DOCUMENTA starts a new European project of the Erasmus+ programme aimed at developing a guidelines handbook and good practices to engage VET teaching staff in the implementation of quality programmes.
The kick-off meeting of the project was carried out in the Greek city of Volos, 5th & 6th December 2016.
The importance of quality aspects in VET has been highlighted by EU in many declarations as in Bruges 2010. The practical result has been the development of Common Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF) and lately the European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQVET). A thematic network (QALLL) was created with aimed at improving the standard of vocational education and training. QALLL recognized 39 projects in quality assurance as best practices to be disseminated in EU among VET providers.
Folkuniversitetet, promoter of this project, was representing Sweden in QALLL-network. The working experience in many quality assurance programmes has highlighted a common issue: the hindrances in the implementation quality systems at provider level and the effectively use by a significate number of VET providers. The main reason is that “quality” has different meanings for the staff categories in VET centres.
There seems to be two culture approaches to quality:
1. A ‘rationalist bureaucratic culture’, managerial view, where accountability is achieved through bureaucratic processes. The quality certificate is used as a proof of efficient use of public money towards public financing agencies by VET administration (ISO, TQM and other certificate).
2. An ‘autonomous professional culture’: self-organized, peer-assessed, collegial decision-making. This is culture embraced by teaching staff in VET.
These approaches state the extreme differences between what managers and teachers in VET schools perceive to be as “quality”.
Many teachers expressed that they were unaffected by the formal quality process at the institute level. They don’t believe the quality system has really been aimed at the teaching programs to any great extent. In worst cases Quality Management is even perceived as having influenced their work in a negative way through introduction of new bureaucratic constraints.
Based on these observations and the results of previous projects, the present project, CQ-VET, aims to develop a guideline handbook targeted to VET providers for facilitating a participatory approach to ensure involvement of teachers.
PROJECT FICHE
QC-VET. Promoting Quality Culture in VET
Programme: Erasmus+ K2- Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of good practices
Action: Strategic Partnerships
Duration: 35 months
Project promoter: Folkuniversitetet, Uppsala (Sweden).
Project partners: Rinova Limited (UK), MMC Management Center Limited, (Cyprus), Revalento, Van De Winkel Consultancy Bv (The Netherlands), DIMITRA EDUCATION & CONSULTING S.A (Greece), DOCUMENTA (Spain).
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication 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.