“CT4 SILVER CAREGIVERS: Certified Training for Silver Caregivers ” is a 24-month partnership funded under the Key Action 2 of the Erasmus+ programme for VET initiatives coordinated by Diputation of Zamora (Spain) with the support of the AFGE (France), Dafni (Greece), Rural Hub (Ireland), TREBAG (Hungary), IPCB (Portugal) and University of Almeria (Spain). The main aim of this proposal and partnership would be to work together and to create a new curriculum and modules in active&health ageing within the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), related to train those professionals (in the professional profile of Healthcare for Dependant Persons in Social Institutions) who work as informal carers for elderly people and who promotes silver economy employability (ex.informal carers workers, VET teachers, social services, health public administration employment advisers, NGOs, technicians related to health community services, employment programmes, etc.),Using new technologies and non-formal techniques ( ex, dual training methodologies). The project will train those in active&health ageing to generate and promote service-learning opportunities while raising awareness about global issues (silver economy and community social services) and to allow that young people, women with low skills, immigrants develop skills for their personal growing and employability as informal silver caregivers or to reskill in rural areas. To make this possible and besides creating training materials for VET trainers/trainees and informal cares, the project will also build on each country networks called Living labs SILVER CAREGIVERS FORUM addressed to ( health professionals, family caregivers, socio-health services), it could provide services to their local communities while acquiring competences that could contribute to their personal growing, CV improvement or/and future entrance on the labour market, wit the purpose of delivering sustainable qualified Jobs. All would be possible thanks Training Workshops, an E-learning platform for (VET trainers, health professionals, family caregivers, socio-health services ) from the project countries could carry out service-learning placements on their areas (or at EU level) towards their training and employability while producing a positive impact on their communities and towards the inclusion of their groups with fewer opportunities. The project will also design different dissemination strategies and events that will allow to spread its results among different. stakeholders related to silver economy and social inclusion for people on risk of exclusión in rural areas. All the intellectual outputs and results obtained will be created combining non-formal education, theoretical contents and flexible techniques that would make possible to adapt them to different contexts or areas out of the ones on which the project will be originally implemented.
The objective was the development of a dual training methodology to promote silver economy integrated in the VET programs in Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and Portugal and, thus, to implement a new qualification with competences in active and healthy aging. The project responds to Europe's main challenges: job creation and social inclusion. However, it also has several specific objectives: -Anticipate the care needs of an aging population to avoid skills gaps and improve the knowledge, skills and competencies of informal caregivers so that they can respond to the needs of the silver economy. -Produce training modules and integrate them by creating a methodological framework for certification. -Promote good practices to involve older people and caregivers in the design of a new curriculum on active and healthy aging. -Collaborate with all stakeholders (trainers and VET students) and health professionals, according to EU criteria, to achieve the shift towards active and healthy aging.
The aging of the population is a very present reality in the 21st century, so that long-term care at home is proving to be a more viable and cost-effective alternative to institutional care. We observed in a clear European context, on the one hand, the importance of caregivers as a professional profile and the need to generate quality guidelines in their performance. On the other hand, a serious shortage of caregivers trained in line with active aging was highlighted. Given the context, this partnership clearly observed the urgent need to create a new curriculum and modules in active and healthy aging within the European Qualifications Framework to train those professionals in the profile of Health Care for Dependent Persons aimed at caregivers of elderly people receiving institutionalized and also home care.