Training, Networking and Mobility in Early Childhood Education and Care Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training, Networking and Mobility in Early Childhood Education and Care

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: Recognition, transparency, certification; Quality Assurance; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

A high quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is crucial for the development of young children because it provides a precondition for future successful learning paths and a basis for a good start into the life of work and lifelong learning. Due to immigration and cross border mobility within Europe, ECEC professionals are increasingly challenged by the education and integration of children with varying cultural backgrounds. A high intercultural sensitivity and own intercultural experience help to face this challenge. The exchange of ECEC students and of ECEC staff combined with adequate mentorship and evaluation adds to qualify the staff therefor. In addition, ECEC professionals become more and more interested in own working mobility because of various reasons. But still cross-border mobility in the ECEC sector is quite difficult. The training for ECEC teachers varies broadly, their job description in different countries, too. Qualifications are far from being mutually recognized.
The objectives of this project are to improve the quality and recognition of learning experience in internships abroad during the training of ECEC professionals and to facilitate the mutual understanding on the competences needed in ECEC and thus open cross-border labour mobility. We want to develop and adapt useful tools with a systematic practical dimension.
In a consortium of six partners from five countries (DE, ES, EST, IT, NL) teachers for ECEC in vocational training schools and practitioners from ECEC institutions will work together in order to develop, revise and adapt instruments for the recognition of (long-term) internships abroad and to facilitate mobility (cross-border, vertical and horizontal) in general. Most of the consortium members are well experienced in international work.
Based on a Competence Matrix for ECEC which has been pre-developed by several European teachers and practitioners, we plan to improve it on a broad European level as basis for the development of relevant Learning Outcomes and as instrument to match different professional profiles. For better recognition, not only the agreement on Learning Outcomes is important but also their proper assessment and evaluation in order to make them formally recognizable. As the consortium unifies high competence and experience, work division according to the respective strengths and shared working sessions during the project meetings will lead to good quality results. All instruments will be available on a free accessible online platform which provides all ECVET documents and helps to facilitate the management of mobility projects.
Impacts of the project are expected at local, regional, national and possibly also European level. Target groups are ECEC students, their teachers, ECEC practitioners and stakeholders in this sector. Sharing experiences and testing new methodological tools in multicultural contexts will provide all with new examples and ideas.
The participants will have the chance for a cross country exchange of their standards and ideas on ECEC in general and related to the education of qualified staff. They can set up a network for future cooperation and extend existing networks. They improve their personal and pedagogical competences especially with regard to assessment, evaluation and good mentorship. The exchange in a European context can improve their pedagogical motivation in general. The use of the database will facilitate their organizational work for mobility projects and at the same time offers quality assurance and assessment instruments.
For ECEC students the project provides more transparent ways to have their internships and parts of occupations validated and recognized as well as a professional mentorship.
Altogether, the project adds to human resources development, to intercultural learning, to the attractiveness of the institutions for students respectively for good staff and to a better recognition of competences within Europe.

Project Website

https://www.traece-eu.net/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 62687 Eur

Project Coordinator

EU-Geschäftsstelle, Bezirksregierung Köln & Country: DE

Project Partners

• CEIP Rectora Adelaida de la Calle
• MLA Viimsi Lasteaiad
• Fondazione Centro Produttività Veneto
• Berufskolleg Viersen des Kreises Viersen Sekundarstufe II
• ROC Arcus College
• Stichting BVE Zuid-Limburg