Shortage of welders at European and world labor market, perception of welding as a “dirty” job that negatively influences young people when choosing their future profession and lack of uniformity of welder competence depending on the country of origin for one and the same welding process were foundations and starting points for this project.The main goal of the project is improvement of educational system for welders and bringing it closer to young people, in order to fill the job openings at European labor market with the help of improved European competences. Further objective is maintaining of welder competence and health at a level that will enable them to have a long and quality professional and personal life. Specific project objectives are:1. Development of European framework curricula for MMA, MAG/MIG and TIG welding processes with supporting teaching media.2. Development of welding networking site,3. Train the trainer,4. Popularization of welding as a line of work and welder as a profession among young and unemployed people. The Consortium consists of 6 partners:- Project coordinator is Učilište ULJANIK Pula, Croatia - Adult Education Institution- European Welding Federation (Portugal), - IIS Progress - a company belonging to Italian Institute of welding, - Spanish Welding Association CESOL,- Industrial and Trade School Slavonski Brod, Croatia – Vocational Training (secondary level)- Koncar Steel Structures - a Croatian company with dominant production of welded structures and pressure tanks.The applied methodology of the project is, because of its international importance, step by step to project results. All work packages in the project are broken into following sequence: initiation - specification of demands through analysis and synthesis; planning and designing; implementation; control and integration; validation through testing and correction of mistakes, project results, dissemination.Distribution of tasks was arranged among partners. All partners are heavily involved in welding and possess such knowledge and skills that they can be involved in implementation of any and all project goals. Project concept is designed through four steps:- Develop Standardized Welding Curricula and Supporting Teaching Media - Train the trainers,- Upload results on welding networking site - Bring the result and the welding networking site closer to young people across Europe through a marketing strategy.Project results are:1. Standardized curricula for arc welding processes MMA, MAG/MIG and TIG and supporting teaching media - designed with intention to obtain harmonized welder competence at European labor market and modern educational methodology attractive to young people.2. Welding networkig site - designed for welders of all profiles for communication, professional assistance through books and magazines, with e-learning materials for trainees and professionals and many other pieces of information useful in welding.3. Train the Trainer VWTS - designed for trainers of welding with the purpose of raising the quality of welder education and training and acquisition of skills.4. Popularization of the profession welder: Marketing strategy - designed for young people and the unemployed to entice them to opt for welding.Project results will have a significant impact on raising the quality of welding, popularizing the welding profession, making sure that companies and state institutions become aware of the importance of welders and on helping young people choose welding as their future occupation. Welders of all profiles will be given an asset in the form of a welding networking site to help them with education, upskilling and keeping up with the latest developments.With its results, the project will have a long-term influence on young people looking for employment, on welding trainees and professionals and will ensure the necessary resources (welding networking site) to keep up with the latest developments regarding knowledge, skills and achieving of stability in welding.
Shortage of welders at European and world labor market, perception of welding as a “dirty” job that negatively influences young people when choosing their future profession and lack of uniformity of welder competence depending on the country of origin for one and the same welding process were foundations and starting points for this project. The main goal of the project is improvement of educational system for welders. This is relevant for several reasons: 1. We need to design educational programs that will harmonize international qualifications with national ones, that will be applicable in different educational systems and whose results will be alignment of acquired competences for one and the same level of education. 2. We need to modernize the educational system in a program, methodological and technological way and thus bring it closer to people in need of education. 3. Competences obtained in such a way will make provision for direct inclusion of completed welders into the production process, and lifelong system of education will contribute to qualitative and quantitative improvement in their level of knowledge and quality of life. Specific project objectives are: 1. Development of European framework curricula for MMA, MIG, MAG, FCAW, MCAW and TIG welding processes with supporting teaching media. 2. Development of welding networking site, 3. Development of new methodology for welder training with introduction of Virtual Welding Training Systems (VWTS) into welder training. Partner consortium consisting of European welding federation (EWF) and national welding associations (CESOL, IIS Progress), vocational school (IOŠ), welding company (KMK) and institution for education of adults (Učilište ULJANIK) is completely competent to create the above mentioned intellectual outputs. SVS – Swiss welding association, National center for external evaluation of education from Croatia and Croatian Welding Society joined the consortium during project implementation, strengthened it with their competences and added new value to project results. The applied methodology of the project was, because of its international importance, step by step to project results. All work packages in the project are broken into following sequence: initiation - specification of demands through analysis and synthesis; planning and designing; implementation; control and integration; validation through testing and correction of mistakes, project results, dissemination. All partners have fully contributed to project results. It needs to be emphasized that this contribution greatly exceeds the volume of activities set in the proposal. Project results are: 1. Framework European curricula for 6 welding processes and two levels of qualifications. Partners created 18 framework European vocational curricula for EQF qualification levels 2 and 3. In accordance with the applied methodology, along with curricula that are the basic intellectual output partners also developed occupational standards and qualification standards for above mentioned profiles. As an added value to the project we introduced external evaluation of welder education, which represents an innovative approach to evaluation of welder education. Halfway through project implementation, a new methodology of curricula writing was adopted that was promoted by EWF with the help of CEDEFOP. Consortium designed curricula according to this new methodology as well, so future users have the possibility of choosing the concept which suits them best. 2. The online platform for welders enables networking of welders of all levels and profiles. Added values are parts self-learning and self-assessment that help welders to learn and assess their knowledge in an interactive way. 3. New methodology in welder education is adjusted to modern technology and is applicable in the long run in lifelong education of welders by introduction of VWTS. Project results will have a significant impact on raising the quality of welding, popularizing the welding profession, making sure that companies and state institutions become aware of the importance of welders and on helping young people choose welding as their future occupation. Welders of all profiles will be given an asset in the form of a welding networking site to help them with education, upskilling and keeping up with the latest developments. The Online platform www.weldchance.com will be set up on the EWF server, which will strengthen the impact of project results and their sustainability at European level, bearing in mind that EWF covers a wide area and has international impact with their network of members.