1. GIB Gesellschaft für Innovationsforschung und Beratung mbH Hier steht Blindtext 1 Introduction to the project Discovering Competencies – Tools for Your Future - Training Workshop Athens, 19-20 June 2012 - Dr. Anja Lietzmann

2. 2 Title: „Discovering Competencies – Tools for your Future“ Project period: October 2010 – September 2012 Project type: Funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the EU Commission as aLeonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation project Partners: Danmarks Pædagogigske Universitetsskole (Denmark) Folkuniversitetet vid Lunds Universitetet (Sweden) Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (Greece) University of the Aegean (Greece) GIB Innovation Research and Consulting Berlin (Germany) Berlin Senate for Integration, Labour and Women (Germany) Project overview

3. 3 In many EU countries, young people face problems when attempting to enter the job market Especially young people with migration background or with insufficient educational records are affected These people are in need for indivdualized support; one means to do so is building upon existing competencies Competence assessments can be a successful means into adequate support and training or directly in the labour market; however, it is connected to challenges:  Measurement of soft skills and intercultural competence is problematic – also because they include informally gained skills  Many approaches are language based  Wide range of competence assessment methods exists and there is almost no standardization or classification Project background

4. 4 Project objectives  Project focus: Improvement of vocational integration of disadvantaged young people especially for those with a migration background - by using methods of competence assessment  Tasks in this context:  There are countries in which already exists a wide range of established concepts and methods of competence assessment  Systematization of already existing methods of competence assessment and identification of sussessful approaches  Transfer of good practice approaches to regions where there is a lack of awareness of competence assessment  innovation transfer project  Definition of quality standards and implementation of competence assessment in practice  Dissemination and raising awareness of successful approaches / quality standards in the field of education amongst key players in policy and practice

5. 5 Innovation Transfer and Partners Denmark (DPU) Sweden (FOLK) Germany (GIB, IAS) Greece (IED, UoA) provides methodsgives feedback  Partners from research and educational institutions, state board of education

6. 6 Target group of the project Young people: Disadvanted young people (15-25) With or without a migration background Characteristics of the target group: Potential language issues Little knowledge of the VET system Lack of networks with employed people  Consideration of socio-cultural backgrounds and intercultural competencies

7. 7 Project products I First product: Strategy paper Main purpose: raise awareness of issues faced by disadvantaged young people when entering the job market and available approaches of competence assessment; to be used mainly by Greek partners Contents: Concept and definition of competencies Potential benefits of competence assessment specificially for Greece Examples of European good practice (Denmark, Germany, Sweden)

8. 8 Project products II Second product: Toolbox Main purpose: raise awareness of the advantages of structured forms of competence assessment ; facilitate introduction of competence assessment amongst training institutions and employment agencies in Greece Contents Exemplary appraoches, tools and instruments of competence assessment Directed to practitioners in the field

9. 9 Project products III Third product: Catalogue of quality standards for methods of competence assessment Development of basic quality standards Primarily to be used by Berlin based educational institutions but aims at wider audience across Germany

10. 10 Dissemination Execution of several training sessions in Greece with multipliers Execution of symposia on regional and national level Homepage Flyers and information material