<< Objectives >>The main objective of this project is the implementation of long mobility in vocational training by proposing innovative training including the mobility period. The second objective is to enable the Romanian partner to become anchored in the European landscape by accompanying them towards the application for Erasmus+ accreditation in vocational training.<< Implementation >>The project will take place in 2 phases: the first one where the training programme for France and Romania will be established, the recruitment of the participants to the experimentation will be done during this first phase. The second phase is the implementation of the programme of this experimentation with the long mobility period for the Romanian and French participants. The activities will allow the Romanian partner to become familiar with the functioning of Erasmus+.<< Results >>The successful implementation of long mobility is the main outcome we expect. We also hope that this project will enable other organisations to engage in long mobility in vocational training. Our partnership will be a success if the Romanian partner obtains its Erasmus+ accreditation by the end of the project or within the first year after the project.

The Association Ouvrière des Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France has developed a long-standing approach to vocational education and training with an original approach. This approach is based on a job alternation system that fosters strong in-company presence combined to geographic mobility, which leads young trainees to experience a work placement in various companies, in France and abroad. This mobility experience has proved a truly efficient training system as it allows for the transmission of knowledge and the development of professional experience in various environments. The institution pledges to maintain such a system. However, the digital revolution has led to a considerable evolution in the manufacturing processes, the operating procedures and in the services expected to be rendered for each trade. Some changes are also required in order to successfully achieve the energy transition. New skills are expected from the women and men in each trade. On top of the technical skills required, new technological and scientific knowledge are now needed for an effective on-the-job performance. To be successful, these professionals now need to be provided with higher education pathways allowing them to acquire this new knowledge. However, access to higher education today is almost impossible for someone who hasn't followed a classical educational program.The challenge of this project is to build a higher education pathway leading to an officially recognized diploma at Bachelor level (EQF level 6) for the students having undergone a technical/vocational training (which is the pathway often followed due to academic underachievement), while maintaining the principles that led those students to re-engage with the desire to learn: work-study and mobility. As we are not yet able to implement such a pathway for all the trades, we have chosen 2 professional areas to implement an approach transferable to other trades: the building trades and mechatronics engineering.We had to harness partners with a knowledge of these career paths, the technical knowledge involved and the audience this higher education pathway targets, as well as partners from higher education bodies able to provide scientific knowledge and to offer a formal validation of the training. We have selected the following professional training centers: Les Compagnons du Devoir (project handler - France), Handwerkskammer zu Köln (Germany), Borgund Vidaregåande Skole (Norway) and some higher education institutes: le Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (France) and the Erhvervsakademiet Lillebaelt Institute (Denmark). These partners were also known by the project handler due to their participation to other European programs, expect for the Erhvervsakademiet Lillebaelt Institute.To meet the project's objectives, the partners had to: elaborate the content of the higher education programs, build the training pathways for the students entering the scheme, define the profiles and the eligibility criteria for admission, agree upon the process of recognition and validation of the formal qualifications, implement bridging and support courses and, when appropriate, establish accommodation capacities in the various partnering countries and ensure the diffusion of the educational outcomes.Based on the work undertaken by the various workgroups in charge of these actions, some outcomes have been achieved. The content of the three years' training was developed and validated by the partners in the building trade area. These results are not yet achieved for the mechatronics engineering area. A standardized educational pathway was elaborated, and training contents were assigned between the various partners. This pathway is transferable to other trades. The process of validation and the mutual recognition of the training achievements were recorded. This allows for the recognition of formal qualifications awarded by universities. The experience which was implemented simultaneously to the engineering works helped identify the areas in need of bridging courses (in English and for some professional software) and to gauge the interest of a higher education pathway targeting a professional audience with a technical training background. Accommodation capacities have been outlined in the various countries. The diffusion of educational outcomes has not been implemented yet, but it was tested by the partners. To date, 2 French students are enrolled in the program and 5 Danish students have expressed their interest in joining it and in spending their last year in France.The project handler intends to step up this action by transferring the methodology developed in this program to other trades, with other European partners.

One of the aims of the Erasmus+ programme is to encourage the development of high-quality transnational work-based learning (TWBL) across Europe & increase the numbers taking part. The idea for MobMan TWBL came from a combination of research & observations that the managing of TWBL can be a daunting, time-consuming process & that the resources available at that time were not as helpful or relevant as they could have been, thereby discouraging educational & training institutions from offering this type of experience to their learners. There was therefore a gap between what institutions required to manage TWBL & what was available in terms of resources. Furthermore, if the numbers undertaking a period of TWBL started to increase then there would be an even greater need for a mobility management tool that allows for effective & efficient use of time by staff who organise these work-based learning opportunities. The MobMan TWBL project brought together 5 partners from 4 EU member states & aimed to fill this gap by producing a user-friendly & adaptable mobility management platform for transnational work-based learning. The platform we have produced is a comprehensive open-source resource for the facilitation of the management of transnational work-based learning. It allows for the grouping of all necessary information in one place & the production of tailored key documents with ease. We have produced a series of interactive training modules, allowing users to develop their knowledge of the functionalities of the MobMan TWBL platform. There is also an interactive FAQ User Guide to support users in the use of the key elements of the platform & enable autonomous use by potential users; such as education & training institutions, career guidance & job centres, associations & private enterprises, both independently or a tool within existing TWBL programmes. The MobMan TWBL outputs can be used on individual computers & also via servers for multiple users, thereby enhancing transparency, usefulness & accessibility. All materials are accessible via the MobMan TWBL website, social media pages, YouTube channel & the MobMan TWBL Community of Practice on the EPALE platform. In order to increase the potential impact across Europe, all MobMan TWL outputs are available in 6 languages – English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish. These materials can be tailored according to the needs of specific target groups. They can thus empower users to manage high quality work-based learning with more efficient use of time. The project thus contributes to the mainstream utilisation of innovative resources, work methods & training for educators. The MobMan TWBL platform also provides a resource to help the validation of qualifications, learning objectives & learning outcomes. It is compatible with & complement existing tools & methods developed & promoted by the EU, such as Europass & ECVET. Although the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the suspension of transnational work-based learning mobilities in 2020 & at the start of 2021, the platform was tested by 28 organisations & project partners on a control group of trainees who had previously undertaken a transnational work placement of 3-26 weeks in a host company. Some of the planned placements would have involved young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Focus Groups & Evaluation Workshops in each partner country provided precious feedback on the outputs & featured additional interested parties, such as chambers of commerce & local public administrative bodies. The promotion of work-based learning takes place on 3 levels. Firstly, on the number of training institutions that offer TWBL to their trainees. Secondly, on the number of trainees able to undertake TWBL in the future .Thirdly, an increase in participation contributes to the labour market relevance of learning provision, also facilitating formal & non-formal learning. Well-performing education & training systems that include TWBL provide learners with the skills required by the job market & the economy, while allowing them to play an active role in society & achieve personal fulfilment. The MobMan TWBL project contributes to increasing the impact of transnational work placements, leading to added value on a learner’s CV & thereby improving employability by helping to develop the skills required by businesses. This in turn may contribute to improving the quality of the labour force & in turn, economic development within the European Union. Another long-term benefit has been to facilitate stronger partnerships between the educational & business sectors by increasing the involvement & ownership of host companies in the work-based learning process. In the words of American Tom Freston 'Innovation is taking things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.' This is what we have achieved through the MobMan TWBL project.

"ContextThe project responds to shared needs between the partners of a KA1 staff mobility project, coordinated by APCMA since 2017. The meetings and exchanges between teaching teams and experts from different European countries help to improve teaching practices and tools, through the identification, adaptation and transfer of other innovative pedagogical modalities already used in other European countries.ObjectivesThrough the KA2, KA1 partners want to strengthen their capacity to cooperate toGoal 1 To develop knowledge of existing expertise among partnersThis is to deepen our common reflection on notions of pedagogical innovation and excellence in order to achieve a shared notion and deepen the knowledge of existing practices and needs of educational innovation partners.Goal 2 Promote innovation and excellence in VETBased on the shared notion of innovation and the excellence defined by the partners, the aim is to identify, collect and formalise expertise and to present it in a common and attractive form (in the form of a directory / ""catalog"").Goal 3 Develop the quality of programs and the organisation of KA1The directory of good practices will both save time for the organisation but also better match the needs / profiles of participants and thus improve the quality of KA1 training: better target topics to address, better inform, better prepare experts and participants and meet their expectations. It will also help to diversify themes, approaches, methods and organisational formats of the KA1. For example: also offer incoming mobility (invitation to teach locally) or secure individual mobility.Goal 4 Create conditions for mutualisation and transfer of good practicesThe aim is to equip the partnership about the impact of KA1, to enhance the actions set up after participation in KA1 and to lay the foundations for creating ""platforms of excellence"" in vocational training (see also AP CoVE in the sectoral skills alliance).The target audienceThe two main target groups are 1 / KA1 beneficiaries and their sending organisations (consortia members) and 2 / partner organisations and their respective networks.Description of activitiesThe partners will concretely discuss the notions of innovation and excellence before developing a common grid that then identifies, collects and presents expertise and good practices (min 5-10 per partner) in terms of educational innovation. New fields of excellence an be explored. The collection of all the descriptive sheets makes it possible to constitute a ""catalog"" or ""a directory"" of the good practices which will be completed as the project progresses. The partners will also discuss methods for monitoring and evaluating the impact of KA1. Feedback about impact will also feed into the ""catalog"" of good practices. The partnership could explore the possibility of creating a community of practice to share existing innovations and what has been put in place after a KA1 training (for example in the form of a ""Exchange of know-how"" forum on Euro-learning) .Logically the results of the project will support the KA1 projects implemented in 2020-2021 and strengthen the quality, quantity of projects and the reciprocity of sending and hosting. The project also aims to improve the efficiency of the organisation for the partners, especially in view of doubling or tripling the ERASMUS + post 2020 budget.MethodologyThe project will be organised in 3 phases over 24 monthsA PREPARATION phaseA COLLECTING GOOD PRACTICES phaseA phase of CONSOLIDATION AND USE IN THE KA14 transnational meetings will organise the steering committee (all partners) and structure the exchange between partners.The project will be organised in 4 WGWG1: Management and administrative and financial follow-upWG 2: Project evaluation, impact and communication / dissemination of the projectWG3: ""Directory"" of Innovation and Excellence »WG4: ""Creating conditions for mutualisation and transferring good practices"".""Each partner will participate at least in one WG coordination committee. An internal evaluation will track the progress of the project.Impact / results / benefits- Strengthen mutual trust and develop the spirit of exchange and reciprocity;- Improved organisation efficiency and program adequacy of KA1 visits;- Promote innovation and excellence and equip partners to monitor impact;- Develop the KA1 European partnership and study and prepare the possibility of establishing ""platforms of excellence"" in vocational training."

Teachers and trainers’ professional development continues to be a high priority on the EU policy agenda. In 2010, the Bruges communiqué (2010) invited Member States to invest in VET teachers and trainers by offering flexible training provision. The Riga conclusions (2015) have put renewed emphasis on the issue, calling for more systematic approaches and better cooperation and partnerships. There is a need of competences from VET providers on how to set up innovative Work-based learning methodologies to prepare students for their future occupation thus improving their employability when leaving the school. In particular, the staff of VET providers need to become more acquainted with organising WBL experiences in mobility, because they allow students to acquire key competences and professional competences at once, apart from contributing to their personal development. With this regard peer learning has showed to be a powerful method for exchanging knowledge and experience and possibly speed up the development process.Work based learning summer schools project brought together 7 partners, including 5 VET Providers (Hetel, Insignare, SPTS, EUGES, AOCDTF) and two mobility expert (Uniser and Efil) from 7 countries (Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium) that had a common shared concern: to improve work based learning and mobility of learners by upscaling the VET provider competences and internationalisation. The final aim of WBL summer schools was to exchange good practices among project partners, related to teacher training on work-based learning and internationalisation of VET schools with the purpose of develop a model of a European ‘summer school’ for the professional continuous development of teachers/educators operating in VET providers on these themes.The mixed composition of the partnership allowed to have multiple point of view and develop a comprehensive approach to student learning mobility projects that covered all the main aspects: writing, planning, managing, monitoring, organising, assessing and enhancing intercultural learning. The resulting methodology has been based on role games, experiential and peer learning working activities in order to put the teachers and practitioners in the student shoes and boost mutual understanding among participants.From November 2017 to October 2019 the project unfolded into the creation of an innovative teacher training methodology that was initially built on the partners best practices. The 5 days summer school training format was piloted for the first time in Bologna (June 2018) and afterwards it has been reworked based on the participants and trainers feedbacks. A second edition took place one year later in La Rochelle (July 2019). After the second piloting the final format of the WBL summer school has been delivered.Together with the training methodology partnership conceived the Mobiliteach brand with the aim to further develop teacher trainings based on the same content (learning mobility abroad) and methodology and reunite all of them under the brand in order to be easily identifiable as high quality teacher trainings.An ad hoc website has been created to maximise the impact and reach as many VET provider as possible. It contains all information about the project and training materials which are freely downloadables without any limitation. The website www.mobiliteach.net has been conceived also to bring together the complete Mobiliteach teacher training offer that organisations inside and outside of the partnership are developing.The project had a relevant impact on: - VET teachers and staff that increased their competences on writing, planning, managing and organising WBL experiences and gained intercultural learning competences.- VET providers that increased their level of internationalisation and the upscale their VET provision thanks to the competences and skills acquired by their staff - Mobility experts gained a deeper understating on the VET system of the participating countries- All organisation reached with dissemination that got interested or are already participating to new Mobiliteach projects.The project in the long run will contribute to increase the offer of high quality WBL experience abroad to VET students and therefore enhance young people employability. Upscale of VET teachers competences and their increased awareness on the importance of. work-based learning experiences will also indirectly support work-based learning validation of competences and its integration in the students curricula.