Our project focusses on systematic comparing, exchanging and learning from day-to-day practices in a national and international context. The EQAVET building blocks (European Quality Assurance in VET) and the results of a quality culture assessment are the frameworks for mutual learning and improving daily practice in VET.
Our key objectives are:
- The improvement the overall quality performance and quality culture of mainstream and special VET providers throughout Europe;
- Promoting inclusive education by identifying preconditions for inclusive education (opportunities and threats) and by building partnerships between special education and mainstream VET in the partner countries
- The creation of a sustainable partnership for exchange and learning.
At the end of the project 3 intellectual outcomes must be in place:
- methodology for benchmarking
- description of pre-conditions for inclusive education
- curriculum of specific training modules related to aspects of quality culture and performance
In the first half of our project 3 transnational meetings took place (in The Netherlands, Lithuania, Portugal and Estonia). In those meetings a lot of attention was given quality management instruments and how to use them. This is the core of the curriculum. To test the usefulness of the curriculum, all partners have made plans how to improve the quality assurance and the quality performance in their own organisation.
In the coming year, the partners will implement the improvement plans and in the end the results will be measured. After that the curriculum will be finalized. Also a lot of attention was given to the concept of inclusive education. European studies were analysed, concepts discussed and improvement plans for each country made. A publication with guidelines to improve inclusive education for people with disabilities will be ready in April 2018. In the last year of the project we will work on the mythology of benchmarking.
Still a lot of work has to be done. But for now partners are satisfied with the results we reached so far and we see a real VET Learning Community is getting into place.