Transfer of existing training modules to France and the United Kingdom
Key issue of the project is the transfer of existing lean- and training modules.
Throughout Europe there is a lack of target group orientated training for travelling young people. One reason for this situation is the fact that training programs often aim at non-sedentary rather than at people whose work field requires a lot of travelling. In the past occupational travelers were not considered as a clearly defined group which indeed observes legal obligations but requires flexible training strategies. These strategies should focus on the backup of training results rather than on continuous school attendance.
Traditionally Germany has a strong dual vocational training system. It is therefore hardly surprising that the topic vocational training for occupational travelers has been on the agenda for quite a long time. Here initiatives at the vocational college in Herne promote a vocational training concept for showmen and offer the eLearning concept eLvet as well.
This concept is now being implemented in Germany at two other locations in Nidda / Hessen and Neumünster / Schleswig-Holstein. This concept has been proved by the young people and is accepted and demanded as a blended learning concept. With its already existing modules for the classroom and for distance learning classes this concept is also suitable as a starting point for a Europe-wide solutions, so that it is to be introduced to the partner countries by the participating educational institutions.
The participating European fairground associations (ESU) and the organization ENTE should promote the project to get further acceptance within the European public.
It is therefore that there is a need to structure the currently available commercial modules of the courses according to the EQF to allow comparability and cooperation between countries and institutions.
Such an adaptation and improvement of the competences and skills is in line with the showmen organizations, which thereby want to open up new training opportunities and new ways of learning for young professional.
Improvement of existing training modules based on the EQF
Following discussions with the Academy Amiens (state supervision of the partner Lycee Professionnel Peltier) we could recognize the interest for this concept as well as a general interest in the German dual training system, and the interests of the partners at the Royal Forest of Dean College are similar. Currently both schools already offer full-time courses with work placements. Both countries also have a long tradition of fairground activities and public festival, and therefore see the need for enhancing the professional training of the next generation. The common adaptation and improvement of existing learning units from different perspectives will bring the German approach to further developments, so there is a chance to integrate the German quality standards of vocational training into European training concept.
Apart from that ETTE aims to link the adaptation and improvement of existing training modules, and contingently to link a training concept on the job description "showmen", which has still to be developed on the basis of the European Qualification Framework (EQF).
Together with showmen and their associations the participants of the project want to assemble general skills and competences that are necessary for the profession "showmen", and they want to divide this knowledge into practical learning units. Then, the learning units are to be evaluated according to predefined criteria and awarded by points or, respectively, percentages. To reach a common assessment of the results additional testing and evaluation criteria for the courses are to be set.
The lessons are conceived as self-contained modules and can be assigned and evaluated independently.
Therefore a training framework in accordance with the German Vocational Training Act, can be developed and the individual training systems in other European countries can pave the way for smaller and clearly discernible units of learning results and education programs.
Thus the partner college Lycee Professionnel JCPeltier from Ham / France offers a three-year vocational training course which in a complementary system of teaching at schools and work placements leads to a professional diploma as "Commercial Assistant". In this organizational context the college degree e.g. "Commercial Assistant showman" could be located.
