impact.

The project results have been validated with a large audience – primarily the key target audience of in-company VET trainers and professionals working with apprentices, but involving apprentices themselves – who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the project outputs. In addition to this, organisations and institutions charged with supporting the management of apprentices and VET education alongside policy makers, education representatives, public representatives, etc have also provided feedback on the project. Feedback on the project outputs has been mostly positive and ongoing activities look to embed the resources in the area for VET organisations and schools across Europe. The project was widely disseminated to a large range of participants across multiple channels locally, nationally, across Europe and internationally – through face-to-face meetings, conferences, festivals and events, through piloting activities and trainings and through a wide range of online means. The developed project outputs are freely available and have been developed and provided so that they remain freely available indefinitely on open online portals such as the Google Play store and Apple iOS store, maximising access and visibility not only to the target audience, but to the general public as well.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 422618 Eur

Project Coordinator

Centro Servizi Formazione & Country: IT

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO PARA EL FOMENTO DEL DESARROLLO Y LA FORMACION SL
• ELearning Studios Ltd
• BEST INSTITUT FUR BERUFSBEZOGENE WEITERBILDUNG UND PERSONALTRAINING GMBH
• INNOQUALITY SYSTEMS LIMITED
• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE
• INSTITOUTO EKPAIDEFTIKOU KAI EPAGGELMATIKOU PROSANATOLISMOU
• IDEProjet