The project aims to develop skills & competence of Pathway’s management & teaching staff & improve organisational capacity relevant to existing, developing & potential opportunities. Profile & Background: Pathways, a Community Interest Company, uses experiential methodologies concerned with personal, community & social education and training, providing support to groups in UK & with partners across Europe. There is a staff of 14 volunteers - representing expertise in teaching & learning process & development, educational & commercial management, social enterprise, community development. A maximum of 6 staff members will be involved in the mobility aspects of the project. The organisation is based in rural Mid Wales Pathways has strong links with groups working in post-communist countries and regions & other less economically & socially advantaged areas. These groups, include small scale community organisations, schools, not-for-profit educational institutes, universities & research centres & local authorities. They are all working to create new social opportunities & to develop appropriate skills, competences & behaviours. The international work is two-way process. Regular visits of groups from across Europe and Turkey has assisted in developing international understanding and practical support in the small rural communities on the English - Welsh Border (the ‘Middle March’) with an increasing number of local groups meeting & sharing the work. Such groups include town councils, heritage agencies, village hall charities, festival organisers, church groups & very informal self managed educational groups. In recent years Pathways has, following request for support, been providing advice & consultancy on skill development to partners. In working with groups that feel marginalised, the learning, between a UK region that is recognised as disadvantaged & similar contexts abroad, has a congruity and a sense for all, of shared purpose. In the past year Pathways has expanded this work & is developing & supporting new initiatives, including international links in China & Summer Schools in the UK. The Mobility Project Prime Objective: “Sending staff to deliver and learn”. This project creates training delivery opportunities for Pathways staff with partners in LT, CZ, BG, RO. For Pathways these will allow staff, through cooperative processes, to learn and use experiential learning programmes in contexts very different from the UK. Action: Each partner will receive a short ‘Training Delivery Programme’ (TDP) relevant to their expressed needs. The process provides opportunities for Pathways to prepare, deliver, monitor & evaluate its work. The methodologies to be used will be creative, experiential and informal based on learning methodologies developed & used by Pathways in UK contexts & developed appropriately for the specific contexts of the 4 partner agencies. There are two further important aspects to the chosen 4 partner approach: 1. The considerable type and quality difference between the partners - each will require its own carefully prepared training approach. There are university research centres (LT), small not-for-profit educational agencies (BG), Local authority educational institutions (RO) and small rural community development groups (CZ) 2. The sequential nature of the project: delivering training that will use the learning of one in developing the next (4 separate TDPs). Together these contrasting situations, each representing the breadth of work available to Pathways & with very specific individual requirements, provide Pathways with learning opportunities that will enhance the value of the whole project. Results and impact envisaged: This project will have provided opportunities for Pathways to develop competences & introduce change by the structured training delivery to partners whose background and experience is a reflection of the varied contexts with which Pathways works. The project will have: Improved management staff skills: - communication & consultative decision making processes - Strategies for course development & marketing Developed Teaching Staff competences: - informal & creative teaching & evaluation capabilities - Adaptivity to differing cultural & learning contexts Enhanced the organisation: - New curricula relevant to Pathways’ existing and future potential - Improved monitoring - Effective marketing using IT and web systems At the conclusion, not only will Pathways, staff, management & organisationally have improved competence and skills & be more suited to the present expanding work and opportunities, but there will be partners whose skills and competences will have been developed. For Pathways longer term benefits envisaged include - enhanced relationships locally and with EU partners - further development of innovative training programmes and support systems - a wider network of international partners - increased organisational capacity