ECVET meets EUROPASS mobility

Transcription

1 45 leonardo da vinci ECVET meets EUROPASS mobility Documenting learning outcomes in mobilities Project results Studies Conferences Documents

2 Imprint Publisher: Nationale Agentur Bildung für Europa beim Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (NA beim BIBB) Accountable party pursuant to German media law: Klaus Fahle Editorial Committee: Chaired by: Grzegorz Szarowski, Dr. Thomas Reglin Members: Tanja Bacher, Furio Bednarz, Uta-M.-Behnisch, Małgorzata Chmielecka-Gumoś, Jörg Engelmann, Gabriele Fietz, Maria Gatz, Christiane Langweg, Sonja Lengauer, Folene Nannen-Gethmann, Serge Rochet, Tomas Sprlak, Grzegorz Szarowski Layout: kippconcept, Bonn Printing: Medienhaus Plump, Rheinbreitbach Status as of October 2012 Please send orders to: Forschungsinstitut Betriebliche Bildung (f-bb) ggmbh Obere Turnstraße 8 D Nürnberg [email protected] Reference Number: This publication has been supported with European Commission funds. The authors assume sole responsibility for the content of this publication; the European Commission bears no responsibility for any further use of the information contained herein. ISSN ISBN

3 ECVET meets EUROPASS Mobility Documenting learning outcomes in mobilities Series of reports published by the National Agency Education for Europe at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

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5 Content Preface 5 Prof. Dr. Eckart Severing 1. EUROPASS Mobility in Europe and in Germany 7 Uta-M. Behnisch 2. ECMO: ECVET meets EUROPASS Mobility an overview 16 Grzegorz Szarowski 3. VQTS matrices Bridging ECVET to EUROPASS Mobility? 24 Tanja Bacher & Sonja Lengauer 4. Measuring learning outcomes in the Polish context 36 Małgorzata Chmielecka-Gumoś 5. Proposal for modification of the section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET criteria 43 Maria Gatz, Grzegorz Szarowski 6. Evaluation of competencies for sustainable employability 57 Tomas Sprlak & Serge Rochet 7. Advantages of the use during mobilities of instruments developed by the ECMO project 70 Folene Nannen-Gethmann & Christiane Langweg 8. The acceptance of the EUROPASS Mobility the function of the ECMO Guidelines 78 Jörg Engelmann 9. ECMO and Beyond: Lessons learned and perspectives from the viewpoints of stakeholders and practitioners 92 Furio Bednarz, Gabriele Fietz ECMO project partners 111 Appendices 113 3

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7 Preface Prof. Dr. Eckart Severing There are by now a multitude of European initiatives in existence which aim at increasing the transparency of educational results and in this way supporting the mobility of learners and employees in Europe. The range of these initiatives includes: credit systems intended to make learning outcomes in the field of higher and vocational education transferable across national borders; internationally comprehensible standardized documentation instruments such as the EUROPASS; and the construction of an architecture for a general trans- European qualification framework. It comprises a whole series of different approaches, from initiatives that make visible the results of informal learning, through to measures aimed at promoting the development of quality in education based on common Europe-wide standards. Some of these instruments have already passed far beyond the phase of implementation and initial testing; others have still to become established in educational practice. In the light of what has already been achieved, the main emphasis of the discussion has now shifted. What is being discussed now is not so much if processes and instruments for supporting mobilities are needed, but rather which of these processes and instruments are of prime importance, how to develop them further, which help and support the educational practitioners need to use them without excessive expenditure, and what synergies can be created between the different initiatives and instruments. In short, what is on the agenda for discussion in this area today are questions concerning the actual practical realization, and the fine-tuning, of these processes and instruments. The ECMO project, the results of which are presented in this volume, is to be situated in this context. The idea at the centre of this project has been the connection of the EUROPASS Mobility with ECVET, with the aim of increasing the benefits yielded by both of these latter instruments ECVET helps to increase the quality of documentation of mobilities in the EUROPASS by offering a learning outcome -oriented language of description for these mobilities. Conversely, the anchoring of ECVET in EUROPASS serves to support a firmer establishment of the credit system. As a result, not only is the quality of the documentation of mobilities improved; ECVET also helps to define more 5

8 clearly the specific goals of mobilities and can thereby also have a positive impact on the quality of the execution and concrete realization of these latter. The essential issue in the course of the next few years will be the testing-out, within several branches and sectors as well as within different constellations of countries, of how this European tool-box of instruments, the component parts of which have emerged from a whole series of different initiatives, can be developed and synthesized into a single comprehensive and coherent system of transnational communication in the field of education. The structures for exchange of ideas and cooperation between experts and professionals that have been developed in the context of the LEONARDO DA VINCI Programme can make an important contribution here. 6

9 1. EUROPASS Mobility in Europe and in Germany Uta-M. Behnisch 1.1. Introduction Transparency and comparability of learning- and work-experience plays an increasingly important role in an expanding European education area and European labor market. With EUROPASS the European Commission has created a personal, coordinated portfolio of documents which helps European citizens present their skills, competences and qualifications in a clear, standardized form which is understood internationally. At the same time, the EUROPASS promotes the mobility of citizens and increases job opportunities on the European labor market EUROPASS Framework The EUROPASS Framework is based on the Decision of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 th December It consists of five documents aimed at increasing transparency: EUROPASS CV EUROPASS Language Passport EUROPASS Certificate Supplement EUROPASS Mobility EUROPASS Diploma Supplement These five tools followed the EUROPASS Training, which was the direct predecessor of EUROPASS Mobility and paved the way for the whole framework. After conducting an analysis of EUROPASS Training, the Commission decided to implement a whole framework the aim of which would be to help citizens to present their skills and competences in a transparent and standardized way which all authorities and institutions all across Europe would be able to read and understand. This was meant to facilitate mobility throughout Europe, for both lifelong learning and occupational purposes, and thereby contribute to the development of ever higher quality in education and training. 7

10 1.3. From EUROPASS Training to EUROPASS Mobility EUROPASS Mobility was developed in 2005 specifically to document organized learning steps abroad. All learning experiences regardless of their specific objective can be described here. This is what distinguishes EUROPASS Mobility from its predecessor, EUROPASS Training, which applied exclusively to workrelated stays abroad from January 2000 until the end of EUROPASS Training, however, had been so well-received that an extension of the project to encompass further target groups beyond vocational education and training became inevitable. With EUROPASS Mobility all types and levels of study-visits within Europe can now be certified for pupils attending vocational schools or schools of general education, for apprentices, students or jobseekers. It also applies to educational staff, and to adults flexible enough to want to gain experience learning abroad, which is then certified by the sending organization in the country of destination and the host organization abroad National EUROPASS Centres (NECs) There presently exist National EUROPASS Centres (NECs) in 33 European states. These NECs have the task of ensuring that the EUROPASS framework is as widely known as possible and of making the individual documents available to all interested European citizens. A further important task of the NECs is national and international networking with all relevant experts and stakeholders, in order to be able to advise interested citizens about learning opportunities in Europe. A common European EUROPASS homepage is hosted at the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), based in Thessaloniki, Greece. All general information about EUROPASS can be found here and the EUROPASS CV and EUROPASS Language Passport are to be created and downloaded here. All national EUROPASS homepages are connected to this EU server which can be reached at 8

11 1.5. EUROPASS in Europe The EUROPASS framework has now been up and running for seven years. The latest figures show that the decision was a well-founded one: the backbone document, the EUROPASS CV, has been used by almost 20 million people since The European EUROPASS website, based in Thessaloniki, is currently visited by about 43,000 visitors per day (53.2 million since 2005). These figures are steadily rising year by year, demonstrating that the EUROPASS framework is becoming increasingly well-known and that its documents are proving useful throughout Europe. Close cooperation between the worlds of education and work, and better recognition of skills and qualifications, are essential in order to boost employability and fight unemployment. By setting out an individual s skills and qualifications acquired both through formal and through non-formal learning in a clear and understandable way throughout Europe, EUROPASS facilitates communication between jobseekers and employers and acts as a mediator between the worlds of education and training on the one hand and the realities of the labor market on the other. This is a big plus in uncertain economic times EUROPASS in Germany The German NEC is based at the National Agency Education for Europe at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (NA at BIBB) situated in Bonn. It is like all NECs responsible for the overall dissemination of information regarding EUROPASS, and for the publication, provision and issue of EUROPASS documents in Germany. A national website has been created for this purpose and for the purpose of communicating specifically German contents. It was revised and updated in the middle of 2011, so that information tailored to specific target groups is now provided for all EUROPASS documents. In Germany the EUROPASS framework has been implemented with all five documents. The EUROPASS CV and EUROPASS Language Passport can be created via the EU server see above. A national database was developed for EUROPASS Mobility in As part of this process, EUROPASS Mobility can be applied for online in five languages: DE (German), EN (English), FR (French), ES (Spanish), IT (Italian). The template of the EUROPASS Diploma Supplement can be applied for by higher education institutions and universities in 9

12 English and German via a closed section of the EUROPASS website, and the EUROPASS Certificate Supplements can be accessed in German, English and French for almost all jobs in the German dual system Distribution of EUROPASS documents in Germany EUROPASS Mobility is particularly well established in Germany. Since the introduction of the database developed by the NEC for the preparation and issuing of EUROPASS Mobility documents, a large amount of database improvements have been realized which make the application and filling-in process easier for the applicant institutions that is, mostly the sending organizations together with the host organization abroad. Thanks to this database, the signs are already very good for the distribution of EUROPASS Mobility documents within Germany: 85 % of the over 112,000 documents (as of 25 th July 2012) are issued as part of funded vocational education programs (procedure type A); 14 % for mobilities without funding, or in other words for so-called hidden mobility (procedure type B); and 1 % of those issued are for individual persons as part of funded EU Programs see the section From vocational education and training to adult education on page 13 (procedure type C see page 12). In the case of the EUROPASS CV and EUROPASS Language Passport, it is more difficult to get an idea of how widely these are disseminated and in use in Germany and Europe. Here, only estimates are possible; no information is available regarding their content or use, as both documents can be accessed centrally via the EU server and data protection requirements apply. Data is only available about the number of documents issued per member state and per language which need not necessarily be the same thing, as English-language CVs, for example, are not only filled in in the UK, and German-language CVs filled in, besides in Germany, also in Switzerland and Austria, and for some applications made for jobs in Germany from abroad. Feedback from citizens who have used the CV is usually positive. The opportunity to complete and update the document via the internet is particularly appreciated. Feedback from industry indicates that the unique structure makes it easier to scan large numbers of applications; the only problem seems to be that the general awareness of EUROPASS within companies is not high enough. With regard to the issue of EUROPASS Diploma Supplements the following must be noted: universities are increasingly issuing the Diploma Supplement for 10

13 completed Bachelor and Master s degrees on documents with their own layout, i.e. without the clear EUROPASS design. Nevertheless, the structure has remained the same even beyond the borders of Europe. And trade and industry have also reacted to this, with personnel managers in companies more and more frequently explicitly requesting the Diploma Supplement from applicants, as it provides them with a quick overview of the university study completed. 303 EUROPASS Certificate Supplements are available in German. Most of them are available in English and French (as of January 2012). These 303 EUROPASS Certificate Supplements are going to be constantly added to until all of the approximately 350 dual job Certificate Supplements are available in Germany. Furthermore, the NEC plans to encourage those responsible in each of the individual German federal states to issue Certificate Supplements for fulltime school-based vocational trainings. These should then become available centrally for each German federal state so that they can be accessed via the EUROPASS homepage The edition procedure of EUROPASS Mobility in Germany In Germany there is an online database for the issuing of EUROPASS Mobility documents. The document can be completed in German, English, French, Spanish or Italian and can be issued via three types of procedures: Procedure Type A, Type B, or Type C. Procedure Type A applies to projects funded as part of the EU Lifelong Learning Program (LLP), to the predecessor programs of these latter, and to bilateral nationally-funded programs all of which undergo a selection procedure which certifies that they meet the quality criteria laid down in the European Council Decision establishing the EUROPASS. In these cases, the entering into the database of the project number of the approved project is required. There is also the opportunity to transfer details such as: name and address of all three parties involved, i.e. the individual participant, the sending and the host organizations into the participant contract, the learning agreement, or the confirmation of partnership forms. For this purpose, these data have first to be entered into EUROPASS Mobility; the EUROPASS Mobility document itself can then be finalized later. 11

14 Procedure Type B applies to projects lying outside of any program. This procedure only requires a short description of the stay abroad, stating that the quality criteria of the EUROPASS Decision are being complied with. With this procedure, for example, a small craftsman s business, which sends its apprentices abroad, can confirm what these apprentices have learned, i.e. the learning outcomes, in the EUROPASS Mobility. Applications will be checked and approved by the NEC or other competent organizations. In both cases i.e. Procedures A and B the sending institution applies for the document and comes to an agreement about the learning content with the host organization. Those participants in study visits or learning periods abroad, who do not have a sending institution which applies (applying) for their EUROPASS Mobility documents who did not have a sending institution were, until recently, excluded from this. However, the NEC has now created a solution Procedure Type C which takes into account the needs of specific target groups and the requirements of the EU Commission for the certification of study visits and learning periods abroad with a EUROPASS Mobility. Procedure Type C was introduced in 2008 and applies to learners who are taking part in a European- or national-funded project, but do not have a sending institution who will apply for and complete the EUROPASS Mobility for them. It requires the application number of a funded and approved project belonging to one of the following programs: EU study visits, COMENIUS assistant placements, Measures of the Bilateral Foreign Language Assistant Program, GRUNDTVIG visits /-exchanges /-assistant placements /-workshops, GRUNDTVIG further training measures for employees in adult education. These participants are gaining intercultural experience as part of individual measures and they now have the opportunity to apply for the document themselves and to complete it. The EUROPASS Mobility is authorized by the stamp and signature of the host organization alone. The relevant National Agency, through which the mobility program has been authorized and funded, is entered automatically in the EUROPASS Mobility document, in the field for the sending organization. This process enables EUROPASS Mobility to fulfill the requirements of the EU Commission and of the committed learners and has made the step up from vocational education and training to adult education. 12

15 1.9. From vocational education and training to adult education While EUROPASS Mobility is still being used intensively as part of vocational education and training particularly through the funding opportunities available as part of the LEONARDO DA VINCI Program for Lifelong Learning interest in the document is also growing in other areas of education. This applies to groups of disseminators, communities of experts, teachers, lecturers, and educational institutions, as well as personnel managers in companies and in industry-related institutions (professional associations), and also generally in adult education. International cooperation is becoming increasingly relevant, indeed indispensable for these target groups. Extending knowledge and getting to know other cultures, working methods, and teaching and learning methods is now almost an everyday part of working life. This can take the form of joint projects with foreign partners, the employment of foreign citizens in one s own company, the placement or preparation of schoolchildren or teachers abroad in a mobility project, or long-term work abroad. This creates an increased demand for certification tools, which has led in turn to the extension of EUROPASS Mobility to another target group, as is described under Procedure Type C. The German EUROPASS homepage with access to the EUROPASS Mobility database can be found at Requests for information can be sent to this address: [email protected] National Coordination Centre ECVET and NetECVET One important tool to increase the quality of EUROPASS, and here especially the quality of the descriptions of learning outcomes in the EUROPASS Mobility documents, is ECVET. On November 1st 2010, the National Coordination Centre ECVET was set up in the NA at BIBB. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) it has the task of supporting education experts testing the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) within the context of transnational mobility projects in Germany. Furthermore, since the end of 2010 the EU-funded network NetECVET has been integrated into the NA at BIBB. Representatives from the National Agencies of 13

16 14 member states work together on the development and testing of possible models for the description of learning outcomes. Over a hundred projects, supported by the Program for Lifelong Learning, examine and test current ECVET components and principles. This is the starting point for the development of a toolbox for the practical application of defined ECVET principles within the individual member states. These two initiatives can together provide the stimulus for the use of ECVET in connection with national and transnational mobility projects. EUROPASS Mobility is already being used to record learning outcomes achieved during a stay abroad. In collaboration with the ECVET Coordination Centre and the NetECVET, support and implementation guidelines will be developed and offered to those sending and hosting organizations which issue EUROPASS Mobility documents, thus helping them to clearly describe learning outcomes achieved abroad Prospects The development, now pending, of a European Skills Pass will also bring about alterations in EUROPASS. The new arrangement will make a clear distinction between the EUROPASS CV, as the backbone, on the one hand and the European Skills Passport on the other. The European Skills Passport might take the form of an electronic file, where the other EUROPASS documents would be gathered: i.e. the EUROPASS Language Passport; the EUROPASS Mobility; the EUROPASS Certificate Supplement; the EUROPASS Diploma Supplement and two more new developments: the EUROPASS Experience for all learning outcomes gained in a national, non-formal setting, and the EUROPASS ICT Skills, describing functional and advanced ICT skills within a common European reference-framework. In these documents, all skills, knowledge and competences (= learning outcomes) can be documented, independent of where and how they were acquired and how long their acquisition took. This means that, alongside the learning experiences acquired abroad, non-formal learning will also be presented. This will enable a more structured and comprehensive presentation of the individual s full range of qualifications. 14

17 At the same time, there will also be taken into consideration the question of how non-formal knowledge wherever it was acquired and whatever it was based on can be recognized by an institution/organization. Learning outcomes are the key to mutual understanding within Europe. They will be implemented with the help of the EQF and the ECVET. While the EQF is the instrument which simplifies transparency, comparability and the transfer of acquired qualifications as a translation tool, ECVET aims to take into account and to bring about an ordered accumulation of learning outcomes, which are then added up to form an overall qualification-picture. The true recognition of learning outcomes across the whole of Europe will ensure that EUROPASS enjoys an even greater acceptance and emphasis in the future. There are exciting times ahead for the EUROPASS framework! 15

18 2. ECMO: ECVET meets EUROPASS Mobility an overview Grzegorz Szarowski The European Union makes it easier for its residents to live and work in other EU states. This is not just important for personal decisions and development; it is also crucial as regards a transparent and open labour market in Europe. Mobility in the context of Vocational Education and Training and the experiences of the trainees can encourage them to be more open toward the idea of moving to another European country. Among the things that would be required in order to make mobilities more attractive for trainees is a transparent procedure of documentation of learning outcomes acquired abroad. There already exist European transparency instruments that aim at achieving this goal, such as ECVET and the EUROPASS Mobility. The goal of the ECMO project has been to improve the documentation of learning outcomes acquired during mobilities. To achieve this goal, ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility have been interconnected. This chapter provides an overview of the project goals and results What is ECVET? The European credit system for vocational education and training (ECVET) is a powerful tool of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) for increasing cross-border cooperation in education and training. It should lead to portable qualifications and transferable learning outcomes, thereby making learning mobility and lifelong learning a reality for young and adult learners. 1 Two important preconditions for the successful implementation of ECVET are: to communicate, in a transparent manner, the added value of this approach for VET and to employ the learning outcomes approach in different stages of the ECVET process 2. In the course of the ECMO project the partners have worked on these preconditions and conducted discussions about them with the stakeholders involved. 1 CEDEFOP, 2012, p.1 2 CEDEFOP, 2012, p

19 2.2. What is EUROPASS Mobility? The EUROPASS is a European instrument that has been developed in order to promote transparency of skills in qualifications in Europe. It consists of five documents which can be used to document the qualifications and competences acquired in different contexts: Curriculum Vitae, Language Passport, Certificate Supplement, EUROPASS Mobility and Diploma Supplement 3. The EUROPASS Mobility has the goal of documenting skills and competences that have been acquired in another European country e.g. during a mobility project. At present, section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility allows transparent documentation of tasks carried out during mobility phases and of skills and competence acquired abroad. However, the evaluation study on the utilization of the EUROPASS Mobility has shown that the spaces in the document set aside for the description of the acquired skills and competences were not used as often as those set aside for the description of tasks and activities carried out in the mobility 4. There seems to be a problem in differentiating between, on the one hand, the descriptions of jobs/tasks carried out and, on the other hand, the description of the skills/competences acquired because, to an extent, the same contents tend to be filled in for both 5. Moreover, the activities carried out and the skills and competences acquired have to be filled in by the institutions involved, even though these institutions possess no guidelines for this task 6. This can overtax the institutions, so that they either ignore the spaces set aside for the description of the competences or fill in general tasks and activities without a learning outcome orientation Need for action The European Union has made a clear statement expressing its intention to combine the existing European transparency instruments and to develop them further. This linkage directs the attention of important stakeholders to these instruments and may prove a development capable of improving the quantity and quality of their use. The ECMO project contributes to the realization of 3 (accessed ) 4 Nationales Europass Center (NEC), 2009, p.8 5 Nationales Europass Center (NEC), 2009, p.8 6 Nationales Europass Center (NEC), 2009, p.7 17

20 these political statements by combining two of these instruments: ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility. ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility are two instruments which are currently being used in the European Union with a more or less professional approach. These instruments, however, are being used in a whole series of different ways and there may be several reasons for this. It could be due to their complexity or, alternatively, to a lack of comprehensive guidelines outlining how to deal with these approaches in a structured and professional way. Another reason could be that the added value that might be gained by using these instruments is not clear. However, a clarity about the potential added value to be gained through these instruments is a very important precondition not just for the successful implementation of ECVET 7 but also for that the more professional use of the EUROPASS Mobility. The added value can be created when both instruments are used in conjunction. This connection can be an advantage for the implementation of both ECVET and the EUROPASS Mobility. First of all, these instruments can thereby reach a broader audience and become more popular. Secondly, the added value can become clearer to everyone in the course of discussions about the linkage of these approaches conducted with important stakeholders Project s goals The aim of the project was to improve the quality of the documentation of mobility results in the EUROPASS Mobility through the application of ECVET criteria. Furthermore, the project aimed at supporting and encouraging the recognition and validation in the home country of learning outcomes that had been achieved during a mobility. In addition, the project had the goal of making proposals for the further development of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility, i.e. the section designed for documenting skills and competences acquired during a mobility phase. The EUROPASS Mobility can be applied as a document for quality assurance when documenting competences for ECVET. However, an evaluation study 8 7 CEDEFOP, Nationales Europass Center (NEC),

21 concerning the utilization of the EUROPASS Mobility has shown that the spaces in the document intended for the description of the acquired skills and competences were rarely or improperly used. To document the results of mobility projects according to ECVET criteria in the EUROPASS Mobility, the learning outcomes achieved should be described and their relation to the qualification in the home country should be specified. In this way mobility projects gain additional value: learning results acquired abroad will be not only documented but also validated, and can even be recognized and integrated into the qualifications pathway which a learner may be following within his/her home country. At the same time, for the implementation of ECVET in Europe it is necessary to report the experiences acquired with mobility actions in a bottom-up process, proceeding from the base to the EU-level, in order to enhance the practicability and the acceptance of this approach. Different requirements apply regarding evaluation and documentation in the different countries. In the project, the EUROPASS Mobility has been used as a basis for mutual trust and as something which provides a possibility of mutual recognition. It was the aim of the project to incorporate the EUROPASS Mobility as an added value for the trainees, by seeing that it was filled out with learning outcomes proven through competence-assessment procedures. The project was led by f-bb, which has long and significant experience in research activities concerning European Transparency Instruments. The consortium running it consisted of 6 core partners, including the coordinator and 3 associated partners. Some core partners (Italy and Poland) are experts in the area of the documentation of knowledge, skills and competences. The French partner is the National Framework Organization dealing with the Bilans de Competence and therefore also an expert in the area of the documentation of competences. The Austrian partner was responsible for, amongst other things, the innovation transfer from the project ECVET-tour and has long-term experience in projects dealing with ECVET, especially in the HoReCa sector, as does the UK College as well. The two German associated partners are experienced in mobility projects in the above-mentioned sector and were responsible for testing the suggestions for the modification of the EUROPASS Mobility in practice. Furthermore, an advisory body was also established, consisting of several National EUROPASS Centres and relevant stakeholders. This was ex- 19

22 pected to have an impact on the quality assurance of documentation of learning outcomes as a basis for recognition. Another important aim of the project was the drawing-up of a concrete proposal for using EUROPASS Mobility as a documentation instrument for ECVET validated by competent bodies (e.g. by the associated partner IHK Munich) and relevant stakeholders (e.g. Verband Systemgastronomie). A further added value was the giving of some impetus to the idea of learning-outcome-oriented curricula for specific qualifications in the hotel and restaurant sector. The target groups of the project were practitioners as well as representative from the political level. For the first target group, guidelines and tips for organizing a mobility project according to ECVET criteria are provided. For political actors, this publication is also of great potential interest, especially the proposal for the modification of the EUROPASS Mobility in respect of a better documentation of learning outcomes Results The consortium worked on the project s goals in several project meetings and through regular exchange of opinions. First of all, common job procedures were identified for the hotel, restaurant and catering sector (HoReCa) and for the occupational areas cook, hotel- and restaurant-trade commercial assistant and Professional Caterer ( Systemgastronom ). To achieve this goal VQTS Competence Matrices were used, wherein spaces were set aside for the description of the learning outcomes for specific occupational areas. 9 A Competence Matrix displays competences in a table organized according to core work tasks ( competence areas ) and the progress of competence development ( steps of competence development ). 10 For the last-mentioned occupational area, Professional Caterer, a VQTS matrix was developed in the course of the project based on comparisons of similar qualifications in the partner countries. For the first two qualifications, the VQTS matrices of the project ECVET-Tour were used. Moreover a comparison between the Polish and the German educational systems as regards the category 9 For more information see: (accessed ) 10 Luomi-Messerer & Markowitsch, 2006, p.11 20

23 specialist in food services ( system gastronomy ) and an identification of the learning units common to the two were carried out by way of an example. Based on the results of a questionnaire, it was decided to use the first part of the VET profile for the mobility projects in order to facilitate communication between the hosting and sending partners. The VQTS matrices, accompanied by filled-in VET-profiles, were used in the mobility projects in order to facilitate communication between the hosting and the sending partners. Both sides agreed on the learning units to be tested by means of the matrices. Although it requires expert knowledge to develop VQTS matrices, it was decided within the consortium to recommend the development of such matrices in preparation for mobility projects in line with the ECVET criteria, provided only that experts are involved and other tools are not available. The learning outcome approach exemplified in the matrices contributes to the transparency of qualifications across the borders of European countries. The two most important results of the ECMO project are: the proposal for the further development of the EUROPASS Mobility; and the supporting guidelines which enable teachers and trainers to conduct mobility projects in accordance with the ECVET criteria. Both products were discussed in the consortium. Moreover, drafts of these products were discussed with important stakeholders. After the feedback from the VET experts, trainers and other actors involved in the mobility projects, these products were modified so as to accord with the needs of the target group. The guidelines also comprise recent developments on the national and European level. They aim at assisting teachers and trainers in the preparation, realization and documentation of the learning outcomes of mobility projects according to ECVET criteria. Recommendations for the validation and recognition are also part of the guidelines. The ECMO guide will also contribute to increasing the quality of mobility projects, because it supports teachers and trainers in defining exactly what learning outcomes are to be achieved and how they are to be assessed and documented in section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility. The guide offers explanations of the respective steps and in addition practical support: namely, links to checklists and templates as well as models and reports of experience acquired in recently-completed LEONARDO DA VINCI projects. 21

24 The proposals made for the modification of the EUROPASS Mobility and the supporting guidelines were used and tested through negotiation processes in mobility projects (i.e. both ongoing and separately applied mobility projects) in the HoReCa (Hotel Restaurant Catering) sector. As a basis for the identification of common job procedures, the VQTS model was transfered to the HoReCa sector. Outcomes of the europass+ project were also used. Several sorts of dissemination activity have been carried out so as to inform the stakeholders involved about the project s results. The project has its own website as part of this dissemination strategy (www. ecmo-europe.de). This website gives a more in-depth insight into the project. The project folder is another part of the dissemination strategy. It informs about the general characteristics of the project and serves as an initial point of access to the project s contents. There is also a link to the project website which contains more elaborated information. The comprehensive quality assurance plan, as well as monitoring and evaluation measures, were the main tools of quality management in the project. The Quality Management bore both upon process issues and on the products delivered by the project, in order to ensure the achievement of the effectiveness expected of them. The Quality Management also aimed at providing the coordinator, the partnership and the Advisory Board (in charge of validating and evaluating results) with data and information useful for adjusting the management of the different work packages. In the following sections of this publication some ECMO project partners will describe the development of the instruments involved in the project. First of all, there will be described the use made, in the project, of the VQTS matrices. Then, the advantages and disadvantages will be discussed of using a well-structured and flexible instrument to measure learning outcomes in the Polish context. The next article then deals with competence-assessment in the context of mobilities, and with the role of mobility as regards employability. There will then follow a section dealing with the use of the ECMO instruments in practice. The advantages of the developed instruments used during the mobilities, as well as the acceptance of the EUROPASS Mobility and the role of the guidelines, will be discussed. 22

25 Finally a description will be given of the evaluation process and of the results achieved in the project Perspectives In the future, the results of mobility projects should be documented in a European database that should be available for institutions organizing mobility projects. The results of these projects could consist in the comparison of core work tasks of specific occupational areas in the countries involved, the acquired learning outcomes and the experiences contributed by involved organizations and trainees. Such practical information would then facilitate the organization of subsequent mobility projects and might potentially increase the frequency with which mobilities are organized in future. References CEDEFOP, 2012, Necessary conditions for ECVET implementation Luomi-Messerer, K. & Markowitsch, J. (Eds.) (2006). VQTS model. A proposal for a structured description of work- related competences and their acquisition. (accessed ) Nationales Europass Center (2009): Europass Mobilität Evaluationsstudie zeigt: Europass Mobilität erfolgreich etabliert. (accessed ) Websites (accessed ) (accessed ) (accessed ) 23

26 3. VQTS matrices Bridging ECVET to EUROPASS Mobility? Tanja Bacher & Sonja Lengauer Abstract The following article discusses the approach followed in the ECMO project, where the VQTS model was used as a bridging tool between two European transparency instruments: ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility. The article briefly discusses ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility, but places its main emphasis on the VQTS model and focuses on the usability of this instrument during the ECMO project. The article thus presents an overview, outlining, on the one hand, what has been done in ECMO and, on the other hand, the added value gained by using the VQTS model for formulating and illustrating learning outcomes. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to how the instruments described can be brought together, and perspectives are developed on how possible future developments of EUROPASS might serve to increase mobility in VET within the European Union Introduction For some years now, the European Commission has sought to strengthen vocational education and training (VET) and to increase the mobility rate of young people in VET. With the Lisbon Strategy (2000) 11, vocational education and training became a crucial and integral part of the overall European strategy to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. In the following decade, the European Commission issued several policy documents that focused on creating more transparency and recognition of skills and competences and thus enhancing transnational mobility in VET. The Copenhagen Process (2002) 12 played a crucial role in raising awareness of the importance of VET on both national and European levels. In 2010, the Bruges 11 (accessed ) 12 p.4 (accessed ). 24

27 Communiqué 13 called for establishing communication strategies for different stakeholder groups, and focused on the implementation and the added value of transparency tools (for example, EQF, ECVET). Finally, one of the long-term strategic objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy (2010) 14 has been set as making lifelong learning and mobility a reality. However, VET students do at present not study abroad as frequently as university students. This might be because of the lack of appropriate structures (such as a central office to coordinate mobility) or because of language and financial barriers as well as the diversity of VET systems in Europe, which results in a lack of understanding of foreign education systems, programmes and contents. As a result, young people in VET tend not to take the opportunity to learn abroad, even for short periods. However, such a stay abroad can be highly valuable for young people, because it can contribute to their personal development and can enhance their opportunities in the labour market. It is for these reasons that the European Commission has encouraged the development of transparency instruments to help improve mutual understanding of VET systems and thus boost transnational mobility. This article discusses the approach adopted in the LEONARDO DA VINCI project ECMO ECVET meets EUROPASS, which combines two transparency instruments: ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility. In the ECMO project, the VQTS model uses Competences Matrices as a common language to describe competences and their acquisition and serves as a bridging tool for supporting ECVET mobilities by documenting the learning outcomes acquired by a learner during a mobility period. For this reason, we will devote the first three sections of the article to briefly discussing the instruments used in the ECMO project: namely, ECVET, VQTS and EUROPASS. The last section will draw conclusions regarding how the instruments described can be brought together, and will present an outlook on possible future developments of EUROPASS in order to increase mobility in VET within the European Union (accessed ) 14 (accessed ) 25

28 3.2. European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) ECVET is a technical framework for the transfer, recognition and, where appropriate, accumulation of individuals learning outcomes with a view to achieving a qualification 15. Therefore, ECVET represents a framework that serves primarily to transfer and recognize individually achieved learning outcomes. The main pillars of ECVET consist of units of learning outcomes, the transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes (mainly in ECVET partnerships), learning agreements, personal transcripts and ECVET points. ECVET seeks to facilitate the recognition of learning outcomes in order to establish a qualification. The ECMO project focused on the transfer and recognition of learning outcomes acquired during transnational mobility. The project followed the VQTS approach to formulating and illustrating learning outcomes. Therefore, the following section presents the VQTS model including its main elements: Competence Matrix, Competence Profiles and Competence Profile Certificate. The section also describes the procedure for developing Competence Matrices Competence Matrices as a framework for describing and assessing learning outcomes in terms of work processes the VQTS Model 16 Because of the wide variations in national approaches, concepts and traditions available for designing and describing qualifications, one of the main challenges of ECVET implementation is that of comparing training programmes and understanding qualifications from other countries VET systems. The VQTS model seeks to overcome this problem of the partial incomparability of qualifications and training contents in different countries by focussing on work processes (Luomi-Messerer 2009: 10). In this section, we will give a general description of the VQTS model as well as note the practical implications of using the VQTS model for ECVET mobilities. The LEONARDO DA VINCI project VQTS (Vocational Qualification Transfer System) first developed the VQTS model. It was then refined by the Lifelong Learn- 15 (Official Journal of the European Union 2009: For further information visit: (accessed ). 26

29 ing project VQTS II. The VQTS model is built on the assumption that modern work processes involve many similar tasks despite national differences in the manners of offering and organising training. For example, different countries/ professions tend to apply similar materials, technologies and processes. For this reason, it is more feasible to compare the occupational requirements, or the core work tasks and necessary vocational or professional competences, in a specific occupational field than it is to compare the training programmes leading to these competences. Thus, the VQTS model provides a common language for describing competences and their acquisition and offers a way to relate these competences to specific training programmes (Ibid.:10-11). Core work tasks are defined as comprehensive tasks related to the working context of a particular occupational field. Since the VQTS model follows a developmental-logical approach to the differentiation of competence profiles (competence-development), it can also facilitate the process of describing the acquisition of competences. Hence, the description of competences in relation to core work tasks can be seen as an attempt to bridge the terminological and ideological gap between the world of education and the world of work (Ibid.:11). The VQTS model can be used for different purposes, such as: (a) transferring vocational competences acquired abroad, as was done in the ECMO project; (b) transferring and recognising competences acquired within the official VET system as well as competences achieved through non-formal or informal learning; (c) developing qualifications; (d) composing job profiles as well as engaging in personnel (human resources) planning and (e) enhancing the permeability between VET and Higher Education (Ibid.: 30). The main elements of the VQTS model are the Competence Matrix, Competence Profiles and Competence Profile Certificates (Ibid.: 11) Development process of a Competence Matrix A Competence Matrix should enhance transparency of competences and qualifications and thus increase mutual understanding between different countries and different contexts in order to compare qualifications with one another. The Competence Matrix uses a table to present learning outcomes in a manner which relates them to an occupational field. The vertical axis of the Competence Matrix contains the competence areas, based on the various core work tasks of the respective professional field. The horizontal axis shows the steps of competence-development described in learning outcomes, which indicate the 27

30 progress in competence-development achieved by a learner or a graduate of a training programme (see Appendix 1 for the Competence Matrix Professional Caterer ). The learning outcomes are described as professional competences; these provide information about the core tasks a person can perform in a specific work context (Ibid.: 31). When developing a Competence Matrix several factors should be taken into consideration. First, select the occupational field in which the Competence Matrix will be developed and decide which professional profiles will be included in the matrix. Second, involve experts in the development process: specif ically, experts who are able to provide support in applying the VQTS methodology and who preferably also have expertise in the selected occupational field and also practitioners from the selected occupational field (from the world of work and the world of education) and from different countries who can identify the transnational competence areas (core work processes) and the steps of competencedevelopment (Ibid.:16). Usually, this is done in workshops. Helpful support for developing VQTS matrices can be provided by pictures and videos showing the work tasks constituting the respective occupations within an occupational field; these facilitate the visualization of occupational tasks for participants in a workshop. Third, define the competence areas of the respective profession. As mentioned above, instead of using subjects from traditional subject-based curricula, the core work tasks of the occupational field should be derived empirically from the working world (work practice/work place). On the basis of the work tasks, a varying number of competence areas are defined according to the range of complexity of the activities or job opportunities within the respective occupational field (Ibid.:17). Fourth, describe the competence-development steps for each competence area. Competence-development steps illustrate the progression from the lower to the higher steps; in total, define between two and six successive competence-development steps, depending on the complexity of the respective competence area (Ibid.:19ff). The Competence Matrix is a flexible instrument because it permits reaction to major changes in the respective occupational field by the adding or removing of details or by the restructuring of the Competence Matrix as a whole. 28

31 Competence Profiles Competence Profiles are formed from individual parts of the Competence Matrix by identifying competences included in a specific training programme or qualification (Organisational Profile) or by reflecting the competences acquired so far by a person in training or a graduate of a training programme (Individual Profile). Developing Competence Profiles requires an interpretation against the background of the specific training and work context. The crucial question is how well a curriculum or training plan can be mapped onto the Competence Matrix. The competences described in the Competence Matrix are strongly linked to the work processes and do not explicitly relate to specific subjects of a curriculum or of a training plan; therefore, the mapping process is easier in those cases where competences or learning outcomes serve as the basis for developing and describing the curriculum or training plan (Luomi-Messerer 2009: 44f). The Organisational Profile reflects the width and scope of competencedevelopment that can be achieved in a specific VET programme. When planning mobility exchanges, the indication of Organisational Profiles in the Competence Matrix can help establish transparency and mutual trust between the competent institutions, because it makes visible any overlapping training content as well as differences in the respective training programmes. ECVET establishes mutual trust through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a voluntary agreement determining the conditions of mobility exchanges between institutions involved. In this agreement, organisations accept each other s status as competent institutions and accept each other s quality assurance, assessment, validation and recognition criteria. Therefore, the Competence Matrix should be included in the MoU to indicate the relevant parts for the mobility period. Using an Organisational Profile helps identify the competences acquired by a learner or by a graduate of a training programme (Individual Profile). The Individual Profile can be used to assess the competence of a mobile learner before and after a mobility period, which can facilitate the development of a Learning Agreement to lay down the respective conditions for a specific mobility period. The Learning Agreement is developed by the VET schools in the country of origin and in the host country as well as by the respective mobile learner. It covers the duration of the stay abroad, the knowledge, skills and competence to be acquired, and if applicable the associated ECVET points. Based on the Competence Profile of a person in training, a Competence Profile Certificate can be issued that represents the organisational and the individual profile and includes information on the training provider and personal data of the person in training (Luomi- Messerer/Markowitsch 2006: 19-20). Hence, using the VQTS model for trans- 29

32 ferring and accumulating learning outcomes in a transnational mobility period provides a common basis for validating and recognising competences acquired within this mobility period, and thus helps to avoid unnecessary redundancies in the individual learning path of a mobile learner (Luomi-Messerer 2009: 57) The application of the VQTS model in ECMO ECVET meets EUROPASS project The VQTS model was transferred to many different occupational fields and sectors and Competence Matrices were developed for several professional fields such as floristry, electrical engineering/electronics, bakery or mechanics in industry. 17 The ECMO project is based on three Competence Matrices in the hotel and catering sector. The project adopted the Competence Matrices Cook and Hoteland Restaurant-Trade Commercial Assistant as developed in the ECVET-Tour project 18 ; its development of the Competence Matrix Professional Caterer, however, was one that followed the VQTS model, as described previously. The matrices developed/adopted in the ECMO project served as a basis for identifying common job procedures and possible units of learning outcomes that could be transferred and accumulated in transnational mobility periods between the partner schools involved. Furthermore, these Competence Matrices served as a basis for the documentation of the acquired learning outcomes as well as for the subsequent assessment of the acquired knowledge, skills and competences EUROPASS Mobility as used in the ECMO project EUROPASS Mobility was established in 2005 by the European Commission and CEDEFOP [ ] to develop a personal, coordinated portfolio of documents which people can use to improve the way they communicate and present their qualifications and skills throughout Europe (EUROPASS Newsletter, no. 1) The ECVAET is developing a Competence Matrix for event technology. 18 The competence matrices Cook and Hotel- and Restaurant-trade Commercial Assistant were developed in the frame of the ECVETTOUR for Tourism and Mobility project, for further information: (accessed ) (accessed ) 30

33 The ECMO project attempted to use EUROPASS Mobility as a documentation instrument for ECVET and to make proposals to further develop Section 5.a. of EUROPASS Mobility. The modified Section 5.a. was used and tested through negotiation processes in ongoing and separately applied ECVET mobility projects in the Hotel and Catering Sector (for more detailed information see also Chapter 5 in this volume). The three previously described Competence Matrices served as a basis for identifying possible units of learning outcomes and as a guarantee for assessing, validating and recognising the competences acquired abroad Cross the bridge and continue... towards Europe 2020 The ECMO project focused on the interface of two European transparency instruments one well established and one still in development or at least still in the process of implementation. Whereas EUROPASS was launched in 2005, the implementation of ECVET was recommended only in May A wide range of ECVET pilot projects have been conducted to further develop necessary instruments for realizing ECVET. One of these projects resulted in the VQTS model described above. One important topic has been the combination of two European transparency instruments, although certain instruments are still in development. However, because all transparency instruments focus on the needs of future users and the issue of general usefulness, we still face the very interesting question of how all these European transparency instruments will foster transparency within the field of education (and work) and in which areas of these fields they will do so. 21 The ECMO project focused on the interface of both instruments ECVET and EUROPASS and brought together ECVET elements such as the description of 20 The recommendation on EUROPASS was published on 15 December, 2004; see: europa.eu/lexuriserv/lexuriserv.do?uri=oj:l:2004:390:0006:0020:en:pdf. The recommendation on ECVET was published on :0018:EN:PDF (accessed ). 21 For example, the EQAVET-ECVET-EQF Joint Seminar and the related background report Assuring the quality of VET qualifications. The contribution of the EU tools (EQAVET, EQF, ECVET) to the definition and re-definition of learning outcomes based standards. Online: gns/library/publications/2012.aspx) or CEDEFOP s research paper Linking credit systems and qualifications frameworks. An international comparative analysis ( Files/5505_en.pdf (accessed ). 31

34 units of learning outcomes with the EUROPASS Mobility, focusing especially on Section 5.a. of EUROPASS Mobility. This was done via descriptions of learning outcomes in Competence Matrices based on the VQTS approach. Therefore, the VQTS approach originally developed as an ECVET project 22 can also serve as a basis for documenting learning outcomes in the EUROPASS Mobility (Section 5.a.). In such a case, the descriptions of learning outcomes of a certain occupational field within a VQTS Competence Matrix can serve to form the basis of a mobility period. 23 The ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility intersect when the descriptions of learning outcomes are used as basis for filling in the EUROPASS Mobility (Section 5.a.) in order to achieve a comprehensible assessment of the learning outcomes acquired in a transnational mobility. For this purpose, Section 5.a. of EUROPASS Mobility provides seven fields of free text for documenting learning outcomes acquired in a transnational mobility period. At present, these fields can only be filled out on a voluntary basis by those responsible for mobilities and the final completion of the EUROPASS documents after the mobility period. 24 Therefore, a precondition for the regular use of EUROPASS 5.a. so as to make it suitable for the description of (common) learning outcomes would be the adapting of Section 5.a. within EUROPASS Mobility in the way that it has been adapted within the ECMO project (see Chapter 5 in this volume). General adaptations of EUROPASS are being carried out along with possible further developments of each EUROPASS element, such as the mobility document. For some time, several rumours about a Skills Passport have been circulating. Some information on the Skills Passport can be found within the communication Youth on the Move made by the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions in In this communication, the statement can be found that the Commission will develop existing EUROPASS elements into a European Skills Passport, to increase transparency and transfer of competences acquired through both formal and non-formal learning across 22 VQTS I ( ) and VQTS II ( ) were both pilot projects within the LEONARDO DA VINCI and the Lifelong Learning Programme for the development of ECVET. 23 For further details on the use of VQTS (and ECVET) within mobilities see for example: crevodevelops.com/sites/default/files/downloads/ecvet-leitfaden_m%c3%a4rz2012_en_0.pdf (accessed d ). 24 A wide range of competence matrices have already been developed in the following occupational fields: e.g. electrical engineering / electronics, mechatronics, bakery, floristry, hair dressing, joinery. For further examples see: (accessed ). 25 European Commission (2010): p.11 32

35 the European Union [...]. 25 For the moment, no final decisions about these revisions have been made but the following issue is presently under discussion: EUROPASS consists at present of five elements: Curriculum Vitae, Language Passport, Mobility, Certificate Supplement and Diploma Supplement. 26 One possible revision could result in a future EUROPASS containing two main strands: the Curriculum Vitae and the European Skills Passport, which could in its turn contain the following documents: Diploma Supplement, Certificate Supplement, Language Passport, Mobility, Experience and ICT Skills. As mentioned before, the linkage of EUROPASS with other EU transparency tools has been of great interest to several stakeholders on European level. Therefore, one of CEDEFOP s latest briefing notes on EUROPASS also contained the information: Under the Copenhagen process, the EU has established several [...] European tools and principles along with EUROPASS. Collectively, they make it easier to understand qualifications. They encourage lifelong learning by making systems more flexible and thus support job and geographical mobility. Over the period , EUROPASS will be linked more closely to these tools: in particular, to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and the European Skills, Competences and Occupations (ESCO) taxonomy. [...] Work-related skills and knowledge acquired during a stay in another country or in different situations, validated under the ECVET, will be recorded on the EUROPASS Certificate supplement, EUROPASS Mobility document and the new EUROPASS experience. 27 References BM:UKK (2012): ECVET. Let s go Europe! Guidelines for the application of ECVET in the course of mobility periods in VET. Leitfaden_M%C3%A4rz2012_EN_0.pdf CEDEFOP (2012): Briefing Note Europass : Achievements and prospects; CREDCHEM (2011): From typical work tasks to units of learning outcomes The CREDCHEM-approach See presentation Europass and other EU tools by the European Commission, June See: Briefing Note Europass : Achievements and prospects; p.2; europa.eu/en/files/9069_en.pdf (accessed ) 33

36 Nationales EUROPASS Center (2009): EUROPASS Mobilität Evaluationsstudie zeigt: EUROPASS Mobilität erfolgreich etabliert. ECVET-TOUR for tourism and mobility; LLL project; ; (accessed ). EUROPASS Newsletter, No. 1, May Online: (accessed ). European Commission (2010): Youth on the Move. An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the European Union. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. GHK Consulting (2012): We have tried ECVET: Lessons from the first generation of ECVET pilot projects. Synthesis of results and project portraits. singlepages_allthesame.pdf Luomi-Messerer, Karin (2009): Using the VQTS model for mobility and permeability. Results of the Lifelong Learning project VQTS II. Vienna. Luomi-Messerer, Karin; Markowitsch, Jörg (Eds.; 2006): VQTS model. A proposal for a structured description of work-related competences and their acquisition. mmedia/ / pdf Websites (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). EN_0.pdf (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). 34

37 (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ). (accessed ) 35

38 4. Measuring learning outcomes in the Polish context Małgorzata Chmielecka-Gumoś Preface Poland, as an EU member, faces the challenge of energetically bringing about the adaptation and harmonization of its education system, including its vocational trainings. This kind of challenge necessarily involves ensuring the transparency of learning outcomes in respect of both non-formal and informal education. In this elaboration we would like to provide a general overview of both the advantages and disadvantages of a well-structured and flexible instrument to measure learning outcomes, especially based on Polish circumstances and focusing on ECMO project results from the point of view of the Polish partners. To begin, let us present some basic information about the Polish vocational education system. Polish education has been undergoing major restructuring since the early 1990s. The implementation of a market economy, after the social transformations of 1989, naturally influenced the country s educational system as well. Job competitiveness and the emergence of the new phenomenon of unemployment have increased the extensive need for secure job places as the best way to ensure financial success and career development. To address the needs of the new economy, changes have been made to the educational curriculum, and new training requirements have been introduced for some professions and also for workers and technicians. Additionally, steps have been taken to restructure vocational training towards the requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises, so as to make the country s system more compatible with other European regulations. In September 1990, three new education laws were introduced: the School Education Act, the Higher Education Act, and the Academic Title and Academic Degrees Act. The primary and secondary education systems have also undergone extensive reforms, such as the reform that began in 1999.The academic year in Poland runs from September to June and the linguistic medium of instruction is Polish. For the general and vocational education system there apply the stipulations of the Act on Education (1991), which also established a new administrative structure. In Poland there exist the following types of vocational schools: 36

39 Technical Secondary School (Technikum), with a duration of 4 years (ages 16 to 20) and two types of leaving certificate: namely, the Technical Secondary School Matura Examination Certificate (Swiadectwo Dojrzalosci Technikum) or the Certificate of Completion of Education in a Technical Secondary School (Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Technikum); Vocational Secondary School (Liceum Profilowane), with a duration of 3 years and, likewise, two types of leaving certificate: the Specialized Lyceum Matura Cerificate (Swiadectwo Dojrzalosci Liceum Profilowanego) or the Certificate of Completion of Education from a Specialized Lyceum (Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Liceum Profilowanego); Basic Vocational Secondary School (Szkola Zasadnicza) with a duration of 2 to 3years and a leaving certificate: Certificate of Completion of Education from a Basic Vocational School (Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Szkoly Zasadniczej); 2-year Supplementary Lyceum, completed with a matura examination, for graduates of basic vocational schools who want to continue their education and obtain a complete secondary education; 2-3 year Basic Vocational School, awarding a vocational qualification diploma, followed up in a supplementary lyceum or supplementary technicum. Completion of the supplementary schools allows graduates to take the matura examination; 3-year Supplementary Technical Secondary School, awarding a vocational qualification diploma, leading up to a matura examination, for basic vocational school graduates; up to 2.5 year Post-Lyceum School awarding a vocational qualification diploma, for graduates of general secondary education. Let me also summarize here, in passing and as a basic frame of reference, the Polish Qualifications Framework, which specifies: 1. Levels of qualification, 2. Distinct key categories of learning outcomes, 3. Descriptors (descriptions of the requirements for each level). 37

40 For implementing the Polish Qualification Framework, eight levels have been proposed. Each level is described through appropriate level descriptors. Today, seven levels of qualification can be easily included in Poland s formal education system. But an eighth level perceived as an additional/ extra level has also been introduced, and the fifth level has been made more substantial primarily by the occurrence of many examples of learning outcomes that satisfy the requirements of fifth-level descriptors in the European Qualifications Framework. Skills, competences and qualifications used in common description as basic structure for measurement of learning outcomes As regards the experiences of project participation acquired by the Solidarity Trade Union, we use terms like, for example, skills and competences, but not in a way that is typically in accordance with the interpretation of these terms favoured by the European Qualification Frameworks. Therefore, a proposal was made by our expert from the Technical University of Gdansk to change these terms, and, instead of skills and professional competences to implement the expression gained professional qualifications. This modification requires a suitable description of qualifications through the definition of learning outcomes as defined in the EQF, described in terms of knowledge, skills and competences. We tried to emphasize that ECVET points should be assigned to each learning outcome by promoting the application of the description of learning outcomes. The proposal of methodology by describing knowledge, skills and competences In our previous project activity we proposed the following principles for defining learning outcomes: In our opinion these outcomes should be defined in an uncomplicated and transparent way as measurable and possible to access. And when defining learning outcomes verbs in the active voice should preferably be used. Expressions like: understand, know, to be aware, appreciate should be used as little as possible. Verbs like: define, identify, describe, demonstrate, use, and analyze are more suitable for defining, and also make it easier to undertake the measurement. For example, in order to define how the students can 38

41 demonstrate their knowledge, we can use verbs like: solve, evaluate, analyze. When defining the learning outcomes we recommend that the description of each activity be begun with a verb in the active voice, for example student enumerates criteria, analyzes, demonstrates, explains, etc. Our position is that only one verb should be applied per each learning outcome, e.g.: Students apply knowledge of food control in small-sized gastronomy enterprise. We also recommend that those verbs be avoided which are too commonly used, or which awaken very general associations, and are thereby unclear, such as: to know, understand, learn, to be aware, to become familiar, etc. In all these activities it is essential to ensure that the training effects are connected with the overall learning outcomes of the studying program and that the learning outcomes are measurable and observable and permanently possible to assess. Of course, the period of time that it has taken to achieve the results in question must also be taken into account, and they shouldn t be formulated in an over-ambitious manner. This will surely not be achieved by learning outcomes formulated in too general a way, because it will be difficult to evaluate them effectively. But it is in fact very difficult when the learning outcomes are too specific, and as a result the list will be too exhaustive. Finally it is recommended to consult other teachers/lecturers and, if possible, ex-students. Probably this kind of procedure will be helpful in determining the appropriateness and reasonability of constructed learning outcomes. Examples of validation based on profession: waiter For the analysis we have undertaken, we chose the profession of waiter because of its popularity and the similar nature of the activity in all member countries. As basic documents we analyzed: core curriculum of education, information about the test proving the professional qualifications and the Polish standards of professional qualifications. During the ECMO project we presented three documents corresponding with descriptions of qualifications. The first document included skills within the profession such as, for example, to plan the shopping facilities or catering facility; to take and record orders from consumers or serve the consumer by using various techniques. The second was oriented to professional tasks like preparing rooms for handling consumer catering, taking and registering orders for meals and drinks or serving clients in catering facilities. The third key record called educational goals contained such activities as using catering terminology, evaluating food products, alcoholic and soft drinks or de- 39

42 termining the conditions of storage of food products, meals and beverages. To the components of the documents mentioned above we juxtaposed the test of confirming professional qualifications, including the description of knowledge and skills tested on the exams as well as the standard of examination requirements. As a result of our research we developed a suitable project document to which we gave the temporary title of: Standardization Proposal of Qualification Description with task description. The key point in our recommendation is to draw up a list of a set of documents, such as core curricula, examination requirements and the national standard of qualifications, list of tasks assigned to the occupation. In our description of the competences and qualifications gained we recommended the segregation of qualifications as sets of knowledge, skills and competencies, formulated according to the rules in the definition of learning outcomes. This kind of new elaborated list we recommend as a record complementary to the EUROPASS Mobility. Very important is the aspect of validation, focusing on competence, not on predispositions and traits. Validation of the competences is treated as a system solution, making it possible to formally acknowledge the professional skills acquired through non-formal education (i.e. outside school). It is important to describe the desired skills, experience and professional competence for the profession of waiter/ chain-restaurant catering operative and their desired level of market prospects and employers. All researches should concern the state of the market and its needs at the time of the preparation of the project implementation, and should not take into account the historical conditions of the profession and how they perform, and the proposed recommendations should not refer to economic and demographic forecasts. In practice, these job positions differ not only in name, but also in the requirements and expectations of the employer as to the skills, knowledge and competence of the candidate. Helpful in this regard may be the newly-formed Professional Qualification Standards. Accepted by the representatives of employers, employees and other key social partners participating in the economy and the labor market are certain standard minimum qualification requirements, i.e. the system of five levels of qualification, divided into: qualifications related to conventional workstations or professional jobs, transversal qualifications, general vocational, basic and specialized profession, describing the collection of necessary skills, knowledge and psychophysical 40

43 features corresponding to the task work and separate qualifications in the profession and ensuring the quality of the profession. Also very important in terms of validation are the components of professional qualifications: planning, organization and management of commercial activities; market analysis and marketing activities; the purchase and / or sale of goods, services, raw materials, finished products; monitoring work processes and effects of the business; Descriptions of qualification standards are useful for the implementation of labor market services and active labor market programs: by occupation (to help employers determine the requirements formulated in the language of the offer skills /competences, characteristics of the unemployed with skills required by employers to compare the properties of the requirements of employers and the unemployed; by guidance (determining directions for professional development after identifying the differences between the potential skills / competences of the unemployed and the requirements of the employer); by providing training, apprenticeships. Conclusions On the one hand, it is necessary to elaborate the optimal transferring system of learning outcomes. This is a very important factor in enhancing the development of a qualified workforce and for raising it to the level of the EU Common Market in correspondence with harmonization of EU regulations. On the other hand, it is not easy to find a modus vivendi in respect of the structure and flexibility by transferring of learning outcomes. Therefore it will be recommended to modify the adequate set of learning outcomes records and to simplify its structure by implementing the alterations mentioned above. The advantage for this kind of solution is not only the participation in the EU labor market from the side of the Polish workforce. It is also important from an internal point of view, namely the improvement of diagnostic systems in respect of economic change management. Only this kind of arrangement by structure modification as enhancing flexibility can be the guarantee for an optimal connection between educational offers and training proposals, and the feasible demands of the EU labor market. 41

44 References ECMO Poland Project Team ( ): Prof. Andrzej Szuwarzyński, Technical University of Gdansk Fietz, G. & Junge, A. (2009). Europass+. Promoting visibility of young Europeans talents. In: Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (ed.). Impuls H bibb.de/uploads/tx_ttproducts/datasheet/ impuls_35.pdf Filipowicz, G. (2008): Rozwój organizacji poprzez rozwój efektywności pracowników, Kraków, Wolters Kluwer 42

45 5. Proposal for modification of the section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET criteria Maria Gatz, Grzegorz Szarowski This article focuses on one aim of the project: namely, to provide suggestions for the modification of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility, wherein there can be described skills and competences that have been acquired in the course of a mobility. The goal of this proposal is a better linkage of the EUROPASS Mobility with ECVET. Nevertheless, this article may also be of interest for readers who want to get some ideas about the learning outcome -oriented description of knowledge, skills and abilities in the EUROPASS Mobility. A part of these suggestions have been provided by the Polish partner and some elements have been added by the project coordinators. It has been discussed with the ECMO partners and finally reworked by the project coordinators Learning outcome -orientation in the EUROPASS Mobility At present, section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility allows transparent documentation of skills and competences acquired abroad. Compared to this, an ECVETcompatible documentation offers more, inasmuch as it allows the transfer of learning outcomes from one qualification system to another. In this way, mobility projects gain additional value: learning results acquired abroad will not only be documented but will also be validated, and will be able to be recognized and integrated into the qualifications pathway which a learner is undertaking in his/ her home country. In mobility projects, clear agreements are needed as to what exactly should be learned by the trainee during the mobility. ECVET criteria focus on knowledge, skills and competences which should be documented as learning outcomes that have been acquired during a mobility. The European Qualification Framwork (EQF) adds the description of competence levels, which makes it easier to compare national qualification levels and to come to an agreement on which competence level a trainee should be trained up to during a mobility project. 43

46 Through the formulation of standards that are based on outcomes it is possible to grant formal qualifications as a result of validation processes, and thus to achieve all that was expected from EUROPASS Mobility. Learning outcome -oriented documentation of knowledge, skills and competences acquired in a mobility project is a challenging but important task. The stakeholders involved, however, do not necessarily have to be familiar with the educational systems in Europe in order to manage this task. There are several tools in existence that can support the process of setting up a learning agreement, and of documenting and recognizing acquired competences that are described as learning outcomes. For these tasks, the VQTS matrices, learning outcome -oriented standards, or training curricula for specific occupational areas can all be used. In the case where a VQTS matrix has already been developed for the specific profession in question, it is recommended that this matrix be used, as it represents an important tool that can support the process of competence-description. VQTS Competence Matrices describe learning outcomes for specific occupational areas. 28 Since the competences are already formulated as learning outcomes, they can be used for the learning agreement. This tool is also very suitable for the documentation of the development of competences, as the learning outcomes described in it are classified in competence levels. It is therefore possible to categorize the competence level of a trainee before the mobility starts, to agree upon a competence level that it is expected will have been achieved once the mobility has been completed, and to give this expectation a fixed form in the learning agreement. There also exists the possibility of developing a VQTS matrix for the specific occupational area concerned. Here, however, it is recommended that experts from the specific field be involved, who have experience of learning outcome -oriented description of skills and competences. However, it is not necessary to develop a VQTS matrix, as other tools can be used as well. 28 For more information see: (accessed ) 44

47 Standards within the specific profession concerned, which are formulated as learning outcomes and already exist for some occupations, can also be used as a basis for mutual understanding. These standards can be used as effectively as can VQTS matrices for setting up a learning agreement and for documenting learning outcomes. In the case where these aforementioned tools are not available, there also exists the possibility of using existing training curricula and of rewording the competences to be acquired in the mobility as learning outcomes, in collaboration with the hosting and sending institutions. Even if formulating competences as learning outcomes requires some time and effort, it is not as complicated as it sounds. Moreover, it makes the results of a mobility more transparent for the parties involved and makes a filled-in EUROPASS Mobility more comprehensible for the trainee and the potential employers who study it. We suggest that the supporting guidelines be consulted (see Appendix 2), which describe organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria, when working with the EUROPASS Mobility. The guidelines can support trainers, teachers, entrepreneurs and individuals all around Europe in filling out the EUROPASS Mobility according to the latest and current European developments in the field of Vocational Education and Training. The acquired knowledge, skills and competences can and should be described in a manner which is learning outcome -oriented in the existing EUROPASS Mobility. The present article, however, offers proposals for modifying the EUROPASS Mobility in such a way as to make it correspond more closely to the ECVET criteria Proposal for modification of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET criteria The following proposal is based on the case where learning outcome -oriented standards for a specific occupational area are already in existence. However, it is applicable also to other cases. It was provided by the Polish partner and was reworked by the project coordinators. 45

48 In different European countries various requirements for the evaluation and documentation of competences and qualifications already exist. The ECMO Project contributes to the realization of European Union statements concerning the connection of transparency instruments and the development of existing instruments to apply them in a practical way and to achieve coherence and unification. The recommendations for the modification of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility can be discussed with the decision-makers so as to achieve a better linkage between the EUROPASS Mobility and ECVET. The proposal for the modification of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility was pilot-tested in mobility projects in the hotel and gastronomy sector and was discussed with all relevant actors involved in mobilities. The EUROPASS Mobility document should become one of the component elements of a lifelong learning system, and its structure should be such that it can be used to transfer those validated learning results which were achieved outside the formal educational system into the formal qualification system and those learning results which were achieved abroad into the home educational system. It is essential that the learning outcomes achieved by the learners should possess credibility. Research concerning the use of the EUROPASS Mobility document has revealed that the modules describing qualifications and skills are presently only rarely filled out, because of their general structure and the complicated guidelines for their use. The modified section 5.a. is directed towards a simplification of this use, and towards creating a more transparent structure and clearer guidelines related to the description of the respective elements. As a result, the document will be able to serve as a multipurpose instrument for transparency of qualifications for all European users. These results will also support the development of competence-description systems in the context of the EQF, and the development of educational programmes based on learning outcomes, including the recognition of social competences and of the results of informal and non-formal learning. The starting point for this proposal is the vocational qualification standard, defined in terms of learning outcomes, on the basis of existing standards (already existing for some vocations), curricula and examination requirements). The available qualification standards include competence matrices, where the re- 46

49 Diagram for Filling Out Section 5.a. Vocational qualification standard EUROPASS Mobility 5a section Competence matrix required outcomes for realization of tasks established for a specific vocation Exercised tasks Acquired learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences List of required outcomes Identification process of learning outcomes Filled-out EUROPASS Mobility document Section 5a Institution entitled to perform validation Validation process of learning outcomes Document confirming the acknowledgement of acquired outcomes quired competences are assigned to the tasks that are described for a specific vocation, these being, ideally, described in terms of learning outcomes. A list of 47

50 learning outcomes (in terms of knowledge, skills and competences) can form the basis for filling out section 5.a. in the EUROPASS Mobility. A list of possible learning outcomes for each field of section 5.a., which might possibly be achieved within each specific occupational field, could be developed. After such lists were developed, they could be implemented as an online tool with a drop-down menu wherein learning outcomes could be selected. Such lists could then be used for setting up a learning agreement, in collaboration between the sending and the hosting institution, so as to supervise the mobility process and document learning results. It should also be possible to add further tasks or learning outcomes, which would not be listed. This solution attracted support from the companies and trainers that are organizing mobilities. A drop-down list would make the job of these stakeholders, who are directly involved in mobilities, easier. Furthermore these stakeholders would save time when preparing a EUROPASS Mobility, which is an important point, especially for companies. The EUROPASS Mobility would then be filled out more professionally and would have an added value for the trainee on the labour market. However, even if such competence lists were implemented as an online tool, the collaboration of the sending and the hosting organization to set up an individualized learning agreement and to document the acquired learning outcomes would still remain very important. On the other hand, the implementation of this proposal would require intensive development work in order to figure out tasks and competence outcomes for each vocational area. VET-experts and professionals from each occupational field could work together to develop a list of important tasks and learning outcomes which might possibly be achieved during a mobility. Another possible way of creating a database of learning outcomes is a bottom-up approach. Learning outcomes acquired during mobility projects could be documented and listed on a database by the organizing institution. It would naturally be settled in the national context where the mobility takes place. 48

51 However, this database would necessarily grow with time, and filling out the EUROPASS Mobility would be easier for the actors involved, as a list of possible learning outcomes could be consulted. Another approach could be to encourage cooperating associations to develop lists of tasks and learning outcomes in their vocational area. An intuitive and transparent process of documenting learning outcomes in the context of mobilities, which shows the added value of these projects, could be a factor which would increase the attractiveness of carrying out mobilities in those sectors where comprehensive lists had already been developed. A person taking part in educational activities (for example an apprenticeship or an internship), and for whom the EUROPASS Mobility document is filled out, thereby has a specific set of tasks to accomplish, which are defined for a specific vocation according to a specific standard. Each task described in this standard has the required outcomes connected to it. Thus the identification process of acquired outcomes will focus on the comparison of standard requirements with the assessment of the task achievement process. In the case where it so happens that certain tasks are performed and fulfilled which lie outside the ambit of the regulations contained in the standard, the outcomes acquired through these tasks could be filled in in the field other skills and competences acquired. This field should be retained in the modified EUROPASS Mobility, because it has been emphasized by organizations involved in mobilities that unexpected outcomes have often been observed in a mobility project which cannot be allocated to any of the existing categories. Such a structure, regardless of the subjectivity of the evaluation of the results achieved, will be compatible with the standard. The filled-in EUROPASS Mobility document should become a topic of validation. An authorized institution can then acknowledge (completely or in part) the outcomes achieved, based on the standards. This process will be considerably facilitated by connecting the respective outcomes to ECVET points in vocational standards. The points could be automatically generated and summed up in section 5.a.. The validation process is finalized by issuing the document confirming the acquired learning outcomes. In the context of ECVET, the allocation of credit points was discussed in the ECMO project consortium. The result of the discussion was that it is hard to allocate credit points, since national qualification standards mostly have different approaches. Moreover, mobilities (e.g. in the hotel and gastronomy sector) 49

52 very often last about 2-3 weeks, which makes it complicated to allocate credit points. However, it was proposed that the mobility periods could possibly be rewarded by time credits for education in the home institution (e.g. 1 Year = 60 credit points). For the validation and recognition of learning outcomes in the home institution, it is not in every case necessary to award ECVET points. The most important aspect is the learning outcome orientation when filling out the EUROPASS Mobility. Nevertheless, the possibility of awarding credit points should at least be available. It is especially meaningful in countries where a system of credit points in vocational education is already well established, as for example in Finland. Awarding credit points is not at present the priority in Germany. Those of the actors involved who come from the home country, where recognition and validation can take place, should come to an agreement about whether or not credit points should be awarded and, if it is agreed that they should be, about just how many ECVET points could be awarded for each of the acquired learning outcomes. The structure of the EUROPASS Mobility should not be changed. The modifications should concern only an adjustment of the description of skills and competences to the EQF and should serve only to supplement each of the fields of the section with a wider explanation of the formulation of its content. It is proposed to modify the heading of section 5.a of the EUROPASS Mobility so as to make it read: DESCRIPTION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES (SKILLS AND COMPETENCES) ACQUIRED DURING THE EUROPASS Mobility EX- PERIENCE (No) and to supplement the part (29a) with title of unit(s) of learning outcomes. It is important to direct the attention of those stakeholders who assess, recognize and validate the acquired skills and competences to learning outcomes, instead of merely using general phrases to describe tasks and competences. The list of tasks and skills and competences for each vocational field that can be acquired during the mobility would, as mentioned earlier, support this perspective. In the case where the unit(s) of learning outcomes refer to a formal qualification acquired in the home country, the title of the qualification from the home country should be written out, information about the occupational field, the learning field and the relevant ordinances should be given, and the EQF level of the qualification should be characterized. In view of the fact that, in the EQF context, the competences are defined in terms of responsibility and autonomy, and the line between organizational and social skills becomes thin, we propose to join the fields 33a and 34a and to 50

53 make out of them a joint field: organizational and social skills and competences acquired (if not included under Job-related skills and competences ). It must also be stressed that social skills and competences can be relevant to different extents for the trainees. In some cases these competences are already included in job-related competences, as, for example, in the VQTS matrices. As soft skills are becoming more and more relevant, a possibility of documenting them separately should certainly be provided. More generally, it is proposed that, in the case where certain categories, such as organizational and social skills and competences acquired or other skills, are not relevant for a trainee, these categories should not appear in the finished EUROPASS Mobility. In this way, this instrument becomes more flexible and the persons involved do not have to have a bad conscience when they leave a category empty which could be a disadvantage for the trainee. It is also proposed to add a second drop-down menu to assess each task and competence according to the level of autonomy of the trainee. The categories here could be: Participative observation of the activity, Execution under direct and/or continuous supervision, Execution under indirect and/or discontinuous supervision with limited autonomy and Independent execution. For the skills and competences acquired, categories like meets expectations, good, very good and excellent could be used. If a task has not been carried out, or a competence has not been acquired, it should be neither listened nor signalled in the form of a negative assessment. The proposed model of the document structure includes the description of social competences based on the vocational standard as well as on the EQF. The final proposed modification is to add two further rows for signatures in connection with the process of validation and recognition of learning outcomes. This idea was appraised positively by stakeholders, who pointed out the simplification that it brings, i.e. that the EUROPASS can thereby be used for validation and recognition and no additional documents would be needed for this purpose. The proposal for the modification of the EUROPASS Mobility is presented below. In Appendix 6 there can be found a database for filling out the respective modules of section 5.a., based on the vocation Professional Caterer in the context of the Polish educational system and divided into basic and higher education. 51

54 Proposal for the structure of section 5.a. in EUROPASS Mobility 5.a Description of learning outcomes (skills and competences) acquired during the EUROPASS Mobility experience (No) (29a) (*) Activities/ tasks carried out / Title of unit(s) of learning outcomes (1) Credits (2) Level of autonomy (3) Sum credits (30a) Job-related skills and competences acquired he/she: Credits (4) Competence level (5) Sum credits (31a) Language skills and competences acquired (if not included under Job-related skills and competences ) he/she: Credits (4) Competence level (5) Sum credits 52

55 (32a) Computer skills and competences acquired (if not included under Job-related skills and competences ) he/she: Credits (4) Competence level (5) Sum credits (33a) Organizational and social skills and competences acquired (if not included under Job-related skills and competences ) he/she: Credits (4) Competence level (5) Sum credits (34a) Other skills and competences acquired he/she: Credits (4) Competence level (5) Sum credits Total sum credits: 53

56 Date Signature (person in charge of assessment in the hosting institution) (35a) (*) (36a) (*) (37a) (*) dd mm rrrr Signature (holder of the EUROPASS Mobility) Date Result of Validation (6) (36a) (37a) (38a) dd mm rrrr Signature (Representative of the institution in charge of validation, home country) Date (if applicable) Result of recognition (7) (39a) (40a) (41a) dd mm rrrr (if applicable) Signature (Representative of the respective competent body, home country) NB : This table is not valid without the signatures of the mentor and of the holder of the EUROPASS Mobility. Sections marked with an asterisk are mandatory. 54

57 Footnotes (1) Here, an element can be selected, or a list of tasks and activities can be consulted (when developed). In the case where the unit(s) of learning outcomes refer to a formal qualification acquired in the home country, the title of the qualification from the home country should be written out, information about the occupational field, the learning field and the relevant ordinances should be given, and the EQF level of the qualification should be characterized. Only good outcomes should be documented. In the case where a trainee has not performed a specific task in a way which merits a good assessment, this task should simply not be documented.. (2) Here, credit points for tasks and activities can be allocated. The actors involved in recognition and validation in the home country have to figure out if and how many points can be rewarded. This could be done with the use of time periods (e.g. 1 year = 60 credit points). For the recognizing and validating of learning results, the rewarding of credit points is not needed in every case. (3) In this field, the level of autonomy can be selected. Four levels are proposed: Participative observation of the activity, Execution under direct and/or continuous supervision, Execution under indirect and/or discontinuous supervision with limited autonomy and Independent execution. (4) Here, credit points for acquired competences can be allocated. The actors involved in recognition and validation in the home country have to reach an agreement about the relevance of credit points. In the case where it is decided that credit points will be rewarded, the institutions involved have to figure out how many points can be rewarded. This could be done using time periods (e.g. 1 year = 60 credit points). For recognizing and validating learning results rewarding of credit points is not needed in every case. (5) In this field the competence level can be selected. The categories for the competence level can be developed by the institutions involved in the mobility. For example, a distinction could be made between meets expectations, good, very good and excellent. As bad results should not be documented, positive categories alone must be formulated. (6) In this field the validation results can be listed. (7) In this field the recognition results can be described, if applicable Lists of learning outcomes A list of learning outcomes is a practical tool for all actors involved in mobility projects. The organizing institutions can use this compilation for an agreement concerning what the trainees should learn in the mobility phase. The trainees thereby also acquire an initial idea of what they are expected to do and to learn when they go abroad. These lists could also be used for filling out the EUROPASS Mobility after the mobility phase. Such lists already exist for some branches as in the case of mechatronics (VQTS matrices), cook (ECVET-Tour), etc. In the ECMO project a competence-matrix for Professional Caterer (Appendix 1) was developed. Such compilations are always influenced by the respective national educational systems of the countries that are involved in the development. 55

58 For the field of Professional Caterer a database was developed for filling out the respective modules in the EUROPASS Mobility (see Appendix 6). This is a competence list based on the Polish educational system, with a distinction drawn between general and higher education. This list can be used very effectively in cases where Poland is involved in a mobility project taking place in the catering sector. However, it can also be used in different national systems, since the tasks carried out, the activities, and the acquired competences are often comparable EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET criteria There is appended a EUROPASS Mobility that has been filled out according to the recommendations from the ECMO Project (see Appendix 5) 29. References (accessed: ) (accessed ) 29 Translation of the German ECMO example retrieved from: pdf/europass-mobilitaet-beispiel-ecmo kqj.pdf (accessed: ) 56

59 6. Evaluation of competencies for sustainable employability Tomas Sprlak & Serge Rochet 6.1. Basic principles and purpose Introduction The choice of methods and tools for assessing competencies is a crucial building block that contributes to the overall efficiency of the mobility process. In fact, appropriate assessment tools and methods can have a positive impact on the professional development of the trainee that extends well beyond his educational path. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to focus on competence evaluation from the perspective of ECVET mobilities. The basic principles of a meaningful competence assessment will be recapped and placed into the perspective of ECVET mobilities. We will present some of the evaluation methods chosen for the mobilities organized during the ECMO project and discuss their appropriateness, taking especially into account the results of the real-world settings. (All of the methods and tools presented below were tested with students, teachers and companies in the course of mobilities that really did take place). Finally, we will try to formulate general recommendations for selecting or elaborating assessment methods for ECVET mobilities. This chapter is written with two different perspectives in mind: The first perspective is closely linked to learners mobilities and educational context. Within this perspective, we aim to share the results of the project ECMO and to present different assessment methods that can be used in order to organize a mobility that complies with the ECVET quality standards. As such, the article can be useful for institutions that organise learners mobilities (teachers, tutors in companies and learners). The second perspective takes into account the notion of employability. From this perspective it is important to propose assessment tools and procedures that lead to results which are exploitable outside of the strictly educational context (e.g.: better self-knowledge and self-esteem of the learner, better presentation of, and argumentation for, his strengths and weaknesses, better readability 57

60 of his skills for the potential employer, etc.). In this broader context the ultimate purpose of this article is to contribute to the development of European transparency tools and to their wider dissemination within the labour market Work-related skills and competences and personal competences Many different definitions of competences exist on the European level and many different approaches to the problem can be used in elaborating assessment procedures. During discussion of the problem with the partners of the ECMO project as well as with stakeholders, an extensive agreement emerged that a broad understanding of the term competence should be adopted. The multifactor nature of the skills and competences should be taken into account in their assessment (cognitive competences, functional competences, social competences). This approach is more or less reflected in the European framework for key competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes related to a particular competence 30 ) as well as in the European Qualification Framework, which defines levels of learning outcomes in the following terms: Knowledge means the outcome of the assimilation of information through learning. Knowledge is the body of facts, principles, theories and practices that is related to a field of work or study. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, knowledge is described as theoretical and/or factual; Skills means the ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and solve problems. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, skills are described as cognitive (involving the use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking) or practical (involving manual dexterity and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments); Competence means the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, competence is described in terms of responsibility and autonomy

61 This classification provides a useful framework for the selection and elaboration of competence assessment methods as well as for the formalization of competences that are to be assessed. However, from the point of view of promoting personal, social and professional recognition, as well as employability and occupational mobility, we found it useful to approach the assessment from the point of view of the following differentiation of competences: 1. Work-related skills and competences (sometimes also called technical skills, or professional competences ) we mean by these all the knowledge and skills that are directly linked to a specific occupation or to specific educational curricula. 2. Personal (transferable) skills and competences a large group of skills and competences that are not linked to a specific occupation or to educational curricula and that can be used in a large variety of professional (or extra-professional) contexts. This category includes groups of skills and competences that are sometimes designated by the terms social, methodological, or soft skills, among other terms. Obviously, the rationale behind this classification is purely operational. It encourages us to take into account a broader set of objectives in the elaboration of assessment procedures and tools: namely, objectives related to recognition on the personal and social levels as well as on the professional level General objectives of evaluation of competencies (personal, social, institutional recognition) When assessing competences, several complementary goals should in fact be kept in mind: 1. Evaluation should promote personal recognition (acknowledgment) and lead to better self-knowledge and self-esteem, helping the student to elaborate a more complete and more positive self-image. In this sense, we can speak about intrapersonal recognition. Whenever a person is recognized for any accomplishment by himself or by someone whose opinion is regarded as important (e.g. teacher, trainer, employer) this person s self-esteem increases, often along with his or her eagerness and enthusiasm to do even better on the job. 59

62 2. Evaluation should promote social and professional recognition which gives access to training, to a specific working position or to a promotion. It can be understood as a more or less official acknowledgement that the person concerned has acquired a certain set of skills or competences necessary for a given work position. Considered from this perspective, it is crucial in promoting employability. It represents the acknowledgement of the value of skills and/or competences by economic and social stakeholders 32. The social and professional recognition is generally based on the evaluation and / or evidence of competence as documented in a CV or competence portfolio. 3. Evaluation should be effective in preparing formal / institutional recognition, e.g. the process of granting official status to skills and competences either through the award of qualifications (certificates, diploma or titles) or through the granting of equivalences, credit units or waivers, or validations of skills and / or competences acquired. As regards means and methods used, the personal recognition can be fostered by using self-evaluative approaches that imply active involvement of the student. On the other hand, in order to achieve social and institutional recognition, more standardized methods, and a more highly structured predefined framework, are needed Three types of evaluation of competencies (initial, formative, summative) in the context of mobilities Assessment should conform fully to all ECVET regulations, i.e. inclusively of those bearing on formative evaluation (not only summative); self-assessment by the trainees should be encouraged and there should be an assessment before the mobility starts (use of learning agreement). The student can be evaluated at three different points in time in, and with regard to three different aspects of, his or her mobility: 32 Terminology of European education and training policy a selection of 100 key terms. CEDEFOP, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities,

63 1. Initial evaluation (before or at the beginning of a mobility) makes it possible to adapt the content of the training so as to take into account what the student already knows. When linked up to a final evaluation, it can serve to measure the distance covered between the beginning and the end of a placement (in order to measure the progress of the learner and/ or the effectiveness of the training). 2. Formative evaluation (during a mobility): this is an evaluative approach integrated into the learning process. The learner can gauge the progress that he or she has made and the progress that he or she has yet to make. Formative assessment enables learners to carry out critical reflection on their progress. It is also an opportunity to reassure learners. 3. The final / summative evaluation (at the end of the mobility): this measures the disparity between the acquired and required level. The outcome of the summative evaluation is a basis for the formal / institutional recognition Methods and tools for evaluation of competencies in the context of mobilities Evaluation, self-evaluation and co-evaluation Assessment should be regarded as an interactive process that combines both the interpersonal and the intrapersonal dimension of language and allows the passage from the sphere of relationships with others to the sphere of relationship with oneself. The communication between the student and the evaluating individual is based on active listening and questioning, and it invites the student to reflect upon his or her experience. If an appropriate framework is applied, then the process can help the student to analyze his or her experience in a way that contributes to a better self-understanding. In this sense, the assessment should be seen as an educational process in which we transmit to the student a set of methods that he or she can use later in assessing his or her performance by him/herself in a variety of situations. But this dynamic of recognition requires above all a framework, an appropriate context, which offers to the students the opportunity to identify themselves as actors and subjects, not as tools or objects. This is why the assessment procedures and methods should maximize the personal involvement of the student. 61

64 Self-assessment based on detailed descriptions of experiences (professional and non-professional) is beneficial in promoting personal recognition of the student. As this type of recognition occurs on an informal level, softer methods of self-evaluation can be used here. Formal recognition of learning outcomes, by contrast, requires the presence of a predefined and highly structured reference (educational curriculum) for evaluation Pre-requisites of an efficient competence assessment (negotiation of learning outcomes, common language, common framework VQTS or other) Within the context of a mobility project there needs, already in the phase of the preparation of the mobility, to be a discussion of the assessment procedures between the sending and the hosting institution and also the trainee. In the course of the ECMO project the VQTS model, which provides a common language to describe competences and their acquisition, is used as a basis for identifying learning outcomes that could be achieved in a concrete mobility. The model focuses on competences related to work processes and identifies the core work-tasks within the context of a particular occupational field. There results from this procedure a competence matrix which indicates the competence areas (based on core work-tasks) and the steps of competence-development described in terms of learning outcomes. Based on the experiences with mobilities acquired during the ECMO project and on the feedback from the stakeholders from partners countries, the identification of common learning outcomes is a crucial step in preparing an efficient mobility. However, this identification is often seen as very laborious and time-consuming. At the same time, it is important that the hosting institution have an understanding of the level of competences of the interns before the beginning of the mobility. This understanding can be ensured by elaborating a competence profile which is based on the respective competence matrix of the student that is legible to both parts of the mobility. It is preferable that this profile either be elaborated by the sending institution with the participation of the student or, alternatively, that it be filled in at the beginning of the student s internship in a simplified form, in which case it would be based on the self-evaluation of the student and used for defining the learning path and activities to be assigned. 62

65 A further instrument to be used in setting the goals of the mobility from the student s point of view is a letter of motivation that lists his or her expectations concerning the learning outcomes to be achieved as well as personal and social skills Examples of tools and their appropriateness in different phases of the mobility Initial evaluation The following grid is proposed as a means that might be used to evaluate the student s skills and competences in the preparation phase of the mobility, assuming that the common learning outcomes have already been identified and that there exists a relevant VQTS matrix for the field of study concerned. The current level of competence of the student is evaluated by the sending institution. In this way, the hosting institution understands what competence areas are to be acquired by the student and this grid can be used as a basis of defining the learning outcomes that will be part of the internship (and as such, the working tasks assigned to student). The desired level of competence at the end of the placement is defined after a discussion with the hosting institution and learning outcomes are afterwards given contractual form in the learning agreement. The exact nature of tasks in which the student will be involved can be specified in the learning agreement, so that the sending institution has a more precise understanding of the content of the work placement. In this way, the sending institution can ensure that the student will be confronted with the desired type and variety of work tasks and can verify the conformity of the content of the mobility with what was previously established between the two institutions. The competence matrix for the given profession is a point of reference for the assessment of which steps of competence-development a student has already completed and which steps of competence-development are still to be achieved in the course of the mobility. The initial evaluation can significantly contribute to the efficiency of the mobility in terms of choosing pertinent activities for the student. However, it was also designed to be as easy to use as possible and not excessively time-consuming, 63

66 especially for the representative of the company. For these reasons, it is preferable to use a predefined set of competence areas with checkboxes rather than a blank sheet that the company will need laboriously to fill in. COMPETENCE AREA STEPS OF COMPETENCE-DEVELOPMENT Marketing X X current level of competence as evaluated by the sending institution desired level of competence at the end of the placement, as defined by the learning agreement Assessment of learning outcomes for summative evaluation This grid was proposed as suitable for use in the formative or summative evaluation carried out within the hosting institution. The tutor in the hosting institution evaluates the student in the relevant competence areas, as specified in the learning agreement. In order to ensure a better traceability of the tasks carried out by the student during the placement, the tutor is invited to specify the activities performed by the student. The corresponding competence matrix should be used as a reference point. The assessment made on this sheet is mandatory, because it will be the basis of the recognition and validation process within the sending institution. Competence areas \ Evaluated level NC Purchasing, costing and stocking Specific activities: Key: 1. Participative observation of the activity 2. Execution under direct and/or continuous supervision 3. Execution under indirect and/or discontinuous supervision, with limited autonomy 4. Independent execution NC: Not concerned 64

67 The results of the evaluation of competences that will be transcribed onto this grid must be such as to be capable of being used in the process of formal recognition. This is why it is extremely important to use a clear and structured framework (e.g. the VQTS matrix) for defining the learning outcomes to be evaluated. The competence areas are derived from the corresponding VQTS matrix. However, a certain margin of flexibility is left for the company to specify which activities from the corresponding competence area the student was actually involved in. We chose a 4-point scale for the evaluation of the level of acquisition of the skills from the specific competence area. However, a different scale can be used for a simpler or more refined evaluation. The use of numeric scales seems to be preferable as compared to a verbal evaluation. It is simpler, less time consuming and often better structured. Working diary and its use in formative and summative evaluation The working diary can contribute greatly to the employability of the students, as it helps him or her record his/her daily activities, successes, failures and competences acquired. The diary can contribute to a formative or final evaluation. It is particularly suitable for internships lasting less than 1 month and some of the stakeholders use exclusively this type of evaluation. If possible, and depending on the language skills of the student, it is preferable that the diary be filled out using the particular language of the hosting institution. This gives the tutor of the hosting institution/company an opportunity to regularly make a point about the tasks and difficulties of the student. For the student, it s an opportunity to improve his or her language skills. The use of this comprehensive approach ensures: Active pedagogy (involvement of the student): Student is invited to describe in simple terms his daily activities by using verbs with complements. The daily activity of the student is the point of departure for a more advanced analysis of acquired knowledge, skills and competences. In fact, this approach helps the student to concretize the notion of knowledge and personal competences and their direct relation to daily working activities. The student is stimulated to reflect upon the resources he or she uses in his/her daily activity and is invited to formulate these reflections in a structured way. 65

68 Traceability and collecting of evidence (can be used for argumentation in the grid for final evaluation) Valorization of student s experience Support of both evaluation and self-evaluation: This process will be even more efficient if it is carried out under the supervision of the tutor in the receiving company, so that both evaluation and self-evaluation are used. If this is not possible, it should at least be validated by a signature from the tutor. Assessment of soft skills and competences For practical and organizational reasons, the soft skills evaluation is optional, as these skills do not form part of the recognition and evaluation process. However, trainees and hosting organizations should be encouraged to perform this evaluation, because the skills and competences that form the objects of this evaluation are directly linked to employability and to occupational or geographic mobility. The proposed evaluation grids are loosely based on the specification of competences elaborated in the Europass+ project: organizational skills (time management, project management); social skills (capacity for teamwork, communicative skills and competences, intercultural skills and competences) and employability skills (accountability and responsibility, respect, positive attitude and initiative) are all evaluated. The items proposed here are intended only for illustrative purposes. Other evaluation criteria can be used and many other frameworks for evaluating soft skills exist already (e.g. eu, Two separate grids are proposed: one for the tutor (based on evaluation or coevaluation) and one for the student (based on self-evaluation). In both, we preferred to use a multiple-level scale in the form of a checkbox rather than using an open-ended and non-structured form of evaluation (this type of evaluation has proven to be too abstract and generic). We ask the mentor in the hosting company to evaluate the student at the end of the placement period by simply circling the corresponding descriptor on the three-step scale ( approaching expectations, meets expectations, exceeds expectations ). The descriptors provide the mentor with an indication of the corresponding observable behaviours and attitudes, so that the risk of his or her passing inappropriately subjective judgments is minimized. As stated in the assessment procedures and guidelines, the use of negative evaluation can be a little controversial. The 66

69 objective is to give the student a constructive feedback and help him or her improve soft skills and attitudes. It has been concluded that only positive evaluation is to be documented in the EUROPASS Mobility document. The second grid is to be used by the student, as it is purely self-evaluative. The student is invited to evaluate the relevant soft skills mobilized during his mobility period (at work but also outside the work context). This grid uses a four-step scale ( to be improved, good, very good, excellent ). However, in order to promote self-analysis and to help the student build an argumentation for these competences (for the contexts of job interviews or applications for study), we invite him to specify the context (situation, project, difficulty ) in which they were used Relation between mobilities and employability As a conclusion to this chapter, we postulate that there exists a relation between mobilities, employability and professional mobility: Mobilities are an important factor in the students future employability: Several longitudinal studies 33 have been conducted to measure the impact of student mobilities (in Erasmus programmes) and the employability of students, taking into account salary, unemployment rates, hierarchic positions and other operational indicators of employability. However, the only reliable finding has been that student mobility orientates employability more than it increases it 34. For obvious methodological reasons, it is difficult to obtain scientifically precise findings and it seems that the relationship between mobility and employability is a missing link in the story 35. However, a qualitative research study carried out in the UK seems to indicate that an experience with student mobility is perceived as something that is to the candidates advantage by the majority of re- 33 The Professional Value of Erasmus Mobilities, ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/doc/publ/ evalcareer.pdf 34 «La mobilité étudiante, entre mythe et réalité», Laure Endrizzi, Institut National de recherche pédagogique, endrizzi_mobilite_etudiante_fr.pdf 35 International student mobility literature review, UK National Agency for Erasmus. 67

70 cruiters (idem). Therefore, despite the lack of solid statistical findings, we may say that employability can be positively affected by student mobility. In fact, anecdotal evidence from our stakeholders indicates that some students are literally transformed by the experience of mobility: they are more self-confident, better able to present their skills and competences, and better able to communicate (in a foreign language). These factors (and others) can positively contribute to their success on the labour market and, for this reason, the evaluation process has to take into account a wider context that extends beyond the academic sphere. Employability as a factor in occupational and geographical mobility To stretch the relation between mobility and employability even further, mobility is an important factor in the development of some of the European key competences (namely, communication in foreign languages, learning to learn, social and civic competences, and cultural awareness and expression). As the European Parliament states, key competences ( ) guarantee more flexibility in the labour force, allowing it to adapt more quickly to constant changes in an increasingly interconnected world 36. The transferable skills and competences acquired during mobility have an indisputable value in helping the student adapt himself to different working environments and thus promoting not only his geographic mobility, but potentially also his occupational mobility. This being the case, they are potentially as important as the directly work-related skills and competences specified in the training curriculum. Supplement: COMPENDIUM OF METHODS EUROPASS PLUS Guidelines for filling out the personal skills and competences section of the Europass CV, based on the self-evaluative approach Recommendation 2006/962/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning [Official Journal L 394 of ]. 68

71 EUROPE COMPASS A highly structured framework that helps formalize and evaluate professional skills and intercultural competences acquired during a work placement abroad in a well-structured manner. MOTO Project An easy-to-use learning outcomes evaluation sheet was elaborated during this project. The sheet takes into account formative as well as summative assessment. AERO Project The project partners elaborated a four-scale assessment sheet with learning outcomes from the field of aircraft maintenance ( observed / supported, under instruction, under surveillance, independently. References Bracht O., Engel C., Janson K., Over A., Schomburg H. & Teichler U. (2006). The Professional Value of Erasmus Mobilities, ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/doc/publ/evalcareer.pdf (accessed ) Endrizzi L. (2010). La mobilité étudiante, entre mythe et réalité, (accessed ) King R., Findlay A., Ahrens J. (2010) International student mobility literature review, UK National Agency for Erasmus. (accessed ) European Comission (2006). Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning (2006/962/EC). Official Journal of the European Union, lex.europa.eu/lexuriserv/lexuriserv.do?uri=oj:l:2006:394:0010:0018:e n:pdf (accessed ) 69

72 7. Advantages of the use during mobilities of instruments developed by the ECMO project Folene Nannen-Gethmann & Christiane Langweg (EU-Geschäftsstelle der Bezirksregierung Cologne) 7.1. Using the instruments in practice In this article the practical benefit of the project s products will be discussed. The two instruments competence matrix and list of the descriptions of skills and competences acquired during the internships were tested by trainees in the field of professional catering in cooperation with their mentoring teachers. These trainees studied / worked at the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld in Cologne, Germany and gained their experience in the German dual system of VET; the training companies involved were Lanxess Arena and Maredo. The EU-Geschäftsstelle, Wirtschaft und Berufsbildung, Bezirksregierung Cologne is an institution linked to the supervisory board for more than 70 vocational training colleges in the region of Cologne, Germany. Its main task is to support vocational students mobility and to improve the quality of this mobility. In accordance with this aim, the EU-Geschäftsstelle advises vocational training colleges in LEONARDO DA VINCI mobility projects and participates as coordinator or partner inter alia in LEONARDO DA VINCI transfer of innovation projects. Due to its intensive contact with the vocational colleges the EU-Geschäftsstelle was in a good position to test the instruments developed during the ECMO project for their applicability during mobilities. Concretely, this took place in close cooperation with the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld in Cologne which is the biggest vocational college within the Cologne region and which specializes in the field of social care and the hotel and gastronomic sector. A few years ago, this college started LEONARDO DA VINCI mobility projects for students in the hotel and gastronomic sector. This meant that it was interested in the instruments that the ECMO project was intended to develop, especially the competence matrixes and the proposal for the EUROPASS Mobility. 70

73 The students in the hotel and gastronomic sector are all in the dual system of vocational education and training (VET). They gain experience both in the companies and at school. Due to the interests of the training companies, their VET is organized in such a way that the students spend about four weeks at school three times a year, and the remaining time in the training companies. Additional internships abroad are, so far, optional. Since 2008, the college has been offering an internship in several European countries, usually lasting three weeks, for those students who are interested in gaining experience abroad during their VET. Such internships are financed by the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme. The students have to apply for it and a small committee decides if they may participate or not. A precondition for their application is the agreement of their training company to release them from work for two weeks for the internship abroad; for the third week they are usually released by the vocational college. This rather individualized system of internships implies a lot of organizational effort for the teachers who are responsible for organizing these internships. The learning agreements and the EUROPASSES which the VET students receive are also individualized, although most of the students do their internships abroad during their second year of their apprenticeship. The teachers involved in mobilities were especially interested in improved instruments for the definition of students tasks during their internships and the documentation of their learning outcomes. The training companies want their trainees to do an internship abroad not only in order to gain additional personal and intercultural competences but also professional competences. As, in accordance with German law, the apprentices are paid during their VET by the training companies also when they are learning elsewhere, either at school or abroad these training companies have an important interest in the good quality of internships, as, of course, do the trainees and their teachers as well. Therefore, the tasks to be completed during the internships need to be carefully defined and agreed upon between the sending company and the VET college on the one hand and the receiving VET college and the company on the other hand. In addition, because of the dual VET system there are no fixed periods of practical training with clearly defined tasks for the students, which means that it is always necessary to make individual agreements. 71

74 For these reasons, competence matrixes with well-defined learning outcomes bearing on different competence-development steps are very helpful for the students individual learning agreements. The internships offer the possibility to the students of gaining additional professional competencies that are not, or are only partly, elements of their German VET, or of deepening existing competences e.g. by learning how to practice them in a foreign language. Of course they gain personal, social and intercultural competences, too. The competence matrices on the basis of learning outcomes avoid the necessity of making long and often hardly fruitful comparisons between the different European VET systems when learning agreements between partners have to be made. Instead, they give a helpful picture of the existing competencies of the VET student and make it easier to define the tasks during the internship. Moreover, the process of drawing up an individual competence profile for the student encourages her or him and helps to identify her or his already-existing competences. During the ECMO project, project members decided at the very first meeting to use the vocational standard: Professional Caterer as the basis on which the mobilities for the testing of the instruments would be organized. Therefore, on the basis of existing matrices in the hotel and gastronomic sector, a new competence matrix was developed. It was the basis for the discussion with the Cologne sending and training companies. Up until now, the LEONARDO DA VINCI mobilities at the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld had involved only future hotel management assistants, cooks and restaurant operations trainees. They had not involved any Professional Caterers. The companies in this sector had to be basically informed about the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme and its opportunities and, moreover, they had to be convinced to release their trainees. Usually, the internships at the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld last three weeks. But in view of the special challenges posed by the ECMO project, the VET students for the vocational standard Professional Caterer were supposed to spend six weeks abroad, in order to have a more profound basis for testing the instruments. Since the training companies were hardly at all acquainted with the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme, and were obliged to go on paying the VET 72

75 students, the supervising teacher had to invest a lot of energy in order to convince some of these companies to send their trainees abroad. As the matrix was the basis for the learning agreements, it was intensively discussed between company trainer, mentoring teacher and trainee. It was important to clarify which competences the trainee already had and which competences she or he should acquire during the internship. This was, at the same time, a good opportunity to discuss and thus to validate the matrix for the vocational standard Professional Caterer with the sending companies. The companies were of different size and had different specializations. This was, for example, used in one case to add further questions concerning specific differences between the respective companies in the field of marketing. In other cases, certain acquired competences could be differentiated into practical experiences and theoretical knowledge gained at school but no practical experience. Generally, the companies gave positive feedback regarding the matrix EUROPASS Mobility All VET students who do an internship at the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld within the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme receive a EUROPASS Mobility after its successful completion. Unfortunately, most training companies in the region of Cologne do not at present know the EUROPASS. This is the reason why the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld issues an additional certificate to the students. One reason for these companies not knowing the EUROPASS may be that, in the past, training companies were not used to the possibility that students could gain experience abroad while still taking part in VET. Usually at least in the hotel chains or the first class hotels going abroad happened only after finishing the initial VET. With increasing VET students mobility and hopefully vertical mobility between initial vocational education, training and higher education as well the EUROPASS may become more commonly known. A precondition for this is an increasing informational value for entrepreneurs. The ECMO results may contribute to this process. When filling in the hitherto-existing forms of the EUROPASS Mobility, and when revising them, there are often unclear formulations and distinctions made be- 73

76 tween Activities/ tasks carried out and Job-related skills and competences acquired and the descriptions are often very vague. For later job applications, the informative value is low. Maybe this is another reason why the EUROPASS Mobility is hardly known by the entrepreneurs. The ECMO approach namely, offering the opportunity to select specific items out of a variety of carefully chosen components contributes to a higher validation of the EUROPASS Mobility. The list of learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and competences on the basis of the competence matrix for Professional Caterer improves the Europe-wide comparability of work carried out in this sector. A list with standardized vocational qualifications, taking into account the different EQF levels, will facilitate mobility between different countries, and also between the different occupations on different EQF or NQF levels within a country. In practice, the mentoring teacher or trainer needs, with the ECMO approach, no longer to think about the specific formulations and the distinction between tasks carried out and competences acquired but has standardized items at her or his disposal. This will ease the communication between the actors in several ways: The match between the VET college and the training company concerning the tasks which the apprentice shall actually have to perform shall now have a valuable basis. The learning agreement between the sending institution in our case the Berufskolleg Ehrenfeld as a VET college and the receiving institution, which will either itself be a VET college or a company, can be more easily formulated, and misunderstandings between partners concerning the existing competences of the trainees and their EQF levels can be avoided. The student her- or himself will now enjoy a rather more concrete overview of his or her existing competences and the competences to be acquired during the internship. An entrepreneur who is potentially going to employ a student who has been abroad will now have not only a proof of this fact but, in the form of the EUROPASS, a meaningful document with precise descriptions. Altogether, this can improve the quality and the value of VET students mobility and lead to a better understanding and a higher appreciation of the EUROPASS Mobility, Europe-wide. 74

77 In practice as already mentioned above the matrix has helped to define the tasks of the trainees and has added to a successful communication between the VET colleges and the training companies. The list for the descriptions of skills and competences acquired during the EUROPASS Mobility has facilitated the preparation of the EUROPASSES and is hopefully making them more useful for the trainees than the previous EUROPASSES have been for their colleagues. As the students by whose experiences these instruments are being tested will not be finishing their VET education until next year, statements about the real added value of the extended form of the EUROPASS Mobility are not yet possible. Earlier experience acquired with the previous EUROPASS, however, in combination with the feedback of training companies, allows the above-mentioned predictions about the probable future advantages of the extended EUROPASS Mobility. For practical use in the longer term, it will be essential that the instruments developed become available Europe-wide as a database, so that the users are linked to it and can choose the specific item by a click on their computers. The actually existing tool, which is available only as a file but not as a data base, is not easy enough to handle and can only be used if one already has the file with the list of competences etc. Of course, it will be necessary to extend the database for additional professions, and individually sector by sector, in order to achieve the advantages mentioned above. Within the ECMO project the partners agreed that the future EUROPASS should offer the possibility of adding or omitting individual blocks, e. g. Computer skills and competences acquired or Organizational and social skills and competences acquired. The latter for example, might easily be omitted in the cases relevant here, since they are important above all where students are to be certified on a lower EQF level. Apprentices in the German dual VET system on EQF level 4 or higher especially in the hotel and gastronomic sector usually possess a high level of organizational and social competence and for them it would be rather a disadvantage than an advantage to have such competences particularly mentioned or documented, as their possessing them goes without saying. The possibility of adding blocks helps to provide very individualized EUROPASSES and to emphasize special competences gained abroad, whereas the possibility of omitting or leaving out blocks helps to keep the size of the 75

78 EUROPASS manageable. Discussions with companies have shown that human resources managers who are in charge of recruiting new staff members are not eager to have very voluminous application documents. Therefore, even where it is extended and expanded, the size of the EUROPASS Mobility needs to be kept as manageable as possible. With a database which is easy to handle, the ECMO proposal will be a useful instrument to facilitate mobilities in the hotel and gastronomic sector. This will be the case even for those mobilities which have, up till now, generally only lasted for a period of three weeks. Moreover, this sort of database would also offer the possibility of the student doing an internship abroad filling out the EUROPASS Mobility together and in collaboration with her or his mentor in the training company. In this way, an adjustment between the self-evaluation of the student and the evaluation of the trainer will be able to occur, which could be an advantage for both Evaluation Before the competences achieved during an internship are certified in the EUROPASS, they should be evaluated. The methods of assessment and evaluation should be agreed upon between all partners involved in this process. These will depend on the duration of the mobilities (e. g. only three weeks or longer), on the different VET systems within the European countries, and on whether internships abroad are obligatory or not. They should be as compatible with the sending organizations prescriptions as possible. The ECMO partners agreed that, in the case of short-term mobilities lasting no longer than three weeks, the focus of learning is usually more on the personal, social and intercultural areas, and it will be sufficient to have self-evaluations, learning diaries or the like. In the case of longer lasting mobilities, more elaborate assessment methods are necessary. As the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme requires self-evaluation from the beneficiaries, sending and receiving institutions should avoid double evaluation. They could use the LEONARDO DA VINCI forms and add some questions, which would be specific for every student, if necessary. Since the paperwork with the LEONARDO DA VINCI programme is already extensive, and since the 76

79 teachers together with their students usually spend a lot of time on it already, it is important to keep it manageable even with the extension. In the case where national rules expect specific assessment tools, these will have to be agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding which is drawn up before the mobilities start. 77

80 8. The acceptance of the EUROPASS Mobility the function of the ECMO Guidelines Jörg Engelmann 8.1. Introduction The German Vocational Training Act mentions the possibility of a stay abroad during the regular training period. Stakeholders perceive this as an important and positive signal for the apprentices and training companies. The following article begins with some general remarks and some perspectives on mobility and the EUROPASS, as a summary of experience and discussions within different projects and with many training companies dealing with mobility. The review of the ECMO Guidelines involves the integration of the results of different interviews with stakeholders, such as the Bayerische Staatsministerium für Unterricht und Kultus and the Staatsinstitut für Schulqualität und Bildungsforschung. As regards the employers side, interviews have been conducted with the different associations of hotel and catering businesses such as the Bayerische Hotel- und Gaststättenverband DEHOGA Bayern e.v. and the Bundesverband der Systemgastronomie e.v. (BdS). All were aware of the importance of mobilities during the vocational training period. The opinions we received regarding the ECMO Guidelines were always positive, although there was a hint of concern that the investment of time for using them should not be allowed to exceed moderate levels. When the EUROPASS was introduced in Germany in 2005, to a wider audience comprising experts from the field of vocational education and training as well as companies in Frankfurt, a healthy dose of scepticism was still perceptible as to which of the five elements would be received and how, or whether, the overall idea of a European compendium of vocational qualifications actually stood any chance of survival from the very outset. The education systems and the European employment market seemed too heterogeneous; and the EUROPASS idea still seemed to be more of an academic construct than a viable everyday reality. 78

81 8.2. Preliminary remarks and status quo: From the very beginning, the EUROPASS Curriculum Vitae offered large companies with several European locations the possibility of standardising the application procedure, both for a switch in jobs within the company as well as for external job applications. 37 The philosophy of the Curriculum Vitae, which does not present a historical record of the accomplishments of its holder thus far, but rather the most current qualification with the types of competence acquired most recently, is, however, suitable for every company. After all, an employee is hired based on his current qualifications. The second interesting component is the Language Passport, which allows for the description of the candidate s linguistic competence via a self-evaluation. Both the supplements Diploma Supplement and Certificate Supplements, a description in English of the academic vocational qualifications or those acquired under the dual vocational training system, help in the initial assessment of the knowledge to be expected complementary to the attestations to specialised competence in the form of the various certificates (e.g. examination certificates of the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Chambers of Skilled Crafts, full-time vocational schools or universities). Within the EUROPASS, the fifth element, the EUROPASS Mobility, surely stands out. It documents the concrete, individual educational schemes within Europe. With respect to the issue of the EUROPASS, both the home organisation, such as the training company or the part-time vocational school, and the partner in the other European country are involved to the same degree. Experience thus far shows that the EUROPASS Mobility is a truly meaningful instrument which is useful for the application process. The results of a survey carried out by the National EUROPASS Center (NEC) verify that it can prove helpful particularly for initial applications after the completion of vocational training: This being the case, the document makes an identifiable contribution towards supporting the beneficiaries in the labour markets in their efforts to make their internationally gained experience transparent. 38 A stay abroad is usually addressed at the job 37 Olaf Stieper, Stellungnahme der METRO Group zum neuen EUROPASS Lebenslauf, Documentation EUROPASS Launch Conference, p.27, publ. InWent Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung ggmbh, Cologne in December Uta-M. Behnisch, Nutzen und Vorteile des Mobilitätsnachweises beim Einsatz im Bewerbungsverfahren in bildung für europa, June 2012, p. 11, publ.: Nationale Agentur Bildung für Europa beim Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (NA at BIBB), ISSN

82 interview at the latest. The EUROPASS Mobility is, in this conjunction, an appropriate instrument with which the applicant can draw attention to the practical experience gained by him or her abroad as well as to the skills and types of competence acquired there. 39 Nonetheless, the author sums up the situation as follows: All in all, the respondents consider the EUROPASS Mobility a meaningful and useful instrument. They criticise the fact that companies and other institutions e.g. universities are not sufficiently aware of it, which leads to it being less effective in application procedures. 40 Does the solution, then, lie in a marketing campaign for the EUROPASS Mobility? That would be short-sighted and not get to the heart of the matter. After all, companies scrutinize the value of a product very closely and naturally weigh up the expenditure and yield involved. This being the case, the benefits have to be convincing. For many companies, sending their trainees abroad has already become a matter of course, whether within the scope of organised periods of learning abroad, e.g. within the framework of a LEONARDO DA VINCI scheme, or even in the course of operational tasks as well, e.g. assembly works or services rendered to customers abroad, or within the companies own corporate structures. The latter sort of arrangement was already introduced at the launch of the EUROPASS in Frankfurt in 2005 using AIRBUS Deutschland GmbH. 41 Apart from the framework in which such campaigns are embedded, the motives of the companies may vary greatly. For one company, the experience abroad may primarily serve the purpose of schooling competences of their trainees which are of a personal or social nature, as such an experience entails having to find one s way about in a foreign country, in a foreign language, and in an unfamiliar learning environment. For another company, it may rather be the technical content that plays 39 i.i. p i.i. p M. Hammerschmidt-Wilkens, Die Internationalisierung der Berufsausbildung, Documentation EU- ROPASS Launch Conference, p.40 et seq., publ. InWent Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung ggmbh, Köln in December

83 a significant role. These results of a study by IFA in Austria can most likely be unconditionally transferred to German companies. 42 The current difficulties faced by many companies in finding suitable applicants for their training place vacancies constitute a new, additional aspect. The prospect of an opportunity to spend time abroad could just be that extra something when it comes to an application for a training place. Companies rely on being able to address high-performing applicants, for example those with university-entrance qualifications who may have planned in a semester abroad during their studies, with the help of such offers. A mobility measure within the framework of in-company vocational training may represent at least a partial substitute for such an offer. A stay abroad can, however, be motivating for underperforming youth as well, and bring individual strengths to light which would have otherwise gone unrecognised. This similarly applies to trainees with immigrant backgrounds who will be able to put their cultural and language skills to use in a targeted manner abroad. Most of the training companies use mobility as an incentive for the best apprentices. In addition to the individual expectations of the training company with respect to a stay abroad by their trainees, there are also external factors which play a decisive role in such measures. These include, for example, the duration of the stay abroad or the age of the trainee, his or her individual level of performance and period of training already completed. 43 Proper planning should therefore take the business objectives as well as all the questions and aspects that influence them into consideration. This being the case, a trainee s stay abroad should be individualized to the greatest extent possible. The experiences gained from projects and talks with training companies show that training companies appreciate and expect the EUROPASS Mobility when the mobility measure is organised via support programmes such as LEONARDO DA VINCI or Xchange. However, this also means that other companies, which are themselves not involved in such projects through their trainees and are not themselves affected, see the EUROPASS Mobility at best as yet another document in the job application. 42 S. Klimmer, Was bringen Auslandspraktika von Lehrlingen den Unternehmen?, p. 221 et seq., from P. Wordelmann (Ed.) Internationale Kompetenzen in der Berufsbildung, Bonn 2010, ISBN DIHK, Auslandsaufenthalte während der betrieblichen Ausbildung, Berlin

84 8.3. Future mobility and further development of the EUROPASS Mobility Up until now, the EUROPASS Mobility has described and documented a period of learning abroad, within the scope of vocational training or directly following such training. In order to make it more appealing, it obviously has to be able to convey more. However, as already outlined, the motives for a stay abroad, and hence the related expectations, can vary differ greatly. As a principle, a stay abroad is firmly anchored in the German Vocational Training Act, which provides for it as an option with a duration of up to a quarter of the period of training. Since the trainee remains bound to the company via the training contract in this respect, and continues to receive a training allowance, the directly measurable variables of expenditure and yield may be crucial. This being the case, some of the stakeholders have indicated that a relatively short, three- to four-week stay abroad would be the most feasible. Longer stays apparently require special framework conditions as has already been demonstrated by, amongst others, the pilot project ProMobility. That is to say, these longer stays require real exchange in occupations in which appropriate work replacement is possible through a foreign trainee, and/or in fields of training in which real, new technical knowledge is acquired that the training company is unable to teach adequately. In this regard, the crediting and certification of whatever type of learning performances achieved and/or types of competence acquired abroad are basically promoted as a political aim by many stakeholders, especially from the political respondents. In this connection, the EUROPASS Mobility is certainly looked upon as an effective instrument. According to these experts, the EUROPASS Mobility is able to describe, as well as to certify, the performances achieved in a consistent manner. This, however, pre-supposes that clear assessment criteria are used which are comprehensible to everyone. In this connection, it is imperative that the criteria remain practicable and applicable; smaller and medium-sized companies in particular should be able to understand and use them with minimum effort. This also applies to the European Credit Transfer in Vocational Education and Training ECVET currently under discussion, which is shortly to be launched and is modelled after the university system ECTS. The idea to award the credits based on duration and competence is correct but currently not realisable. This being the case, certification and transferability are being called for as shorter-term goals, but without the credits. All of the stakeholders interviewed confirmed that an assessment is easier for occupations in 82

85 which certain skills are taught and learnt in independent training segments than for occupations involving activities for which continuous learning during the entire period of vocational training is indispensible. In this connection, an identical requirement demands that a stay abroad during the vocational training not lead to a waste of time, and hence be organised with integrated vocational training. But it is here in particular that it becomes difficult for companies. Not only is the company or institution which is to host the trainee occasionally not known, but certain larger and smaller differences in the (vocational) education systems in Europe seem to take on too much of a significance: in-company or full-time school, age, training occupations 44 In this respect, the question of a possible transferability of the performances achieved, or even the intention to award credits, are deemed to be too academic and unrealistic by the companies that the catering and hotel business associations are concerned with. And this is so despite the fact that every company is aware that, without proper planning, no product can be developed and sold, and no customer satisfied. In the same vein, pertinent preparation should be a matter of course for a stay abroad. In the area of the mobility measures promoted, specific projects or content is always determined beforehand. A subject-based allocation of the individual project elements or content in advance facilitates the assessment and transferability afterwards. In this regard, the occupation, the individual capabilities of the trainees, their levels of performance, as well as the planned duration of stay and the foreign partner company or training centre and the opportunities that they offer all have a mutual bearing on one another, and together form the full package of a mobility measure. The interim situation may be described as follows: For the political stakeholders interviewed, a higher degree of transferability of learning results attained abroad is both politically desired and expected. In this regard, it is emphasized that these stays abroad should be carried out as integratively as possible. The use of credits for Germany seems, at best, realizable in the medium-term, as greater modification measures to the German vocational education system would be necessary in this connection. The advantage of credits in this regard lies in the higher degree of comparability of training qualifications in Europe. The EUROPASS Mobility is considered to be a suitable medium for the documentation and, in a certain sense, also a suitable instrument of certification. Increasing its prominence, adoption and acceptance would be a goal in this respect. The 44 D. Leischner, Bildungssysteme in Europa, VLB Verlag e.v. Munich 2011, ISBN

86 hotel and catering business associations stressed that, this being the case, making the EUROPASS Mobility as well as all the documents to be used with it legible and manageable for the companies will play a decisive role. The same applies to the preparatory and follow-up work, as well as to the implementation of the trainees periods of learning abroad. These principles should be taken into account in the gastronomic sector in particular, with its many small, ownerrun companies. The larger the company structure, the higher the chances of its being able to delegate internal responsibilities and share tasks The ECMO Guidelines as solution model From the chambers point of view, vocational training in this sector would have necessarily always to comprise a training segment abroad, based alone on the self-conception of the occupational groups included in the hotel and gastronomic sector, such as hotel and restaurant specialists or even chefs. This being the case, global mobility for highly-skilled personnel in this sector has almost become de rigueur and forms the basis for a successful career. It is therefore hardly surprising that, in Munich for example, one of the oldest LEONARDO DA VINCI projects is to be found in the area of gastronomy. By contrast, stays abroad have not established themselves yet to the same degree in the field of system catering, But it is precisely in this occupational field that the basic principle of a standardized gastronomic concept applies most strongly, which makes it appear to be the field best suited to have segments of its vocational training take place abroad. The guidelines developed in ECMO make use of the EUROPASS Mobility as its platform. The objective in this regard is to enhance the relevance of the EUROPASS Mobility as a means to the real documentation of assessed performances via the compilation of concrete learning targets and the assessment thereof. This may entail several positive effects: The EUROPASS could offer real added value, as it would thus bring to life the idea of an integrative stay abroad during vocational training. Companies and trainees would be able to read in black and white what exactly was learnt and the results with which these learning segments were completed. This could, in turn, lead to personnel managers taking a closer look at the documents of the EUROPASS 45 during a later application procedure, rather than their giving them the mere fleeting glance that 45 Uta M. Behnisch 2012, p

87 they tend to give them now. All in all, the acceptance of the EUROPASS Mobility as a European document would also be increased in this manner. In order to clarify the question of basic assessment: Many stakeholders deem the ECMO Guidelines to be a suitable framework for these objectives Step 1: Determination of learning outcome units The principle is easily clarified as, in the end, it is a question of the definition of content typical of vocational training i.e. of the content which the trainee is to be taught during his stay abroad and/or in relation to which he should acquire the corresponding types of competence. The VQTS matrices developed in various projects for different occupations form the foundation here. They support the modern principle of competence-orientation in vocational education and training. Based on these descriptions, common intersections of the various training programmes of the countries involved are looked for and then used to structure the stay abroad, and/or the current competence profile of the trainee is ascertained and any possible gaps in knowledge or types of competence are defined. In practical terms, this means: what is defined is content which is to be found both in the German training regulations and in the qualification rules of the partner country. This being the case, the desired types of competence to be acquired abroad can be adapted to fit smoothly and efficiently into the regular vocational training plan. In principle, this approach meets with broad acceptance by all the stakeholders interviewed, with one qualifying reservation: precisely because the construction here appears to be so logical, apprehension is expressed that it may involve the risk of additional red tape. With a view to the later relevance of the EUROPASS Mobility, it is crucial for all the stakeholders interviewed that these units be assessable and that their results be clearly describable and comprehensible. On the whole, it must be borne in mind that the intricate structure of the concrete vocational training plan for the stay abroad should be meaningfully organised with a view to the duration of the measure. The hotel and catering business associations emphasize the principle: The shorter the stay, the greater the leeway required by the host company. The reason for this lies not only in the structure of the (mainly small) training companies, but also in the occupations making up the gastronomic sector. Unlike in the case of certain technical occupations, filtering out separate parts of the vocational training to be carried out within three weeks can be dif- 85

88 ficult. Should the training content be too complicated, this may also lead to the trainee not being able to properly assimilate the content to be taught in the foreign language. In this regard, previous knowledge and individual ability play an important role. However, the stakeholders emphasize the fact that insufficient guidelines would expose the stay abroad to the risk of arbitrariness. Consequently, the motto Keep it simple should be applied with sound judgment and a sense of proportion. The preparation of content in accordance with this model could be suited to structuring integrative mobility measures, and thereby to stimulating demand with companies, or in those gastronomic fields which currently have little experience with foreign assignments by their trainees. The hotel and catering business associations are of the view that, this being the case, it would also be a real human resources development tool Step 2: Assessment of the learning outcomes The ECMO Guidelines provide for different competence identification procedures. They follow the principle of the right balance between expenditure and yield, and are staggered. In principle, the question as to what exactly should be assessed and certified and, in particular, with which methods this should be done, has to be clarified in advance. The principle of mutual trust gives the partners free rein to the extent that they determine in advance the methods selected, the persons involved etc. in the learning agreement. In this manner, it is ensured that the partners are not only in agreement with respect to the framework conditions, but also accept the assessments of the respective partner. A central question follows here: Should the types of competence acquired during the stay abroad be identified and assessed, or will competence-identification with respect to the status quo of the existing skills and knowledge be carried out at the end even though at this point it is no longer possible to determine precisely when the trainee could have acquired these competences? It is imperative, therefore, that, if the added value of a stay abroad is determined in the form of progress in respect of knowledge and skills, the existing level of performance must first be ascertained prior to commencing the stay abroad. However, in the eyes of the stakeholders, it is here that the risk of burgeoning red tape lies. As already elucidated, the use of the competence matrices is an 86

89 effective method firstly because it entails a common understanding of the occupation and the pertinent types of competence and secondly because this method may, with regard to education policy, be gradually broadened to include other occupations. But it requires time, which smaller companies simply may not have. In gastronomic occupations in particular, in which, as already mentioned, any gain in technical competence achieved within the short scope of traditional LEONARDO DA VINCI mobility measures lasting only three weeks would hardly be measurable, personal types of competence play a major role. An external assessment of, for example, increased self confidence is too much to expect of the company providing the internship or vocational training. For the political stakeholder and the hotel and catering business associations the instrument of self-evaluation provided for in ECMO consequently seems to be the right component, even if it entails the risk of an excessively positive self-appraisal. As a supplement to the traditional record book, it is definitely assessed as adequate for shorter stays abroad. Since the German Vocational Training Act prescribes the keeping of a record book, the use of this instrument, and the recognition of its significance for quality assurance, are common practice for German training companies. The hotel and catering business associations stress that occupations in the hotel and gastronomic sectors offer manifold opportunities and various forms of vocational training in individual areas of learning in the individual countries. This being so, dealing with the guest, for instance, can be taught in a differentiated manner. With respect to the practical feasibility of the forms, pertinent free-text spaces should accordingly be included, which will allow for individual modifications in this regard. With respect to longer training segments abroad, formative forms of identification should be used. The content to be assessed is defined here by the areas of competence set down in the course of the learning agreement. The type of assessment in the four forms proposed here will, to begin with, be unfamiliar to German companies. Nonetheless, the additional effort required from the training company seems justified, especially since this instrument is to be put to use for longer stays. For all that, however in practice, the time required for the processing of these documents by the company should, in the view of the hotel and catering business associations, not exceed seven to ten minutes. It may also provide the company with important information for the formulation of the employer s reference for the trainee. 87

90 The ECMO Guidelines also provide for the optional assessment of soft skills both with regard to the self-appraisal of the trainee and to the assessment by the training company. Since these skills are increasingly gaining in importance, at least for German training companies, this assessment should not be dispensed with Step 3: Recognition and validation The question of validation and recognition of learning performances achieved abroad comprises one component that is more political in nature and another that is more practical. In Germany, this is, in the view of all the stakeholders interviewed, connected to the country s lack of an ECVET structure. With respect to the validation, it depends on who confirms the performances determined as being relevant and/or as corresponding to the vocational training in the home country. This decision would have to be carried out together with the agreement on the period of learning abroad prior to the commencement of the actual measure. Should changes to the training plan prove to be necessary during the stay, these should, in principle, be carried out only in exceptional cases and always in consultation with the home organisation. Otherwise, the relationship of trust necessary for Step 2 would be permanently impaired. The recognition deals with the question of whether the stay abroad and its results are recognised as part of the vocational training in the trainee s home country. A pragmatic approach to solving this problem would, for example, be to allow the training company to decide, in the end, for itself, after reviewing the trainee s final certificates, to what extent the topics and areas of vocational training have already been completed and whether it has to teach these to the trainee once again. The hotel and catering business associations emphasize that the training company is responsible for teaching the content of vocational training. It bears the risk of continued employment if the trainee fails the examination. For this reason alone, a certain amount of sensitivity is called for with respect to this question. This being the case, a lot will depend on the preparations and the trust established. 46 IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria: Ergebnisse der Online-Umfrage zur Aus- und Weiterbildung 2012 in webcode 0702ABQ 88

91 Step 4: Documentation in EUROPASS Mobility, Section 5 In Section 5, the EUROPASS Mobility will be substantially enhanced by, for instance, the incorporation of the corresponding assessments. A quick transferability of the necessary information would be practical. For example, the idea of a drop-down list could be helpful, and the applicability and comparability of the EUROPASS Mobility document would certainly be increased thereby. But for all the stakeholders interviewed it seemed clear that such an idea would only be feasible through the development of a very extensive database (involving approx. 380 German occupations alone) and the stakeholders raised doubts as to whether and when such an undertaking would be realisable. However, one should, in principle, not lose sight of this idea, as this instrument could thus be made all the more appealing to the training companies especially for the hotel and catering business associations. All in all, the EUROPASS would thereby improve its image, and its value as a document for stays abroad would gain a unique selling feature. The concept developed in ECMO for the EUROPASS Mobility is deemed by all the pertinent authorities interviewed to be an appropriate vehicle to further promote the idea of stays abroad. In particular, the conversion from pure documentation to structured and assessed learning results is very appealing to those interviewed. From their point of view, the practical use and the acceptance by the companies will play a decisive role Summary An effective tool-kit allows for integrative periods of learning abroad within the scope of vocational education and training. ECMO has drawn attention to the ways and means of making this possible in view of the existing framework conditions imposed by education policy in the countries of Europe. The underlying ECVET structure, i.e. the possibility of defining and assessing learning units, supports the aim of validating and recognizing what has already been accomplished. Even if the gastronomy and hotel sectors may seem especially suitable on paper for training segments abroad, one unsatisfactory aspect of these sectors does come to light: The efforts involved in the preparation and followup, as well as in the implementation, of a stay abroad naturally increase with the demands made in terms of quality. The question emerging from the interviews with stakeholders is: to what extent will an individual company be willing to 89

92 autonomously put in the obviously large amount of effort necessary, starting with the formulation of the competence profile, the determination of the planned learning results, and also all the related assessment and documentation? Even if the real added value for the company is created only in and through this procedure, smaller and medium-sized gastronomic companies will, in all likelihood, shy away from this amount of effort. Nonetheless, particularly in this branch, concerns about the lack of young skilled labour are clearly perceptible. Qualitatively good vocational training, with the possibility of a stay abroad, constitutes a distinct competitive edge when it comes to the search for suitable applicants. However, it is not from this alone that the company itself benefits. A period of learning abroad which is well-structured in terms of content can also provide the company with access to new ideas and fresh technical knowledge. The positive effects for the trainees in terms of personal competence, experience gathered, and enhanced technical knowledge become manageable and plannable thanks to the ECMO Guidelines. The hotel and catering business associations emphasise that there has, up until now, barely existed any such thing as mobility measures in the area of system catering. Here in particular, the standardized elements from the ECMO may have a bolstering effect. This untapped potential should first and foremost be drawn on for the smaller and medium-sized companies in the area of system catering. Pertinent undertakings in this regard should be supported in every case. The ECMO Guidelines would function here as an instructive framework. Experts from the relevant associations, and from political bodies, also welcome the basic structure and the individual elements of the ECMO Guidelines. They call for their wide-spread adoption and real use in practice. From the point of view of the Industrie- und Handelskammer für München und Oberbayern (Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria), it would be desirable to adapt and expand the EUROPASS Mobility according to the proposal made in the ECMO project. 90

93 References Uta-M. Behnisch, Nutzen und Vorteile des Mobilitätsnachweises beim Einsatz im Bewerbungsverfahren in bildung für europa, June 2012, p. 11, publ.: Nationale Agentur Bildung für Europa beim Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (NA at BIBB), ISSN DIHK, Auslandsaufenthalte während der betrieblichen Ausbildung, Berlin 2007 M. Hammerschmidt-Wilkens, Die Internationalisierung der Berufsausbildung, Documentation EUROPASS Launch Conference, p.40 et seq., publ. InWent Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung ggmbh, Köln in December 2005 IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria: Ergebnisse der Online-Umfrage zur Aus- und Weiterbildung 2012 in webcode 0702ABQ D. Leischner, Bildungssysteme in Europa, VLB Verlag e.v. Munich 2011 ISBN S. Klimmer, Was bringen Auslandspraktika von Lehrlingen den Unternehmen?, p. 221 et seq., from P. Wordelmann (Ed.) Internationale Kompetenzen in der Berufsbildung, Bonn 2010, ISBN Olaf Stieper, Stellungnahme der METRO Group zum neuen EUROPASS Lebenslauf, Documentation EUROPASS Launch Conference, p.27, publ. InWent Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung ggmbh, Cologne in December

94 9. ECMO and Beyond: Lessons learned and perspectives from the viewpoints of stakeholders and practitioners Furio Bednarz, Gabriele Fietz 9.1. Introduction Going beyond ECMO means first of all understanding whether, and to what extent, the project has reached its objectives, particularly as regards the possibility of better exploiting EUROPASS Mobility by combining it with the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET). And, more concretely, it includes also taking a look at the lessons learned by stakeholders and practitioners when using the ECMO support-instruments, and drawing conclusions about the sustainability of the project s results. Starting from these considerations, our report analyzes the main results of testing and questioning, focusing on two principal products of ECMO: The ECMO guide for organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria along with all the instruments associated with this guide, and The proposal for a modification of section 5.a. according to ECVET criteria. 47 The analysis follows a multi-actors approach, considering appraisal from different perspectives and levels, such as the comprehensive view of relevant stakeholders, of partners representatives, or the more concrete view of practitioners. By exploiting these findings and providing hints and perspectives, this report is intended to help stakeholders and practitioners appreciate some useful lessons learned thanks to ECMO. Moreover it aims at supporting the valorization of the changing framework of EUROPASS and other European tools, thus promoting and fostering transparency and transferability of competences. 47 At the time being (July 2012) the last version of the Recommendation for adapting Section 5.a. of EU- ROPASS Mobility according to ECVET) is still in progress, therefore we can provide only preliminary statements. 92

95 Our report reflects the perspective of quality assurance and evaluation, which already played a major role in the ECMO project itself, in order to verify expected effectiveness, coherence and pertinence of ECMO outcomes 48. It can be regarded as the final step of the evaluators formative accompaniment of the coordinator and partnership, ensuring feedback, remarks and suggestions concerning the project s deliverables. Whereas evaluation and quality assurance were operations that dealt both with process issues and with products delivered by the project, our focus here will be just on the latter. The summarizing appraisal clearly shows, however, that professional process management of Transfer of Innovation projects is indispensable if one wants to obtain highquality products: In general the good results achieved by ECMO in terms of outputs and deliverables can be explained by taking into account both the expertise of the applicant organisation (f-bb) in managing the process and the cooperative attitude shown by the partners, who demonstrated a good capacity to share opinions and efforts despite deep differences existing between the learning cultures of the five countries involved and also between the missions and the interests of each partner institution. This meant not only that the project achieved coherent and effective results in terms of products, but also became a good laboratory for learning to understand, and manage the implementation of, some shared points of view at the European level regarding the designing of qualifications in a manner oriented toward learning outcomes and also the recognition and valuation of learning outcomes deriving from mobility. 48 Monitoring and evaluation, performed using electronic surveys of partners representatives and feedback from students, practitioners and stakeholders collected through interviews and focus groups, mainly focused on a) quality, coherence and usefulness of improvements realised in EUROPASS Mobility (section 5.a.), considered in the light of criteria defined by EQARF, compatibility with ECVET, sustainability in terms of mutual trust between stakeholders active in different contexts (WP2), b) outputs deriving from practical testing of tools developed by the Project, within the framework of mobility actions involving trainers, advisers, experts and final beneficiaries (WP3). Three key criteria were used in evaluation: - coherence of results with respect to the original or redefined aims and specific goals of the Project, including the respect of the timetable and of the methodological approach; - pertinence of deliverables, with reference to the above-mentioned aims, to the contexts of application and to different typologies of end-user needs (usability, added value provided by the tools, etc.) - sustainability of results, considering opportunities and threats related to their implementation during and at the end of the Project (costs, coaching needs, stakeholders to be involved ) 93

96 9.2. Mobility and the learning outcomes approach The views generally held by relevant stakeholders on mobility projects, and on issues relating to the implementation of EUROPASS and ECVET elements within companies as well as in the national context, represent the ideal starting point of our discourse and also a kind of barometer that can be used to gain a sense of the embedding of the project s outcomes in a broader context. Mobility is a flexible opportunity to acquire personal skills In general, stakeholders confirmed some statements already made by partners representatives during the monitoring of the processes, showing a positive attitude toward the geographic mobility of learners. The relevance of economic and market-related driving factors was underlined: a globalized economy requires a skilled and adaptable workforce and in many occupations there could be observed an increasing relevance of personal skills: Mobility could offer a lot of possibilities especially for catering / professional catering. As regards the latter, a high level of intercultural competence is relevant because of the worldwide franchise structure that exists in this field, with employees from a lot of countries (source: summarized feedback from stakeholders). Even shorter mobility projects, with a minimum duration of two weeks and a flexible organizational structure, have come to be considered as useful in acquiring such personal skills. Mobility could (should) be a structured process leading to recognition of learning outcomes All partners representatives, without exception, considered mobility to be a powerful means both of informal learning and of learning within the framework of an intentionally planned learning activity depending, of course, on the resources and constraints characterizing any mobility project in terms of duration, commitment, and explicit links to a formal qualification path. Stakeholders made some distinctions between, on the one hand, those opportunities for developing personal skills by way of informal experiences which are ensured by mobility and, on the other hand, the acquisition of pre-defined learning outcomes intended to be recognized and transferred in a comprehensive qualification path. It was considered that, in the case where the learning outcomes acquired during mobility internships in a hosting VET system are intended to be recognized as part of a learner s qualification pathway in the sending country, a 94

97 higher degree of commitment must apply. This means that, where a goal of this latter sort is set, the whole mobility process has to be longer and organized in a more structured way. A large majority of the stakeholders whose views were surveyed supported this approach with some of them explicitly claiming the integration of ECVET into mobility projects. Companies involvement and their role as hosting and sending organizations: open challenges Certain critical remarks about constraints hampering the involvement of companies in the ECMO process specifically focusing on SMEs were also formulated by the stakeholders. They perceive difficulties to exist in finding suitable and reliable hosting organizations. All agree that support is needed and that, in special cases, the balance needs to be modified between a structured approach and a flexibility of the process. This is all the more important for SMEs, which normally have only minimal resources for monitoring the progress of a mobility project: For SMEs, it is important that the structured plan for mobility is flexible and not too bureaucratic. (l.c.) Specific constraints were highlighted by German stakeholders. They drew special attention to the role of companies as sending organizations within the dual system and to their reluctant attitude towards mobility projects. As this seems significant for a range of countries with dual VET systems, a short digression dealing with the legal aspects of the German dual system might help to throw light on the specific situation here: In the German dual VET system initial vocational training is shared between companies and vocational schools. Rights and duties of trainees and company are stipulated in the training contract. Apprenticeship wages are foreseen according to collective agreements; tariffs increase with progressing duration of training and differ between sectors. The amendment to the German Vocational Training Act (2005) 49 offers new possibilities for mobility during apprenticeship: 2.3 and 76.3 of the amended Training Act explicitly allow that parts of the initial vocation

98 training period be spent abroad, namely, up to a quarter of the duration of the qualification pathway as foreseen in the training regulations. There are some preconditions applying here: e.g., that the object of the training abroad should roughly correspond to the object of the training at home; that linguistic and/or other additional competences have to be acquired; that an agreement between sending and hosting organizations has to be stipulated, etc. If these preconditions are met, mobility phases abroad can be integrated into the vocational training path. Some parameters of this situation might explain the reluctant attitude of companies as regards mobility placements of their trainees: companies are legally responsible for their trainees and the quality of training, even if it takes place abroad and in another company. acquisition of reliable companies and the elaboration of a learning agreement with these latter is a challenging task companies have to pay their apprentices even during their stay abroad. in addition, a lot of bureaucracy is required to ensure quality of mobility projects as part of the training pathway within the dual system. Remarks and perspectives: ECMO provides evidence of the need to ensure specific support for both companies and VET providers in the role of sending and hosting organization, with a view to: reducing to a minimum the organizational work for both sides ensuring the quality of the mobility process within the hosting organization and, at the same time supporting the sending companies in their fulfilling of their responsibilities towards their trainees. Support of this sort should be better taken into account by policies and programs aiming at fostering mobility. It should also be investigated why these needs are presently being underestimated by existing programs and measures. Financial resources should also be devoted essentially to covering direct costs incurred by travelling abroad. 96

99 9.3. ECMO Guideline and tools: work still in progress, but proceeding on the right path ECMO tried to integrate into a coherent set of tools and procedures a certain number of separate instruments developed within the frameworks of various processes, related to improving mobility, designing training according to a learning outcomes approach, and transferring learning achievements from one organizational and institutional setting to another. We analysed the comprehensive ECMO model on the one hand from the viewpoint of stakeholders not directly involved in the testing and, on the other hand, from the viewpoint of practitioners who did the work of piloting the guidelines and the instruments. In-company coaches, teachers and trainers were surveyed from a practice-oriented angle. Comparing the responses from these different angles allowed us to review the judgments arrived at and to derive conclusions regarding possible further adaptation. Fig. 1 ECMO: from separate tools to a coherent set ECMO Guidelines Matrix Professional caterer VET Profile (prorities) Mobility learning agreement Assessment (process and tools) EUROPASS MOBILITY 5A SECTION Overall appreciation of the ECMO Guidelines The ambitious aim which the ECMO Guide sets for itself is to support the organization of all phases of a mobility project preparation, implementation, 97

100 post-processing in a way that allows teachers and trainers-in-charge to fill in section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET criteria. With this aim in view, it provides basic explanations and support tools for relevant tasks: the definition and description of units of learning outcomes, assessment of units of learning outcomes and their validation and documentation. Partners representatives, when asked to evaluate the usability and the added value of the draft Guidelines for the local institutions managing mobility projects, provided us with responses which were evidence of promising results, admittedly with some limitations. Two thirds of the answers collected during the preparation phase of the Guide were on level 3 ( quite good ), and approximately 20% were on level 4 ( perfect ). The limited number of answers which expressed doubt about the draft Guidelines referred to the risk confirmed particularly by the opinions of some practitioners of producing a document which would be detailed but too long and complex. When interviewing external stakeholders, we received a confirmation even more enthusiastic than this of certain strong points of the existing Guide. Estimations of the user-friendliness of the ECMO guide by practitioners, teachers, and trainers differ significantly depending on their experience with EUROPASS and ECVET and also depending on the degree of their involvement in the project. More experienced practitioners mostly gave a positive evaluation of the guidelines: checklists, background information, language, and additional material were all assessed as being adequate and useful. Less experienced users, on the other hand, testified to difficulties and expressed doubts as regards the usability of the Guideline as a whole. Some of them assessed it as inadequate for the purposes of users with only minimal experience with EUROPASS and ECVET. The ECMO guide has now been reworked in order to improve its usability also for less experienced target groups. Nevertheless, in some cases, objections like too academic or too comprehensive still remained themes. This gap between, on the one hand, the positive estimations expressed by stakeholders and experienced practitioners and, on the other hand, the cautious and reserved, if not negative, statements made by others has served to draw our attention to the limitations necessarily characterizing any guideline. A guideline cannot supplement fundamental deficits or remove objective obstacles such as time-constraints and others. Where mobility projects are handled as a supplementary task, to be performed in addition to the everyday routine, 98

101 resources and structures will tend not to be provided in quantities and ways sufficient to ensure the maintenance of quality standards. The statement of a stakeholder supports this assumption: Those in charge of mobilities, e.g. teachers in schools do not have enough time to fill in the particular parts (of EUROPASS Mobility, section 5.a.) not even with any support (source: summary of stakeholders discussions). Remarks and perspectives: As regards the ECMO guidelines: their usefulness even for less experienced target groups could be enhanced by two additional chapters: A chapter on Setting up the learning agreement how to prepare it, using units and the VQTS Matrix, assessing those competences which are already present, and fixing up learning goals. A chapter on How to accompany and support the learning process ; this chapter should be strictly related to assessment, but it might be better to transfer also all issues related to formative tools (journals, diaries, etc.) to this level, and in addition to include here a certain number of remarks and suggestions related to the management of mobility projects (e.g. how to ensure spaces and challenges enabling competence-development, how to activate reflective processes ) As regards preconditions of mobility projects: organizations in charge should calculate necessary resources and structures the quality of the process has to be taken into account, and this in turn implies the investment of time and adequate accompaniment during the process. Once again, a clear message must be considered when redefining policies and measures fostering mobility (which should also take into account all the efforts and costs related to a good management of mobility processes, from preparation to accompaniment and assessment of learning outcomes) Formulation of Units of Learning Outcomes Defining or even formulating Units of Learning Outcomes is one of the core tasks in any ECVET process; all the stakeholders whose views were collected in the survey estimated this part of the ECMO guide to be useful. In one country, the surveyed stakeholders even awarded this function an assessment of the highest level ( absolutely useful ). Moreover, practitioners expressed appreciation of 99

102 this handy three-page support tool as being useful and clear, and suitable also for less experienced users. In ECMO, partners were provided with competence matrices in accordance with the VQTS system for the occupations Professional Caterer, Cook, and Chain-Restaurant Caterer. These instruments had been developed by experts, two of them in previous projects; therefore, ECMO partners were in the favorable situation of being able to avoid the process of matrix development. The application of the VQTS matrix was confirmed as being a strong asset at the basis of the Transfer of Innovation. Partners representatives, and stakeholders in general, appreciated it as being a quite good solution to the problem of how to improve the quality of mobility projects. The matrix has been described as a great basis for creating agreements and for the development of new procedures, especially if such a framework does not exist already or does not work properly at a local (and national) level. Thanks to the Matrix, it proved possible to identify the areas of intersection of different occupations. On the other hand, the attitude of practitioners towards the task of formulating Units of Learning Outcomes in a comprehensive way e.g. for parts of occupations still remains rather reluctant. For the case where no suitable description of the respective occupation is available practitioners recommend wherever this is possible the involvement of experts experienced in the formulation of Units. Otherwise the practitioners tend to feel overburdened, as they lack time and expert knowledge for the task. Once again the problem arises of how, and to what extent, tools which are effective in theory can be actually implemented in practice. Remarks and perspectives: Actual implementation of ECVET principles within the framework of mobility seems to be difficult because it implies not only the consensus of stakeholders and decision-makers but a radical commitment and motivation of practitioners active on the ground both in VET institutions and in companies. Even experienced training staff tends to feel overburdened by the task of formulating learning outcomes in a comprehensive way. Feasible steps should therefore be planned for, workshops organized and compendia provided. Improving the ECMO guidelines by creating logical links to the use of the VQTS matrix: e.g. Part 1 of the guideline (the units chapter) could demonstrate how to use the matrix as a means of providing Units of Learning Outcomes, thus encouraging and enabling practitioners in charge of organizing mobility projects to apply this kind of instrument. 100

103 Use of the Competence Matrix too complex for companies? 50 Some of the stakeholders judged the use of the matrix to be too complex for companies, especially for SMEs. However, other people appraising the matrix argued strongly that it represented a fundamental tool for companies really interested in improving internships: Maybe the matrices are complex, but anyway, companies have to write records and certificates. Once they have conceived and applied the matrix, they could recognize it as a helpful instrument for organizing mobility projects, and use it at the same time as an instrument for defining Units of Learning Outcomes and also as a support for assessment and documentation of the learning outcomes achieved. (source: comment of a stakeholder in one of the focus groups).the practice of a six-week internship in the occupation of Professional Caterer provides evidence for this statement: involvement of the dual partner the company where the trainees complete the practical part of their apprenticeship worked perfectly during the preparation phase. Trainers from the company supervised the process of drafting the individual competence profiles and the learning objectives for the mobility, whereas the actual drafting was done by the trainees themselves with support of the competence matrix. Remarks and perspectives: The use of the matrix as a reference point throughout all phases of a mobility project would save resources and at the same time enhance the quality of the whole process. Reluctance of companies can be caused by fear of timeconsuming innovation. Companies sending and hosting should be informed about the benefits of the matrix and as far as possible involved in the processes. In any case the availability of balanced instruments helping companies and VET providers partially cover investments needed for implementing structured mobility internships could be absolutely useful. 50 For more information about the matrix see the article of Tanja Bacher & Sonja Lengauer VQTS matrices Bridging ECVET to EUROPASS Mobility? in this volume. 101

104 Flexibility of the mobility process Even those practitioners who had appreciated the use of the competence matrices took the liberty of handling the mobility process in a flexible manner and of remaining aware of unexpected, unforeseen learning outcomes e.g. experiences in the hosting families and during leisure time, which were recorded outside the matrix. From this point of view, mobility is proven indeed to be a complex experience, potentially generating competences and learning outcomes both in formal, non-formal and informal settings. It implies the activation of reflective processes that should be supported and consolidated by structured accompaniment during and after the internship. Moreover, it implies the recognition and valuation, in a holistic and situated perspective 51, of personal and social skills developed by the learners. The issue of how, and to what extent, the broader competences acquired by the learners should be formalized remains, however, controversial. Personal competences are not separately formulated in the VQTS matrix. According to the judgment of teachers and trainers who deal with trainees in the dual training during the 2nd year of apprenticeship for a demanding occupation, this approach might be adequate to the target group. Personal competences are, after all, naturally acquired during the dual training, and are therefore a self-evident assumption. The convincing response of one of their trainees to the question related to progress in self-assurance lends support to this consideration: I was already a self-assured person. But thanks to my internship abroad I now also feel more competent in my profession. (source: record of a trainee in the Multipass questionnaire). This might be different for target groups on a lower skilled level of education and for socially disadvantaged trainees with a lack of personal competences; it may be different also for target groups from school-based (not dual) training pathways and also different for shorter mobility projects, where acquisition of technical competence is not the area of focus. 51 Considering competence development processes, integrating experience at the workplace and reflection, according to a holistic and situated perspective of learning, we refer to the theories elaborate by Lave and Wenger and to some recent works of Knud Illeris and Peter Jarvis; see bibliography 102

105 Remarks and perspectives: Mobility is a very rich and complex learning experience, implying a competence development process that is reflective, holistic and situated even if Learning Outcomes are stipulated in the Learning Agreement, the mobility process should leave space for flexibility; thus unexpected competence acquisition could also be valued and recorded personal skills should be assessed (assessment is also a fundamental means of making informal learning explicit!), recorded and, where appropriate, documented in the EUROPASS Mobility Trainees involvement Trainees have been actively involved in the process (see example above): the definition of their status quo as regards competence development at the start of and during the internship on the one hand created self-awareness and a realistic self-estimation, and on the other hand represented a means of making both formal and informal achievements clearer and more valuable. The formulation of learning objectives in the preparation phase fostered trainees commitment and motivation. Involvement of the trainees in the assessment process has also been seen as a means of initiating self-reflection and as a lever for further efforts. The limits of this involvement of trainees mostly derive from specific prerequisites of the target group: in the case mentioned above the level of education and the age of the trainees (2nd year of the dual training course in the HoGa sector) was comparatively high; in addition, personal competences were elaborated. The example of another group of trainees (low level of education, deficits in personal skills, socially disadvantaged background) shows the contrary: active and autonomous involvement of these latter trainees was not feasible; support methods had to be applied. Remarks and perspectives: Inasmuch as mobility is an experiential learning process, active involvement of trainees is fundamental to it. It can provide added value. Support is needed to make mobility projects more fruitful for target groups with specific needs. 103

106 9.4. Improving section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility: an open yard In the course of our evaluation we collected some interesting statements and proposals concerning the way ECMO tried to modify and improve section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility. We will treat them in a formative perspective, considering the outcomes of this analysis as a scaffolding for further implementation of adaptations and improvements of section 5.a. within the framework of the soon-to-be-executed comprehensive reform of the EUROPASS dossier. The adaptation of section 5.a. of EUROPASS Mobility so as to make it a suitable instrument for the ECVET-compatible documentation of learning outcomes was the main operative goal of the project. It was intended to be the solution for coping, in a flexible and realistic way, with obstacles hampering the recognition and accreditation of learning outcomes of mobility, despite the broad expectations regarding the possibility of evaluating in a formal way mobility learning outcomes. Basically, the solution was found in the procedure of refining Section 5.a.) of EUROPASS Mobility on the basis of descriptors listing a Bloom s taxonomy of learning outcomes. The great majority of the partners consider this choice to have been an appropriate one from the perspective of its coherence and consistency with approaches practiced in their own countries. In general, both VET institutions and social partners, including both economic and entrepreneurial stakeholders, should accept an approach which makes possible an affordable description of learners achievements through the EUROPASS Mobility. Partners are also convinced that EUROPASS Mobility can be useful both for self-recognition of learning outcomes and for preparing a validation path; one third of them are convinced that it could be directly used for improvement of employability. Nevertheless, opinions are not always convergent. Only a small minority of the partners look upon EUROPASS Mobility as a means for validating learning, despite emerging statements and ideas related to the development of a European Skills Passport aimed at replacing the whole EUROPASS dossier and superseding the current nature of the documents, which are presently intended as mere self-declarations of skills and competences. Responses collected when interviewing partners representatives suggest, in some cases, a certain prudence in this regard, because the enthusiasm of feeling about the readiness of companies and other relevant actors to accept EUROPASS Mobility as a proof of competence has probably been overestimated by the majority of ECMO partners. 104

107 Use of competence matrices for the documentation process Enlarging our area of consideration, our questioning of teachers and other persons in charge of filling in the EUROPASS Mobility provided a broad spectrum of experiences and evaluations concerning the usefulness of EUROPASS Mobility (in the new improved version) as regards the documentation and validation of learning outcomes. Those who had executed the whole mobility process in accordance with one of the competence matrices stating with defining and describing Units of Learning Outcomes for the mobility project on the basis of the competence matrix (see previous paragraph of this report) and continuing (ideally) with the assessment of the newly acquired skills and competences supported by the matrix (l.c.) consider it to be a logical next step to use this scheme also for the documentation of any learning outcomes acquired. Otherwise work would have to be done twice over. Copy-and-paste practice was also applied and is recommended Flexibility of the documentation process Generally, practitioners showed a reluctant attitude towards an excessively structured documentation process. Flexibility is required in order to take into account the individualized nature of the ECMO process. They stressed the possibility of a flexible use of the template for section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility (as is the case in the original version). The template should be such as to make it possible to integrate personal skills and competences if they are of specific importance for the occupation or target group in question. In addition, some latitude should be left for competence development not foreseen in advance and therefore not covered by the matrix. Documentation of learning outcomes is, however, not always an appealing task. Some sending companies showed, for instance, an attitude of refusal vis-à-vis an excessively extensive and time-consuming assessment process and detailed documentation of the learning outcomes acquired by the trainees. Companies from the dual system who are willing to send their trainees (2nd year of apprenticeship, Professional Caterer) for a six-week internship abroad rely upon it that these trainees will acquire skills and competences as laid down in the learning agreement. Learning objectives stipulated in the agreement could also serve for the documentation in the EUROPASS Mobility. This might be appropriate for 105

108 some target groups but when the trainees in question are trainees with a lower level of education a clear picture of the progress being achieved seems useful and could also promote efforts by the trainees. In general, assessment and related documentation of learning outcomes is perceived as a time-consuming procedure. It ought, however, rather to be considered as a fundamental means of developing competences and awareness according to an experiential learning logic. For this reason, it should be adequately supported and regulated by learning agreements. It should also be taken into account by any policies or measures aiming at fostering mobility Acceptance and validity of EUROPASS Mobility Another objection confirming what we have already stated above was formulated regarding the acceptance of the EUROPASS Mobility and its validity as perceived by companies. According to various experiences acquired by certain teachers and trainers, the EUROPASS Mobility is not always well-known within companies; certificates from schools and other organizations possess a higher value for them. A certificate from a regionally relevant organization, provided with an appealing heading, the official stamp of the organization, and the LEO NARDO DA VINCI Logo seems generally to be better appreciated by companies in the regional context than is the EUROPASS Mobility. Moreover, the EUROPASS Mobility is a prestigious-looking document: it is awarded to trainees in a dossier with an appealing cover. But the whole dossier will not be added to the application portfolio: normally, copies or scanned versions are enclosed. At present, the layout of the section 5.a. page of EUROPASS Mobility must be judged to be less than even modestly visually appealing and is not of a design such as to invite closer consideration Online support More than the practitioners themselves, stakeholders showed enthusiasm about the proposal for an online support tool wherein learning outcomes for the occupation Professional Caterer would be listed according to a National Qualifications Framework, as in the provisional proposal elaborated by ECMO. Learning outcomes could then be selected ( pick an element ) while filling in EUROPASS Mobility. The technical idea of the drop-down menu seems appealing as it could simplify the documentation process in section 5.a.. But, on the 106

109 other hand, this works only for the case where competence descriptions (e.g. competence matrix, qualification framework) have already been elaborated for the occupation in question; this is not the reality generally applying in European qualifications systems. Other objections refer to the possible inadequacy of such a pick-up model for the ECMO process: the EUROPASS Mobility is an individualized document; the ECVET process is based on an agreement on the individual learning experience; another critical point is the area of conflict between standardization and flexibility. Summing up the different views, it has to be kept in mind that the core of the ECMO project, and the most challenging part of it, is the definition of Units of Learning Outcomes and the documentation of an individual learner s achievements during the mobility project. This implies that the efforts made during the preparation of mobility (analysis of units and coherent training design) must not be merely mechanical or merely bureaucratic and that the reliable / affordable assessment of learning outcomes must be properly documented. If technical means are applied to support this process, then all the better. But they cannot replace it Awarding of Credits The draft template for the modified section 5.a. of the EUROPASS foresees the possibility of awarding Credits. This might be appropriate for VET systems where credits are already applied. Credits have not previously been an area of focus for ECMO; the guideline does not tackle this chapter. Most stakeholders consider a significant description of learning outcomes to be more valuable than credits, even if this might be an option for the future: Over the long run, stakeholders think that credits could be helpful for comparison; in the short term, there should be the possibility of certification and recognition without a credit system. There is a need for more research. (source: summary of stakeholders discussions). Remarks and perspectives: flexibility is seen as one of the principal requirements of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility: moreover section 5.a.) could provide an overall framework, but at the same time leave space for unexpected developments and above all for the documentation of soft skills. documentation in Section 5.a.) of the EUROPASS Mobility has been prepared during the whole mobility project: Depending on the way that 107

110 learning outcomes have been defined and formulated in the ECMO case this has been done with the help of the matrix, but other forms are frequently adopted section 5.a. should be open to integrate learning outcomes accordingly. marketing of EUROPASS Mobility towards the business sector seems necessary. a more prestigious-looking layout could raise acceptance by recipients and employers. technical support for filling in section 5.a.) of the EUROPASS Mobility could be useful, but this should not be taken to be the same as economizing on efforts directed to organizing and documenting a learning process focused on individuals Summing up: Strengths, weaknesses and added value of ECMO In the light of the results emerging from the testing and the discussions we can state that the project has achieved its goals, given that it offers valuable support for an outcome-oriented documentation of learning results in the EUROPASS Mobility. ECMO products, above all the ECMO guide and its associated instruments, have met the expectations and needs of partners, end-users as well as the external stakeholders. Responses to the testing show, however, the existence of a need for adaptation, specifically as regards better correlating the ECMO guide and the Recommendation for modification of section 5.a. of the EUROPASS Mobility with one another. Considering their sustainability, these results are a good foundation for this. Further actions should be undertaken: encouraging the use of the ECMO tools and adapting the process to other occupations and target groups; improving the balance of the ECMO guide in terms of suitability to target groups on lower educational levels; tackling companies reservations as regards participation of their trainees in mobility projects. Undertaking these steps in the last phase of the project and beyond will foster sustainability of its results and at the same time ensure and promote valorization. On the other hand, the project provides evidence of how sustainability also depends upon improvements that need to be made at the policy level, activating the measures needed in order to support a more structured and ambitious learning setting based on mobility. 108

111 There can be no doubt, however, that the challenging task of organizing mobility projects in accordance with an outcome-oriented approach has hereby been carried one big step forward: stakeholders reservations as regards usability of competence matrices have been disproven by the practitioners; use of the competence matrices as reference elements for more than just one step has been highlighted as a means for simplifying the mobility process and at the same time ensuring its quality; in addition, good practice has also been demonstrated by the project s flexible approach, allowing the taking into account of companies needs as well as of the requirements of specific target groups. To mention just one among many: the possibility, for instance, of recording personal skills, if appropriate and useful, for socially disadvantaged learners, even if this is not explicitly foreseen in the competence matrix. Aspects of critical concern can be seen in low awareness, and in lack of practical experience with structured mobility internships and their requirements for educational staff. Some statements of teachers and trainers refer to the fact that their work schedule does not provide any resources for dealing with European instruments. This issue cannot be tackled just on the project level, but must be addressed by acting in different fields. From one side, by creating more awareness about the benefits of structured mobility internships amongst decision makers in companies, schools and the public sector (in this connection, involvement of social partners seems to be indispensable); from the other side, by rethinking existing programs aiming at promoting mobility in a more comprehensive way, including support for the investments needed for designing, accompanying and assessing experiential learning pathways developed through mobility. The project does not claim to provide the unique and definitive solution ; it has, however, provided a clear added value vis-à-vis previous innovation in the field of ECVET and EUROPASS Mobility and has, moreover, prepared the field for further adaptation and development. In this way also in view of the fact that it is intended that the whole EUROPASS framework will soon be revised and improved ECMO is a work in progress, and one that is proceeding in accord with the idea of the transfer of innovation scheme. 109

112 References CEDEFOP 2012: Briefing note Europass , Achievements and prospects see: cedefop.europa.eu/en/files/9069_en.pdf (accessed on ) EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2009): RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 June 2009 on the establishment of a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), 2009/C 155/02, Official journal of the European Union, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, Vocational Training Act, Berufsbildungs gesetz (BBiG), of 23 March 2005 (Federal Law Gazette [BGBl.], Part I, p. 931) englisch_ pdf (accessed on ) ILLERIS, KNUD (ed.) International perspectives on competence development: developing skills and capabilities, London, Routledge, 2009 JARVIS, PETER Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Human Learning (Lifelong Learning and the Learning Society), London, Routledge, 2005 LAVE JEAN, WENGER ETIENNE; Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1991 LUOMI-MESSERER, KARIN; MARKOWITSCH, JÖRG (Eds., 2006): VQTS model. A proposal for a structured description of work-related competences and their acquisition. (accessed on ) OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (2004): Decision No 2241/2004 EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualification and competences (Europass), (accessed on ) 110

113 ECMO project partners Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (f-bb) (Germany) Bildungsmarkt e.v. (Germany) Ecap Consultancy (Italy) EU-Geschäftsstelle Wirtschaft und Berufsbildung der Bezirksregierung Köln (Germany) CIBC Bourgogne Sud (France) IHK für München und Oberbayern (Germany) Region Gdanski NSZZ Solidarnosc (Poland) Yale College of Wrexham (Great Britain) 3s research laboratory (Austria) 111

114 112

115 Appendices Appendix 1. Competence Matrix Professional Caterer 113 Appendix 2. ECMO Guide for organizing all phases of a mobility according to ECVET criteria 119 Appendix 3. Example of the comparison of the Polish and the German educational systems 141 Appendix 4. Identification of common learning units 143 Appendix 5. EUROPASS Mobility section 5.a. Example in the ECMO project 147 Appendix 6. Database for filling out the respective modules in the EUROPASS Mobility for the field of Professional Caterer

116 Appendix 1. Competence Matrix Professional Caterer Fields of competence Steps in competence development Purchasing, costing and stocking S/he knows the foods that s/he works with, their characteristics, qualities and their range of use. S/he knows the rules of purchasing. S/he is able to check incoming products in matters of quality, and knows how to store them. S/he is able to implement the hygienic standards regarding the purchase, the storage (of fresh and conserved food) and the processing of foods. S/he is able to calculate simple commercial kitchen costs. S/he is able to evaluate single dishes according to the recipe instructions, and to estimate the supplies needed of the various necessary foodstuffs. S/he is able to compose simple written orders and to complete the respective purchase. Customer service S/he understands the importance of customer service and its benefits to the customer, the organisation and the employee. S/he is able to communicate effectively with different kinds S/he is able to advise guests and to explain the essential European and international dishes available within the enterprise. S/he is able to compose menus and recommend dishes and S/he has an overview over the respective seasonal offers of food, knows the regional and international foods. S/he describes the different production conditions of vegetable and animal foods. S/he is able to choose the required food according to cost-effective and quality criteria. S/he is able to compare and choose bids from suppliers and monitor the movements of stocks. S/he is able to plan hospitality events (buffets, events, catering ). According to the seasonal offer and the situation on the market, s/he is able to compose a bill of fare and S/he distinguishes the regional food suppliers and is able to bargain independently for product quality and prices. S/he is able to order the purchases of a particular establishment s short- and long-term foodstuff needs for a certain period with the help of a computer and special programmes. S/he is able stay within budgetary limits. S/he is able to review the success of an event (with a view to objectives, to budgets, and to deviations from plans). S/he is able to deal with unexpected occurrences. 114

117 of customers (internal, external, suppliers, agents). S/he is able to communicate also in a foreign language. S/he knows the rules of composing a menu as well as the most important recipes of the local kitchen. S/he is able to compose a simple menu. S/he is able to serve food and drink and to choose the appropriate equipment for this. S/he is able to relate to guests and to adjust to their needs, being clear, helpful and professional at all times. S/he is confident in serving and attentive towards guests. S/he is able to respond to different customer behaviour. S/he relays messages and orders accurately and promptly and makes proper use of the code of practice. to choose the beverages suitable to them. S/he takes nutritional information and knowledge into consideration (nutritive value of food, energy demand), and also the different forms of diets such as raw vegetarian food, light forms of diet, whole foods and dietary foods. S/he arranges interior decoration and is able to draw up a bill. S/he is able to read guests body language, to identify guests wishes (even before they know themselves), to deal with complaints and is able to explain in a way that is clear and does not cause offence when s/he cannot help a customer. menus for such occasions, which are specified for the respective target groups. S/he is able to create new offers (in cooperation with chefs) and therefore reach new target groups. S/he is able to design menus and forms of presentation according to special occasions and to plan efficient work processes. S/he monitors and ensures the quality of service and products, following the requirements of target groups, and manages the team. S/he implements complaints procedures and the rules of business ethics. S/he plans and leads consultations and sales talks in accordance with the marketing concept, undertakes and evaluates post consultations and follow-ups to sales talks. 115

118 Fields of competence Steps in competence development Production of simple dishes S/he is able to execute all kinds of preparation work independently by using the right cutting techniques, to prepare the raw food for roasting and cooking, to cook and decorate small menus as well as simple side dishes, to assist in putting the finishing touches to the products, and to communicate with colleagues and superiors using the relevant gastronomic technical terms. S/he values the quality of products and dishes. S/he is able to use the specific technical professional machines and devices, to maintain them, and to keep the workplace and the devices clean. S/he observes the standards of personal hygiene and safety regulations. Marketing S/he recognises marketing as a general concept of sensible business-minded thinking and action, taking the market situation as a starting point. S/he can distinguish gastronomic concepts according to type of business and company philosophy. S/he knows supporting industries and knows the trade competitors on the market and the location factors. S/he is familiar with various marketing instruments and can make use of basic procedures. S/he is able to deduce the objectives and tasks of a market-oriented business policy. S/he distinguishes marketing instruments and is able to estimate the position of the establishment within the total economic context. S/he is able to gear marketing instruments towards company and guest needs. S/he is able to create and assess advertising material according to the advertising message and the target group. S/he cooperates in sales promotion measures. S/he is able to cook simple dishes according to instructions, as well as side dishes, sauces, soups and starters. S/he can choose -under supervision- amongst the respective products, quantities, utensils and devices and implement the appropriate cooking process. S/he is able to efficiently carry out the preparation and production of menus in coordination with other participating colleagues. S/he works in a manner which respects environmental-protection measures and obeys the rules of waste management. S/he is able to use the marketing mix in order to develop specific marketing measures and to evaluate the results. S/he is able to analyse the data acquired and to deduct the consequences. S/he is able to apply statistical methods and to present the results in reports. S/he settles the marketing strategy. S/he organises events and knows the tools necessary to obtain information about the satisfaction of guests and staff and to evaluate this information. 116

119 Human Resource Management Regulation and monitoring of business performance S/he knows the objectives and the essential tasks of human resource management and is aware that humanization of the professional world and costeffectiveness complement each other. S/he knows the internal working processes and the contexts linking and associating the individual internal departments of the enterprise. S/he is able to cooperate in cash management, in payment transactions and in drawing up the cost accounts. S/he uses the internal data-processing systems. S/he is able to make staffing plans respecting employment law and social legislation as well as collective agreements and operational regulations in a task-oriented manner. His/her distribution of tasks is planned according to activity forecasts, staff availability (qualification, competences and number) and necessary and fixed times of execution and equipment. S/he is familiar with the cost structure of businesses and cost-control processes. S/he is able to suggest measures for increasing revenue. S/he is able to process and review records, to review costs and suggest appropriate action S/he is able to present and evaluate measures for leading, assisting and teaching employees. S/he is able to independently carry out necessary tasks in employee administration (job descriptions, work contracts) and assignment. S/he is able to perform calculations related to staff wages, payroll accounting, and employment procedures and participates in the recruitment process. S/he updates documentation on social, legal and tax matters. S/he is able to identify categories of investment and to calculate an allocation of depreciation of equipment. S/he assesses the criteria used in choosing means of funding and is able to prepare a credit application. S/he maintains the asset master records. S/he monitors compliance of stored products, equipment and furniture (internal commands, state of bookings, product sheets). S/he evaluates communication and promotion campaigns (quantitative: revenues, costs, activities, taking also qualitative factors into account). S/he evaluates results of customer satisfaction surveys and makes workflow analyses. S/he is able to prepare and present managerial accounting records. 117

120 Fields of competence Steps in competence development Enterprise resource planning S/he calculates the business resources requirements and handles purchasing processes and payment processes (e.g. price comparison, discounts and currencycalculations). S/he is able to perform stocktaking and to create an inventory under instruction. S/he can identify the need for materials, goods, tools and services. S/he can order products, prepare contracts, survey the delivery dates, and implement the necessary action in case of a delay in delivery. S/he recognises potential problems in the purchasing agreement and their consequences. S/he is able to perform her/his tasks within the framework of the common internal quality management system. System organization S/he is able to compare different gastronomic systems and to differentiate between the various concepts of these gastronomic systems. S/he understands the importance of systemspecific standards for creating a brand. S/he understands methods for checking adherence to guidelines. S/he is able to ensure that standards are maintained and to take corrective measures in the case of deviations. S/he is able to put enterprise planning and resource-planning systems in place, to analyse key business data and to suggest appropriate action. S/he is able to use data for quality assurance and the optimization of the process S/he collaborates in planning and organizing working procedures and is capable of systematizing, presenting and evaluating them. S/he is able to use informational and communicative methods within the framework of the organizational procedure. S/he is able to prepare the documents necessary to set up a company. S/he analyses the outcomes of market research and takes appropriate action. S/he implements quantity and quality standards. 118

121 Appendix 2. ECMO Guide for organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria Franz Worschech, Tomas Sprlak, Grzegorz Szarowski, supported by the ECMO-Team Summary ECVET provides added value to EUROPASS Mobility At present, section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility allows transparent documentation of skills and competence acquired abroad. Compared to this, an ECVET-compatible documentation offers more, as it allows the transfer of learning outcomes from one qualification system to another. In this way, mobility projects gain additional value: learning results acquired abroad will not only be documented but will also be validated and will be able to be recognized and integrated into the qualifications pathway which a learner is undertaking in his/her home country. The task Filling in the EUROPASS Mobility according to ECVET is not an easy job for those who are in charge of organizing mobility. To achieve an ECVET-compatible section 5 the following steps are required: n Definition and description of units of learning outcomes n Assessment of units of learning outcomes n Validation and documentation In addition: In order to ensure that these tasks are carried out to the required standard of quality, the whole mobility process has to be organized from the beginning according to the requirements of ECVET. ECMO recommends using the ECVET users guide 1 as an overall guideline for the whole process. To ensure a common language between partners, ECMO refers to the terminology used in this users guide, which in turn corresponds to the glossary to be found in the annex of the EQF recommendation. 1 For more information see (accessed ) 119

122 This guide provides support for teachers and trainers in filling in section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility and organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET. The type and scope of the support provided might differ depending on target group and purpose of the mobility, and also on the structure of the qualifications systems involved: a) Either the qualifications system uses units of learning outcomes or b) The qualifications system does not use units, or the existing units cannot be used. In such case, it may be possible to create units for mobility units for mobility could concern some of the learning outcomes of the full qualification c) A third option can be envisaged where the unit(s) achieved abroad is (are) recognized as additional credit. Source: European Commission 2011, page 13 The ECMO guide takes this existing diversity into account. It is structured as follows: I. ECMO Guide for organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria Part 1: How to provide units of learning outcomes for the mobility project Part 2: How to assess learning outcomes of the mobile learner Part 3: How to validate and recognize learning outcomes Part 4: ECVET meets EUROPASS Mobility II. Service The service part contains relevant instruments in the appendix, references and useful links. 120

123 I. ECMO Guide for organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria ECMO Guide Part 1: How to provide units of learning outcomes for the mobility project The provision of units of learning outcomes is one of the main elements of ECVET. The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is a device in which qualifications are expressed in units of learning outcomes to which credit points are attached, and which is combined with a procedure for validating learning outcomes. The aim of this system is to promote: n mobility of people undertaking training; n accumulation, transfer and validation and recognition of learning outcomes (either formal, non-formal or informal) acquired in different countries; n implementation of lifelong learning; n transparency of qualifications; n mutual trust and cooperation between vocational training and education providers in Europe. CEDEFOP Glossary 2008, page 73). The provision of units of learning outcomes is based on an awareness about the specifications of the VET and qualifications systems involved. The procedure of agreeing on the content of a specific mobility period, in the form of units of learning outcomes, takes place between the home and the hosting organization(s). They agree what the learner(s) will learn abroad and how these learning outcomes will be integrated into learners qualifications (European Commission 2011, page 13). The result of this process will be stipulated in the learning agreement as part of a Memorandum of Understanding and will form a contractual agreement between both the institutions involved and the learner. Definition: Unit of learning outcomes (unit) means a component of a qualification, consisting of a coherent set of knowledge, skills and competence that can be assessed and validated. (EUROPEAN COMISSION. ECVET Recommendation, 2009b, p.14) Please note: What units are and what they are not! Units are n Parts of qualifications (units = clusters of competences) n described in terms of knowledge, skills and competence n assessed and validated Units are NOT specifications of n How training is organized in companies and/or schools (didactics, methods) n The sequences in which knowledge, skills and competences have to be acquired 121

124 Part 1.1: How to identify units of learning outcomes As a condition for transfer and recognition of learning outcomes partners need to identify whether these outcomes are appropriate within both systems. According to the ECVET users guide II, the nature of these units will depend on the qualifications system in the home institution. (European Commission 2011, p. 13) They must be validated and recognized there; but they have, nevertheless, also to fit the qualifications system in the host country, because there, the learning process has to be organized in such a manner that the units of learning outcomes aimed at can in fact be achieved and assessed. n In a first step, qualifications similar in nature have to be identified. This can be done by looking at their level (using EQF), the occupation these qualifications lead to, and the learning outcomes of the qualifications (ECVET users guide I, European Commission 2009, page 40). n The next step is to identify key activities that are common in both qualifications systems and to describe them in terms of learning outcomes. A feasible way to achieve this can be the working-out of an agreement between the institutions involved: the sending institution can propose the learning units for the mobility and the receiving organization can show what can be offered. This process of comparing qualifications and identifying key activities was indeed carried out in the ECMO project. See examples given by the Polish and German partners (Appendix 3 & Appendix 4) The process of identifying units of learning outcomes might differ depending on the qualifications systems involved: n In the case where the qualifications system does not use units, or the existing units cannot be used for mobility purposes (L.c.) it is recommended that suitable units for mobility be looked for among those units already created in earlier ECVET projects. In the case where suitable matrices cannot be found, experienced VET experts can take over the task of creating units of learning outcomes 2. In ECMO, three matrices from the HoReCa sector were put at partners disposal: Competence Matrix Professional Caterer (Appendix 1) Competence Matrix cook (see ECVET Tour project) 3 Competence Matrix Hotel- and restaurant-trade commercial assistant (see ECVET Tour project) 4 Based on these matrices, partners can select and agree upon units of learning outcomes or at least on single learning outcomes for the mobility period. 2 Please note! The development of competence matrices is a demanding task. It requires a huge amount of work and expert knowledge. ECMO partners came to the conclusion (see minutes of the Lyon workshop) that the development of matrices should only be recommended if qualified VET experts can take on this task. If this proves not to be possible, different ways should be looked for, e.g. use of existing matrices, examples or databases where learning outcomes can be looked up. 3 (accessed: ) 4 (accessed: ) 122

125 In the case where the qualifications system(s) involved already use(s) units of learning outcomes and the credit to be achieved during mobility corresponds to a full unit (or several units) or part of a unit (L.c.) this process can be simplified. Part 1.2: How to define units of learning outcomes Once the process of identification of common tasks and working processes is completed, the next step is to define the related units of learning outcomes. There follow some criteria for their definition: n Unit of learning outcomes should be defined in such a way that they can be acquired independently from other units. n Units of learning outcomes should involve all the learning outcomes required; they should describe the technical/vocational competences as well as the social and personal competences. n Units of learning outcomes should be structured and dimensioned in such a way that the learning outcomes aimed at really could be acquired during the lifetime of the mobility project. n Units of learning outcomes should be assessable. Criteria for their assessment should be indicated. (See Guidelines for describing units of learning outcomes, 2011, p. 3 ff.) 5 Part 1.3: How to formulate Learning Outcomes 6 It is important to formulate learning outcomes in such a way that they are understandable and manageable for all persons involved. Agreement upon a common language is indispensable: the terms used in a partnership should be defined with reference to a glossary; a reference system (e.g. EQF) has also to be agreed upon. There follow some basic rules that can facilitate mutual comprehension between mobility partners while formulating learning outcomes: Learning outcomes should be defined in a simple and unequivocal way. Most importantly, they should be measurable and possible to assess. When defining learning outcomes, verbs in the active voice should be used. Verbs like: understand, know, to be aware, appreciate should be avoided. Verbs like: define, identify, describe, demonstrate, use and analyze are more adequate for formulations of this sort and will be easier to measure. 5 Among other documents, this and the following paragraph refer to the Guidelines for describing units of learning outcomes, created by the German ECVET Coordination point of the National Agency and available under: (accessed on ). This guide gives a comprehensive description of the process of defining and formulating learning outcomes. This document is also available in German ( ecvet-info.de/de/249.php). In addition, it is recommended that users study and continuously refer to the existing guides, where they can find further information on outcome-oriented description, size of units of learning outcomes, the issue of taxonomies etc. Specific mention should be made here above all of: e.g., The ECVET Users Guide I (chapter on units section A, p. 10 to 16, as well as examples given in section C) and Blooms Taxonomy 6 Based on Guidelines for describing units of learning outcomes. For more information see: (accessed on ). 123

126 For example, in order to define how the students can demonstrate their knowledge, such verbs as: solve, evaluate, analyze can be used. When defining learning outcomes it is necessary: n To begin the description of each outcome with a verb in the active voice (Student: enumerates criteria, analyzes, demonstrates, explains, etc.) n To use only one verb in formulating one learning outcome (e.g. Students apply knowledge of infection control in medical equipment maintenance ) n To avoid verbs with too general or unclear a meaning, such as: to know, to understand, to learn, to be aware, to become familiar, etc. n To avoid complicated sentences. If necessary, it is better to use more than one sentence, and to be more specific in describing the learning outcome. n To make sure that the effects of a training relate to the overall learning outcomes of the study programme; n To make sure that the learning outcomes are measurable and observable n To make sure that the learning outcomes are possible to assess n To take into account the time during which the results are to be achieved. They should not be formulated too ambitiously. Check whether the stipulated time, and the means available to achieve the results within this time, really are feasible; n To define how they will be judged, e.g. how it is to be established that the student did indeed achieve the expected results. If the learning outcomes are defined in a general way, it will be difficult to evaluate them effectively. If, however, learning outcomes are too specific, the list may be too long. n To request the opinion of other teachers/lecturers and, if possible, former students. This may, perhaps, help to determine whether the learning outcomes are defined properly and reasonably. Part 1.4. How to set up a learning agreement A learning agreement is an important tool for the success of a mobility project. The parties involved should record knowledge, skills and competences that are to be acquired within a mobility. This makes the implementation phase of the mobility easier and the results can be evaluated using these criteria. At this point the sending and the hosting institution should come to a learning agreement that is satisfactory for both sides. The sending institution should figure out what the trainees should learn during the mobility and keep in mind, already at this stage, the recognition and validation process of the expected learning results. The hosting institution should communicate the learning results that can be acquired, taking into consideration the resources of the institution and the duration of the mobility. It is also highly desirable that the trainees involved should be able to influence the content of the learning agreement. In such a case, the expectations for the planned competence development can be communicated, which can in turn increase the motivation to actively engage in this development. 124

127 Information about the educational systems and the curricula of the countries involved can be helpful in organizing a mobility project. However, the stakeholders involved do not necessarily have to be familiar with the educational systems in Europe in order to manage this task. The knowledge, skills and competences that are expected to be acquired should be formulated as learning outcomes. There are several tools that can support the sending and the hosting institutions in the process of setting up a learning agreement, and of documenting and recognizing acquired competences that are described as learning outcomes. For these tasks, the VQTS matrices, learning outcome-oriented standards, or training curricula for specific occupational area can be used. In the case where a VQTS matrix has already been developed for the specific profession that is being considered, it is suggested that it should be used, as it is an important tool that can support the process of competence description. VQTS Competence Matrices describe learning outcomes for specific occupational areas. 7 As the competences are already formulated as learning outcomes, they can be used for the learning agreement. This tool is also very suitable for the documentation of the development of competences, as the learning outcomes described there are classified in terms of competence levels. It is therefore possible to categorize the competence level of a trainee before the mobility starts, to agree upon a competence level that it is expected will have been achieved once the mobility has been completed, and to give this expectation a fixed form in the learning agreement. There also exists the possibility of developing a VQTS matrix for the specific occupational area concerned. Here, however, it is recommended that experts from the specific field be involved, who have experience of learning outcome -oriented description of skills and competences. However, it is not strictly necessary to develop a VQTS matrix, as other tools can be used as well. As a basis for mutual understanding, standards in the specific profession that are formulated as learning outcomes and already exist for some occupations can also be used. These standards can be used as effectively as can VQTS matrices for setting up a learning agreement and documenting learning outcomes. In the case where these aforementioned tools are not available there also exists the possibility of using available training curricula and of rewording the competences to be acquired in the mobility as learning outcomes, in collaboration with the hosting and sending institution. 7 For more information see: (accessed, ) 125

128 ECMO Guide, Part 2: How to assess learning outcomes of the mobile learner Part 2.1: Discussing assessment procedures/creating awareness Introduction: Employability as the ultimate goal of evaluation When evaluating a student, three complementary goals should be kept in mind: 1. Promoting personal recognition (self-knowledge and self-esteem, positive selfimage). 2. Promoting social and professional recognition enabling access to training, to a working position, promotion This process is generally based on the evaluation and / or evidence of competence 3. Preparing institutional recognition that leads to obtaining a diploma, a certificate etc. In terms of means and methods used, the personal recognition can be fostered by using a self-evaluative approach that implies an active involvement of the student. In order to achieve social and institutional recognition, more standardized methods and more highly structured predefined frameworks are needed. Another objective to be taken into account involves the notion of employability. Professional mobility and the capacity of a person to find a job do not depend on technical skills alone. Personal and social skills enhance employability and career security and need to be pointed up in the evaluation process in order to enhance the ability of the student to express them and to evaluate his/her strengths and weaknesses. As this area of skills can be prone to subjectivity, it can hardly be precisely measured, and is not always relevant for institutional recognition. Self-evaluative methods seem to be more appropriate here. However, for just this reason, although self-assessment of social and personal skills and competence is optional for the trainee, it should be highly encouraged. In order to make the social and personal skills and competences more concrete and easily understandable to potential employers, it seems more appropriate to focus on the approach of collecting evidence, instead of speaking about assessment (see working diary in the toolkit of assessment methods) Initial, formative and summative evaluation Assessment should conform to the ECVET regulations, such as formative evaluation (not only summative); self-assessment by the trainees should be encouraged and there should be an assessment before the mobility starts (use of learning agreement). In general, the sending and the receiving institution should come to an agreement about the assessment methods. It is not strictly necessary to develop new assessment methods or to use the approaches that are proposed here. The trainees can also be assessed using tools that are currently being used by the institutions. In this way, it is possible that peer learning will take place when institutions are discussing currently used assessment methods. The student can be evaluated at three different moments in the course of his mobility: 1. Initial evaluation (before, or at the beginning of, a mobility) allows for the adaptation of the content of the training, taking into account what the student already knows. When 126

129 associated with a final evaluation, it can measure the distance covered between the start and the end of the placement (in order to measure the progress of the learner and/or the efficacy of the training, see the toolkit) 2. Formative evaluation (during a mobility): This is an evaluative approach integrated into the learning process. The learner can measure the progress he or she has achieved, and the progress that he or she has still to make. Formative evaluation enables learners to carry out a critical reflection on their progress. It is also an opportunity to reassure learners. 3. The final / summative evaluation (at the end of the mobility): This measures the difference between the acquired and the required level. The outcome of the summative evaluation is a basis for institutional recognition Assessment in the phase of preparation of the mobility: From the perspective of the mobility project, in the phase of the preparation of the mobility the assessment procedures need to be discussed by the sending and hosting institutions and also the trainee. A VQTS model, which provides a common language to describe competences and their acquisition, can be used as a basis for identifying learning outcomes which could be achieved within the course of a concrete mobility. The model focuses on competences related to the work processes and identifies the core work tasks within the context of a particular occupational field. The result emerging from this procedure is a competence matrix which indicates the competence areas (based on core work tasks) and the individual steps of competence-development described in learning outcomes. At the same time, it is important that the hosting institution should have an understanding of the level of the competences of the interns before the beginning of the mobility. This can be achieved by elaborating a competence profile based on the respective competence matrix of each student. This competence profile should be such that it can be read and understood by both parties to the mobility. It is preferable that this profile should be elaborated either by the sending institution with the participation of the student or, alternatively, it could be filled out at the beginning of the student s internship in a simplified form, in which case it would be based on the self-evaluation of the student and used for defining the learning path and the activities to be assigned. A further instrument to be used in setting the goals of the mobility from the student s point of view is a letter of motivation that lists his or her expectations concerning learning outcomes to be achieved as well as personal and social skills. Choosing the most suitable method for the length of the training period When it comes to choosing the most suitable method for the length of the training period, depending on the duration of the internship, the host organization may prefer to adopt one or other of the following different assessment methods: Short internship (less than two weeks): n working diary with supervision by the tutor n Dominance of self-evaluation 127

130 Medium internship (three weeks to two months): n working diary with supervision by the tutor n formative evaluation approach which alternates evaluation and self-evaluation n may be completed with a final evaluation Long internship (more than two months) n Initial evaluation in order to adapt the training programme n Formative evaluation with contractually-based agreement on intermediate objectives n Final evaluation (if possible with observer and jury) Assessment during the mobility: An initial assessment by the hosting company can be used in order to understand the skills and competences of the student and to determine the activities he or she will be assigned. See the toolkit of assessment methods for further details. Assessment after the mobility: In order to facilitate the mutual recognition of vocational learning outcomes between the sending and the receiving institution, it is preferable to use the respective competence matrix and indicate the competence profile. This profile is elaborated by the hosting institution. Further instruments can be used in the course of the discussion, such as the working diary, which is intended to document the daily activities of the student, as well as the social, organizational and other skills that do not necessarily form part of the vocational learning outcomes. Part 2.2: Providing a toolkit of assessment instruments 1. Grid for defining students levels of competence This grid can be used for evaluating students skills and competences in the preparation phase of the mobility. The current level of competence is evaluated by the sending institution, based on the existing VQTS competence matrix. This helps the hosting institution to understand what competence areas have already been mastered by the student and can be a basis for defining the learning outcomes that will be part of the internship (and also the working tasks assigned to student). The desired level of competence at the end of the placement is defined after a discussion with the hosting institution and the learning outcomes aimed for are afterwards given a fixed contractual form in the learning agreement. The competence matrix for the given profession is a point of reference for the assessment of the steps of competence-development that a student has already achieved and for establishing which steps of competence-development should be achieved in the course of a mobility. The competence level for the following table can be found in the VQTS matrix for the category: Professional Caterer in Appendix

131 COMPETENCE AREA Purchasing, costing and stocking Customer service STEPS OF COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT x x Production of simple dishes Marketing x Human Resources Management x Regulation and monitoring of business performance Enterprise resource planning x x x System organisation x x current level of competence as evaluated by the sending institution desired level of competence at the end of the placement, as defined by the learning agreement 2. Grid for assessing students performances and learning outcomes This grid is to be used for the formative or summative evaluation by the hosting institution. The tutor in the hosting institution / company evaluates the student in the relevant competence areas, as specified previously in the learning agreement using grid no. 1 (above). In order to facilitate a better comprehension of the tasks carried out by the student during the placement, the tutor is invited to specify these activities (as already specified in the learning agreement). The corresponding competence matrix should be used as a reference point. The assessment performed in this sheet is mandatory, because it will be the basis of the recognition and validation process in the sending institution. Since listing all tasks and activities that have been carried out by the trainees necessarily means a lot of work, the descriptions of these activities can be taken over from the working diary. Then, all that would remain to be done would be an assessment of the trainee by the persons that have been in direct contact with him or her. 129

132 Competence areas \ Evaluated level NC Purchasing, costing and stocking Specific activities: Customer service Specific activities: Production of simple dishes Specific activities: Marketing Specific activities: Human Resources Management Specific activities: Regulation and monitoring of business performance Specific activities: Enterprise resource planning Specific activities: System organisation Specific activities: Key: 1. Participative observation of the activity 2. Execution under direct and/or continuous supervision 3. Execution under indirect and/or discontinuous supervision, with limited autonomy 4. Independent execution NC: Not concerned 130

133 3. Working diary 8 This helps the students to record their daily activities, successes, and failures, and also the competences that they have acquired (possibly with daily inspection by a tutor). The diary can contribute either to a formative or to a final evaluation. Furthermore, it combines evaluation and self-evaluation. It is particularly suitable for internships lasting less than 1 month. If possible, and depending on the level of the language skills of the student, it is preferable that it be filled out using the language of the hosting institution. This gives the tutor of the hosting institution/company an opportunity to regularly make a point about the tasks and difficulties of the student. For the student, it is an opportunity to improve his or her language skills. The use of this comprehensive approach ensures: n Active pedagogy (involvement of the student) n Traceability and collecting of evidence (can be used for argumentation in table 4) n Valorization n Support of both evaluation and self-evaluation NAME: WEEK from to: Tasks accomplished (verb with a complement, e.g. Pricing of a daily menu) and level of autonomy* Acquired knowledge (nouns, e.g. French VAT level) Required organizational, social and personal skills / attitudes (e.g. rigour, perfectionism, attention to detail) * 1 observation, 2 execution under supervision, 3 execution with final check by a supervisor, 4 execution without final check DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED: 8 For German trainees it is not necessary to use this grid because they already have a working diary form which they have to fill in 131

134 4. Soft skills assessment: Time Management Project management 1 Approaches Expectations 2 Meets Expectations 3 Exceeds Expectations Usually completes projects on time but can procrastinate on one component of the project. Uses time effectively in most situations. Routinely uses time well to ensure work is completed on time. Tends to proceed in his or her tasks in a rather structured way, but can sometimes be overwhelmed Manages multiple tasks and resources simultaneously Plans and optimizes his or her activity Organises easily his or her tasks and those of others. SOCIAL SKILLS ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS Capacity for teamwork Communicative skills and competences Intercultural skills and competences Participates in team work to a degree but tends to stay in background. Participates and actively seeks responsibilities within the team. Leads the team, seeks effective ways to develop cooperation, including ways to resolve any conflict, supports other members. Speaks relatively clearly in a way that suits the situation, and listens to others attentively. Complex instructions need to be explained several times before understood. Understands instructions without problems and communicates with clients/co-workers about work-related topics. Engages in basic conversations with clients/co-workers, actively seeks communication opportunities. Has a basic understanding of the culture of the hosting country and sometimes adjusts his or her behaviour accordingly. Is aware of the differences between cultures and adjusts his or her behaviour accordingly. Is able to work with people who vary in their age, gender, race, religion, political views. Understand and accepts cultural differences and is able to explain them to others. 132

135 Accountability & Responsibility Focuses on the task most of the time. Accepts responsibilities, but can sometimes be reluctant. Respect Usually shows respect in speaking to others, but can sometimes be less interested in others remarks Positive Attitudes & Initiative Accomplishes his or her tasks, but can sometimes limit his or her activity and initiative. Focuses on the task & what needs to be done most of the time. Accepts responsibilities. Shows respect in speaking to others. Consistently stays focused on the task & what needs to be done. Very self-directed, seeks responsibilities. Always shows respect in speaking to others & welcomes others into the conversation. EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS Shows interest, initiative and effort. Responds with keenness to demands of the tutor Takes initiatives and actively seeks after work to be done Observations: The soft skills evaluation (table 3 and table 4) is optional, because these skills do not form part of the recognition and evaluation process. This grid is loosely based on the specification elaborated in the EUROPASS+ project. We ask the mentor in the hosting company to evaluate the student at the end of the placement period by simply circling the corresponding descriptor on the three-step scale. The descriptors provide the mentor with an indication of the corresponding behaviours and attitudes. The use of negative evaluation ( below expectations ) is something that needs to be discussed. The objective is to give the student a constructive feedback and help him improve soft skills and attitudes. However, only positive evaluation is to be documented in the EUROPASS Mobility document. 133

136 5. Soft skills self-evaluation INSTRUCTION: Please describe what soft skills you needed to mobilize during your mobility period (at work but also outside the work context) and give a short description of the context (situation, project, difficulty ) in which this was required of you. 1 Could be improved 2 Good 3 Very Good 4 Excellent Time Management Ability to plan and foresee the time necessary to finish my tasks Project management Ability to carry on different tasks simultaneously, coordinate my work ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS Write here a two-sentence description of the context in which you demonstrated each of the relevant skills: 134

137 Capacity for teamwork Ability to integrate and function effectively in a team Communicative skills Ability to understand and to make oneself understood Intercultural skills Ability to understand, accept and function effectively in a different culture Write here a two-sentence description of the context in which you demonstrated each of the relevant skills: SOCIAL SKILLS 135

138 Accountability & Responsibility Respect Positive Attitudes & Initiative EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS Write here a two-sentence description of the context in which you demonstrated each of the relevant skills: This table can be compared with Table 3 at the end of the internship. The student discusses with the tutor of the hosting institution the progress that was achieved in the area of soft skills. The outcome of the evaluation is formalized in the EUROPASS Mobility document (5.a.). Only positive evaluation should be mentioned in this document! 136

139 6. Other possible tools for assessing soft skills Project Compass Project Europass+ ECMO Guide, part 3: How to validate and recognize learning outcomes When learners return to their home institutions, these learners credit is validated and possibly recognized according to the rules applying in the home country. The possibilities and ways of validating and recognizing knowledge, skills and competences acquired abroad will vary depending on national regulations and requirements, but also on the type and duration of the mobility programme in question. Validation Validation of learning outcomes means the process of confirming that certain assessed learning outcomes achieved by a learner correspond to specific outcomes which may be required for a unit or a qualification. Source: EUROPEAN COMISSION (2009b, p.14) ECVET Recommendation. The learning outcomes documented in the learner s Personal Transcript, prepared by the hosting institution, are compared with those agreed upon in the LA. If everything is in order in this respect, the knowledge, skills and competences acquired abroad will be validated, i.e. it will be confirmed that the assessed learning outcomes achieved, or the competences developed, by the person in training during the stay abroad correspond to learning outcomes related to the specific qualification in the home country. Recognition Recognition of learning outcomes means the process of attesting officially achieved learning outcomes through the awarding of units or qualifications. Source: EUROPEAN COMISSION (2009b, p.14) ECVET Recommendation. The validated learning outcomes acquired during the stay abroad will be recognized in the home country by officially attesting and awarding achieved knowledge, skills and competences. 137

140 Possible scenarios include: 1. The learning outcomes achieved abroad are recognized as part of the qualification that is being acquired in the home country. 2. The learning outcomes achieved abroad are not recognized as part of the qualification that is being acquired in the home country, but are seen as additionally acquired competences that might enhance the chances of finding a job after graduation. 3. The learning experience abroad, realized in the form of an internship, is recognized as being able to replace the compulsory work placement that is part of the training program in the country. (See M.O.T.O. Model, page 46 and ECVET Users guide II) Documentation of the results of validation and recognition in section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility: the results of assessment, validation and, if applicable, recognition should be documented in the final part of section 5; the competent bodies should be clearly identified. ECMO guide, part 4: ECVET meets EUROPASS Mobility At present, section 5 of the EUROPASS Mobility allows the transparent documentation of tasks carried out during mobility phases and of skills and competence acquired abroad. An ECVET-compatible documentation of the results of mobility projects requires more than this: It should inform the person consulting it about the learning outcomes achieved and their reference to the qualification within the home country. It is more important to know what a trainee has learned after a mobility than to know what he or she was supposed to be doing during the mobility. This is why it is crucial to describe learning outcomes in the EUROPASS Mobility, and not only the tasks that he or she carried out, or the competences that he or she was supposed to acquire. In these guidelines, proposals for organizing all phases of a mobility project according to ECVET criteria have been described. The first step is to the identification, by the host and the home institution, of units of learning outcomes. These partners must also set assessment methods for each phase of the mobility, and these methods are to remain appropriate for the duration of the mobility. The process of validation and recognition of the learning outcomes in the home country should be kept in mind and discussed from the very beginning of a mobility project. An example of the section 5.a. from the EUROPASS Mobility filled in in a manner which satisfies ECVET criteria is to be found in Appendix 5. 9 For a proposal regarding how section 5.a of the EUROPASS Mobility, bearing on the description of skills and competences acquired during mobility, might possibly be modified, the reader should consult the final publication from the ECMO project. 9 Translation of the German ECMO example retrieved from: europass-mobilitaet-beispiel-ecmo kqj.pdf (accessed: ) 138

141 II. Service Appendices: Appendix 1. ECMO Competence Matrix for Professional Caterer Appendix 3. Example of the comparison of the Polish and the German educational systems Appendix 4. Identification of common learning units Appendix 5. EUROPASS Mobility section 5.a. Example from the ECMO project References BLOOM, BENJAMIN (1971): Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook I. The cognitive domain. New York: McKay, 16. Ed., 1971 BLOOM, BENJAMIN (1976): Taxonomie von Lernzielen im kognitiven Bereich. Weinheim: Beltz, 5. Aufl., 1976 EUROPEAN COMMISION (2008): RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23. April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning. ( accessed ) EUROPEAN COMMISION (2009): Get to know ECVET better, Questions and answers (Part I of the ECVET Users Guide), November 2009 EUROPEAN COMMISION (2011): Using ECVET for Geographical Mobility (Part II of the ECVET Users Guide), May 2011 EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2009): RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 June 2009 on the establishment of a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), 2009/C 155/02, Official journal of the European Union, EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2006): RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 December 2006 on transnational mobility within the Community for education and training purposes: European Quality Charter for Mobility (2006/961/EC), Official journal of the European Union Luomi-Messerer, K. & Markowitsch, J. (Eds.) (2006). VQTS model. A proposal for a structured description of work- related competences and their acquisition. ( accessed ) NA BEIM BIBB (2010): National Priority ECVET for LEONARDO DA VICI Mobility Projects, Vocational Education and Training Profile (VET Profile), Bonn

142 NATIONALE KOORDINIERUNGSSTELLE ECVET, NA beim BIBB (2011): Leitfaden zur Formulierung von Lernergebniseinheiten, Bonn Leitfaden_zur_Formulierung_von_Lernergebniseinheiten.pdf Websites: Competence matrices from the project ECVET-Tour (accessed: ) (accessed: ) ECVET user s Guide (accessed ) Geographical Mobility in Vocational Education and Training: Guidelines for describing units of learning outcomes. outcomes.pdf, (accessed ). German ECMO example retrieved from: (accessed ) Useful Links European Europass website: Guidelines for implementing the EQARF: Mobility partnership quality commitment placements: leonardo_da_vinci/mobilitaet_qualitaetsverpflichtung_engl.pdf Terminology of European Education and Training Policy (Glossary): navigate.action VQTS I, VQTS II Projects

143 Appendix 3. Comparison of educational system in Poland and in Germany specialist for food service (system gastronomy) Poland Various education length (4 years, 3 years, 5 years) Education place: various educational entities: universities, high schools, vocational schools Education contents: depending on school level; labour legislation; components of personal management, labour legislation, marketing and management, personal management Education programme: depending on school level Employment perspectives: all types of restaurants, incl. fast food chains, restaurants, hotels, schools or other facilities where food is served incl. prestigious restaurants and hotels Germany education length 3 years Education place: chambers, c/o restaurants, gastronomy companies, employers organizations, fast food chains (vocational training c/o Mc Donald, Burger King, Blizzeria-Pizza- Delivery-Kette), Education contents: Preparing a variety of meals (entree, deserts or appetizers), Labour legislation; Marketing and management, personal management Education programme: 1 4 Semester: accountancy; food and drink items, service, kitchen, dry stores, storeroom; 1 4 Semester: Specialization: items like System Gastronomy Organization, personal management, ecological branch controlling, food chain standards, psychology (multinational aspect of culture and languages) Employment perspectives: catering chains, franchise chains, fast food chains, regional chains, launching of new regional products incl. non-chains restaurants 141

144 Candidate description/ skills: Many employers (more prestigious restaurants) require their food service specialist to have at least a high school diploma; Flexibility, well organization, ability to work well with other staff members, good communication skills; helpful, when bilingual; depending on school level, manual dexterity can be important good health (hot kitchens; may also be subjected to prolonged standing which may result in back and foot pain) Accreditations entities/ certification: schools Potential: According various bureaus of Labour Statistics, the desire of many people to eat out is creating potential in this branch and causing an increase in jobs; internationalization of gastronomy Candidate description/ skills: Flexibility (weekend activities, well organization, ability to work well with other staff members, good communication skills; foreign languages competencies, because of encountering customers from many cultures; manual dexterity good health; stress immunity Accreditations entities/ certification: German Culinary Federation, chambers, branch organizations Potential: According development of food chains and tourism sector, the desire of eating in restaurants is creating increase in jobs, new perspectives as food travel experts Development of gastronomy at fuel stations, on motorways, at railway stations and airports, catering services; coffee bars/bakeries, mobiles/buffets 142

145 Appendix 4. Identification of common learning units Comparison of educational system in Poland and in Germany specialist for food service (system gastronomy) and settlement of common learning units in the frame of WP1 Fachmann/frau Systemgastronomie Technician / specialist for food service / system gastronomy specialist Section/ subject/ Time dimension Knowledge, skills/ competences The student is able to: Knowledge, skills/ competences The student is able to: Section/ subject/time dimension kitchen activities 140 h to prepare, make and serve simple meals based on recipes, to chose/ to be able to chose products for meals to use various methods for preparing meals and keeping nutritiousness and energy value to comply environmental protection regulations, safety and hygiene of working conditions, fire-fighting regulations, using terminology in foreign languages to do preparatory activities linked to meals production, to prepare meals based on various kind of products, to make desserts and confectionery articles to organize gastronomy activity, to comply hygiene regulations towards to meals production, to know the best use of food products and their contains, to plan meals technology of gastronomy 360 h basic knowledge of gastronomy and nourishment 216 h to value the quality of products and dishes to prepare basic line of dishes and drinks to put into practice the best practices of nourishment 143

146 Consumer service 120 h to use various methods: by consumer service, by serving meals. by preparing and serving drinks, by offering meals and drinks within consumer service, also in foreign language, to draw up a bill and be able to deal with various kinds of payment to use various methods: by consumer service, by serving meals, by preparing and serving drinks, to be in contact/ to communicate with co-workers and consumers, to draw up a bill and be able to deal with various kinds of payment, to comply safety and hygiene of working conditions regulations and fire-lighting orders, to arrange interior decoration and chose equipment services for consumer 288 h to serve consumers to arrange and equip consumer rooms Storage activities 60h to recipe, store and give out the goods, to differentiate various sale contracts, to prove the inventory in accordance with quality, quantity and mass to organize the work places in gastronomy service company, to set up the requirements towards to store rooms, to describe the principles of refrigerating system towards to food production and food distribution Organization of gastronomy activity to comply the quality rules towards to food protection Consultancy and sale in restaurant 100 h selling process: conversation/communication with customer based on menu and drinks carte, to implement psychology of selling, to make booking, to implement complaints procedures, to use foreign language skills by selling procedures to describe the customer needs, to solve conflict situations, to implement the rules of business ethics, hospitality systems Organization of gastronomy activity; interpersonal relations 78 h to co-operate and negotiate with contractors and co-workers 144

147 Marketing 80 h to describe marketing methods, to carry out marketing analysis, to work out company strategy, to implement foreign language skills by promotion activities to set up the goal of marketing researches, to describe marketing outlines, to carry out marketing analysis, to settle the company strategy Organization of gastronomy activity to set up the offer of gastronomy services and keep marketing activities floor service 40 h to plan/organize and value the working process like cleaning up and arranging the quests rooms, to manage with cleaners and ecological tools, to implement observance of law towards to consumers consumables management 60 h to prepare the purchase/sell contract in accordance with business rules, to estimate the demand of goods, to undertake inventory control, to work out the payment procedures, to observe labour law, to prepare contract with consumer and entrepreneur, to implement the law rules towards to consumer protection Organization of gastronomy activity; law implementation towards to services 85h to plan and organize the event gastronomy services to calculate and settle of gastronomy services to organize system organization 120 h to differentiate the various concepts of food service gastronomy, to explain the meaning of system standardization, to co-operate by planning and organizing the work process, to observe law regulations, to analyze outcomes of marketing research to describe the organization form of company, to prepare documents which are necessary to set up a company to analyze the equality of food services, to prepare publicity materials for company promoting, to identify the local food service companies Gastronomy services: to set up and keep business activity linked to gastronomy services 35h 145

148 to organize and implement catering services in the frame of gastronomy activities Personal Management 60 h to plan and settle up competencies for various posts in food service company, to calculate the salaries of staff, to co-operate by staff recruitment/ employment to implement labour law regulations towards to employee and employer law, to differentiate various kinds of job contracts law implementation towards to offered services 85h management and quality control of services 100 h to introduce controlling goals and tasks dedicated company needs, to justify the meaning of company documentation, to make a proposal, how to increase the company incomes to use instruments for valuing the service quality, to value the service quality in accordance with existing criteria, to implement quantity and quality standards quality validation towards to offered services 80 h to observe the safety and hygiene of working conditions, fire -fighting regulations, and environmental protection to be able for first-aid at the work place * gray coloured means: SKILLS AND COMPETENCES PROFILE of diploma owner confirming job qualifications in profession: system gastronomy technician / specialist, which are placed in the Addition to Diploma (EUROPASS) 146

149 Appendix 5. EUROPASS Mobility section 5.a. Example in the ECMO project 5.a DESCRIPTION OF SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES ACQUIRED DURING THE EUROPASS Mobility EXPERIENCE (NO) Activities or tasks performed (29a) Assignment in the service of the hotel-restaurant The Belmont Hotel. Carrying out tasks as waiter s assistant: Mise en place serving guests in à la carte, serving food and drinks, setting the buffet preparing simple dishes serving dishes and drinks preparing cold and hot beverages. Professional skills and competencies acquired (30a) She knows: the regional English cuisine the appropriate type of preparation and serving according to the dish, beverage and dessert. the company s working processes the tasks, authorities and responsibilities in the procedural organization in the company She is able to: prepare dishes and beverages in front of the client welcome guests and look after them inform clients about the products and services offered advise clients according to their wishes advise clients regarding the ingredients of dishes and matching beverages apply new methods and techniques to prepare dishes and desserts Language skills and competencies acquired (31a) She is able to: to arrange working tasks with colleagues from different European countries in English, to name problems and propose solutions. Organisational skills and competencies acquired (33a) She is able to: become integrated in an existing team to arrange the working tasks with colleagues to arrange the tasks, authorities and responsibilities in the procedural organization in the company with colleagues Social skills and competencies acquired 147

150 (34a) She is able to: work together with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds carry out given tasks independently and responsibly exchange cultural and professional experiences with colleagues orient oneself in a foreign societal environment and play an active part in social activities Other skills and competencies acquired (35a) She knows: basic aspects of the vocational training in Great Britain basic requirements on the English labor market in her vocational field English habits, lifestyle and language NB: This table is not valid without the signatures of the reference person/mentor and of the holder of the EUROPASS Mobility. Headings marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory. 148

151 Appendix 6. Database for filling out the respective modules in the EUROPASS Mobility for the field of Professional Caterer Based on the vocation: Professional Caterer in the Polish Educational System divided into basic and higher education Program basis and examination standard Element of Section 5.a. Carried out activities Profession: technician of an organization of gastronomy service code 341[07] Education cycle: technical high school after junior high school 4 years school education after secondary school (after grammar school, profiled secondary school, complementary technical high school or complementary grammar school) 2 years12 preparing an offer of gastronomic services and managing of marketing activities, planning and organizing of gastronomic services for the events and casual receptions organizing and realization of gastronomic catering services calculation and setting accounts of costs of gastronomic services valuation of quality towards to raw materials and culinary products,121 using the principles of sound nutrition Component: technician of an organization of gastronomy service at the university level, based on an example of College of Tourism and Hotel Trade in Gdansk 3 years 1. duration of apprenticeship: 9 weeks ; flexible treated towards a program, but recommended to undergo it in the modern gastronomic companies 2. Gastronomic company divided in 3 traditional sections depending on provided activities: a) administration and economic section, b) production section (typical kitchen and restaurant room), c) trade section. Gastronomic company divided in 2 sections according the professional literature: managing section and functional section. Menu and provision planning according to daylong cards, special cards, occasional cards, seasonality Provision: type of company (small gastronomy, gastronomic company) Choosing of raw materials assortment: fresh articles, frozen articles, semi-finished products, dry articles Preparing of dishes Decoration of dishes Arrangements of table and serving of dishes 149

152 Acquired skills and competencies preparing the basic assortment of dishes and drinks interior decoration and fitting of consumer rooms and other places where are offered the gastronomic services complying with the quality protection of health food consumer service he/she prepares an offer, organizes promotion and advertisement of gastronomic services; he/she analyzes the client order and the offer and price list offered by restaurant or catering company; he/she recipes and registers the orders for gastronomic services; he/ she plans and organizes the services of casual receptions and gastronomic services of events; he/she organizes nutrition in various types of gastronomic entities; he/ she organizes and implements catering services; he/ she uses the machines, installations and other equipment used for realization of gastronomic services; he/she makes interior arrangements, fits the consumer room, and other places where gastronomic services are offered; he/she calculates and settles accounts of cost for gastronomic services; he/she serves the clients using various methods; he/she evaluates the foodstuffs regarding the product research rules and defines its usage; he/she prepares the basic assortment of dishes and drinks; Activities towards organizing parties and events Receiving complaints and returns, and correcting the proposals Servicing of modern equipment of gastronomic companies Store activities Components towards to managing gastronomic company Cooperation by organization of activities In the consumer room Serving dishes and making table arrangements Use of diplomatic protocol he/she defines the structure of section activity: he/she divides in 3 traditional sections: administration and economics section, production section, trade section. he/she analyses key parameters for following management posts based on particular case of gastronomic company : manager of gastronomic company, his deputy responsible for administration and economic team production manager, his deputy, chef (kitchen) responsible for production team manager of restaurant room, main waiter, bar manager, main barman responsible for production team he/she identifies documentation of concrete gastronomic company for example invoices, reports depending on small gastronomy or gastronomy company he/she attends the operating system procedure, typical for concrete department for example GAM, GAH, Kaliw, Micros programs for gastronomy and user version for operating of cash register 150

153 he/she uses the principles of sound nutrition; he/she negotiates and cooperates with contractors and co-workers; he/she complies with the heath rules; he/she applies law rules concerning the provided occupational activities. he/ she uses the methodology of food & beverage cost i.e. the cost analysis / settling of kitchen accounts as permanent checkup of kitchen and accounting and receipts generated by selling of food products and drinks he/she chooses menu he/she chooses the system of provision regarding raw materials for the company he/she defines the quantity of indispensable raw materials he/she uses various types of preparing, arrangements and decoration of meals, he/she offers current trends towards to organization of parties and events, he/she analyses the claims and returns of dishes he/she uses modern equipment of gastronomic company he/she analyses the organization of work in the store he/she analyses the range of work organization in customer room he/she plans menu: dishes, desserts, wine, drinks and alcohol he/she shows the ways of table arrangement he/she uses the components of diplomatic protocol (principle of reciprocity, precedence). Acquired language skills and competences (if not included in vocational skills and competences ) he /she uses foreign language in the scope that is indispensable for providing vocational activities; he/she uses names, concepts and definitions linked to the gastronomic services expressed in the language used within the apprenticeship; he/she works out the project of activities for travel agencies linked to comprehensive client service and using the language used within the apprenticeship; 151

154 152 he/she fixes documents for the preparation, realization and for sale of tourist services and comprehensive client service (he/she works out the projects of tourist products for clients in accordance with an order, and written in language used within the apprenticeship); he/she prepares the calculation of tourist event regarding the standard of services, number of participants, time of realization etc using language used within his apprenticeship; he/she works out the programs of tourist events regarding the preference of customer written in language used within the apprenticeship; he/she settles accounts of services or tourist events in accordance with its own merits and financial background applying the language of the apprenticeship; he/she uses the language resources (lexis, grammar, orthography and phonetics on the middle level advanced, and on the basic level towards to specialist vocabulary used within job activities); he/she understands simple verbal and written statements concerning daily situation and topically linked to the provided job activities;

155 Acquired computer skills and competences (if not included in vocational skills and competences ) Acquired organizational skills and competences (if not included in vocational skills and competences ) Acquired social skills and competences (if not included in vocational skills and competences) Other acquired skills and competences he/she uses the methodology of office activity; he/she uses information technology in the scope indispensable for job activities; he/she operates computer programs typical for the company; he/she works out the calculations and offers for catering companies using Excel and other programs depending on type of the company. he/she organizes his/her post; he/she takes care of company image; he/she organizes and of staff activity within the order realization; he/she co-operates and negotiates with contractors and co-workers, he/she manages the teamwork; He/she uses various resources of information and professional advisory services; he/she communicates in efficient way with representatives of various cultures, he/she creates relationships between people for achieving common goals, he/she handles stressful situations, he/she is aware of the differences between cultures and able to take it into account. he/she observes the rules of occupational safety and hygiene, fire-control and environmental protection within job activities, he/she organizes applies ergonomic requirements to the work post, he/she applies first aid in the case of an accident in the workplace. 153

156 The European Union supports European education and training initiatives for the Lifelong Learning Programme, providing an overall budget of almost seven billion euros. With its four subprogrammes, i. e. COMENIUS (for schools), ERASMUS (for higher education), LEONARDO DA VINCI (for vocational education and training) and GRUNDTVIG (for adult education), the programme covers all educational domains and age groups. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has charged the National Agency Education for Europe at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (NA at BIBB) with the responsibility for implementing the LEONARDO DA VINCI and GRUNDTVIG programmes. The NA at BIBB publishes a series of reports titled impuls, a publication dedicated to presenting the findings from the LEONARDO DA VINCI and GRUNDTVIG projects, showcasing and disseminating innovations and developments within general and vocational education and training and also facilitating the comprehensive exchange of ideas and experiences.