The aim of the project is to prepare examination or an assessment form of professional and theoretical knowledge level for individual ceramists and bring education closer to practice. At present such coherent methods do not appear in EU, only if we consider language areas. But self-learners in many countries are discriminated by systems of professional education. Although those self-learners are often better than graduates of professional schools, they do not get a job or they are forced to pass studies because legislation of some countries does not enable them to perform such craft activities. For self-learners it is often an expensive and long process without effect. This project will try to interconnect informal and formal education and might be, practically, a pilot project for other crafts. At the same time, the output of such examination, as well as self-assessment, will be helpful for employers to select the best, standard and substandard craftsmen. Graduates who do not achieve a required level will have a chance to improve themselves in the future. Students will be able to practice more intensively thanks to professional ceramists from real work environment. This specialisation will become much more attractive and its keeping will be easier. Labour productivity will be increased on the basis of qualified applicants and traditions of craftwork in regions and international cooperation will be kept. Some offices might consider the examination helpful when approving subsidies to establish freelance. It will prove competitiveness of an applicant. International partnership will point out common assessment criteria used when creating examination rules and assessment procedures. All obtained experience will have local, regional and international benefits.
The project was created on the basis of requirements of ceramists to prepare a practicable educational module for ceramists and adjust its outputs to legislative demands of national institutions. At present, there are no training centers in Slovakia that deals with ceramics entirely. In comparison with the past, the situation now is catastrophic and one of dominant industries is practically disappearing. Universities mainly focus on design and a material has become marginal. The aim of the project was to suggest module education and methodology and assessment of ceramists on the basis of examples from practice prepared by artists and craftsmen working in the area. The following ceramists from 5 countries were cooperating on the project - Slovakia - ARKVS - NVO, Cyprus - Cyprus Pottery - Ceramic Association - association of artists, the Czech republic - Secondary School of Industry and Arts in Karlovy Vary, Turkey - AFYON KOCATEPE UNIVERSITESI and Poland - Podlaska Wojewodzka Komenda Ochotniczych Hufcow Pracy w Bialymstoku. The partnership consisted of different organizations dealing with ceramics, educationally or practically. The project focused on two main tasks within O1 and O2 intellectual outputs. O1 output represents practical and theoretical assessment of ceramist´s skills. O2 intellectual output deals with an educational module of practical and theoretical assessment of ceramist´s knowledge and skills. They were prepared in a form of a basic educational module and follow-up modules to be possible to accredit by the Ministry of Education. The outputs may serve also for other branches as examples for possible involvement in dual education. Considering diversity of organizations involved and sharing experience of professional ceramists and arts, the project has definitely contributed to development of all participants, either their practical or theoretical experience. We all took part in international project meetings, dissemination activities and practical demonstrations of various art techniques. Considering planned project outputs, we implemented all of them in accordance with the project application. All the outputs are translated into Slovak, English, Greek, Czech, Polish and Turkish. In terms of long-term benefits of the project we can talk about preservation of traditional ceramics in Slovakia within module education that may be involved in the dual educational system if relevant regulations change and enable small businessmen and freelancers to enter the system of dual education and be supported by the state. We are closely before extinction of industrial ceramics and there are only some producers. However, they are getting older and their knowledge will simply disappear one day. And as far as we know, Slovakia is in the worst position if we consider information we got on the basis of our partnership consisting of different organizations working in different systems.