Access For All

The aim of this project has been to provide access to professional training, and improve disabled peoples’ opportunities for professional employment. It was aimed to be reached by developing a preparation for social work course delivered through a blended training and mentoring support programme, and to test this across three European countries with the intention of identifying cross-national applications for such a programme. It has developed a model of mentoring that involves recruiting disabled people as mentors.

The project has built networks in the sector in each partner country which bring together providers of training, users of training (both employers and potential employees), sector advisory and accreditation bodies, through which the programme can be more widely applied. Furthermore, partnership arrangements were developed with institutions in other European countries to further develop the trans-national element of the project.

The project final results are a curriculum designed to be an ‘inclusive’ preparation for professional social work training. The curriculum is a modular, using a blended learning approach, and designed to be studied prior to any social work/social care training. It can therefore be incorporated into the Widening Participation and recruitment strategy of training providers without making any significant changes to their usual mode of operation. Furthermore, it could be used by associate, or feeder, colleges of social work training providers in support of mainstream teaching, such as the network of colleges working with De Montfort University.

More information can be found on project website

The e-Access II Project provides the technical infrastructure (tools and services) and the training for developing and sharing of Accessible e-Training Resources and e-Training Courses that can be reusable between different e-Training Platforms and Programmes.

The main outcomes of the e-Access II project will be:
(a) the transfer of know-how across Europe on producing accessible e-Training Resources and Courses and providing e-Training services to People with Disabilities,
(b) the validation of the e-Access key results/outcomes in different European Settings and
(c) the transfer of innovative e-Training practices across Europe.

More information can be found on the project website.

The main objective of the project is to establish an educational platform which provides theoretical and practical training for physically disabled people in designing/manufacturing/testing/selecting/repairing of supporting equipment such as wheelchair, prosthesis, elevators, etc.

More information can be found on the project website.

QATRAIN 2 aims to enable students with disabilities to participate more fully in Vocational Education and Training (VET) at post 16 level. The project will produce a web resource that will assist teachers/trainers and quality assurance staff to develop a more inclusive approach to the design of teaching, learning and assessment strategies. In turn, this will enable students with disabilities to participate more fully in Vocational Education and Training.

For the purposes of the project, Vocational Education and Training (VET) is any form of initial education, training or apprenticeship which contributes to the achievement of a vocational qualification, recognised by the competent authorities in each partner country, and that leads to employability. VET students are those who have completed compulsory education and are under 25 years old.

The web resource will be undergoing a period of testing and review in the coming months and will go live in May 2009.

More information can be found on the project website.

The main aim of the ETTAD project is to Enable Teachers and Trainers to improve the accessibility of Adult Education for people with disabilities.

The project will produce a web-based resource for teachers and trainers that will identify potential challenges that disabled learners might experience in engaging with their courses. The resource will also offer strategies and recommendations for adjustments to practice. Such strategies/more inclusive practices that will enable disabled learners to overcome these challenges and this will allow them to participate more fully in adult education.

For the purposes of the project, adult education is defined as non-vocational learning which may lead to enhanced employability but focuses on learning for personal, civic and social purposes. Adults are those aged 25 and over who have completed/left initial education and training.

The web resource will be undergoing a period of testing and review in the coming months and will go live in May 2009.

This project (134653-LLP-1-2007-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP) has been partially funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

More information can be found on the project website.

Validating Mentoring 2 project will support the needs of disabled people and others disadvantaged in the job market by developing systems for the recognition of their non-formal and informal learning. This is particularly important for a group that, compared to its peers, lacks formal qualifications with the consequent effects upon their employability. It will do this by establishing new mentoring programmes in 3 countries for disabled people, older people and young people at risk and it will transfer to them the principles and practices of effective, high quality, mentoring and validation, based on the Code of Practice for Mentoring developed the first Validation of Mentoring project BG/05/C/F/TH- 83 300 (www.mentoring-validation.org). In support for the transfer, it will develop and evaluate comprehensive systems for the self-assessment of mentoring programmes. The principles and practices developed will be potentially transferable to other areas of informal and non-formal learning.

This project focuses on the needs of disabled and other disadvantaged people – who gain particular benefits from the non-formal nature of mentoring. It is particularly useful for people who lack work-experience and who have not had the opportunity to develop their full skills and competences, as is often the case with disabled and other disadvantaged people.

The development of a validation system for mentoring will be a major advance and is based on the project team’s extensive experience in this field, which enables it to draw upon best practice from across Europe in all aspects of its work. Without authoritative validation those who participate in mentoring (both mentors and mentees) are denied legitimate acknowledgment of their achievements, and employers cannot properly judge the qualities of staff and potential recruits.

The project is a direct expression of the principles of the Copenhagen Agreement and complements the range of community initiatives that seek to ensure that the benefits of informal and non-formal learning are fully realised as a part of VET.
More information can be found at the project website.