The project entitled ’Work-based Learning in CVET’ is intended to be implemented by the Government Office for Békés County in an international partnership composed of 6 members, in cooperation with Finnish, Italian, German and Hungarian organisations dealing with VET and a Hungarian employer running practical training as well. The necessity of the project is justified by the fact that the labour-market situation of Békés County is more unfavourable than that of the national average, becoming employed is not only hindered because of the lack of job vacancies but also that adults leaving VET do not possess professional practical knowledge immediately applicable in real practice and competences necessary for employment demanded by employers. It is also justified by the survey conducted among employers. According to adult education institutions it is also a problem that right now there is no unified methodology existing in Hungarian adult education for carrying out practical training. It has been emerged as a demand that work-based, practical trainings are needed to be strengthened and the processes of practical training are needed to be regulated. That demand is intended to be satisfied with the project. All over Europe, it is a problem that the practical knowledge of those leaving VET does not meet employer demands but, in response, the partners have already created and run exemplary practices in accordance with EU efforts and are linked to the quality requirements of some elements – Design, Improve, Respond, Communicate, Train, Assess – of the 6 building blocks necessary for the quality organisation of work-based learning defined by EQAVET working groups. That is why the project’s major aim is to develop in an international cooperation – based on Finnish, German and Italian models – a new, innovative, complex work-based learning methodology applicable on European level in CVET. It is also aimed at creating a methodological handbook for professionals, which contains in a complex way the rules of procedures for trainings, methods and their related document templates targeted to meet the requirements defined in the single elements. When selecting the foreign partners it was also important that they would be interested in further developing their methodology. When selecting the Hungarian partners we considered that they would be interested and concerned both in the development and testing of the new methodology. The main target group of the project is composed of the professionals, teachers, mentors, managers of organisations concerned with CVET and employment. During the 2-year project, 7 international meetings will be held. Foreign partners will prepare the description of their methods to be transferred and the methodology containing the document templates according to a unified system of criteria suitable for the newly developed handbook. Based on the methodology transferred by the 3 countries, the draft version of the handbook prepared for testing will be created jointly by the partnership and it will be tested in the frames of a training by involving Hungarian partners. The foreign partners will examine the results of testing at evaluation visits and give recommendations on the improvement of the method. The handbook will be finalised considering the experiences acquired during testing, the results of the 2 questionnaire surveys for measuring project impact and the suggestions of evaluation by partners, which will be available for everybody interested in English, Hungarian and the partner organisations’ national languages. The methodological handbook developed as a result of the project will be widely disseminated by every partner, and disseminated at multiplier events in each partner country. The methodology is new, unique not only in Hungary but in all partner countries because a methodology containing document templates, samples developed according to the 6 building blocks, which will be applicable during the procedures does not exist anywhere at the moment. Within the project, not only the adaptation of the methods occurs but also their further improvement. The handbook fills a great gap in CVET, it will be utilised in an efficient way by every organisation running adult education and VET in every country. As an impact of the project, the quality of training will significantly improve, the practical knowledge and competence of attendants finishing the trainings will be more suitable for employer demands in the long run therefore could be better employed and the level of employment will increase. A recommendation for the Ministry for National Economy will be prepared to have the method built in the Hungarian VET system. The handbook will contain a new, work-based learning methodology for CVET, which is up-to-date and valid even in the future, could be built in the VET system of every EU member country as they are in harmony with the quality requirements defined by the EQAVET working group.
The priority goals of the European Union concerning the improvement of VET include the dissemination of work-based learning, however there are only a few methodological professional materials available - that regulate the whole training process – related especially to adult learning. The partnership led by the Government Office of Békés County has aimed at developing a complex methodology for work-based learning in international cooperation that can be applicable on European Union level in CVET of adults. The Government Office has implemented the project in cooperation with Finnish, Italian, German and Hungarian organisations that engage with VET and with a Hungarian employer that is involved in work-based learning as well. The methodological handbook is based on handbooks made by foreign partner organisations according to a uniform system of criteria, including the methods they apply in CVET of adults. The intellectual output of the project, namely the complex methodological handbook, contains the work-based learning processes and sample documents for CVET of adults, the building blocks of its quality organisation according to the 6 building blocks defined by EQAVET (Design, Improve, Respond, Communicate, Train, Assess). The ready-made handbook was presented at the 1st multiplier event organised in Hungary during the mid-term of the project to the experts responsible for VET. The next, pilot version of the complex methodological handbook was prepared taking into account the feedback of partner organisations and professionals responsible for VET. The methodology was tested and the handbook was finalised in the 2nd year of the project. During the preparation phase of testing guidelines were prepared for the tasks to be performed, the professionals carrying out the test training had also been prepared to apply the method. The methodology was tested in VET provided outside and in the school system. The former one was realised with the participation of the 2 Hungarian partners, a meat product manufacturer training, consisting of 240 lessons was organised by ALFA KISOSZ Advocacy and Training Association with the participation of the employees at Gyulahús Ltd. The latter one was carried out in a two-month period of social care worker training organised by Gál Ferenc College Vocational School, Secondary Grammar School of Békés at the Hajnal István Nursing Home of the Békés County Hajnal István Social Service Centre. During piloting we used methods, processes and sample documents included in the methodological handbook. The development of a web and mobile application supported to document the implementation of the test training, which enabled the professionals and leraners to document the realisation of the training in an electronic form. Student self-assessment was realised on a daily basis as well as the evaluation by the instructor. We evaluated the experiences with the professionals and learners, summary studies on the implementation of the piloting were completed. Following the testing, the foreign partners evaluated the experiences of testing the new methodology. The final version of the methodological handbook was prepared taking into account the experiences of operation and the evaluation made by foreign partners. At the beginning of the project and after the piloting, questionnaire surveys were carried out among the VET providers, workplaces and the learners to measure the impacts of the project. After testing the developed method, the change in relation to the initial state was measured. Testing the methodology clearly confirmed the relevance of each process element defined in the handbook, applying the methods significantly enhanced the quality of the training and the satisfaction of the VET provider, the workplace and the learners. A final study available in English and Hungarian have been completed containing the demonstration of the aims, activities, the achieved goals and sustainability. The methodological handbook, which is the main output of the project can be downloaded in 5 languages from the website of the project, www.wbl.hu, where after registration it is free to try and use the web and mobile application, too. We have made a proposal to the Ministry for National Economy for the wider dissemination of work-based learning in Hungary. The project results had been widely disseminated during the project:multiplier events were organised in all 4 countries implementing the project, at a meeting of the Steering Commitee of the European Network for Quality Assurance in VET, at a professional conference of EPALE among others, and on an EQAVET forum. The new methodology enables the introduction of work-based learning and its effective application in each member state of the European Union, the methodology can be integrated into our VET system, it is applicable in the future as it complies with the quality requirements specified by EQAVET.