The ConstructyVET project is aimed at devising a transnational action plan for the development of middle management skills on building sites. The partners want to narrow the gap between the expectations of companies with regard to knowledge, skills and competences on the one hand and the qualifications of the workforce immediately after training on the other. Indeed, on completion of current training of future foremen and site managers, companies generally only make these posts available to employees with 3 to 7 years of professional experience, although their needs are rather more immediate. This pattern is reflected in most of the partner countries. Based on a pragmatic and transnational analysis of the competency requirements (particularly cross-functional skills) for foremen and site managers prioritised by the companies in the partner countries, the project’s objectives are: • joint adaptation of a representative sample of training courses to meet the expectations expressed by the companies and the creation of a support mechanism for trainees in personalised training to promote earlier employability, including in a transnational dimension, • joint identification and refinement of teaching methods and tools suited to the adjusted career paths, with the emphasis on modularisation of courses, personalised training and trainee support, • proposal of a transnational model for the validation, recognition and transparency of the learning outcomes of the adjusted training programmes. The analyses carried out earlier by the project partners highlight the problems of recruiting foremen and site managers: not due to any shortage of workers in general, but frequently to a lack of training courses adequately adapted to the way in which these posts have evolved. That is why the partners are proposing a project aimed at both companies and individuals who are looking for: • training that provides access to a position facilitating socio-economic integration, as is the case with foremen and site managers, • vocational retraining, • professional promotion. The project therefore forms part of the “Education and Training 2020” strategy, at the same time facilitating: • the closer integration of training systems and companies and the prioritisation of alternating training courses, • the companies’ competitiveness, through better training of the middle management employees they need, and the socio-economic integration of young people looking for a professional career, • the employability and mobility of the trainees. The partnership was created to be both professional and complementary, uniting construction sector organisations and the multi-sectoral institutions or actors involved in vocational training. This includes those bodies with the following profile: • national paritarian institutions overseeing introductory and ongoing vocational training in the construction industry professions, including professional reorientation for workers with economic and social integration problems; these are authorised by national education ministries, labour ministries or national or regional professional certification bodies, • a national centre specialising in cross-functional teaching research, in association with institutional and university partners, mandated by the European Commission to implement EC recommendations such as EQF, ECVET and EQAVET, • recognised vocational training centres that are both regional and local networks. This is a major consortium that will bring to fruition a credible project in terms of a variety of training contexts and situations leading to foreman and site manager positions. The partners are planning a global communication strategy firmly focused both internally on their own networks and professional sector and externally, given that the end product is intended to be transferable to other types of training, other sectors and other countries. The partners have created this joint strategy with the future in mind, guaranteeing that the project remains accessible in the long run to its direct beneficiaries (trained workers and companies) and indirect beneficiaries (trainers in training centres, company instructors and bodies responsible for designing and organising vocational training in the countries concerned and elsewhere).
At the origin of the project, several surveys conducted by observation structures of construction trades in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom showed a mismatch between the expectations of the companies and the nature of trainings for middle management on sites. In addition, analyzes demonstrated difficulties in recruiting team leaders and sites managers, not because of the shortage of manpower in general, but often for lack of training sufficiently adapted to the evolution of these functions. This is why the partners reviewed, updated and experimented the training courses concerned, so that they match more to the evolution of standards, organizations and operating procedures on site, in accordance with the wishes of the economic world and in relation with the profile of the candidates available to be site manager or team leader. 9 organizations took part in the project: • 8 training centers for construction trades (4 national networks : CCCA-BTP (FR) – coordinator, FLC (ES), Formedil (IT), Cenfic (PT) and 3 regional networks : IFPAME (BE), BZB (DE) and FLC Asturias (ES) and a local center : Warrington Collegiate (UK)), • A research organization specialized in training engineering and validation of learning outcomes (IBE (PL)) The partners realized the following productions: • Identification of the transversal skills of the team leaders and site managers desired by the companies and their matching with the training available, • Formulation of the training contents for team leaders and site managers grouped in 9 thematic blocks and 43 training units (with the evaluation criteria) that can be grouped into larger blocks of training, • Accuracy of training methods and tools adapted to the objectives and contents of the targeted trainings, aiming the individualization of the training and support process of the learners, • Design and life-size experimentation of a transnational model for the validation, recognition and transparency of the learning outcomes from the training courses designed and implemented by each partner. These main productions were accompanied by numerous ancillary productions: progress reports, national analyzes and methodology tools (annexes 15-27). In addition, the partners organised: • 8 results dissemination seminars (Infodays) specifically dedicated to the project that brought together training professionals, representatives of social partners, researchers, institutions and representatives of companies, • Communication actions during meetings and seminars not specific to the project but concerning its target audiences (board of directors of partners training organizations, professional days, trade fairs for vocational guidance, technical meetings concerning other partnerships for skills), • Publications, mainly digital, on their websites as well as on www.constructyvet.eu about the life of the project and the available productions. Common productions can be adapted to the specific contexts and objectives of each partner, in terms of contents, teaching and evaluation methods. The intention was to propose a model allowing each organization to take a step back from its national references, to integrate the good practices and to select those which can be the most useful. Annex 1 contains a summary of the project phases and a list of productions. Annex 2 presents its progress over the time. Key figures: • Interviews in the companies: 112 • Learning units designed : 43 • Experimental sessions implemented : 59 • Number of participants in the experimental sessions : 782 • Number of Infodays: 13 • Number of participants in the Infodays: 286 ALL THE ANNEX ABOUT THIS PROJECT ARE AVAILABLE ON THIS INTERNET ADDRESS : http://www.reforme.org/2018/10/31/constructyvet-project-mission-accomplished/