In the context of Europe 2020 – the EU's growth strategy for the current decade investment in education is a priority field and specifically Erasmus+ represents a large support for the mobility of Europeans. One of the main aims of the European Union is to ensure a quality frameworks, tools and practices and to enhance the transparency, recognition and quality of competences and qualifications, supporting the mobility of learners and workers at all education levels but with a particular focus on VET. "Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important players in VET and lifelong learning and need targeted support. Support measures should help SMEs to overcome external and internal barriers and compensate for the limited capacity of SMEs to identify and respond to their learning needs, where competence development of those who train others in the workplace can be part”. (Guiding principles on professional development of trainers in vocational education and training, European Commission) According to CEDEFOP Briefing Note “Professional development for VET teachers and trainers” from 2016 teachers and trainers are „crucial to ensuring the quality and labour market relevance of learning, both in VET schools/ centres and in companies.... Providing teachers and trainers with access to quality professional development and support is essential to ensuring that both their technical competences and pedagogical skills are up to the highest standards.” The project is relevant to the aforementioned issues and its goals will be focused on the educational needs of VET mentors and trainers in SMEs providing work placements for VET learners with regard to boosting their soft skills and thus ensure effective knowledge transfer. The specific goals of the SoftComInVET project proposal are as follows: 1. To provide these mentors with appropriate competencies and tools to monitor and manage their soft skills performance. The project will accomplish this objective through the development of IO1- SoftComInVET soft skills self-reflection instrument for in-company trainers in SMEs, providing mobility placements. 2. To meet mentors needs of soft skills development for guaranteeing their professional welfare. The project will accomplish this objective through the development of IO2- SoftComInVET Enhancing Manual for in-company trainers in SMEs, providing mobility placements. 3. To promote the exchange of good practices and to facilitate the effective collaboration between institutions, providing work placements for VET learners, on translational level. The project will accomplish this objective through the development of IO3- SoftComInVET best practices compendium, presenting in-company trainers good practices in SMEs, providing mobility placements. The project aims to involve the following TGs: • VET mentors in SMEs • SMEs providing work placements to VET learners, VET intermediary organisations TRANSNATIONAL ADDED VALUE The international cooperation will enable taking advantage of institutional complementarities; ensure broad dissemination of project results and will reach much larger representation of the target group thus multiplying the impact of the project in geographical perspective. The language diversity of the IOs will allow easy transfer to other countries and usability for people fluent in some of the partner languages. The wide geographical scope will ensure EU dimension of the project and that various cultural perspectives are considered in the IOs development.
When designing the project, three major objectives were defined to be achieved throughout and after its execution by implementing this project: 1. Provide mentors (during placements) of vocational education and training (VET) students with the appropriate skills and tools to monitor and manage their interpersonal skills performance. The project fulfills this objective through the development of the Tool for Self-reflection of Transversal Skills - Intellectual Output (IO)1 - SoftComInVET for trainers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the context of mobility internships; 2. Satisfy mentors' soft skills development needs to ensure their professional well-being. The project fulfills this objective through the development of the IO2-SoftComInVET Performance Improvement Manual for trainers in SMEs; 3. Promote the exchange of good practices and facilitate effective collaboration between institutions offering placements for VET students at the translation level. The project fulfills this objective through the development of the Compendium of Good Practices IO3-SoftComInVET, presenting trainers with good practices to be adopted in SMEs.
Mobility Friends applied for this project, after recognizing that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) providing work placements to VET learners and VET mentors in SMEs, which are important players with regard to VET teaching and lifelong learning for VET learners, needed specific support to respond to students' learning needs. In this sense, the SoftComInVET Project was created to allow SME mentors to develop their skills through the quality professional support that was conceived during this project, and which is essential to guarantee that technical skills and pedagogical skills meet the highest expected standards. The results obtained from the SoftComInVET Project thus allow responding to the needs that were found: Need to bring VET students' curriculum closer to the reality and needs of the job market. Need to provide mentors and interns with skills and soft skills that enhance the quality and effectiveness of the work/internship experience. Need for tools and materials for mentors to improve their performance in monitoring VET learners during the internship period. Need for more innovative work practices/methodologies/activities that are closer to the reality of the needs of students and companies (in an internship context).