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Context/background of the project
The project was carried out by four vocational schools. They intended to pursue the development of their students’ transferable skills in order to improve their employability.
Our target group were students threatened by failure (school dropout…) and pupils at lower levels of VET who are generally less motivated and less trained in these skills.
The main goal of the project was to enhance their chances on the labour market by training them in transferable skills. In lower qualified professions companies prefer workers who have good transferable skills rather than those with a lot of knowledge.
The objectives of the project were, first, to make students aware of the importance of acquiring transferable skills. This was achieved by the students interviewing employers and employees. Subsequently, the participants created activities for training these skills. We also created a website in order to publish all our online courses as well as in-class activities. Finally, pupils created a guideline easily accessible to every job seeker.
Activities (carried out by the involved students and teachers)
- Creation of a transferable skills catalogue and analysis of a survey of transferable skills carried out on trainers and trainees
- Creation of a methodology for the development of in-class and online activities for training transferable skills
- Creation of in-class and online activities for the improvement of transferable skills
- Creating a Job-seeking Guideline for lower qualified people
Number and type/profile of participants involved
- 35 from Spain: The 2nd level of Basic VET worked on transferable skills in the classroom, in addition to a group of other VET students.
- 10 from Belgium: Group of students in a precarious social and economic situation, from immigrant backgrounds
- 12 from the Czech Republic: Vocational Training Students
- 14 from Germany: Mixed group of pupils with school dropout and others with a general VET profile, 50% immigration background.
Results
- Transferable Skills Catalogue for Vocational Training Level 1 and 2 Students
- Surveys aimed at professionals to learn about the weaknesses and strengths of trainees when they enter the job market as well as apprentices themselves to self-analyse their strengths and weaknesses.
- A comparative analysis of the survey results
- A well-defined process for the creation of in-class and online activities for the improvement of transferable skills aimed at VET students.
- A set of in-class activities
- A set of online activities
- A job-seeking guideline
Impact
- A group of teachers created and the methodology of transferable skills training to share with other teachers and trainers
- This group of teachers acquired the skills of participating in and managing of European projects. This leads to an increased number of European project participations.
- The students acquired wide knowledge of the labour market
- Increase in students’ self-esteem and motivation to pursue their education,
- Students have become aware of the transferable skills that companies demand most and how important they are to the companies.
- Improvement of the transferable skills of the participating students and making them aware that it is important to work with these skills.
- Increased chances of entering the labour market successfully by lower qualified students.
- Decreased absenteeism and school dropouts in basic vocational training.
- Increasing the reputation of the participating schools in their regions and the educational community’s perception of teachers’ work and involvement.
- Cross-cultural and multilingual learning of participants.
- Students have greatly improved their communicative ability in English. Students with little training in English have learned to make themselves understood and have returned from the activity meetings aware of the importance of English and the need to learn it.
- Encouraging students to carry out mobilities abroad independently.
- Exchanging ideas and experiences between different schools
- Promoting the use of ICT tools and methodologies.
- Increasing the level of identification with the European citizenship and the feeling of togetherness in the participants of the project
- Realising and appreciating the individual benefits of being a European citizen
Long-term benefits
- The project has produced an increased dynamic and motivation to get involved in European projects in the school’s staff.
- Creation of activities to be used in tutorial classes at all levels, especially in basic VET courses.
- Increased awareness and interest in European projects among students and parents.
- Creating contacts among the students as well as the teachers.