The project objectives were to: - Grow a better understanding of the barriers, challenges, and opportunities related to inclusive VET learner engagement in our training centers and at the national and European levels. - Realize the diversity of learner profiles, including underrepresented learners. - Raise awareness and emphasize inclusion, diversity, and learner engagement. - Underline the importance of wellbeing of VET learners regarding their sense of belonging - Engage learners in institutional decision making, quality assurance, teaching&learning processes - Encourage VET institutions to critically reflect on their own policies and practices around inclusive learner engagement - Develop a Self-Assessment tool to provide an evaluation opportunity for VET managers - Support VET institutions with concrete instruments to increase participation of underrepresented groups within VET institutional formal and informal systems of student engagement - Making VET establishments aware of the potential of the results developed in the project (awareness raising) - Make VET more attractive
When considering diversity and inclusion in VET, the emphasis is on learning & teaching (making curricula and classrooms more inclusive).(1)Being a student is not just about taking classes and passing exams but also encompasses elements of a sense of belonging with one’s school.The learners need to obtain key life competences and soft skills which go beyond the VET curriculum. (2)The learner representation and engagement in VET still appear to be primarily geared towards ‘traditional’ students who are typically middle-class, able bodied and studying full-time.However, VET tends to attract a diverse range of learners with a high proportion of learners from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds; learners with a disability, adult learners, learners from a migrant background etc.This diversity and their needs must be understood well. When all these needs are considered in VET, a higher student retention and increased chance of succeeding can be achieved.Therefore, the partners applied to this project to address all these needs, challenges to engage learners more, to develop tools and to enrich learners’ engagement process in addition to their studies.