Today’s labour market is characterised by very rapid change and evolution of the skills sought by employers. Traditional vocational education has not kept pace with these changes, with the result that graduates and jobseekers need to constantly update their professional skills. The Covid-19 pandemic has created additional challenges in this regard, as distance education is difficult to reconcile with taking the practical training necessary to form and consolidate professional skills. Existing solutions in this area are inadequate and their effectiveness is generally very low. The pandemic and related solutions aimed at minimising infection have forced VET institutions to move towards distance learning. Most schools and training institutions have developed such solutions, but their effectiveness is low. They are unsuitable for practical training. The available solutions are not very flexible, which results in lower quality of classes. There is currently also a growing gap between the skills of people living in large cities and those living in rural areas, where access to quality. education is difficult. The pandemic has further accentuated this problem, with the result that people living in rural areas are becoming particularly disadvantaged on the labour market. Limited access to vocational training also applies to social workers who lack the skills to work with children, but training provision in this area is very limited. The project aims to develop an innovative methodology and IT tools, which in combination with modular VET programs will allow to reconcile the requirements for distance education with the principles of implementation of vocational education with the blended-learningmethod. The effects will be achieved, among other things, through virtual workshops and the provision of remote supervision of practical training by the instructor. It will become possible to reach everyone interested with the educational offer. The project of the consortium of VDC in Warsaw (Applicant) and ILSS (Partner) aims at comprehensive preparation of the staff of educational institutions to conduct online VET. The results of the project will contribute to the development of inclusive education, raising the quality of distance education and the development of the VET sector in the field of innovative educational tools. Existing solutions for online VET are generally of low efficiency, especially in terms of practical training. As a result, the quality of distance education is lower than that of stationary one, which is also a barrier to access to high quality VET for people with disabilities, living in rural areas or caring for dependents. Additionally the pandemic has highlighted educational problems among children associated with distance education and the need of better preparation of social workers to work with children. project results will be targeted at 3 groups of recipients:
- providers of online education,
- social workers,
- participants of professional courses.
The results will make it possible to effectively combine online learning with practical training and to reach out to everyone with an educational offer. The project will be implemented in two stages:
- conducting an analysis of the applicant and the development and implementation of tools for distance education
- a comprehensive IT solution will be developed as well as an e-manual on the organization and conduct of online VET.
On this basis 2 model online courses will be created: welding and working with children at risk of social exclusion (for social workers). Project participants will learn how to effectively and efficiently use online tools to organize and conduct distance education carried out in different organizational conditions and addressed to different groups of recipients. VDC and ILSS will expand their educational offer with innovative on-line courses addressed to various groups of recipients.
The project aims to develop a comprehensive solution for distance VET using, I.A., blended-learning and virtual workshops and to prepare education providers and teachers to conduct online courses. The developed solutions will enable remote participation of final beneficiaries in the courses. The results of the project will be made available to the public in the form of a training course for organisers of distance education, a virtual guide for the creation of online learning programmes and model courses. The results of the project (IT solution, model VET programmes, e-guide for organisers of distance education) are consistent with the priority areas of the Education Programme: inclusive education, development of quality culture in the education sector, development and promotion of the VET sector. A comprehensive and flexible methodology, model IT tools and on-line courses will be developed, including: an innovative user interface adapted to different devices and user needs (including those of disabled persons), the design of the interface will allow for the creation of different language versions and reading of information by the lecturer; modular training programmes will give the possibility of adapting the content to the needs of individual recipients; use of the blended-learning method, where practical training will take place in different locations. The project will make it possible to extend the offer of on-line courses by VDC while maintaining high quality of education. ILSS will enable the training offer to reach social workers all over Poland. The results of the project will be targeted at 3 groups of final recipients: providers of online education, social workers and course participants (learners, workers and NEETs). The course providers will receive comprehensive knowledge on how to organise high-quality distance learning effectively. Course participants will have the opportunity to improve their competences within the prepared model courses.