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1. ePractice.eu - Case VET4e-I European Vocational Education & Training (VET) Solutionfor e-Inclusion Facilitators Leonardo Innovation Project / 2009-2011 http://www.epractice.eu/en/cases/vet4ei www.efacilitator.eu/wordpress

2. The VET 4 e-I project actions Identification of the emerging Professional Profile of the e-Facilitator for Social Inclusion [developer of key competences of users at risk (digital competences, civic and interpersonal skills, learning-to-learn abilities) for their empowerment in a Knowledge Society] and first steps to make it recognized Design, implement and test an elearning curriculum based on a devoted participative distance learning environment Web 2.0-based (ning, blogs, wikis), in Creative commons licensing and in user-centered didactics(constructivism, learning-by-doing, action learning, collaborative learning…). VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo

3. An innovative Large NGOs/Telecentres-based partnership 8 partners from 5 European MS: Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Apart from the 3 consulting bodies, there are: ICT Development (Bulgaria):150 e-Facilitators working in 120 telecentres across the country (they offer 10 types of courses in the area of ICT to around 200.000 end users). La Ligue (France):an increasing number of e-Facilitators working in multimedia centres belonging to its 102 federations and 30,000 member associations, complemented by INFREP’s 33 training centres. ARCI (Italy; 5.600 local centres/1.1 M members):750 e-Facilitators working (after an initial training course) in 272 PAAS centres in Tuscany (35.000 registered users), approx. 114 SPRAR integration operators and about 50 immigration info-points operators with some e-facilitation tasks and skills. Fundación Esplai (Spain):3.413 e-Facilitators trained by its Spanish Telecentre Academy from 2005 (31 online modules covering their different needs). More than 1M end users served by the trained e-Facilitators. <100 of them employed in Esplai. VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo

4. eFacilitator for Social Inclusion’s Roles Proposed classification*, by level of complexity of services provided: Level 1 - On demand assistance: he/she reacts to users’ demands of help in ICT access/use Level 2 - Training: Provider of Digital Literacy Training with a social orientation Level 3 - User’s individual empowerment: Provider of Social Inclusion Services to guide the digital autonomy of the users within the Information Society Level 4: Active civic participation in community and in social projects:Provider of Community Service-Learning –Development through social projects (*) adapted from the classification by the Fundación Esplai and checked through the field research to 252 efacilitators. This classification emphasizes the variety of roles an e-Facilitator may have, and the specificity of his/her profile as compared with an ICT trainer or a Socio-Cultural Animator VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo

5. e-Facilitator job requirements • Minimum common requirements for e-Facilitators that the training should address are: • ICT: ISCED* level 5 (and ISCED6 for higher ICT knowledge) plus familiarity with the Information Society last tendencies and resources (e-Learning, e-services, social networks, open source tools..) • Diploma/experience in communication and socio-cultural animation for target groups at risk • Ability to plan and manage training activities and projects (and sometimes the telecentre itself), and to train in a digital environment (user centric, learning-by-doing, actionmutual learning, etc) • Medium/high level of English and/or a non-local language appropriate to work with the targets • Specific knowledge/experience for specialised inclusion paths: • Social inclusion path: experience in social work, knowledge of social services and protection system, relevant laws, local actors, active citizenship, cultural animation ... • Labour inclusion path: knowledge of labour market, potential employers, job seeking... • Lifelong learning path: knowledge of formal and informal training systems, online learning.. (*) International Standard Classification of Education. VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo

6. Towards a structured training curriculum gaps training competences recognition(EQF) VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Grundtvig 28/04/2010 6

7. Opportunities brought by ICT/Impact: • Field research showed that the majority of the eFacilitators do not access formal training yet, and that non-formal and informal learning are prevailing • In the 5-years’ ground practice of the promoting partner FE, distance learning has improved the professionalism of the eFacilitators of its related networks, their team-working abilities and adaptation to the changing societal and labor needs, their forming of transversal skills, by alternatively reducing their turn-over and reinforcing their job matching opportunities • Flexible Distance and e-learning modular patterns are more contextualized and easy to follow Challenges: • Different NQFs, National/Regional Systems of Recognition, Qualification and Certification and of Job classification • The Economic Crisis is producing shortages of the eInclusion policies • Possible conflict: if the profile of the e-facilitator is ranked among highly qualified jobs, • potential employers could reject them because of being more expensive than currently (it is a • non-regulated sector with many volunteers and low pays ). Need to find a balanced solution. • An inclusive Multi-level Profile or a Specification of existing profiles? VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo 12/10/2010 7

8. The potential for transferability, scaling up Europe-wide VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo • LARGE-SCALE DISSEMINATION STRATEGY through: • the Member organizations (more than 35.000) and the National/Regional VET institutions • The European Networks participated (European Civic Forum; SOLIDAR; Telecentre Europe…) • The groups/networks of eFacilitators internal and external to the Partners’ networks • EXPLOITATION STRATEGY: Will to bid for another project aiming to: • Make a Feasibility Plan to implement a European Academy of eFacilitators • also check the feasibility of a European Academy of Telecentres • Include new Third sector large NGOs and other relevant stakeholders as partners • Achieve a European “recognition” of this profile and of its qualifying distance course • Acknowledge and reinforce such a profile on the European labor market 12/10/2010 8

9. The European Policy Options to supportit VET4e-i project funded by LLP/Leonardo 12/10/2010 • The ECVET System to give value and support European Mobility Initiatives like this • The New ESCO Initiative to Include the Emerging Profile Definition elaborated by the Project • 3 of the 7 priority areas of the Digital Agenda insist on “enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion”, creating a “Digital single market” and “applying ICT to address social challenges..” • Particularly : “Key Action 11: Develop tools to identify and recognise the competences of ICT practitioners and users, linked to the European Qualifications Framework and to EUROPASS and develop a European Framework for ICT Professionalism to increase the competences and the mobility of ICT practitioners across Europe” 9