While access to technology was one of the first key measurements of digital inclusion in today's digital environment the focus has switched from access to competence; participation in the digital domain depends increasingly more on knowledge, skills and attitudes than it does on access to and use of digital technology. Being digitally competent is nowadays both a requirement and a right (COM/2018/ 22). Digital technology enriches education and offers new learning opportunities. It facilitates problem-based and interactive learning and enables a personalisation of the learning experience (SWD(2017)264). Digital technology can improve results in education, in particular by enabling access to additional learning resources, and supporting disadvantaged students, such as those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, or with disabilities, or living in remote areas. Effective eLearning represents an innovative way to bring technology and critical thinking into the students learning environment, and the benefits are twofold: digital engagement is a crucial basic skill and promoting engagement in a learning environment even among those for whom formal education has failed; the collaborative elements help students develop social and team-working skills. The objectives of the project are to: - Build the digital competence of young adults through engagement with bespoke learning tools and resources, including a mobile Application - Support VET providers to harness the potential of elearning environments to build high-value skill sets within their target groups - Help educators assess the Prior Learning Skills and Competencies of learners in VET environments - Prepare VET learners for the new demands of the labour market Youth unemployment is one of the most persistent negative impacts of the financial crisis in Europe. Within the ranks of young people there are a considerable proportion of NEETs for whom future prospects are bleak. Visual Paths, project, formed by five committed partners from five EU countries, will promote an innovative methodology to re-engage marginalised young people and support them to build high-value transversal skills essential for employment and employers to recognise them.
The objectives of the project are to: - Build digital and informal competence of young adults through engagement with bespoke learning tools and resources - Support VET providers to harness the potential of eLearning environments to build high-value skill sets within their target groups - Help educators assess the Prior Learning Skills and competencies of learners in VET environments - Prepare VET learners for the new demands of the labour market
Validation of prior learning ("VPL") has become a crucial topic in Europe since the launch of the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (European Commission, 2000). Globalization, digitalization and migration are changing the way we work and learn. VPL is the process of making visible and giving value to individuals’ learning achievements, irrespective of their learning pathways. The key message of valuing learning wherever and whenever it takes place, and the related approach of validation of competencies acquired in all life and learning contexts (formal, non-formal, informal) has become a guiding principle in designing inclusive and comprehensive educational policies, enjoying therefore a lot of efforts and solutions. However, the majority of these systems and tools are unintelligible, sometimes too academic, with too specific and technical language and not really user-friendly. In order to allow learners be aware of their learning paths, about the competences they have already acquired and the ones they should still acquire, their needs have to be the focal point. The partners applied for this project to adress these learner needs in a way that is easy and motivating for the learner and internationally useful as a VPL.