Practicing ECVET

The world is facing significant demographic changes, which to a large extent are a result of earlier processes, that are just beginning to cause social and economic implications. Demographic changes and social changes intensify pressures especially on health systems and seek new guidance in providing health care. High number of health care and social workers are currently mobile across Europe, but the recognition of their competences and qualifications, gained in other contexts and learning settings are hardly achievable as no specific or equivalent qualifications exist in different European countries. The lack of common frameworks for the evaluation, transfer, validation and recognition of learning outcomes and the rarity of related flexible training solutions still delays a full labor market integration, the development of human capital and the increase of mobility. This is also visible in the social skills recognition; different countries define the social skills differently, making it hard to validate the social skills gained in different countries. Skill systems need to become more flexible in responding to changing skills and needs in the labor market.
The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is an instrument introduced to promote mutual trust and mobility in vocational Education and training and has been adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2009. ECVET is based on concepts and processes which are used in a systematic way to establish a common and user-friendly language for transparency, transfer and recognition of learning outcomes and has a role at different levels, as it calls for the structuring of qualifications in units of learning outcomes that can be transferred and accumulated in other contexts. The implementation of this project will have adequate impact on the VET Schools and other institutions to understand the importance of ECVET and how it works.
Target group of the project are the Users Group Members, National Experts, trainers, VET providers and companies. The learners are the final beneficiaries. With the introduction of the ECVET principles the educators will build the educational framework to follow and introduce standardized curricula adopted to their and the needs of the learners.

The project’s overall objective is to promote recognition of learning outcomes and qualifications, including informal and non-formal learning by using ECVET.

The specific objectives of the project are:

•  Fostering implementation of the ECVET principles in health and social care education as is the mobility of learners by supporting lifelong learning to attain flexibility of learning pathways to achieve qualifications.
• Fostering implementation of the core ECVET principles: Learning outcomes, Units of learning outcomes, ECVET points, Credit, Mutual trust, and Partnership.
• Establishing a concept of ECVET implementation among the partner institutions, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding among partners.
• Promoting the ECVET and inspiring new initiatives by giving the public at large essential information on the development and the progress and innovation potential of this new instrument; Organizations, participants in the project, will be able to give internal courses/trainings to the rest of the training staff to develop and broaden their skills and competencies.
  The redesigned curricula with the ECVET principles incorporated will be used in the everyday work involved institutions do. The quality of the curricula will initiate redesign of other curricula, based on the experience gained with this project.

1. Local community development foundation, The Republic of North Macedonia
2. LJUDSKA UNIVERZA PTUJ, Slovenia
3. Innova Sozialwerk e.V., Germany
4. CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD, Cyprus