Duration
2021-2023
- Funding Stream
Erasmus+
Our world is full of complex relationships that require us to be able to identify and manage our emotions, communicate effectively, understand healthy boundaries, and accept responsibility. These “intelligences”, as described by Daniel Goleman, can be incorporated into teaching practices through Social and Emotional Education (SEE) methods and strategies, leading to a successful educational path and subsequently – a professional career.
It is undisputable that COVID-19 Pandemics had affected education, globally, with the impact on VET sector to be one of the most critical ones. In VET, the main focus is put on acquiring practical knowledge and skills in an efficient, highly intensive and meaningful manner. In terms of school-based activities, lockdown disrupted practical learning, which is pivotal in VET curricula; at the same time, the closure of companies and work activities made work-based learning (internships, apprenticeships) almost impossible in many sectors where remote working is not available (OECD, 2020). Moreover, the paradigm shift, accelerated by Covid-19, emphasizes on social-emotional education (SEE) & life skills (Schleicher, 2020).
The paradigm shift, accelerated by Covid-19, also concerns a renewed attention to social-emotional education (SEE) & life skills (Schleicher, 2020). While technical skills are unquestionably important in VET, a WEF (2020) research highlighted the importance of transversal and life skills, stating that businesses increasingly prioritize self-management, active learning, flexibility and stress tolerance as complementary to technical skills, namely digital, aiming at revealing the “human potential” of current and future employees. A concept close to the approach of “VETfullness” by Gendron (2018).
On top of the above, it is already documented the psychological impact of lockdowns on the community (EdResearch for Recovery, 2020; Piopiunik, Schwerdt, and Woessman, 2020; Kuhfeld et al., 2020) and research carried out by a COVE project, suggests a decrease in the learners’ social-emotional skills and the emerging need to identify solutions to support VET learners in the “new normal”.
The key role in the achievement of the above play the VET Teachers/ Professionals which most of them lack the skills and competencies to contribute to their students’ wellbeing and mainly focus on enhancing their own pedagogical or vocational teaching skills. In the majority of European countries in order to become a VET teacher, the key factor for success is a higher education diploma in the subject/area to be taught (CEDEFOP).
Summing all the above, our project aims to impact the overall quality of the VET system through introducing a bespoke online training for VET teachers which will assist their efforts to shape up qualified and motivated professionals, who are not only skillful enough to secure a good job, but have the right competencies to handle stressful situations, manage their work-life balance and are active citizens.
SEE-VET objectives are:
a) To help VET Professionals to Understand and implement aspects of the Social and Emotional Education (SEE) integrated framework.
b) to create a repository that would help VET Professionals Experience a SEE environment first-hand and continue generating a culture of SEE in their own institutions.
c) to provide VET teachers with innovative knowledge and competencies on how to increase their students’ motivation to learn, practice, and work.
d) to contribute to increasing achievement levels among VET students;