iYOT: In your own time!
Adult education guidance counselling system
Project overview/background:
This project combines the specific skills and knowledge of a diverse consortium of partners in order to build the capacity of organisations who work within the field of adult education. Adult education organisations are best qualified to work with adults of all ages in order to build their capacity and foster their overall development, since they best know their needs and situation.
An additional element is the transnational co-development of iYOT mobile application, guidelines for guidance counseling & open resource. This proposal seeks to address a European problem, and therefore it is using a solution developed on a European level. The project involves partners from five different countries (Sweden, Spain, Slovenia, Portugal and Austria), and in doing so, it ensures a truly European output that addresses a European need.
iYOT aims to ensure that adults not only have open access to specialised resources that are relevant on a European level, but also have the ability to gain validation and recognition upon completion of guidance counselling.
The partners will develop a concrete system for validating the users outcomes upon completion of guidance process. If the user meets the validation criteria set by the partners, they will receive a certificate that recognizes their learning achievements on a European level.
(P1) (Slovenia) will offer their vast experience in adult education and labor market counseling, specifically regarding the management of donor funded projects within the field of education and training and trained counselors. Within their competent team they also have a strong background in international relations and European studies including European adult education policy as well as access to a strong network of competent adult education providers across Europe. P1 will lead activities for training of future guidance counsellors.
(P2) University of Vienna was recommended by Public University of Ptuj, based upon previous successful cooperation’s. UNIVIE has a vast experience in research activities, so they will take the lead in the research phase of the project so we gather strong points of interest for adult education guidance counseling. Their experience in this regards, together will their strong focus on ICT and European cooperation, will make them an indispensable asset in this project.
P3 (SVEFI) has a great experience and long tradition in providing distant learning courses and methods in lifelong learning aspect. They provide different courses for different target groups, also for people with special needs and will be a great example of good practice for dissemination. According to their long tradition in distant education they are perfect for implementation phase of designing and developing web based materials. They will be in charge for implementing a visually friendly and easy to use web platform for supporting the mobile application for guidance counselling.
(P4) Método Estudios Consultores were selected as a partner for this project based upon their very strong, enthusiastic and competent response to an open call for partners. Método Estudios Consultores are a very experienced and skilled consultancy in the field of training, research, and project development. They develop training solutions, undertake research and design and manage cooperative projects for both the private sector and the social enterprise/voluntary/civil society sector. Throughout all their activities they focus upon ICT solutions. Their field of experience and specific skills will be key to reaching this projects aim and objectives. They will assure their experience of developing and implementing structured learning programmes as well as practical skills and experience with regards to e-learning.
(P5) Uniăo das Freguesias de (Union of Parishes of) Gondomar (S. Cosme), Valbom e Jovim will bring to this project their experience of counseling work from a local authority perspective. They are very active in promoting the development and overall welfare of young adults, and can offer their experiences of undertaking a multitude of activities that target adult counseling at local, national and European levels. They will also provide specific module »Listening Room«.
Objectives:
- Partners will research the field of education counseling systems in participating countries with emphasis on adult education (5).
- Based on results partners will prepare Guidelines for adult education mobile counseling (1).
- Those will be the base for implementation of web platform on adult education counseling with supported mobile application called iYOT – In your own time (1).
- 5 Adult Education Guidance Counselors from each partner country will be trained to support participants as mentors in mobile application (5×5=25).
- Guidance Counselor will work as trained peer providing information, application support, mobility offers and opportunities, job or training options via distance and free of charge, only with registration through web platform.
- Guidance counselor will cooperate with a strong regional group of stakeholders thus improving availability and access to adult education and lifelong learning activities supporting competence raising, self-esteem improvement and active involvement into working mobile society.
Intellectual outputs:
- Launch of the web platform iYOT with iYOT mobile application supported counseling service
- In-service training: Training for mobile education guidance counselors
- Guidelines for Guidance Counseling via iYOT mobile application over distance – Pilot of the mobile adult education guidance counseling system
Quantitative results:
- Guidelines for adult education mobile conselling
- 1 mobile application with supported web platform for adult education counseling
- 5 x 5 guidance counselors trained (5 partners)
- 25 x 20 guidances provided (each counselor executes at least 20 guidance’s in own country in pilot implementation
- 5 x 2 informational seminars/events organized by each partner with estimated 50 participants
- at least 5 new adult educators enroled into Training for Guidance Counselors and 10 new users of iYOT Guidance Counseling after each event
- dissemination through trainers and partners in partnership country and in EU with internal networks from partners (covering 20 EU countries)
Qualitative results:
- Guidelines for adult education and labor market guidance counselling
- Training for iYOT guidance counsellors: 5 modules training course (adult education, labor market and mobility opportunities, counselling and communication methods, recognition of non-formal knowledge, iYOT mobile application administration), reading lists, material Compendium, Certificate
- Trained iYOT guidance counsellors: 5 x 5 adult educators, teacher, mentors, peers trained (25), 25 x 20 iYOT guidance’s provided (500)
- Web platform www.iyot.eu: published Guidelines, published supporting material, reading lists, up to date information supporting iYOT mobile application users, iYOT mobile application software as innovative tool, Certificate for non-formal knowledge
- iYOT mobile application
Once completed and published, the mobile application will be administered partially on-line through an e-learning platform and partially through trained national guidance counselors who will offer support through confrontation sessions face-to-face, or if necessary, via Skype. The mobile application together with all of the materials on web platform will be an open access resource for anyone involved in or interested to be involved in the adult education and labor market guidance counselling.
Individuals that are going to register and ask for recognition of their non-formal knowledge and skills in iYOT application will be given a Certificate, approved by each of the participating organisations.
Through the Proposed Training of Guidance Counselors, participants will gain the knowledge and skills to be able to administer, manage and counsel the developed mobile application nationally within their country. The Guidance Counselors will become national resources to anyone wishing to develop their ability or skills and active involvement in education or labor market.
Through the outputs of this project, adult educators will gain the skills and knowledge to manage and counsel the registered participants in iYOT mobile application follow their progress and try to help them with concrete results, setting out learning strategies, and recognize the value of lifelong learning. They will develop the capacity to create strategies for PR, and communication, ensuring they reach their target audience, and that the results of their activities are visible and have presence. They will gain practical skills in adult education and labor market counseling ensuring their activities reach their objectives and are sustainable as well as competences in personal communication, motivation, and leadership, allowing them to effectively manage registered participants, and new methods in non-formal learning, to inspire them.
As a long term result, an increase in the capacity of new mobile guidance counselors across Europe to help adults on their paths to new education will be seen, new job opportunities, non-formal learning activities, capacity building to offer quality non-formal learning as a counterpart to formal education. This will lead (with around 500 piloted guidance counseling carried out) to increased skills and competences for registered users, allowing them better job opportunities and providing them with competences for mobility, finding new opportunities and necessary information, education courses, lifelong learning activities.
Through this capacity development, guidance counseling will become a more visible and respected constituent of a European wide learning and development, fundamentally fostering the recognition and validation of non-formal learning.