Information about the project/programme/measure/policy (as the case):
1. Title:
Training and Support for Teachers and Education Centres Featuring Cultural Diversity
2. Rationale:
The situation of ethnic minorities in the educational context has made notable progress over the last several years throughout all of Europe thanks to efforts made by schools, teaching staffs, administrations, associations and families to achieve full enrolment of children from ethnic-cultural groups with specific focus on the Roma community. Despite this progress, the everyday practice of educational professionals indicates that there is a series of needs and problems standing in the way of educational standardisation for this group of students: significant academic deficit with respect to their age group, lack of familiarity with these ethnic groups’ cultures, lack of preventive and remedial strategies to deal with social conflicts arising from daily contact, high drop-out or absenteeism rates, low academic achievement level and strained relations with classmates and teachers. This project was designed with the intention of providing teaching staff and the entities that support their work, mainly the training and resource centres and scholastic publishers, with guidelines and strategies to respond to the needs detected in the education of ethnic-cultural minorities through a process of ongoing training of teaching personnel and inter-cultural awareness.
3. Objective(s):
General aim
Of contributing to the ongoing training of teaching personnel as regards measures and strategies to deal with cultural diversification (especially Roma culture) and intercultural education
Specific objectives
To learn and develop best practices so as to able to respond to the principal difficulties and needs of education professionals working on a daily in culturally heterogeneous contexts;
To design an develop support documents for teacher that contain ideas, guidelines and basic strategies for dealing with cultural diversity based on the experiences of the participating partners: to offer hints and guidelines on how to include the culture of ethnic groups (especially Roma culture) in the school curriculum and how to approach the teaching of values in education contexts;
To offer a teacher support service facilitating the development of education more appropriately adapted to the cultural diversity of students through technical support, guidance, and consultation for education professionals and to give impetus and enthusiasm to the continuing education of the teaching staff and other education professionals through support for the management of said training processes.
4. Target ethnic group(s):
The target ethnic group is Roma communities. This project is located in partners countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Slovakia
5. Involvement of ethnic group in:
Scoping
Implementation
Assessment
The direct beneficiaries were interviewed, including teachers and Roma beneficiaries.
6. Main activities:
a) Experience sharing actions
Working meetings among partners for the sharing of experiences and best practices as regards strategies focusing on diversity and inter-cultural education
International seminar opened to other professionals and entities on innovative experiences regarding cultural diversity.
b) Drafting and publication of documents
c) Organisation and implementation of a service offering guidance and consultation services for teachers on strategies in dealing with cultural diversity and support for the management of training for intercultural education
7. Duration of the project:
2000-2002
8. Main results:
a) Technical documents offering basic guidelines for approaching cultural diversity
Basic guideline document – Rainbow schools, where to being?
Curricular design and development document – Teaching and learning in situations of cultural diversity
Education for tolerance and communication among cultures – Are we all on board – primary education
b) International seminar report
c) Web page
d) consultation and support service for continuing teacher education on the topic of intercultural education and approach to diversity
9. Total budget and sources of funding:
-
10. Assessment of effectiveness:
-
11. Sustainability:
Each partner organization was responsible for disclosing in each country the main results of the project, including the report Teaching and learning in contexts of cultural diversity so that teachers and families have an opportunity to learn to live with diversity.
12. Difficulties and reasons of insuccess (if any):
-
13. Transferability:
The results of the project should be transferred and used for all educational contexts and for all players involved in this area. In some ways, the main ideas and results of the project are included in the publication of the project - Teaching and learning in contexts of cultural diversity.
WESTERN BALKAN COUNTRIES ALBANIA Support to Vocational Education and Training Reform Organisations involved in the project/programme/measure/policy (as the case):
Initiating group/ Implementing organisation
Herman Sonneveld (Gopa Consultants)
Rruga “Him Kolli” no. 38, Tirana, Albania
Tel / fax + 355 4 264942 /267201
email: info@albaniacardsvet.com
GOPA Consultants, Hindenburgring 18 ,D-61348 Bad Homburg, Germany
Profile of Partners
Ministry of Education and Science
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
National VET Agency
State agencies located in Tirana
Information about the project/programme/measure/policy (as the case):
1. Title:
Support to Vocational Education and Training Reform, Albania
2. Rationale:
Over the past few years Albania has undergone a period of difficult social and economic transition. The lack of a clear labour market and employment policy has resulted in an extremely weak labour market.
VET is currently delivered through VET schools under the Ministry of Education, and VET centres under the Ministry of Labour. VET schools usually offer 3-year courses with the opportunity of a 2-year extension. The majority of the schools are poorly equipped and lack orientation towards labour market demands. A large percentage of graduates are unable to be absorbed by the national labour market.
VET centres usually deliver short courses and are, to some extent, more closely related to the labour market but also lack new curricula, well trained trainers and equipment. Co-operation between VET schools and VET centres is very poor.
3. Objective(s):
The project was set up to support the Albanian Government - through the Ministries of Education and Labour - in the creation of a single, high-quality VET system with the aim of providing a highly skilled workforce
4. Target ethnic group(s):
All ethnic groups up 15 years old (students and unemployment people) from Elbasan, Korçe, Shkoder, Vlora
5. Involvement of ethnic group in:
Scoping
There was not involvement of the ethnic groups
Implementation
No data available
Assessment
N/A
6. Main activities:
The Project will support the Albanian government to:
Implement the Strategy for Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Establish a National Qualifications Framework
Upgrade 4 Regional VET Centres in which revised curricula, focused on labour market needs, and new methods of teaching and learning will be implemented
Establish a new regional VET Centre in Vlora with focus on food processing
7. Duration of the project:
April 2006-December 2007
8. Main results:
The main expected outputs are:
Well-organised structural cooperation in 5 project regions (Tirana, Shkodra, Elbasan, Korça, Vlora) between VET institutions and social partners in curriculum development, assessment, training on-the-job, adaptation of standards
Recommendations for legislation for structural involvement of social partners
The first national social partnership strategy plan for VET 2007-2010 – outlining structural cooperation between social partners and government on policy level
Guidelines for regional strategic planning and development of regional plans in 5 regions – outlining ways of increasing responsibility of social partners for human resource development.
The project will support the good interethnic relation indirect. There is considerable Roma ethnic groups in these cites and the centres could help in their social inclusions
9. Total budget and sources of funding:
1,346,200 Euro
10. Assessment of effectiveness:
N/A
11. Sustainability:
Based on updated curriculum and occupational standards the VET system will be further developed by a National Qualifications Framework, bringing Albania in line with the Copenhagen Process, improving the capacity of VET teachers to deliver the required Components and standards, and raising public awareness of NQF benefits.
The Project will assist in increasing the effectiveness of the curricula through further development and implementation of practical on- and off-the job training. Involvement of social partners will be a necessary condition for the practical training. Therefore, the Project is focusing on increasing the involvement of social partners on regional, local and national level.
12. Difficulties and reasons of insuccess (if any):
Not sufficient readiness of other key Ministries and social partners to get involved in a systematic way in the definition of the strategy and policy framework for VET.
Low involvement of employers and trade unions in the development of the new training programmes for youth and adults
Low capacity of local communities to identify skills for economic development
There is needs for more involvement of local government and introducing the new form of management for the VET centres to do the centre depended by the state budget.
13. Transferability:
This practise is replicable and could be used for peer learning within the country with the rest of VET centres and in the regional level to share the lessons learnt.
It is early to speak about the concrete results, but the project has the possibility to share the results and the lessons learnt with AlbVet project funded by Swiss Cooperation.
Social Partnership is one of the main challenges of the Albanian Vocational Education and Training (VET) System Reform. Peer visit and peer learning, dissemination events could be organised to disseminate the achieved results.
Albanian Vocational Education and Training. Support Programme (AlbVET) Organisations involved in the project/programme/measure/policy (as the case):
Initiating group/ Implementing organisation
Swisscontact, Matthias Jäger, Programme Manager
Tel/Fax: + 355 52 24229
Mobile: + 355 68 201 2621
E-mail: matthias@swisscontact.org.al
Profile of Partners
VET Centres in Durrës Lagja Nr.6,Rr."Aleksandër Goga" Tel:++355 52 29857
Fax:++355 52 29857
National Employment Service
Bulevardi B. Curri
Phone: +355 52 340058
e-mail: Shkp@shkp.gov.al
VET centre Berat/Lushnjë
Information about the project/programme/measure/policy (as the case):
1. Title:
Albanian Vocational Education and Training. Support Programme (AlbVET)
2. Rationale:
Vocational education and training (VET) should play a decisive role in economic and social development. VET should target young people in transition from education to work, adults with the desire to improve performance, career chances and labour market mobility, enterprises venturing into quality and productivity improvement, potential entrepreneurs, and last but not least the inclusion of special need groups into employment.
The present Albanian VET system offers long term courses through vocational schools and short courses for the unemployed. The adaptation of the system to European standards, the improvement of quality and labour market relevance of existing courses, the flexibilisation and diversification of the overall course portfolio, the cooperation with the private sector, and a substantially increased participation in vocational education and training are some of the challenges for systems reform.
3. Objective(s):
The AlbVET programme envisages to make a substantial contribution to the overall reform of vocational education and training in Albania, and to contribute to the development of a decentralised VET system, flexibly delivering labour-market relevant training for various user groups.
4. Target ethnic group(s):
All ethnic groups up 15 years old (students and unemployment people) from Durrës, Elbasan, Lushnjë, Fier, Berat, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, Sarandë
The main beneficiaries will be unemployed jobseekers with social problems and in difficulty like Roma.
5. Involvement of ethnic group in:
Scoping
N/A
Implementation
N/A
Assessment
On the basis of positive results of earlier projects since 1993, like the rehabilitation of the Durrës Vocational School, the co-financing of modular short courses for school leavers through a voucher scheme, and the support of quality initiatives in vocational schools, SDC scaled up and bundled its support as from January 2007 onwards under the comprehensive AlbVET Programme.
6. Main activities:
Within this programme objective, AlbVET focuses on governance, quality, relevance and inclusion of different user groups AlbVET is a complex programme and features different lines of activities as follows:
Support to the development and piloting of semi-autonomous Regional VET Centres in Durrës and Berat/Lushnjë, including the instruments for financial management
Support to quality improvement, diversification and flexibilisation of the overall training offer at different qualification levels for different user groups like school leavers, young adults, potential entrepreneurs, unemployed and other special needs groups.
Strengthen the cooperation between schools, training centres and enterprises, primarily through involving the private sector in curriculum development, on-the-job training periods, and as experts in final examinations.
Support to the conceptualization and implementation of mobile training in remote areas in the north-eastern Albania
Co-financing modular training for specific target groups through a voucher scheme, and institutionalization of the voucher scheme under the National Employment Service
Promote quality improvement and innovation through support to selected initiatives.
7. Duration of the project:
1 January 2007 – 31 December 2008
8. Main results:
The main expected results are:
Three semi-autonomous Regional VET Centres in Durrës and Berat/Lushnjë,
Offering vocational training through the mobile centre in the remote areas and helping the vulnerable groups.
Establishing the local networks between schools, training centres and enterprises.
Introducing a voucher scheme for specific target groups and institutionalization of the scheme under the National Employment Service
The project will support the good interethnic relation indirect. There is a Roma ethnic group in Durres and Berat as well as other minorities.
9. Total budget and sources of funding:
4,435,000 CHF for phase I
10. Assessment of effectiveness:
N/A
11. Sustainability:
The Project will to contribute to the development of a decentralized VET system in Albania through implementing new financial management and oriented the training by the market demand. The project promise to bring will sustainability in the market of vocational training will increase the competition between VET centres.
Therefore, the Project is focusing on increasing the involvement of social partners on regional, local and national level.
12. Difficulties and reasons of insuccess (if any):
Low capacity of local communities to identify the training needs based on the market demand.
Not sufficient readiness of other key actors to get involved in a systematic way in the implementation of practices in the framework of VET.
Lack of sufficient data about the training needs in local and national level.
Low involvement of employers and trade unions in the development of the new training programmes for youth and adults.
13. Transferability:
This project is replicable and could be used for peer learning within the country with the rest of VET centres and in the regional level to share the lessons learnt.
It is early to speak about the concrete results, but the project has the possibility to share the results and the lessons learnt with the project Support to Vocational Education and Training Reform funded by CARDS.
The project has original ideas and execution methods.
