1. Massa Carrara Province Vocational training Service Funds: European Social Fund (ESF) Continuing Vocational Training National Funds ex Law 236/93 and Law 53/00

2. Vocational Training Legislation About activities funded by ESF Tuscan Region Law n. 32/2002 “Legislation about education, vocational training, guidance and job policies” Consequently Executive Rules and Amendments. About continuing vocational training activities funded by L. 236/93 Decrees issued by Labour Ministry

3. Implementation Laws Regional Decree 569/06 and later amendments about procedures in planning, managing and administrative organization of Vocational training acitivities ex art. 17 L.R. 32/2002. Regional Decree 532/09, approving the implementation of the new professional profile index provided by the executive regulation of the Law LR 32/2002. Other Specific regulations about Continuing Vocational Training

4. ESF: how to request grants Province Calls for proposals Province Calls For Tenders Province Calls for Voucher (or other ways of funding directed to individuals)

5. Calls for proposals It’s been implemented a calls for proposals on the base of Skills and abilities needed by the job territorial market The Call for proposals is written following the Regional legislation (operative Regional Plan and Subsequent Executive details regulation) and the Province Planning choices. The Call, for each developed axis, indicates the public available funds. The applicants’ procedures: Only vocational training organizations could submit the application form provided by the Call. These Vocational Training Organizations have to be admitted by the Tuscan Region. The Application forms submitted are evaluated by a Special Province Evaluation Committee. The Projects are funded on the base of a merit list, up to availability of funds

6. Calls for Tenders Referring Rule : National Legislative Decree D. Lgs. 163/2006 Calls for Tenders Object: It’s developed on the base of the analisys of the vocational training needs locally identified to reach the necessary skills and abilites required by the territorial job market. Calls for tenders procedure: Emanation of the Call for Tenders and of the specific tender’s terms, indicating the available fundings. Submission of the techinical offers by the invited Organizations First approval: A Special Province Evaluation Committee, instituted specifically, makes a technical evaluation of the offers Second and definitive approval: The Province Evaluation Committee check the necessary requirements and decides for the definitive approval Awarding Criteria: more advantageous offer

7. Voucher Vocational training Individual way of fundings The procedure: The Public Call issued is written following the Regional legislation (operative Regional Plan and Subsequent Executive details regulation) and the Province Planning choices. The Call, for each developed axis, indicates the public available funds. The Call is directed to individuals who are asking to be funded for their vocational training. The application forms are addressed to the Province which make the evaluations through its specific Evaulation Committee The application forms are funded on the base of a merit list, up to availability of funds

8. Continuing Vocational Training funded by National Labour Ministry L.236/93 How to Request Grants Regional Calls for proposals Regional Calls for Companies Vouchers Regional Calls for Individual Vouchers

9. Regional Calls for proposals The procedure: Issued by the Tuscan Region especially about safe and quality subjects, divided into thyolpogies: the sectorial ones, directed to many companies or to a only company, there are indicated also how many are the available funds. The application form could be submitted by Vocational Training Organization, aknowledged by the Region, and by companies for their workers. The projects are evaluated by a Special Province Evaluation Committee The projects are approved on the base of a list, checking the priorities indicated by the Region, up to availability of funds.

10. Regional Calls for Companies Vouchers The public call is issued by the Tuscan Region for funding continuing vocational training activities directed to companies and their workers. The fund is fully given to the company, to be used for the continuing vocational training of the workers The training acitivities have to be managed by vocational training organizations aknowledged by the Tuscan Region, or by other training organization out of the Region, or by Universities. The application forms have to be submitted by the companies, and They are evaluated by a Special Province Evaluation Committee The projects are approved on the base of a list, checking the priorities indicated by the Region, up to availability of funds.

11. Regional Calls for Individual Vouchers The public call is issued by the Tuscan Region for funding continuing vocational training activities directed to individuals (workers) The training acitivities have to be managed by vocational training organizations aknowledged by the Tuscan Region, or by other training organization out of the Region, or by Universities. The application forms have to be submitted by the individuals, and the projects are evaluated by a Special Province Evaluation Committee. The projects are approved on the base of a list, checking the priorities indicated by the Region, (age of the beneficiary, education, job contracts, etc) up to availability of funds.

12. Typology of training activities Professional qualification courses: compulsory attendance courses, structured in a period of class and a period of stage (work experience). At the end of the course the students reach the professional qualification as They are aknowledged in the Tuscan Region professional profile index. The different kind of professional profiles are defined as reported by the European Standard Levels. The qualification is given after passing an exam at the end of the course, in which The students are asked to proof their aquired skills. Skills certification courses: compulsory attendance courses, usually structured in a period of class and a period of stage (work experience). At the end of the course the students aquired specific competences, relative to specific Activities Area (ADA), aknowledged by the Region in the Professional Profiles Index. At the end of the course and aftere passing the exam, It’s issued to the students the Skills’ Certification about the ADA aquired. Updating courses : brief compulsory attendance courses directed to update skills the workers already have and to develop other new skills and abilities. At the end the candidates reach an Attendance Certification.

13. Admitted Vocational training activity ex art.17 comma 1/b, Regional Law 32/02 All the vocational training activities with fee (not funded) is regulated by art.17, comma 1, b) Law n.32/02 “Legislation about education, vocational training, guidance and job policies” and Consequently Executive Rules and Amendments. All the vocational training activities with fee could be managed by vocational training organizations, aknowledged by Tuscan Region, but They must be admitted by the Province Administration. All the vocational training activities with fee must be referred to the Tuscan Region Professional Profiles Index, or to courses due to the law

14. Planning and Monitoring activity The Province realizes the managing and monitoring activities, supporting the vocational training organizations in the starting up, developing and closing phases of the training projects. The procedure: Entering the contracts, Administrative check of the needed documents for the start up, the development and the end of the activities. Monitoring the implementation through the filling in the Regional Database. Check that all the programme is abide by the law.

15. Tuscan Region Skill System The Regional President Decree (DPGR) 28/R/2009 has modified the Executive Regulation of the Law LR. 32/02, by the aknowledgment of the European Parliament Raccomendation 23/04/2008 about the European system of lifelong learning certifications. This System is based on the Standard concept: all the characteristic of a professional profile has got to be the minimum basis to which the job system, the education system, the vocational training system must refer for identifying, recognizing and certifying skills. These Standards are defined in the Tuscan Region Skill System, approved by the Region with the Regional Decree DGR 532/09

16. New Professional Profiles Index The old Professional Profile Index described a list of profiles through defining for each specific profile three kind of structured skills: the professional technical skills, the soft skills /transversal skills and the basic skills. The new Professional Profile Index describes the professional qualification through the breaking down in Activities Areas (ADA) as necessary capacities and abilites for developing correctly a job activity. With the new system each individual has got the possibility to have the certification of each abilities relative to particular Activity Areas (ADA), in a perspective of capitalization of the aquired skills, lifelong.