The SUSTAIN VET project proposal has been designed to strengthen the provision of work-based learning as the established Consortium acknowledges that quality apprenticeship schemes are a vital requirement for IVET to keep pace with the rapid technological, economic and social developments. Work-based learning has gained increased attention at EU and national levels as one of the remedies for boosting employment and growth in Europe and reducing skills gaps and mismatch. It has been widely accepted that the key to an effective apprenticeship is the role of the company mentor to create a supportive work environment, where there are good learning opportunities. To create an inclusive and supportive work-based learning environment we aim to provide company mentors with initial and continuous support to ensure the apprentice and the company mentor share a common understanding of the roles, responsibilities and rights within a work-based learning setting and to establish feedback mechanisms to monitor the progress of the apprentice and identify whether he/she is facing difficulties in а work-based learning environment. The Consortium strongly believes that company mentors competence development benefits from a systematic approach. This is the reason why we put emphasis on defining what company mentors need, providing relevant training opportunities and finally equipping them with practical instruments for their daily work with apprentices. In line with the above, the objective of the SUSTAIN VET project is to support company mentors in the planning, design, delivery and assessment of IVET apprenticeship schemes. In order to provide initial support to company mentors we will identify minimum 20 trainers of company mentors who will be responsible for the formulation of right knowledge, skills and competences in order for the mentors to deliver quality WBL experiences. Trainers of company mentors have been identified as a target group considering they are the logical providers of specific know-how and initial professional development to company mentors. To address the needs of the first identified target group, we intend to develop an intellectual output which aims to facilitate the work of trainers of company mentors in delivering trainings. The Proficiency Train-the-Trainer Programme for trainers of company mentors will consist of two main thematic modules: 1. Training Programme Syllabus and Learning Outcomes and 2. Methodological Guidelines. With the first intellectual output we aim to ensure impactful initial support to company mentors, which has been defined as one of the core priorities of the current proposal. In order to provide continuous support to company mentors we plan to develop the second intellectual output, the Ultimate Company Mentor Survival Toolkit, aimed directly at the second identified target group, the company mentors. The output will be designed to offer practical resources and instruments to facilitate the day-to-day work of the target group with apprentices in a work-based learning environment. Both intellectual outputs are aimed at supporting high quality work-based learning in initial VET. The proposed partnership consists of 5 partners from four different European countries. The partnership, coordinated by the Modern Education Foundation, a newcomer to the Programme, comprises of experienced organisations with complementary expertise in VET, WBL and training delivery. The choice of partner organisations is based on experience, expertise of responsible staff but also dissemination potential with relevance to the targeted sector. In order to achieve its objectives and deliver quality outputs, the project has been designed according to the following framework: Proposed project duration is 24 months. Project activities are structured in five logically designed project management phases. These include both project management activities as well as the ones dedicated to the elaboration of the two foreseen intellectual outputs. The activities are: 1. Project Management and Coordination - an ongoing process 2. Elaboration of Output 1 Proficiency Train-the-Trainer Programme for trainers of company mentors (M1-M11) 3. Elaboration of Output 2 The Ultimate Company Mentor Survival Toolkit (M13-M21) 4. Quality Management - ongoing process 5. Dissemination and Exploitation – ongoing process We expect project impact on several levels. First of all we envisage impact on the target groups and organisations directly participating in the delivery of the project as partners will enrich their portfolio of services with the Train-the-Trainer Programme. We also expect impact on the participants. It is related mainly to the skills, knowledge and competences they will acquire by exploiting the project products. Lastly, we expect the project to have an indirect positive benefit on apprentices by establishing the right skills and social competences to facilitate their entry in the labour market.
The general objective of SUSTAIN VET project was to develop instruments which contribute to strengthening of work-based learning (WBL). Increasingly, new roles for company mentors are expected (this is still valid even two years following the initiation of the project as our work with participants from the target groups during the project demonstrated as well as our panel discussion during the final event of the project). With the project we aimed to support the professional development (initial training and continuous support) of company mentors in order to ensure that apprentices receive high-quality and relevant training. The objective of the SUSTAIN VET project was to support company mentors in the planning, design, delivery and assessment of IVET apprenticeship schemes. In addition, in order to provide initial support to company mentors we have identified Trainers of company mentors in each partner country (their profiles vary) who are responsible for the formulation of right knowledge, skills and competences in order for the mentors to deliver quality WBL experiences.
The partnership aimed to develop instruments for effective professional development opportunities to Trainers of company mentors and company mentors to create an inclusive WBL environment. At application stage, our needs analysis demonstrated that company mentors are not well prepared for their role as trainers of apprentices. Company mentors need not only sound practical instruments and theoretical skills in their profession, but also didactic skills to train effectively. For the partnership it was also important to consider support for those people who train mentors as the source of pedagogical, didactic and soft skills learning. Targeting the trainers is also important because even though training programs for company mentors exist, these are designed in an informative manner and lack concrete methods, techniques and instruments for delivery. To help company mentors raise to the challenge and reach their full potential, the project provides instruments to support mentors in high-performance WBL. Initial support by developing an intellectual output facilitating the work of Trainers of company mentors, and continuous support by developing the second intellectual output, a Toolkit, facilitating the actual work of the mentors.