Continental Vocational Education and Training
Start date: Jun 1, 2015,
End date: May 31, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Continental Vocational Education and Training (CoVET) is a mobility project enabling a range of Walford and North Shropshire college apprentices and full time VET students to undertake two week work placements with one of our host partners in Europe. The project follows on from previous Leonardo VET mobility projects, and builds on current Leonardo Strategic Partnership Projects. The host partners are from Germany, France, Spain, Turkey and Finland. These were selected so that best match of training opportunities for our participants could be delivered. Two of the partners already work with us as they are members of a shared Strategic Partnership project. Through that project they had developed renewable energy technology modules, and the next step in the project is for students of the other partners to take these modules at the host institution.
The college delivers VET mobility projects because of the vocational and personal benefits to be gained by participating students, the staff and organizational benefits from working with European partners, as well as the wider benefits of engendering a sense of European Citizenship.
The CoVET project will send 129 participants from the vocational areas of Agriculture, Motor Vehicle, Engineering, Hospitality & Catering, Hairdressing and Travel & Tourism to undertake specifically identified elements of their vocational training with our host partners. Prior to travel, participants will have gone through a selection process which contributes to their learning and personal development and have received linguistic and cultural preparation, to maximize opportunities and benefits. Approximately 50% of the participants will come from disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to the vocational training, the participants will undertake a programme of cultural activities.
In delivering the project participants will be identified through a transparent recruitment process which will also form part of their personal development. Support will be given to disadvantaged participants throughout the process where required to ensure equality of opportunity. Learning agreements, behaviour contracts and information documentation will be produced and provided to participants to ensure maximum benefit can be derived whilst taking part. Service level agreements detailing all practical, financial and support arrangements will be put in place between the college and each of the hosting partners. Each flow of participants will be accompanied by two members of staff who can provide both pastoral support and directly assess learning undertaken during the mobility allowing it to be incorporated into the qualifications being studied. A well established process of monitoring, evaluation and dissemination will be operated throughout the delivery of this project.
Assessment by accompanying people alongside host partner staff will allow achievements of participants to be directly recognized in their vocational qualification. Experience has shown that in addition to developing vocational skills, taking part in a mobility project significantly develops core personal skills, thus enhancing participants performance in further training and future employment. It also develops a greater cultural awareness and engenders a sense of European citizenship. These benefits do not just impact on the participating individuals but filter through the whole student body as a result of dissemination. Through the dissemination of the results of mobilities awareness can be raised of the benefits of taking part in the project amongst a wider audience including employers, partners and other organisations with which the college has involvement.
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