The Commission has published a call for proposals under the Erasmus+ programme (Key Action 3).
The aim of the call is to bridge the gap between the worlds of education and business, to improve the relevance of education and training to labour market needs, and to raise excellence.
This call also intends to improve the quality of work-based learning and apprenticeships by promoting partnerships that involve companies, VET providers, other relevant stakeholders and intermediary organisations to develop more relevant, systematic and sustainable approaches by transferring knowledge and by learning from well-established models and practices.
There are two lots eligible with different activity profiles:
- Local and regional partnerships (Lot 1)
- Partnerships between a European umbrella organisation and its national members or affiliates (Lot 2)
In both Lots, beneficiaries shall set up and implement new cooperation structures on sustainable VET-business partnerships based on a skills needs assessment. The activities shall be linked to cross-border or inter-regional cooperation strategies, local or regional economic development strategies or macro-regional strategies; In addition, beneficiaries have to undertake two of the following three activities for both lots:
- Design and implement curricula, courses and modules in line with the European transparency instruments (e.g. EQF, EQAVET, ECVET),
- Build effective cooperation structures between VET teachers and in-company trainers for the delivery of work-based learning and apprenticeships,
- Set up and strengthen work-based learning and apprenticeships in higher VET at tertiary level by facilitating cooperation between VET providers at secondary and tertiary level and businesses, including the promotion of research links to universities or universities of applied sciences to respond to skills shortages and foster the excellence agenda.
The total budget is estimated at maximum EUR 6 million (EUR 4,5 million for Lot 1 and EUR 1,5 million for Lot 2). Each grant will amount to between EUR 250.000 and EUR 350.000.
The application deadline is January 17, 2017, 12:00 (noon) Brussels time.
Please, find all the full details of the call here (all EU languages).