The NetECVET workshops - Workshop 5: Quality assurance

Special issue dedicated to the Joint ECVET conference held on 24-25 October 2013 in Brussels. Download ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.
Article by Sibilla Drews, National LLP Agency, Germany. The NetECVET workshops
Workshop 5: Quality assurance   
ECVET supports quality in mobility. However, to ensure continuous improvement, the use of ECVET for geographical mobility must also be underpinned by quality assurance (QA) procedures. This relates to the ECVET mobility of individual learners as well as to the ECVET partnership.
The four-step procedure of the EQAVET quality circle (planning – implementation – evaluation – review) can be applied to specific mobility experience and to ECVET partnerships.
The mobility project ‘F.A.N.T.E.’ demonstrated which quality assurance tools were used during the different phases at the two different levels (mobility of individual learners and the ECVET partnership). F.A.N.T.E. stands for ‘Fostering and Teaching Entrepreneurship’. It is a mobility project dedicated to young students in IVET within the age of 16-18 in the field of culinary arts and tourist services. The project has experimented with all ECVET components based on the EQAVET quality cycle.
Three bilateral Memoranda of Understanding were signed with intermediary partners. They state the responsibilities and roles of each partner involved along with experimentation and identification of the basic rules for the assessment and recognition of learning outcomes. However, it was dif ficult to involve the competent authorities in the partner countries, and even in Italy.
First, units of learning outcomes were identified based on local training standards and according to the needs of the labour markets. The method, validation and recognition process was shared and agreed with international part - ners and the competent body in Italy. Assessment was the most complicated component. F.A.N.T.E. translated the existing assessment system into ECVET by putting a new assessment grid on top of the existing one which had to be kept.
After the first year (50 mobilities) a review was carried out with the assistance of the Italian national group of experts and the regional administration. Few adjustments to the assessment questionnaire were needed. Mid and long term evaluations followed. One of the biggest problems encountered was the lack of cooperation of the competent authorities abroad. Also, the fact that mobility periods were one way and not exchanges turned out to be problematic. ECVET experimentation can hardly be successful without reciprocal exchange. Finally, the lack of finance proved to be another problem. ECVET has multiple effects on the organisation of mobility and generally VET providers are not economically strong enough to face that without additional resources. The problems were not easy to handle, but could be solved.
The project ‘FANTE’: Partners from Malta, Germany and Spain received students from Italy in compulsory education and training between 16 and 18 years old.
Contact: AFP COLLINE ASTIGIANE Scarl Reg. San Rocco 74 Tel +39 0141 954079
Contact person: Mr. Matteo Gazzarata E-mail: Matteo.gazzarata@virgilio.it. See more in ECVET Magazine No 17 - February 2014.