1. Objectives, Activities and first results of the project "Competence Coach" LdV Transfer of Innovation

2. 2 Since the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (LLL) in 2001 and the Resolution on LL Guidance of the EU Council in 2004 much has been achieved throughout the EU in improving the quality of guidance systems. Nevertheless experts in the field have still identified significant gaps and deficits in quality in many countries during the Conference on LL Guidance Policies and Systems in November 2006.

3. 3 The lack of a framework of career management skills, inadequate knowledge of competence assessment tools, the missing holistic approach focusing on the empowerment of the client and little targeted services for risk groups were regarded as main problems.

4. 4 The project COMPETENCE COACH wants to address these problems. The main aims and objectives of the project are: -to improve professional performance of guidance workers by introducing coaching method (holistic approach) and assessment tools with focus on informally acquired competences -to develop a training with diversity sensitive modules for guidance workers for coaching of clients (focus on target groups at risk of social exclusion) and test the training, -to certify this training as additional module for career guidance practitioners

5. 5 After the training programme the guidance practitioners will be able: -to empower guidance seekers (focus on target groups at risk of social exclusion) to make changes in their professional lives and education, -to help poorly qualified and low-skilled adults to return to education through accreditation of prior and experiential learning, -to enhance the employability of clients.

6. 6 The project is based on the LdV projects "exemplo" and "third age guidance". A German project partner of "exemplo" is partner in the new project and will profit of the undertaking due to the transfer of their results to new target groups and new guidance tools. The 7 other partners from DE, FR, IT, EL, LT, UK, CZ represent institutions working in the field of career guidance and women counselling.

7. 7 ttg team training GmbH, Tübingen/Germany Institut pour le Développement et la Formation, Bastia/France Yale College of Wrexham, Wrexham/United Kingdom ATHENA, Ostrava/Czech Republic Telsiu svietimo centras, Telsiai/Lithuania IEKEP, Athens/Greece Forschungsinstitut Betriebliche Bildung f-bb (gGmbH), Nürnberg/Germany TRUST Technologies and Human Resources for Transfer and Development Ltd., Rome/Italy

8. 8 The project partners envisage the following outcomes: -needs analysis, -project overview, -curriculum of training of lifelong guidance practitioners and training material, -piloting training in all project countries -and certification.

9. 9 The national VET systems in the participating countries (DE, FR, EL, LT, UK, CZ) will be enriched by a training curriculum which enables guidance practitioners to coach successfully clients (focus on groups at risk of social exclusion). The project partners will integrate the training into their regular training programme to make it available after completion of the project.

10. 10 The project COMPETENCE COACH aims to improve the professional performance of guidance workers of VETI by training them in competence assessment techniques and the coaching method. In doing so the project addresses directly the general programme objective to support improvements in quality in VETI and the operational programme objective to develop the skills and competences of VET staff. In addition the trained guidance workers will be able to support their clients in developing learning skills.

11. 11 The guidance workers -will make their clients aware of their learning process and needs, -enable them to identify available opportunities, -and overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully.

12. 12 Clients of the trained guidance practitioners know and understand –his/her preferred learning strategies, –the strengths and weaknesses of his/her skills and qualifications, –and are able to search for the education and training opportunities and guidance and/or support available. Clients develop a positive attitude towards learning including the motivation and confidence to pursue and succeed at learning throughout one's life.

13. 13 The Transfer of innovation concept will be implemented by the planned project at national level in adapting the identified innovations to the linguistic context of the countries concerned. Hence the curriculum and training material of COMPETENCE COACH professional development programme will be available in all languages of the partner countries (DE, EN, IT, FR, EL, CZ, LT). Moreover the project consortium aims to achieve a national certification of the training programme in each country and therefore needs to adapt the innovative content to the national VET systems.

14. 14 For this purpose each partner will network with national decision-makers responsible for the development of a coherent guidance training strategy in order to guarantee the development of a training that fits within this strategy. By doing so the project wants to avoid remaining an ad hoc initiative that depends on the good will of individuals.

15. 15 The sectoral implementation of the Transfer of Innovation concept will be realised by networking within the CEDEFOP virtual guidance community and other umbrella initiative and associations as IAEVAG, FEDORA during the projects duration. By doing so the project results will be noticed by the European guidance sector and might be transferred to more European countries.

16. 16 Review, first results of the project: 4.12.-7.12.2008: first SGM in Tübingen/Germany Activity plan / Tasks of each partner Website (http://www.competence-coach.eu/)http://www.competence-coach.eu/ ADAM-homepage (http://www.adam-europe.eu/)http://www.adam-europe.eu/ Project-Flyer Brochure (in process) Contracts and different templates (done or in progress) Common work on questionnaires for the first study „Skills for competence coaching“ (IEKEP)

17. 17 Thank you! Further information: http://www.competence-coach.eu/ and on the partners homepages (links can be found there)