This year we’ve produced an interactive map that showcases some of our key moments from 2012:

Looking to the future

2013 will see Leonardo, Grundtvig and Transversal draw to a close under the Lifelong Learning Programme and be replaced by the next funding programme, Erasmus for All. However, we will still be working hard in 2012 and will be sharing our, and our projects’, successes with you on our websites, our blog and Twitter as well as on our soon to be launched Facebook page.

If you have a statistic about your project that you would like to share with us why not leave a comment below or tweet @llpUKecorys? We’d love to hear, for example, how many participants you have been able to send abroad due to Leonardo Mobility funding or how many days you spent job shadowing thanks to Grundtvig Assistantship funding. Share your successes with us!

Rethinking Education

This strategy was published on the 20 November and looks at how Member States can address skills shortages across Europe and impact, positively, on youth unemployment. Currently youth unemployment is at 23% across Europe but this is balanced with over 2 million vacancies that cannot be filled. By developing, and delivering, the right skills for employment it is hoped that Europe can reduce the skills gap whilst meeting targets for growth and education.

Within the UK, the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) aids the delivery and development of skills and education which helps to address a number of the key priorities of Rethinking Education. The project perspectives heard throughout the TNG event not only highlight how the LLP can address these priorities but also how it can help projects to increase employability and soft skills, support schools, recognise skills and contribute to active ageing.

A project perspective

Four project promoters presented their learning outcomes and shared their expert knowledge gained during the project lifecycle:

• Dr Jean Bernard Adrey, from Coventry University, spoke about the impact that Leonardo Mobility has on their young graduates. The projects run by the university have helped over 350 young graduates increase their employability skills and find employment: www.transversal.org.uk/thematic/employability
• Rosa Murray, from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), discussed the benefits of participating in a Transversal Study Visit and how a European perspective helped to provide her with ‘invaluable professional discussions and learning’ and impact on the development of policy at GTCS:  www.transvesal.org.uk/thematic/support
• Ian Lynch, from The Learning Machine, spoke about the INGOTS and SAFE projects, both funded through the Leonardo programme, and how these projects have helped recognise, and certify, IT skills for learners, including learners with special educational needs: https://theingots.org/community/thematic
• Paul Olver, from the Federation of Stadium Communities, spoke about his Grundtvig Partnership project, LEGENDS. The Partnership has worked hard to increase intergenerational learning opportunities that help older residents actively age, and contribute, through interaction with secondary school students. www.transversal.org.uk/thematic/activeageing

It is the best practice, expertise and outcomes of these, and other projects, that have formed the core of the second edition of our In Focus briefing papers helping us to examine how the Leonardo, Grundtvig and Transversal programmes support key areas of UK policy.

In Focus, the second edition

At the event we also launched the second edition of our briefing papers. First produced last year, our briefing papers focus on the four thematic areas and highlight good practice from the Leonardo, Grundtvig and Transversal programmes and how this supports policy at a UK level.

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This year the briefing papers are looking in more detail at the Routes to Recognition, Supporting Schools, Employability & Soft Skills and Supporting Older Learners. You can download the second, and first, editions on our website: www.transversal.org.uk/thematicnetworking

Focusing on active ageing

The Supporting Older Learners briefing paper examines UK policy around active ageing, at our TNG event we also welcomed Brian Keating from the Department of Work and Pensions; he provided further detail on current initiatives in the UK specifically the Age Action Alliance and the Ageing Well programme. These initiatives support the current European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations and will continue to impact on the ageing population of the UK, funding from programmes such as Grundtvig, and the next generation of funding programme, will also actively contribute to this.

Share your views

While our Thematic Networking events are for invited education professionals to exchange expertise, everyone who receives funding from our programmes can get involved in Thematic Networking by reading our event reports, our briefing papers, and disseminating the outcomes from each event.

We would be interested in hearing your views, whether you are closely involved in our Thematic Networking Groups or keep up to date through our blog and website, why not leave us a comment below or tweet @llpUKecorys and share your views on an the latest UK policy developments.

The ‘Defining a future education and training programme’ event brought a range of stakeholders together to hear about the European Commission’s Erasmus for All proposal and to hear the views of a panel of experts. The panel included Nicola Archer (Department of Education), Iverene Bromfield (Angus College), Mark Ravenhall (NIACE), Madeleine Rose (Ecorys) and Simon Williams (British Council). Read, and contribute, to the views raised in the discussion: http://llpukecorys.com/2012/06/21/erasmus-for-all-your-views/

Delegates were also able to hear the inspiring story of StreetGames, who have used Leonardo Partnership funding to compare community sport across countries to improve their own programmes.

The afternoon session provided delegates with an opportunity to break out into the separate TNG workshops.  Sara, at her first TNG event, recently blogged about her experience. More information about the discussions and actions raised in the other groups will be posted shortly.

The event report is available to download and provides an executive summary of the event: http://www.transversal.org.uk/eventreport

If you attended the event we’d love to hear your views of the event, and also your ‘must have’ soft-skills that an employee should have.

Erasmus for All

The plenary session was a very lively question-time style debate, which centred around the Erasmus for Allproposal for the next generation of programmes which will be launched in 2014. Within the proposal is the consolidation of the current programmes, with a dedicated Sport and Youth strand. This streamlined approach will have a new name (a moot point for many) but regardless of the final form the proposals take, what was clear to me is that the passion for learning in that room was in abundance.

Learning from Projects

Next, we heard a short presentation from one of the projects that is funded by the LLP. And in keeping with the forthcoming sporting season, Terry, a beneficiary from the project StreetGames – a sports charity focused on engaging young people in disadvantaged communities, spoke of his experience from his unique learner perspective.  It was fascinating for me and the rest of the audience to hear from this young participant and the positive effect this programme has had on his life. Terry is now a ‘young adviser’ of the programme but his ambitions doesn’t stop here, with his sights set firmly on his bosses position! I was able to speak to John Downes after his presentation, who told me about his passion for his organisation and why he is involved in his project:

Briefing for the Future

The afternoon workshops looked in more detail into specific areas. The group I chose to take part in focused on ‘meeting training and skills needs’ with an aim to reach a consensus on what makes up the ‘right mix of skills’ sought by employers.

Dr Susannah Constable, Project Manager for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, spoke about her teams recently published findings from their comprehensive Skills Survey. Perhaps the most startling figure which stood out for me was that:

41% of the 87,500 organisations interviewed had not provided any training at all for their employees within the last 12 months.

Reasons for this were varied, but that staff were already proficient, time, not being a priority were all listed as factors for non-training.

This was followed by small group discussions as we considered the importance of soft skills, with enthusiasm, dedication and confidence heading up the list. Technical skills and qualifications were also touched upon but it was a combination of both hard and soft skills which seemed to what employers are looking for. One participant summed up with discussion brilliantly stating, ‘It takes both hardware and software to make it work’.

The LLP team is always interested to hear your thoughts on topics related to employability. Why not comment below with your ‘must have’ soft skills you seek in an employee?

Did you know that our programmes offer:

• Professional development activities linked to each participant’s specific training needs.
• The choice of organisational or individual approaches allowing organisations to get involved at a management level or to encourage staff to organise their own CPD.
• CPD at all levels from frontline teaching staff to senior staff.Funding to cover the practical costs of participation.

Transversal Study Visits programme

The Study Visits programme that I work on is becoming more and more popular among FE colleges. Over 250 visits are on offer and the range of topics span from early years to adult education. In simple terms, the programme is open to education and vocational training specialists and decision makers so individuals from all areas of education and training can take part. This includes those working in government, local authorities, schools, colleges, adult education organisations, trade unions, SMEs, sectoral organisations, the voluntary sector and non-governmental organisations.

Just to give you an idea of what type of visits are currently available in the 2012-2013 catalogue:

Group No. 7, Easing transition to the job market: effective measures for reducing unemployment, Zurich, Switzerland, 3-7 December 2012.

Group No. 33, Adult learning: a key for lifelong social and professional integration, Brussels, Belgium, 26-30 November 2012.

Group No. 85, Teaching science in primary and secondary education, Salzburg, Austria, 04-08 February 2013.

Group No. 55, Strategic leadership in schools, Arad,Romania, 6-9 November 2012.

Group No. 100, Empowering Roma youngsters in higher education, Budapest and Pécs,Hungary, 05-08 November 2012.

Group No. 111, NFQ and EQF – Policy development and lifelong learning, Dublin,Ireland, 2-10 October 2012.

Next steps:

If you would like to find out more please visit our website. You can also email us at studyvisits@uk.ecorys.com or call 0845 199 3939 for some informal advice on the programme.

The next deadline for applications is 30 March 2012 – don’t miss out!

Leonardo Mobility gives young apprentices valuable experience with world leading European employers

On 8 February I attended the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) Seminar comparing international models for apprenticeship schemes, which took place as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2012.

Despite my slightly bleary eyes, as I’d opted to travel to London from Birmingham on the day, I was glad I’d arrived bright and early as it gave me the chance to chat to plenty of people, from organisations such as BT and Pearson Work Based Learning, before the presentations began.  On explaining that the Lifelong Learning Programme had been given the opportunity to run a workshop on the benefits of providing European placements to apprentices, I was met with genuine interest and enthusiasm – definitely a good start to the day!

Learning from international practice

The morning key note speakers provided a mix of experience and expertise on the topic of ‘Excellence in Apprenticeships: an International Perspective’.  The NAS  set the scene, explaining that the third annual seminar was bigger than ever with 12 countries represented by a variety of academics, educationalists, practitioners and employers.  The day would be all about sharing learning and celebrating the renaissance of the apprenticeship.

I was particularly interested to see the parallel that was drawn between low rates of youth unemployment and apprenticeships as NAS highlighted statistics showing that countries with strong apprenticeship traditions such as Germany, Switzerland and Austria have been affected far less by youth unemployment recently.

We were then given information on apprentices by the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

Did you know that in Switzerland Vocational Education and Training (VET) is the most popular form of education at upper-secondary level, with about 70% choosing the VET route?

This was followed by presentations from Rolls-Royce and Siemens on the value of apprenticeships for international employers.

Underlining the value of Leonardo Mobility

The afternoon was dedicated to four workshops; and I was grateful to be joined by an experienced Leonardo Mobility project promoter, Chris MacCormac of Morthyng Limited, in explaining the added value of offering apprentices European work experience funded through the Leonardo programme.

I was able to give the audience an overview of how apprenticeships and European mobility are increasingly important within the Lifelong Learning Programme, both at a European and UK level, whilst distributing copies of a paper written by Ecorys. The In Focus briefing paper was a recent outcome of the Thematic Networking Group on ‘Meeting Training and Skills Needs’ (TNG 3). A key finding of this paper ‘Strengthening the provision of training for UK apprentices through European projects’ is that Leonardo Mobility projects report the enormous impact European placements for apprentices has on improving skills vital to UK employers; and this was certainly echoed by Chris MacCormac who has been able to demonstrate (through tracking Mobility project results over the years) that success rates measured through progression and completions were greatly increased as a result of participation in a European work placement.

Delegates were particularly impressed with the impact of European Mobility on the attainment of functional skills, as the placements gave apprentices many naturally occurring instances to hone these skills, for example having to calculate sterling to euro improved mathematical abilities.

Getting ready to apply?

The deadline for submitting an application for a Leonardo Mobility project has just passed, but this means that the delegates have plenty of time to start identifying partners and planning their project ideas in advance of the February 2013 deadline.  I look forward to following up on contacts made during the event. Hopefully I will see their project applications next year!

Tip! View our recent blog post on National Apprenticeship Week.

In the meantime, let me highlight how Leonardo ties in with apprenticeships, for those with an interest in this sector.

National Apprenticeship Week 2012

The benefits

Leonardo Mobility funding is perfect for training providers (colleges, employers etc) since it allows them to apply for grants to send apprentices on European work placements as part of their programme. The programme is a natural fit, since the apprenticeship model of ‘learning by doing’ is how Leonardo Mobility works too.

We’ve had plenty of success stories from happy apprentices, employers and training providers, which you can read about in our brochure, co-authored with the National Apprenticeship Service: European work placements for apprentices.

There is also a dedicated web page to give organisations an overview of what Leonardo offers.

So, why is this important?

The Coalition Government has made clear that it would like apprenticeships to be the natural progression pathway for those looking to enter or progress through skilled employment.

‘Apprenticeships are rightly regarded as the best way to learn in work… We want to ensure that all apprenticeships are as good as the best, and that we learn from international practice.’

‘Government response to the Wolf Review of Vocational Education‘, Department for Education,  May 2011

But political will is not enough on its own. The Government and training providers now need to demonstrate to young people and employers that apprenticeships can deliver on their promise of highly competitive, globally recognised accreditation.

In realising the Government’s ambitions for apprenticeships, the Leonardo programme has demonstrated that European work placements:

• Serve as a powerful incentive for anyone considering undertaking an apprenticeship, by providing experience within leading European industries;
• Improve apprentices’ confidence, independence and other ‘soft skills’ through living abroad in an unfamiliar cultural environment;
• Give apprentices a competitive advantage in seeking employment; and
• Give colleges and training providers a competitive advantage in attracting the best people into their programmes.

Deepening links between apprenticeships and Leonardo

Ecorys runs Thematic Networking Groups (TNGs) which bring together policy people, training providers, employers and other stakeholders to ensure that the Lifelong Learning Programme’s focus (including Leonardo) mirrors closely the UK education landscape and political context. One of these groups (TNG3) is focused on ‘meeting training and skills needs’.

The group meets twice a year and as a result of the discussions has produced a report outlining its work so far, its recommendations for the future.

To find out more I highly recommend you read In focus: strengthening the provision of training for UK apprentices through European projects  (also read our blog posts on this topic here).

“By making Apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people, we are sending a message that technical excellence is as highly valued as academic prowess. And by focusing investment where it is most needed to deliver sustainable growth, we are equipping businesses with the skills they need to rebalance our economy and distribute opportunity more widely.”

Prime Minister David Cameron, 7 February 2012

Find out more and share your views

If you’re an apprenticeship provider please visit our website for more information or call the Leonardo helpline to discuss your ideas on 0845 199 2929.

Alternatively, email us or message us on Twitter (use the hashtag #NAW2012).

You can read out our previous post on the Wolf Report (linked to apprenticeships and vocational training reforms).

Please also share your own experiences of Leonardo work placements for apprenticeships as comments on this post.