"The slogan could summarize the project main idea: ""FROM CAREER GUIDENCE TO SELF-GUIDENCE SKILLS""Context of the project: Nowadays, the youth career guidance format undergoes rapid changes. More and more young people are learning about jobs and how to reach them by the net, asking for advice their peers or some more experienced people via social networks, job portals, discussion forums or other Internet services. Although the traditional methods for career guidance will still be used, traditional face-to-face guidance in youth career centers shifts more and more to abilities of self-guidance. Here comes the question to what extent nowadays career consultants are familiar with modern media literacy. Skills like rating the information, validating the resources, intelligent searching, abilities to ""scan"" etc. become of vital importance for the career orientation. This changes the shape of the modern consulting process - from pure career guidance to modern media literacy and self-guidance.Aims and objectives: ""Quality of youth career guidance and nowadays media literacy"" project main aim is to improve the quality of youth career guidance via providing innovative methodology, quality indicators and online tools for youth career counselors. The project objectives are:- to develop the consultants' skills in the area of so called ""self-guidance"" via modernizing the Quality Indicators (QI) and Quality Model (QM) in youth career guidance, including the development of new indicators related to nowadays media literacy (rating the information in the net, validating the resources, intelligent searching, abilities to ""scan"", social networks usage, ePortfolio usage etc.);- to improve the quality of youth career guidance via providing innovative tools and manual for career guidance - online self-assessment toolkit for consultants to test their knowledge, skills and competences in media literacy and self-guidance;- to train youth counselors and mangers of youth career services in modern aspects of youth career guidance and quality assurance; - to develop a strategic partnership network among the partner organizations within the project so that the organizations continue working on the project main topics after the project end;Target group: youth guidance services managers, youth career consultants, the project results could be also useful for the pedagogic consultants (in the schools); Potential beneficiaries: youth (16-25) & youth with special needs (early school leavers (ESL), outsiders, minorities) who need more knowledge and skills in ""self-guidance"" area.Total number of participants from the target group and potential beneficiaries: 320Description of activities: - project management activities;- quality assurance and evaluation activities;- learning outcomes and quality indicators related to modern media literacy and self-guidance (needs assessment, drafts, experts reviews, polishing and translation);- Modern media literacy self-assessment toolkit for youth career counselors (planning and scenarios, interface and programming of the e-games, interactive tests and ePortfolio examples, testing, polishing, translation);- Manual ""Self-guidance and modern media literacy"" (framework and contents, writing the chapters, design and pre-printing, testing and polishing, translation and printing);- project web site (design and programming, content);- testing and piloting activities;- dissemination activities;Methodology: designed to incorporate necessary research, design, testing, production, implementation, exploitation and sustainability phases. Activities are scheduled to allow for essential reflection and inputs both by the consortium partners and target groups.Main results: 1. New learning outcomes and quality indicators in the field of:- Self-guidance and modern media literacy (consultants nowadays should be able to consult young people how to orient themselves by using modern media) - rating the information in the net, validating the resources, intelligent searching etc.;- Disadvantaged youth (youth at risk of ESL, cultural and economic obstacles) - key factors of ESL and their influence on the young person - family, ""street"" and in-class factors;2. Modern media literacy self-assessment toolkit for youth career counselors - online toolkit with free access; 3 simulator e-games, 3 interactive multimedia tests and ePortfolio examples demonstrating self-awareness.3. Manual ""Self-guidance and modern media literacy"" - theoretical and practical information (cases) how nowadays youth career consultants should advice youngsters to use modern media in their professional orientation, in their job search and job application.Impact: Increased competences (related to modern media literacy and working with disadvantaged youth) of youth career consultants, youth career services managers and pedagogic consultants; Increased competencies in ""self-guidance"" field; Improved QA approaches."

"When looking at the profession of event technology (ET) in Europe the forms of training are inconsistent and forms of mutual recognition barely exist. It appears that more and more qualified ET specialists are required by the labour market. ET specialists are people who often find themselves working in an international environment. Guest performances, tours, major events involving several countries, require a huge variety of specifically trained specialists in the field of ET. By creating transparency in the field of relevant training this would provide a basis for facilitating inter-state recognition of those working in this field as well as supporting the international exchange of these experts. Security and safety related issues are a central, essential and important aspect of education in ET. Thus, it is important to consider standards and norms at international and national levels. Safety and security for visitors, participants, skilled workers and contributors is essential at each event, and especially at major events. For the requirements for a standardized and recognized training in ET, the project ECVAET 3 contributes for discussion and implementation in the partner countries.The first condition for the start of an EU-wide mutual recognition of qualifications is the creation of transparency in the field of training and education. One aim in ECVAET 3 is, to identify the requirement for a master craftsman training for the ET for the German-speaking area in Europe, present it in a competency matrix and map it with safety aspects in a security matrix, which are designed according to the VQTS principle. Subsequently the design of modules towards an European master craftsman training should initiate the discussion and the processes for implementing one single European master craftsman training.The project relies on the results of the previous projects (ECVAET and ECVAET 2) using the created products and outputs. The partner organisations involved in the project are research and educational institutions from Austria (AT), Germany (DE), and Liechtenstein (LI, is connected to the Swiss vocational education system), who are actively involved in the creation and development of training offers for vocational training in the ET branche or who work in the related field of research, and who have been part of the former consortia. While the focus in ECVAET and ECVAET2 was on ET competencies and skills from the basic training in the German speaking countries, the current project ECVAET 3 focus on competencies and skills for master craftsman training in ET. In a first step, the investigation of vocational education and training in ET in the partner countries leads to an analysis of the current status quo and will be presented in a study. Based on this, the present matrices ""Competence Matrix"" and ""Safety Matrix"" in event technology will be developed in terms of the required competencies and skills to a European master craftsman training. In a final step modules are designed to form a profile for an European master craftsman training, including aspects like regulations and laws, technical standards and norms and intercultural competencies. For all results the involvement of stakeholders in industry and education are foreseen, especially as subject to a process of consolidation.The master craftsman training in the various technical professions and trades represents vocational education at its highest qualification level, but is recognised internationally at different levels. Main requirements for the master craftsman training are topics like management qualification, organizational and management tasks, combining vocational training and higher education training, which is a further research element in this project, particularly concerning the management competencies required for the master craftsman qualification. So a sub-task of the project is to evaluate how to realise a dual vocational education and training on the interface of vocational education and higher education, based on the current example in ET.The project represents an additional contribution to the development of a European area of skills and qualifications towards more transparency in vocational education. It directly addresses the objectives of the European Agenda 2020 for creating a consistent area for educational and labour. The project contributes to the recognition and validation of competences and qualifications, building on proven processes and systems (ECVET, EQF, VQTS). In addition, it acts at the following levels:- Growing demand for highly skilled jobs- A global competition for talent: Internationalization of education- Offer extraordinary expansion of learning and use of potentials of ICT- Complementarity between formal, informal and non-formal learning- Need to unite education to industrial / vocational needs"

"In the focus of the project ""BOQua"", which was implemented by 5 partners from 5 EU countries (DE, AT, UK, ES, SI) - which implement and create vocational orientation - stand the development of a new EU qualification concept ""specialist for vocational orientation"" and the sustainable implementation in Europe. The lack of competence of the actors of vocational orientation (VO) because of the fast changes in the working world can be i.a. a reason for an increased number of training abortions. Because of that the risk of future youth unemployment and social exclusion for young people in Europe will grow. The basis for a high-quality VO, that gains in importance because of the increasing cross-border education and training market mobility for both potential trainees, as well as the companies, is an EU-wide, on quality standards basing qualification of the VO measures implementing staff (e.g. teachers, professionals of youth work , trainers, career counselors). The need to develop a specific EU qualification for VO results from the following reasons: 1. Beside to numerous different measures with cooperating companies, an inadequate integration of vocational orientation e.g. in the school education and various consulting offers of different institutions, the implementation methods and priorities of vocational orientation in the EU are very versatile, non-transparent and non-uniform. That is attributable to a different degree of implementation of the VO in Europe as well as different qualifications of the specialist staff. 2. Especially the service, industrial-technical and handicrafts fields with its diverse training opportunities offers young people with a low/middle school leaving certificate and disadvantaged young people numerous job opportunities. 3. The specialised staff (i.a. in schools, institutions of independent youth work, education providers, chambers, consulting intuitions, job agencies) has often only informally acquired professional / methodological knowledge and there is also often a lack regarding to the knowledge and their trainings are also not transparent. 4. Because the requirements of the working world are often not known, companies complain an inadequate professional supporting and counseling for young people in the process of career choice. The aim of the project on one hand is to promote the professionalization of the specialists / actors of VO by the above-mentioned EU qualification concept and the supplementary VET products contributes. On the other hand young people should be supported and advised in a better quality in their process of career choice, with the result that the next generation of skilled worker is sustainable ensured for companies. To make the EU-concept transferable in all countries and regions and cross-border comparable, also quality standards for the EU concept to ensure the quality were developed. Furthermore, a good practice guideline for the implementation of VO measures/activities that supports the practical implementation were developed as well as 5 qualification modules to promote the implementation of VO and unknown measures/ activities/models/teaching materials for the actors have been prepared and made accessible. Furthermore an assessment instrument was developed that allows training institutions / companies to identify whether potential trainees have run through a suitable, aim-oriented vocational training and whether they have made the right career choice. So for them should be ensured that the trainees don’t cancel the training due to lack of professional ideas and aptitute. With the aim of a sustainable implementation of the EU concept in the EU a guideline for implementing the EU concept for implementation on the national and EU level was developed as well as a webplattform to download all the products and further instruments / tools for the work in the field of VO. The development of the different products bases on a VET scientific analysis (actual/ target analysis, case studies, expert interviews) in all participating countries on the current status of VO and the level of implementation of VO and the requirements of all stakeholders to a VO. The developed products should be sustainable contribute to initiated a professional future orientation support process, which enables young people to establish their own career choice competence. Young people should be able on the basis of an acquired overview knowledge and specific knowledge that they get from the specialists of VO to make the right career choice and to reflect their choice according to their interests, abilities and skills."

"An increasing number of people today acquire qualifications in the field of higher education. Despite this educational expansion, many EU Member States sometimes have very high unemployment rates, also among young people with an academic qualification. At the same time, many companies in the EU are complaining about skilled labour shortage and about job applicants frequently not having suitable qualifications. To tackle these challenges effectively, education and training programmes need to be geared more strongly towards the specific qualification demands of companies. The educational reform steps taken in many Member States mainly focus on initial vocational education and training (IVET), however. In view of the far-reaching changes in the world of work due to globalisation and digitisation as well as increasing requirements made on employees, upskilling programmes should also be considered in the reform plans. To date the discourse in connection with higher qualification has been restricted to academic tertiary education. But hardly any discussions are held about vocational tertiary education – or higher VET. Here it would be necessary to establish higher VET as an equivalent supplement to academic tertiary education or enhance visibility of this sector, thus also providing qualifications of this sector with a higher degree of perception and appreciation. This is because a knowledge- and innovation-driven national economy needs both: graduates of study programmes with a focus on general education and an academic orientation as well as skilled workers who are highly qualified in their profession and guarantee the transfer of research findings to marketable products and services. One fundamental reason why higher VET has to date played a subordinate role in the educational policy discourse can be found in its heterogeneity. Academic tertiary education, which is perceived as being much more homogeneous, has a uniform qualification structure (bachelor, master, PhD) and common quality standards (i.e. Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, ESG). In addition, academic qualifications are acquired at universities and other higher education institutions, which are generally known and which enjoy a high degree of prestige. All these “unifying elements” cannot be found in higher VET. Therefore no common understanding of higher VET has developed in many EU Member States, but also at the European level overall. The main aim of this project was to create more awareness of the significance of higher VET. In order to reach this aim it was necessary to increase the understanding of higher VET, show the charateristics of this sector and demonstrate how it works. This purpose is persued by the project's main product, i.e. the ""European Guidelines on Quality Assurance in Higher VET"", which are based on a precise definition of higher VET. The Guidelines also show which features are essential to assure the quality of this sector. On the one hand the Guidelines support players of higher VET in checking their own quality assurance measures and in improving them, if necessary; on the other hand they give all people outside higher VET an insight into this sector. Thus, the Guidelines contribute to a better understanding of higher VET and more appreciation of its qualifications.Five national organisations from AT, BE, FR, GE and GR with expertise in higher VET as well as a Eureopan organisation (UEAPME) worked together in this three-year-project to develop the products and raise more awareness of this subject matter by disseminating information about the projects and its deliverables. Methodologically the project was divided into four work phases: At the beginning the quality assurance mechanisms and systems of all partner countries were analysed on the basis of higher VET sample qualifications and later transnationally compared. This comparison formed the basis for the developement of the European Guidelines, which started in the second work phase. After a testing and dissemination phase in the third project stage the Guidelines were improved and presented during the final conference towards the end of the project. This conference also marked the launch of the ""European Network on Quality Assurance in Higher VET"", which is located at UEAPME and which should guarantee sustainability of the results also beyond the lifetime of this project. It is the aim to keep the subject of Higher VET on the educational policy agenda and to promote the use of the European Guidelines as well as develop them further."

The project “VET for Employment” (VET4E), led by the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK), aims at:- improving availability of qualified workforce through improving compliance of VET to the labour market needs;- facilitating and supporting organisation of qualitative traineeships and work based learning in vocational education and training (VET) system and- developing new tools for the use by the employers and VET institutions to promote work based learning in VET and to support employers, VET institutions and students in human resource development through traineeships. The motivation for the project lies in the problems identified in partner countries: rather low prestige of VET, limited opportunities for qualitative traineeships, low involvement of employers, low level of cooperation between VET institutions and employers, high youth unemployment, problematic transition from education institutions to labour market. In order to address these problems, project will carry out a number of activities aimed at improving availability of qualitative traineeship opportunities and to strengthen employers’ involvement in VET. The main activities planned to reach these goals are:- Carrying out a study on availability, quality and costs and benefits of traineeships in Latvia;- Organising learning visits to Austria and Germany to learn from well-established dual VET systems;- Developing an action plan for improvement of traineeships in Latvia;- Carrying out feasibility study on vocational education in Lithuania; and mutually learning between Latvia and Lithuania in the process of implementing VET reforms;- Developing IT tool on career portal prakse.lv (traineeship.lv) which would ensure opportunity to organise and implement traineeships and work based learning in easy and comfortable way, as well as to collect and analyse data on traineeships- To implement work based learning programmes in two sectors – metalworking sector and pharmacy sector. - To implement a number of initiatives/ mini pilotprojects to promote new IT tool, traineeships and work based learning in different sectors such as facilitating traineeships, namely, combining traineeships in several companies, career support activities, organising training for trainers in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science, developing mobility projects, organising professional skills competition, certification of traineeship places, organising seminars, organising site visits of pupils or VET trainers in companies, examining work safety during traineeships, piloting examination developed and organised by employers.The main result of the project will be increased number of qualitative traineeship opportunities. The consortium is made of partners from Latvia, Lithuania, Austria and Germany. Partners include the national and sectorial employer organisations, trade union organisation, VET institutions, research and training institution, as well as private companies. Project is also endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia, National Centre for Education and the Municipality of Riga.