Adult learning and education are key components of lifelong learning encompassing formal, non-formal and informal education, and is geared to providing learning conditions and learning processes that are attractive and take into account the needs of learners. The most common form of adult education is the non-formal education, which is mainly provided by the civil sector (NGO). NGO use methods that are poorly covered by the usual training providers but in the same time are proven effective - interactive training seminars learning by doing, learning through equality, learning through experience, supervision and methodological support, mentoring, volunteering. Non-formal learning is extremely effective in building key competences and promoting potential. To meet these challenges, the project sets the following main goals: - “Creating conditions and mechanism for access to educational services and opportunities for career development and raising the motivation for learning and motivation of the adults people from Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece”; - “Improving and expanding the opportunities offered by adult education tailored to the needs of the low-skilled and the current needs of the labor market” The project will bring together 3 partners from 3 different countries wishing to promote new concept of low-skilled adult education and motivation for development and helping people become responsible, open-minded and active members of our diverse and inclusive society by enriching adult educators’ intercultural competences in order to minimize the educational gap. The project will establish the following intellectual products: • Methodology for study of target group and research; • Handbook for adult trainers; • Creative toolbox for training and development; • Train the Trainer concept This project will also include four transnational project meetings that will contribute to the preparation, implementation and evaluation phase of the project. All the information gathered through this project and the promotion of the project itself will then be uploaded on the organization’s websites. Multiplier events are foreseen in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece. The expected outcomes are related to the main problems addressed by the project - the lack of sufficiently adapted and attractive training tools for adults with low qualifications, deficiency of existing guidance for trainers in their everyday work with specific target groups and the deficiency of a multi-component adult education programs, encouraging their development. The project's expected results are the following: 1. Results for trainers - direct participants in the project • They will understand existing trends and specific tools that their colleagues use • Develop their competences and knowledge in the field of adult education • Will learn new techniques and methods for working with adults and will increas their motivation for development • Will be stimulated to be proactive in preventing the dropping out of the labor market • Will help them to establish a network of adult education trainers and to have the opportunity to exchange practices and experiences 2. Results for people over 40 years of age and with low qualification - direct participants in the project • This group of people will increase their awareness of existing national and European opportunites • Participants will increase their motivation for lifelong learning and realization on the labor market • The proposed learning activities for adults will be t adapted to their specific 3. Results for the wide network of adult educators • They will be able to benefit from the development of adult learning products - a handbook, interactive tools and training design that will increase their work capacity and will bring more benefits for their learners; • They will have the opportunity to meet their colleagues and share experience and good practices; • Will develop a perception to optimize their training methods for adult people; 4. Results for the project team • Increase their organizational capacity and management skills, delegation skills and decision-making skills; • Acquire experience in working in an intercultural environment; • Develop specific knowledge and skills in the field of adult education; • Increase their capacity as trainers of trainers, thus creating the conditions for a higher quality learning approach; The “Cover your need, discover your career” project is expected to have an overall significant impact on adult educators’ competences, while it has been designed based on the partners’ experience and understanding of adult educators needs and adult upskilled learners.
Adult learning and education are key components of lifelong learning encompassing formal, non-formal and informal education, and is geared to providing learning conditions and learning processes that are attractive and take into account the needs of learners. The project achieves the following main goals: - “Creating conditions and mechanism for access to educational services and opportunities for career development and raising the motivation for learning and motivation of the adults people from Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece”; - “Improving and expanding the opportunities offered by adult education tailored to the needs of the low-skilled and the current needs of the labor market” The project’s team created the following intellectual products: • Handbook for adult trainers; • Creative toolbox for training and development; • Train the Trainer concept The project achieved a very big mpact on the all participants, and we managed to fully reach the target groups. In general, the project created a new concept for adult education, which is aimed at increasing the confidence and desire for professional realization. The impact is expressed by building new knowledge, skills and attitudes. This affected the competence of adult trainings and the chances for development of low-skilled adults involved in the project. I. Impact on direct participants - adult trainers: 1. Knowledge • Developed knowledge about the specifics of adult learning; • Learned about current trends in adult education; • Learned how to apply interactive approaches; • They got acquainted with the European framework for adult education; • Exchanged good practices with their colleagues from other countries; • Learned good practices from other countries; • Increased their level of English language proficiency; • They got acquainted with a new training methodology; 2. Skills • Developed skills for motivating adult people; • Developed skills for using the created educational tools – all three outputs; • Developed skills for using Creative Toollbox as a tool applicable in different educational situations; • Developed skills for applying a coaching approach in training; • Developed skills for attracting and engaging adults for professional realization; • Improved their social skills - communication, teamwork, decision making and more. 3. Attitudes • Build a more tolerant attitude towards adult people who face difficulties in the labor market; • Increased their motivation to work as trainers; • Build an attitude for contributing to people at risk of dropping out of the labour market; • Increased their own competitiveness; • Increased their confidence in their work and creativity. II. Low-skilled and low qualified adults (based on those included in the project) 1. Knowledge • Increased their knowledge of existing opportunities for personal and professional development; • Learned about various programs which support adult qualifications; • They got acquainted with the actual requirements of the labour market; • Learned how to look for job and be more attractive to the labour market; 2. Skills • Build skills for planning, goal setting and resource allocation; • Developed skills for risk assessment and prioritization; • Experimented with different cases that helped them make a decision; • Improved their social skills. 3. Attitudes • Increased their motivation for realization; • Increased their confidence in their own potential; • They built a more positive attitude towards the work environment; • Became aware of their specific goals and the necessary actions to achieve them; III. Impact on participating organizations: • The organizations, involved in the project increased their capacity to develop educational tools and their capacity to collaborate with international experts; • Improved their skills for working on large-scale projects; • Gained important experience and knowledge about adult education and increased their expertise in this field; • Build a partner network; • Increased their organizational capacity by creating innovative educational tools; • Improved their image and recognition among the general public; • Build skills and gain experience working in a crisis, such as the pandemic situation. IV. Organizations working with low-skilled, low qualified adults. • They were provoked to rethink their approaches and to what extent they are adequate to the needs of the target groups; • Received new educational tools and resources that they can apply in their practice; • Received useful information about new educational trends; • Raised awareness of good practices applied in other countries. V. Stakeholders • The project has the potential to influence education policies for adult people by adapting educational services to their needs; • The created tools can be used by representatives of the Labor Offices, career counselors, etc.