Professional Development of VET Tutors and Trainers to enhance Social Inclusion in Work-based Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Professional Development of VET Tutors and Trainers to enhance Social Inclusion in Work-based Learning

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

The promotion of inclusive education and lifelong learning for students and learners with disabilities and special needs is one of the priority areas set up by the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020. Moreover, in the Bruges Communiqué the EC suggests to increase the possibilities for disadvantaged learners in VET by offering alternative pathways, innovative VET training formats, more Work-Based Learning (WBL) in the main forms present at EU level. Further, The European Agency for the Development of Special Needs Education has published a study on the competences of an inclusive teaching in 2015, where 4 main competences are requested: valuing learner diversity; supporting all learners; working with others and continuing professional development. These are competences required and which are by far not reflected in the VET training programmes. Students with special needs and disabilities need, therefore, to have a personal plan of study which includes WBL experience and tailored on them and the enterprises, on the other hand, need to be trained to support the envisaged target group.

VET4ALL represented a reply to the above mentioned problems as it aimed at reaching the following objectives:

– Train teachers and staff working with the target group to make WBL or internship experience more fruitful and aimed to future job insertion even in an European context;
– Develop flexible pathways which connect the VET formal school curriculum to WBL for students with disabilities/special needs;
– Foster the implementation of ECVET principles and tools and develop an innovative approach to Mobility in order to facilitate the access for students with disabilities/special needs;
– Support enterprise trainers/mentors and staff during the WBL/internship experience of students with disabilities/special needs.

Main VET4ALL project outputs are:

O1-VET4ALL Didactical Guidelines for training VET staff working with students with disabilities/special needs.
It is a compact presentation of how didactical process should be organised and implemented when dealing with students with disabilities/special needs; how to support them during the WBL/internship experience even at EU level in Mobility programmes.

O2-VET4ALL Training Curriculum for Training VET staff working with students with disabilities/special needs.
It includes a theoretical part and the supply of concrete competences to the target group when dealing with students with disabilities/special needs.

O3-VET4ALL in-company Mentors Vademecum.
It is a very practical tool to be distributed to Trainers/Mentors in order to support students with disabilities/special needs during their WBL experience. Supported Employment is the focus of the Vademecum.

O4-VET4ALL Mobility Vademecum for accompanying persons of students with disabilities/special needs.
This output aims at supporting the accompanying persons, usually teachers not expert in disabilities, and even the EU Enterprises during the mobility and how to implement and develop LOs acquired in a EU context and how to evaluate the students.

These 4 Intellectual Outputs were developed in connection with local Multiplier Events carried out in each partner Country, in order to reach the widest range of target groups and stakeholders possible. In addition to these 4 core Intellectual Outputs VET4ALL developed a number of further outputs necessary to achieve the set objectives: website and Dissemination materials; Dissemination Strategy; Quality Management Handbook; Learning/Training Teaching Activities.

VET4ALL achieved an extended impact on:
– Direct participants in the project: VET4ALL provided concrete competences for the targets on how to deal with students with disabilities/special needs during WBL experiences; how to evaluate students during their in-company training; how to foster company motivation to deal with WBL paths for the envisaged target group.
– Partner Organisations: with the project they received an innovative approach for planning and managing flexible WBL experiences both at national and EU level for the envisaged target with disabilities/special needs;
– Other stakeholders: they are labour market authorities, political decision makers and policy makers on regional, national and EU level; target group associations/cooperatives for disabled persons and/or with special needs; the labour market organisations; chambers of commerce and social partners.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 233083,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

Profesionalna gimnaziya po turizam “D-r Vasil Beron” & Country: BG

Project Partners

• Centro San Viator
• EUROPEAN FORUM OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
• Scoala Profesionala Speciala Samus
• Hermes Corporation Ltd
• Reattiva – Regione Europa Attiva