The APPROACH project combines the efforts of 4 partners, representing different regions of Europe – Western (UK and Netherlands), Central (Austria) and Eastern (Bulgaria). The starting point of our joint effort is supporting adult trainers in the delivery of training to adults in risk. By providing adult trainers with a comprehensive manual in diversity leadership (IO1) and a professional resilience building online tool (IO2), we aim at increasing the quality of training provided to disadvantaged adults, so that they can successfully find employment opportunities and stay employed for a longer period. In that sense, our proposal is in direct link with the Erasmus+ adult specific priority, emphasising on “extending and developing the competences of educators and other personnel in effective teaching of low-qualified adults”. The end-users of our efforts are adults in risk, who are in disadvantage position due to different socio-economic and cultural circumstances (poverty, migrant and refugees status, minority background). By improving the competences of adult trainers we will directly contribute to one of the horizontal priorities of Erasmus+, related to supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences, in order to foster their employability and socio-educational and personal development. Our innovation proposed focuses on continuous training of adult trainers in diversity leadership and building habits of professional resilience, which will contribute to creating the necessary positive learning climate for learners to reach high learning achievements and increase their motivation for learning and development. We will provide tools that emphasise on achieving mindset shift in trainers so to be able to apply adequate work styles based toward unexpected and critical training situations they face on daily level. *Tangible results (outputs)* 1. IO1 – Adult Trainers’ Diversity Leadership Manual, electronic document available in all partner languages and English. 2. IO2 – Adult Trainers’ Online Resilience Building Tool in all partner languages and English. 4. 60 adult trainers integrate IO1 and IO2 in their daily work (piloting: 20 and exploitation:40). 5. 240 adult learners in risk are engaged in adult education courses based on IO1 and IO2 (piloting: 80 and exploitation:160). 6. 1150 adult trainers and other stakeholders reached through dissemination activities (4 multiplier events, 48 online publications, 20 thematic presentations at external events, ongoing information provision). *Intangible results (outcomes)* 1. Improved professional competences of adult trainers in partner organisations and beyond to apply diversity leadership in their daily work with diverse learners in risk. 2. Increased professional resilience of adult trainers. 3. Improved motivation for learning and development of adult learners in risk. 4. Increased learning achievements of adult learners in risk. 5. Improved awareness of adult education communities in partner countries and beyond in the area of improving continuous professional development training of their teaching staff. The quality of services in the area, where APPROACH partners operate will raise, as a result of improved training delivery by adult trainers. The employment prospects for adult learners in risk will improve as a result of improved educational achievements. The positive atmosphere from the trainings will transcend to the local communities level, since learners are members and representatives of these communities, fostering the intercultural dialogue. The online availability of main outputs will provide pan-European outreach and empower adult trainers across Europe to embed them in their daily practice.
The objectives for the “APPROACH” project were as follows: - to equip adult trainers with the necessary methodology and online self-evaluation tool, which will enable them to apply practical and successful work styles in the training situations they face in their daily work with diverse adults at risk. - Higher adult learning outcomes will result from improved training provision within a challenging, dynamic and rapidly changing global environment. - piloting the developed outputs with 20 adult trainers (5 per partner country) and 80 learners; - expand outputs exploitation to 40 adult trainers and 160 learners; - disseminate project activities and results to 1150 adult trainers and other relevant stakeholders
A new declaration paper by the European Association for the Education of Adults, showed the complex difficulties that Europe will confront and how adult education plays a more prominent role in society. Only 11% of adults in Europe are now enrolled in adult education. Adult education is primarily seen as a method to give at-risk individuals access to fundamental skills. (Source: EAEA). For UK, Brexit, then COVID19 pandemic meant that there is more need for collaboration, more joined-up policy-making and a necessity to expand globally. In Austria and the Netherlands, there have been several instances where participants from opposing communities attend training sessions. Since February 2022, more than half a million Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border into Bulgaria alone, with some staying and others passing through. (Source: WHO, Oct 2022). Adult trainers must be able to change with the environment quickly. We as a partnership (ELN with BEST, YIM, ISE) decided to solve a particular issue that involves assisting adult trainers in managing the rapidly changing, dynamic, and demanding environment. The project aimed at helping them perform better, build resilience and subsequently have a long-lasting impact on adult learners.