Leonardo da Vinci ambassadors: improving the quality of European vocational training

IP/06/593

Brussels, 10 May 2006

At a ceremony held on 10 May in Graz, Austria, the European Commission and the Austrian Presidency of the EU jointly honoured the first ever “Leonardo da Vinci Ambassadors”. The European Union’s Leonardo da Vinci programme aims at improving the quality of vocational education and training in Europe. The Leonardo da Vinci Ambassadors, one each from twenty European countries, were identified as excellent examples of a successful trans-national mobility by the National Agencies that run the Leonardo grants. They will promote the programme, giving it a human face. In addition, 24 mobility projects were short-listed for the European Quality Awards at the event. The selected projects offered young people the chance for an experience abroad in the course of their professional training. The short-listed projects will serve as examples of excellence, to inspire future mobility projects, for the benefit of European vocational education and training as a whole.

“Transnational programmes like Leonardo da Vinci are a key contribution to the development of a European Labour market” said Ján Figel, European Commissioner in charge of Education & Training. “The mobility of thousands of young people, but also teachers and trainers, leads to a mutual understanding of Europe’s different education and training systems and to increased transparency of these systems”.

The main goal of these first European-level awards handed over in Graz today is to show real-life examples of the results and benefits of the Leonardo da Vinci programme. A shortlist of 24 outstanding mobility projects, from across Europe, had been chosen by an international jury and invited to the Austrian city. One winning project was selected from each of the following five categories: Initial vocational training, Students’ training in enterprise, Young workers and recent graduates, Teachers and trainers, and Projects run or coordinated by enterprises. All the 24 projects organisers, as well as the 20 individuals chosen to be ‘Leonardo da Vinci ambassadors’, were present at the event, which hosted 300 representatives and experts in the field of education and training

Since 2000, almost 300.000 people in the 31 participating countries will have benefited from the mobility opportunities under the Leonardo da Vinci programme. These include mainly young people but also teachers and trainers. Most would not hesitate to confirm the positive experiences, and the beneficial influence of the programme on their training and chances for future employment. In this increasingly interconnected and international world, job-seekers are regularly confronted with the key-words “mobility, flexibility and foreign experience”. A Leonardo da Vinci grant offers individuals the chance to gain training and work experience in a foreign country. It also encourages them to develop specific abilities, to adapt to new linguistic, cultural and professional environments. Further, Leonardo da Vinci offers teachers, trainers and vocational training specialists the possibility to exchange experiences with their counterparts in other European countries.

Today’s European Quality Awards reflect the importance that the European Commission gives to quality assurance in mobility projects: this requires thorough preparation of each project, a clear definition of its objectives and training content, good tutoring and mentoring of the beneficiaries, the validation of the acquired skills and an ex-post quality assessment. This quality assurance approach thus has to be implemented at many levels, and the Leonardo da Vinci National Agencies, which are in charge of the day-to-day running of the mobility projects, play a crucial role in this regard. They not only define quality criteria, but also actively ensure that projects are implemented by project promoters. In recent years, a number of Leonardo da Vinci National Agencies have set up national “quality in mobility” awards for mobility projects, to serve as examples of good practices for other project promoters.

All 24 short-listed projects, including the five prize-winners which are briefly described in the attached annex, will serve as excellent examples to show the sheer variety of projects in the Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

Annex:

- Short description of winning projects

- Full list of nominated projects with contact details

- List of Leonardo Ambassadors with contact details More information on the Leonardo da Vinci programme:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/leonardo/leonardo_en.html

Contact: Frédéric Vincent : +32 298 71 66 / Mona Lund : + 32 2 299 90 20

ANNEX

Short description of the five projects that were awarded the European Quality in Mobility (EQIM) Award in 2006

A Students project from Flanders in Belgium, entitled “e-picture II”, gave 13 students of a Bachelor Programme in Multimedia & Communication Technology the chance to apply their knowledge in a tangible environment. The hosting firms were situated in seven European countries. The internships constituted a full part of the students’ education. The project enhanced the cooperation between a regional university and the business sector at international level with many positive results for the individuals but also for the institution itself. A Czech project in initial vocational training, entitled “Clinical skills in trans-cultural nursing”, offered 15 students in nursing care training opportunities in various medical facilities in the UK and Germany. The intense cooperation between the nursing schools in the participating countries contributed to the improvement of the curriculum and the concept of the professional education of nurses in the Czech Republic. A project for young workers in Hungary, entitled “Improving Professional Skills of Young Nurses”, was chosen for its highly appreciated professional preparation of the 20 beneficiaries (language, setting up of training plans) and its positive outcome on work organisation at the Hungarian sending Hospital as well as on the cooperation between the partner hospitals in Denmark and Germany. It resulted in a long-term cooperation between the partners. An Estonian project was initiated by a professional school for apprentices in the boat-building sector. A group of Teachers and training organisers of the Estonian school, as well as Estonian boat-building enterprises, visited a Dutch College and its partner enterprises in the field in order to see how to improve the interconnection between the learning content in the apprenticeships and the needs of the boat-building enterprises. As a result, the curricula and training plans of the school have been updated, but also the motivation of the enterprises to get involved in training aspects has increased markedly. A project directed by a Hungarian small company operating in the field of Animal Fertilization and Husbandry sent a recent graduate in veterinary medicine to a host farm in Belgium, where she acquired the knowledge and concrete application of the most up-to-date technologies in animal husbandry and the applicable EU Regulations. This project is an example that also small companies can have an interest in using the Leonardo da Vinci programme to develop international cooperation, and profit from experiences made abroad.

For further information on the selected projects, and the Leonardo da Vinci ambassadors, please consult the two publications issued in connection with the event at the Leonardo da Vinci web-site of the European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/leonardo/leonardo_en.html