EICON’s main objective was to support organisations / institutions providing Vocational Education and Training (VET) to become more inclusive. In particular, the aim was to put the organisations as a whole in the focus, and not just education and training practice. Managers of these organisations / institutions are particularly in need for guidance on how to further develop their organizations, as they often have to work towards multiple aims simultaneously, i.e. inclusion usually is one among other aims. The typical organizational response to address inclusion is to provide teaching personnel with further qualification and training.
This is essential, but unfortunately not sufficient to reach the aim. Rather, systemic approaches are required to succeed in the inclusion endeavour. Hence, different organizational areas have been analysed, in particular those that are known - from research - to be essential in establishing and maintaining an organisation’s inclusive capacity. For each of these organizational areas the project discussed and explored, if and how information and communication technology (ICT) can be used within this unit as a lever / amplifier to increase the overall organization’s inclusiveness.
The main project activities took place ahead, during and after a series of seven face-to-face meetings, each focusing on a central thematic area: (1) pedagogy & teaching / learning approaches, (2) technology & infrastructure, (3) establishing & maintaining links to employment / labour market, (4) stakeholder involvement, collaboration & partnerships, (5) leadership, (6) transition & target scenarios for VET organisations, (7) continuous improvement process. Each meeting produced a specific draft outcome that then were published for a certain time on a consultation platform to collect further ideas, comments or suggested changes from a wider audience in Europe. Results are available now at the end of the project for general use.
SPSM
Ministry of Education, Research & Religious Affairs
SCIFY
SCIFY
CERCICA
SPSM
Vocational College Live
CERCICA
SCIFY
SPSM
Ministry of Education, Research & Religious Affairs
(Co-ordinator)
ITA
Six partners from Germany, Portugal, Greece, Sweden and Finland have joined forces to elaborate practice-oriented recommendations. Partners come from organisations that provide VET (Invalidisäätiö - Keskuspuisto vocational college (FI) and Cooperativa para a Educação e Reabilitação de Cidadãos Inadaptados de Cascais – CERCICA (PT)), that support organisations / institutions that provide VET (Specialpedagogiska skolmyndigheten – SPSM (SE) and the National Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs (EL)), that provide technology for VET organisations and individuals (EPISTIMI GIA SENA ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIRIA (EL)) and that support organisations in complex change processes (Institut für Technologie und Arbeit – ITA (DE); project coordinator).