The DigiVET Project addresses the current challenges of the VET sector emerged from the transition to the digital era and the impact of COVID-19 in the provision of VET for both trainers and trainees.
CONTEXT
The ongoing COVID-19 health, social and economic crisis presented both challenges and opportunities for digital transformation in many EU sectors that were severely affected. The impact was more than apparent in education, where the face to face teaching/learning process was interrupted for a considerable amount of time. The European Commission, realising the emerging need for educational and training reform in the digital era, initiated the development of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021- 2027). The results of the public consultation process (June to September 2020) highlighted the impact of COVID-19 in education and training; almost 60% of respondents mentioned that they had never used distance/online learning tools before COVID-19, while more than half of respondents admitted that they wish to improve their digital skills following their recent experience. The VET sector has been disproportionally affected since its strong work-based component does not allow for much flexibility and reliance on digital tools. The need for innovative solutions is even more evident to develop the capacity of VET trainers and to motivate learners to seek for quality VET opportunities and combat the increasing levels of early leaving.
FOCUS
The project focuses on the professional upskilling of VET trainers. VET trainers face a number of challenges in their efforts to adapt to the unfolding situation that requires high incorporation levels of digital technology in VET. Among others, they mentioned lack of digital skills and competences to effectively use digital tools such as e-learning platforms, poor experience in creating and utilising digital learning resources, lack of experience in e-learning and other distance learning tools and methods in VET, as well as concerns over privacy issues, copyrights and data protection.
The DigiVET Project foresees to address current needs and concerns of VET trainers through the provision of a quality, comprehensive Training Programme on the development of digital learning resources, providing them, also, with the opportunity to develop and share their own digital resources.
OBJECTIVES
DigiVET aims to:
- develop VET trainers’ digital competences, in particular the development of digital learning resources for VET
- build the capacity of VET trainers to adapt their delivery of VET in the digital era, through the incorporation of digital resources and tools
- develop an online VET Hub that will provide open access to digital learning resources in various VET sectors
- support the provision of flexible, high quality VET opportunities, adapted to correspond to the requirements of the digital era and needs emerged under COVID-19
TARGET GROUPS
VET Trainers are the main beneficiaries and participants of the project activities and intellectual outputs.
PROJECT INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS
IO1. Research and report: Identification of Current Situation
The partnership will carry out a research on the current situation of digital resources in VET provision, through directly addressing VET trainers as the Project’s main target group and beneficiaries of its results. The research will be made through questionnaires, meetings and interviewes putting in evidence the transnational needs of VET trainers and will include a desk research by organisation and country “National reports on Current Situation of Digital Resources in VET”. The aggregated results and findings will be compiled into a final analysis and report “Consolidated Report on Current Situation of Digital Resources in VET”.
IO2. DigiVET Training Programme
The second intellectual output of the project is a 30h online training programme that will address the VET trainers needs in adapting their training delivery approach and practicies to correspond to current needs of trainees and the provision of VET in a digital era. It will include: development of digital content for VET, familiarisation with online software, authoring tools (such as Elucidat, Articulate, Lectora, Easygenerator, DomiKnow, based on finding of IO1) and relevant features (interactive learning, storyboarding, gamification, SCORM compliance, tests/assessments, template management, etc.), as well as guidance for the development of interactive learning resources.
The DigiVET Training Programme will be hosted in the DigiVET e-learning platform that will be accessible for free through personal computers and portal devices.
PILOT ACTION testing phase
The pilot testing phase of the DigiVET Training Programme and e-Learning platform will include:
A testing through pre- and post-assessment questionnaires addressed to VET trainers who will take part in the online DigiVET training through the e-Learning platform.
A 4 days international training course in Austria during which 18 VET Trainers will apply in practice the skills and knowledge acquired through the DigiVET Training programme: they will prepare VET mini-modules to include in the DigiVET HUB. The training will involve 3 VET Trainers from each partner country.
IO3. DigiVET HUB
The third intellectual output of the project will be an open library of open VET resources on various fields and difficulty levels, aiming to facilitate free acces to quality learning resources, while at the same time provide VET trainers a space to develop and publish digital learning resources. VET Trainers will benefit of an eManual for a successful incorporation of their content on the Hub.
The DigiVET HUB will contain the 18 VET mini-Modules developed by the VET participants to the international training course in collaboration with the responsibles of the partner organisations. The topics selected for the mini-Modules must reflect the specific VET field of beneficiaries in the partner countries.
The DigiVET HUB will be hosted on the e-Learning platform.
PARTNERS
The international consortium of partners is composed of organizations active in the field of VET, research, education and training: CREFOP Centrul de Resurse pentru Educatie si Formare Profesionala (Romania), EUROTRAINING Educational Organisation (Greece), REPLAY Network (Italy), Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo DANILO DOLCI (Italy), DIE BERATER Unternehmensberatungs Gesellschaft Mbh (Austria), CETRI (Cyprus), NOVEL Group (Luxembourg).
DURATION
24 months, between 1st of April 2021 and 31st of March 2023.
IO1. IDENTIFICATION OF CURRENT SITUATION
IO2. DIGIVET TRAINING PROGRAMME
Read our article on Distance vocational training, in times of pandemic here.