Training is a key element to ensure the sustainable growth and competitiveness. From the last decades of the past century till today, public bodies and authorities have spent several resources on the promotion of work-linked training programmes. From the beginning of these activities, evaluation was an inherent nature of training process. It was mandatory and required to know the quality of the training process as well as the results of the intervention. In 2012, European Commission published the report “Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes” (COM(2012) 669 final), in which two main questions arisen: the need to stablish partnership between training and education institutions and companies, and the need to measure and assess (multi-approach) the training and education in all levels, and specially in those related to work-based training. This document reinforces the main ideas contained in Bruges Communiqué (2010), topic considered one of the pillars of the ET2020 strategy in 2009. There are different scopes to define and design training evaluation process. If we focus the process on “dimension of evaluation” we can evaluate according to: Process, outcome or impact. If we focus on evaluation’ goals, we can obtain a realistic feedback from final users about “usefulness”. We can also define a process from “evaluation approach” or considering “the purpose of training”. So, we can use different models and methodologies to assess the evaluation activities, including its impact in the organisations. However, all this approaches and methods have been developed to be used in a wide context, and it’s necessary to adapt them to specific scenarios. Considering this scenario, it’s necessary to provide a flexible, customizable and friendly methodology that help work-linked training providers to assess training activities considering not only the results and impact of the training in the persons, but the impact in the organisation itself and in its environment. Besides, companies needs a supporting tool that help them evaluate their training needs, labour market trends and the impact in the economies of the resources spent on these. In brief, the new approach have to conciliate the interest of employees, employers and employment services, creating a new framework to support not only training promotion but the evolution of labour market and the competitiveness of companies and economic tissue. Thus, this new approach should cover four main criteria to evaluate: Quality: evaluate and assess the quality of training, that is, witch characteristics of the training satisfy the needs of trainees (regarding contents, duration, trainers and facilities). Efficacy/Performance: Identify the results obtained during the training sessions and how these results fit to the needs of the labour market and companies. Efficiency: Assess the final results focusing on the economic and other resources engaged in the process. Impact: Assess the impact/effects of the training on both the employability of the trainees and the competitiveness of the companies. So, ATWORK project aims to develop/build/create a methodology to evaluate the social impact of the work-linked training programmes on persons, on companies and on socio-economic environment. In order to support the main project goal, project has some specific objectives as follows: SO1. Improve the environment of training evaluation through a new assessment tool; SO2. Promote a suitable framework to promote work-linked training in Europa; SO3. Provide with innovative method to manage work-linked training and assess its impacts on organisation and on society; SO4. Improve the environment of companies through impact evaluation; SO5. Contribute to develop the social dimension of training, adapting it to new requirements of sustainability. Main targets of this tool are: 1. Providers of work-linked training, which could assess training developed and its impact in the socio-economic environment; 2. Trainees/Apprentices, who could assess and evaluate their competences acquired regarding to the needs of companies and labour market and improve their employability; 3. Companies involved in these process, which could match better the training needs of the company with the training offer and how they impact on their competitiveness and growth. ATWORK partnership is formed by six organsations form five members countries: Spain, Austria, Poland, Romania and United Kingdom. Each institution respesents different scope of the porject main objective and has been establishing from a geographical balance approach. The porjecy will be implemented during 24 months, starting in October 2017 and fininshing on September 2019.
Training is a key element to ensure the sustainable growth and competitiveness. Public bodies and authorities have spent resources on the promotion of work-linked training programmes. Evaluation was an inherent nature of training process. It is mandatory to know the quality of the training process as well as the results of the intervention. It’s necessary to provide a flexible, customizable and friendly methodology that help work-linked training providers to assess training activities considering the results, the impact of the training in the persons and the impact in the organization itself and in its environment. Companies’ needs a supporting tool that help them evaluate their training needs, labour market trends and the impact in the economies of the resources spent on these. This new approach should cover four main criteria to evaluate: Quality: evaluate and assess the quality of training, that is, witch characteristics of the training satisfy the needs of trainees (regarding contents, duration, trainers and facilities). Efficacy/Performance: Identify the results obtained during the training sessions and how these results fit to the needs of the labour market and companies. Efficiency: Assess the results focusing on the economic and other resources engaged in the process. Impact: Assess the impact/effects of the training on both the employability of the trainees and the competitiveness of the companies. ATWORK project aims to develop/build/create a methodology to evaluate the social impact of the work-linked training programmes on persons, on companies and on socio-economic environment. ATWORK Specific objectives Improve the environment of training evaluation through a new assessment tool Promote a suitable framework to promote work-linked training in Europe Provide with innovative method to manage work-linked training and assess its impacts on organization and on society Improve the environment of companies through impact evaluation Contribute to develop the social dimension of training, adapting it to new requirements of sustainability. ATWORK Targets Providers of work-linked training, to assess training developed and its impact in the socio-economic environment; Trainees/Apprentices, to assess and evaluate their competences acquired regarding to the needs of companies and labour market and improve their employability; Companies involved in these process, to match better the training needs of the company with the training offer and how they affect their competitiveness and growth. To achieve this objective, five tasks have been carried out. 1.Comparative study of the existing evaluation models: in-depth interviews and an exhaustive analysis of the evaluation models existing in the countries of the partnership have been conducted. 2.Development of the Theoretical framework with evaluation Indicators: a battery of indicators has been proposed, to serve as a basis for knowing the impact of the training actions on citizens. 3.Development of the technological platform: a technological tool with high usability has been proposed, based on the indicators proposed in the theoretical framework. 4. Handbook, a user manual to accompany the tool. 5. Testing and Validation of the Platform: numerous activities were carried out in all countries, such as the selection of training courses, students and tutors, to use the platform and offer conclusions and assessment about its usability and usefulness regarding the objectives persecuted The technological development phase suffered a delay. It has influenced in the development of the Manual and the Validation phase, finally executed throughout the summer months and until the end of the project, far from expected. This delay has also influenced the delivery of other transversal activities of dissemination of the project. Finally, the results obtained are: - A Comparative Study of Existing Evaluation Models. - A Theoretical Framework with evaluation indicators. - A technological platform, as a tool for evaluating training actions, with its user manual. The Impact of the results used by the organizations targeted in the countries consortium opens up a wide range of possibilities. Some examples are: - Increased knowledge regarding training evaluation, - Development of transversal competences in teaching staff - Increased motivation to participate in training actions. - Implement work and collaboration networks around the exploitation of the ATWORK platform. - Increase the quality of training offered by organizations. ATWORK partnership is formed by 6 organizations from 5 countries: Spain, Austria, Poland, Romania and UK. All represents different scope of the project main objective and has been establishing from a geographical balance approach. The project has been executed from January 18 to September 19. It started three months later than scheduled (Oct 17), after the NA communication in December 17.