Project Descriptions

MoNA

Context (see also concept paper UEAPME, march 2006)

Craft professions have a long tradition of mobility, and there is a huge effort from craft chambers and training centres to promote and accompany mobility. Mobility as a training objective is especially important to European crafts, small and medium-sized enterprises, because learning and working abroad does not only enrich competences and know how of an individual, but also increases the understanding of the European Union and European citizenship. Moreover, it helps the individual to be pro-active and more open to take on responsibility for his or her own employability including entrepreneurship in his or her working life.

However, while having experienced a general increase in terms of number of placements between 2000-2005, the LEONARDO DA Vinci program has known a limited participation of apprentices from the craft sector.

In order to promote equal access to mobility for apprentices and especially in the new Lifelong learning programme 2007 -13, it is necessary to tackle the situation at several levels:

• First, the inflexible structure and the complicated application within the LEONARDO program until now, together with the absence of clear co-financing schemes, had limited the participation of skilled craft chambers and training centres as promoters, not to speak about the impossible access for “individuals” and companies to LEONARDO funds.
• Second, apprentices are bound to a work contract[1] with a company, but in an alternating training scheme. The former Leonardo program underestimated the practical difficulties of skilled craft and small companies (sending and hosting companies) for organising mobility of apprentices contractually linked to an employer. Reduce the eligible duration of placements to two weeks is a start, but does not coordinate the legal frames at European level and simplify the administrative steps while on mobility.
• Third, added value of mobility still seems not very visible for companies and beneficiaries. Generalizing European training pathways needs to structure mobility as a specific training situation and recognize concretely learning outcomes in the training process.      

Local promoters (skilled craft chambers and training centres), playing a key role as developers and facilitators of mobility. They offering proximity, information, counselling and support adapted for apprentices and for SME of the skilled craft sectors. The prior objective must be to provide these interfaces with easier access to European programmes, coherent co-financing and equip them with network support.

Objectives

The project “Mobility network for apprentices in skilled crafts” is about setting up and testing a very visible scheme, dedicated to generalize European training pathways for apprentices and companies in the skilled craft sector.

The project is based on

• the development of an already existing transnational network of intermediate bodies called RESEAU EUROPEEN INITIATIVE METIERS and a existing tool / platform: www.euronaver.net
• implementation of concrete mobility projects which takes place between September 2007 and during 2008; they will be organised trough different schemes (LEONARDO group application, other co-financing schemes) and allow a strong link to the needs and practical recommendations of the local promoters.

The prior objective is to structure a network of intermediate bodies and equip concretely their network of local promoters for acting as mobility developers and facilitators for the companies and the apprentices.

Partnership 

Project will be based on the French - German partnership between representatives of Skilled Craft Chambers (APCM – ZDH, local skilled craft chambers). EUC-SYD - DK is involved as another representative from the already existing network.

Two new partner countries (IFA- A, IFAPME- B) will join the partnership and developing the existing platform of euronaver. The former European partners of euronaver (HU, I, UK) will be associated partners together with potential new countries (FL, PL, E, N). Outcomes will have a function as test pilot for future development of the platform.

Content

In each country, mobility promoters have to deal with their specific institutional and economical environment for implementing mobility and conditions of hosting and sending, co-financing mobility etc. Nevertheless, 3 elements must be linked in a coherent system, in order to prepare a common mobility scheme.

The project explores and works out the following key points between transnational partners of the project: 

Strand A: Development of an operational frame of administration, financing and legal organisation of mobility pathways

How to coordinate and develop the national / regional / transnational networks by proposing a coherent system for the key actors involved? How to facilitate the participation of local promoters and final (individual) beneficiaries (apprentices in initial training) and companies? 

• Development, organisation of local partnerships between the partner countries;
• Facilitation of administrative procedures for the participating local promoters / training centres, for the final (individual) beneficiaries (apprentices in initial training) and companies;
• Organisation of and mutual information about hosting and sending conditions (living and working environment, legal and contractual aspects, social security issues …);
• Organisation of a coherent coverage of the various costs (in particular cost for organisation of coordination, preparation, follow-up, tutoring, outcomes, evaluation etc. for the participating local promoters);

Strand B: Development of transnational network environment

How to develop a transnational network environment which guaranties the quality of exchanges and placements, mainly by accompanying local promoters with the implementation of mobility pathways?  

• Support to local promoters about implementation (develop efficient tools, guidance for the development and implementation of mobility projects);
• Support of hosting and sending companies and in particular supporting the involvement of skilled craft and small companies in the training process as hosting and sending companies;
• Evaluation and promotion of results at national and transnational level;  
• Training for local promoters; (à transfer MobilInt results)

Strand C: Transparency / recognition and promotion of added value of mobility 

Promoting mobility needs to be based on the communication about concrete added value for the involved companies and beneficiaries. Therefore the use of mobility as a pedagogical tool and specific training situation needs to be structured and planned and the recognition of learning outcomes must be formalised. Therefore, the project will explore and communicate supporting approaches and instruments aiming at recognition of competences and learning outcomes.

How to plan a stay abroad as an element of the regular vocational training program? What may be trade-/branch-specific "qualification or additional skills" acquired through mobility?

• Collection and information about relevant existing instruments and approaches;
• Recommendation – check lists – guidance about organisation of zones of mutual trust between different national intermediate bodies;

Recommendation will be linked to the developments within the ECVET proposal / Europass.

Results – outcomes

General database development  

The project will allow the development of new tools and resources for the existing internet plat-form www.euronaver.net and take into account recommendations from project partners about a more user friendly layout (statistics, photos, diagrams getting the platform more “visual”). The tools will be available on line, developing the national interfaces of euronaver for FR, D, A, B, DK. They may be inspired and similar to the French example www.apprentieneurope.fr, integrating project management facilities and resources areas or based on web sides as www.chance-europe.de

Production under strand A

• Operational  co-financing schemes - administrative procedures;
• Development of the “mobility assistance system” : legal procedures and information regarding contractual relationship between sending company and apprentice, between sending and hosting company, between training provider(s); Templates for partnership contracts; insurance; 
• Good practise and support activities for small companies;

Production under strand B

Development of a “mobility project system” Manual for preparation and implementation of individual and group mobility measures in IVET) with recommendations – guidance for sending and hosting provider:

• Information – preparation
• Organisation (logistical, financing etc.)
• Implementation (pedagogical)

Production under strand C

Manual about evaluation – validation and promotional tools

• Recommendation – check lists – guidance about organisation of zones of mutual trust between different national intermediate bodies;
• Promotion and awareness raising of the advantages of mobility in general - Promote and communicate the advantages of mobility to craft and SMEs - Enhancing the visibility of mobility programs for apprentices
• Templates for tools/instruments to inform potential users (companies and apprentices) of opportunities and practicalities of mobility measures - Leaflets, guides (collect, update and disseminate existing guides, information material)

In addition to the existing “mobility assistant” about legal procedures and administrative steps, a “project assistant” and guidance system for users/members (promoters, organizers of mobility projects) will be developed. The already existing research interface about organisations, experiences, tools will be completed by thematically structured information:

Examples:

• Financial monitoring and project management
• Management of transnational partnership
• Promotion and communication of mobility
• Legal aspects (including follow –up and up dating of already the existing information)
• Logistical organisation of mobility pathways
• Pedagogical organisation of European training pathways
• Evaluation of mobility projects 
• Recognition and validation of mobility pathways  

The research will provide for each thematic a “roadmap – information sheet” with the following information and links to

• Success criteria’s – “quality” recommendations
• Check list for implementation
• Specific already existing useful tools and resources
• Contacts, project examples for illustration

Some specific tools (promotional tools, information about contracts etc.) designed for the final beneficiaries of mobility (companies, apprentices) will be finalized and available for the organizers of mobility in order to facilitate their accompanying and counselling work towards final beneficiaries.

The project outcomes will have a “pilot test function” for further development for all the other interfaces of euronaver (I, HU, UK) and the new partner countries ready to join (PL, FL, E, N …).

Last but not least, recommendations will be set up for implementation of an “ERAMUS type programme” for apprentices.

Organisation

Project management and transnational coordination

Project coordination of APCM will be organised under a common steering committee, responsible for final validation and decisions about project planning. 

Steering committee could associate punctually or progressively relevant key actors / representatives at regional / national level (Regional council or regional governments, representatives of branches …) and guaranties communication towards and feed back from the already existing partnership RESEAU EUROPEEN INITIATIVE METIERS.

The existing web board[2] system could be used as a communication basis between project partners and information tool for all other euronaver partners.

Coordination of transversal tasks as the test of tools, evaluation (of the results and the partnership) and communication are taken over by a, specifically designed, project partner.

Key partners = responsible for coordination of strands / main activities

Each strand will also be coordinated by a specific partner, responsible for the organisation of a core working group.

The working groups are in charge of the thematically structured activities and production. All the partners are joining one or several work groups as experts. The Skilled craft chambers and training centres amongst the partners are also representing future “users” of the platform and actively involved not only in the production but also in the evaluation and feed back about the outcomes.

Associated partners (former and future euronaver network partner) will be invited to a common transfer seminar in order to inform them about project progress and organise their feed back.  

Roles – responsibilities	Organisations – partners	Activities
Project management	APCM	Application, Transnational coordination – budget follow up – Organisation of steering committee – reports
Coordination strand A	APCM	Coordination – follow-up of production
Experts - Participation in strand A	HWK’s CMA Rhône  IFAPME	Production
Coordination strand B /C	ZDH	Coordination – follow-up of production
Experts - Participation in strand B/C	HWK’s CMA Rhône and CIFAP IFA – Austria EUC-SYD	Production
Coordination Evaluation	EUC-SYD	Follow-up of project progress
Coordination communication	UEAPME	Communication
Associated partners	All euronaver partners City of Helsinki - Skilled craft chamber Katowice Masters of Crafts Norway (MCN)…	Follow-up, test , feed-back …

Activities

Phase	Results	Actions – Work packages	Start Month	End month	Partners involved	Roles / work time spent
Preparation	Agree on details of scope of work Final outlines of content – activities – distribution of roles.	Kick off meeting / 2 days 8th-9th March 2007	March 2007	April 2007	All partners	Preparation of kick off meeting; contracts; Presentation of existing tools; Participation at steering committee; Preparation of evaluation etc.
Development – phase 1	Development of organisational systems Development of tools	Work seminar 3 days and presentation	Mai 2007	September 2007	Working group teams	Production or development of existing tools;
Test - Evaluation –	Links to concrete mobility projects; Feed back about tools.		October 2007	February 2008	Working group and evaluation team;	Preparation of test tools, running of test, analyse and evaluation
On line development phase 2	Finalisation of tools Presentation on line.	Work seminar 3 days Presentation of project and its progress at suitable meetings (cf. UEAPME Education and Training Committee) ….	March 2008	October 2008	Working group teams, evaluation and communication coordinators	Tools production;  Translation; Programming of interfaces; Organising of communication;
Final dissemination	Final presentations	Final seminar and transnational conference (2 days)		21 November 2008	All partners	Final presentations of interfaces, communication, reports.

 

Meetings

• Month 1: kick off meeting (8th-9th 2007)
• Month 6 + 14: 2 work seminars incl. 1 transnational transfer seminar
• Month 21: Final meeting and participation at European training conference in Cologne – November 2008

Dissemination of outcomes:

Project and the results will be presented at various occasions (conferences, specific transnational meetings, training committee of UEAPME members); some of network members may also use the channel of specific training sessions[3] for local promoters, in order to inform about the existing tools and the platform.

Total budget: 213 058 Euro

COM contribution: 70,4%

 

Contact details:

        Ms. Sabine Weger

        12, avenue Marceau, F-75008 Paris

        Mail: weger@apcm.fr

        Website: www.euronaver.net

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