Project control – Ian Lynch (The Learning Machine – Ingots)
Scope:
To provide and roll-out the European Standard for accredited qualifications and support for learning about Open Systems and transition to web based technologies. Based on proven successful innovative practice in the UK, the INGOT programme reduces qualification costs and lowers barriers to entry to formal qualifications.
Initially, translation of support materials for Romania, Bulgaria, Spain and Czech Republic. Creative Commons licensing will enable the widest possible audience. 100 teachers will be trained as assessor trainers and financially self-sufficient quality assurance centres set up in each partner country, providing local service industry employment. Focus on younger children and groups currently not in education, employment or training.
Objectives:
PARTNERS:
Spain: Agifodent - http://www.agifodent.es [2]
0034958486897 – Contact is Encarnación Jiménez Guerrero
Provide support through a project mailing list, forums and dissemination channels, producing publicity for the project and exploiting networks such as the Spanish Confederation of Education who work with more than 6000 schools in Spain. They will support work in assessor training, checking technical details of translation, the certification trials in Spain, the development of e-learning resources and the establishment of an INGOT moderation centre in Spain.
Romania: FCASEC - http://www.fcasec.com [3]
0040745705987 – Contact is Mr Catalin Soare
Lead Work Packages 5 and 8. For WP5, translation and localisation, the most cost-effective solution is to match the expertise and experience of the Romanian partner in this field to low local economic costs. For Work Package 8 (Quality assurance and certification trials) the Romanian expertise and experience in inspection work is a particular benefit since a good deal of this work will combine feedback from users and feeding back to WP1 and the PRINCE 2 framework.
Czech Republic: Euroface Consulting - http://www.euro-face.cz [4]
420 777011717 – Contact is Katerina Nevralova
Work Package 7, developing supporting e-learning resources for qualifications accredited in the UK QCF, cross-referenced with the EQF. This work will draw on extensive experience of collaborating with others in EU projects, including Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Phare and European Social Fund. In addition EC will be involved in all other work packages including assessor training, setting up a long-term and sustainable INGOT centre in the Czech Republic.
Bulgaria: National Training Center Ltd - andy@educenter-bg.com [5]
359 2 8572001 – Contact is Andrey Stoycheff
NTCBG will lead on Work Package 3, research and needs analysis for the establishment of INGOT centres in each partner country and Work Package 6 the production of a training and reference manual for open systems. Contribution to translations and establishing an INGOT Centre in Bulgaria.
Justification:
1. To further its impact and realise its full potential, the EQF needs cross-referencing to national frameworks with practical evidence that this can support comparability of qualifications transnationally (Bruges-Copenhagen Process)
2. Vocational learning in technologies needs more emphasis on preparation for change and associated enterprise if Europe is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world (Lisbon)
3. Learning pathways that enable those traditionally excluded from formal qualifications need further development (Lietch Report and QCA foundation tier research)
4. Current information systems, including training and education, are heavily entrenched in legacy proprietary systems at a time when Open Source Software is the biggest change taking place in the software industry since the 1980s (Gartner)
5. UK education agency BECTA identified potentially large savings if schools adopted Open Source software (UK Schools Open Source Project recently funded to raise awareness and attempt to "grow" a community supporting open source resources for schools)
6. Lietch report and QCA foundation tier research identify weaknesses in existing qualifications in supporting inclusion of those not currently participating in formal qualifications. (The Helsinki Communique priority to further development, testing and implementation of common European tools.)
7. Spain is an early adopter of open source software in the public sector yet there are no qualifications in Spain that support users in making the transition to open systems and Spain has not yet developed lower level qualifications or aligned the NQF to the EQF in this area.
8. In Romania, Bulgaria and Czech Republic vocational learning is under-developed in schools. By UK standards the use of technology to support learning is meagre. (Eurybase)
9. The INGOTs were originally developed to make technological change manageable taking account of the current position and increasing global emphasis on open systems and open source software.
10. Trials in Germany, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and Spain through Comenius and The Learning Machine's own resources have established that the fundamental approach is compatible with the wide range of cultures and methods across Europe.
11. The INGOT qualifications support all the key aspects emerging from the Bologna Declaration, Lisbon Strategy, Owner - Agifodent - (Documentation and community support) Bruges-Copenhagen Process and the subsequent Helsinki Communique in the context of ICT and enterprise.
Key performance indicators:
Key INGOT features / hypotheses:
Work Packages:
Budget details and user trials [6]
Links
[1] http://www.theingots.org/community/node/9240
[2] http://www.agifodent.es/
[3] http://www.fcasec.com/
[4] http://www.euro-face.cz/
[5] mailto:andy@educenter-bg.com
[6] http://www.theingots.org/community/LDVTOIbudget