THE PROJECT
The SPROUT project– Same PROfiles for Unique Training in ECEC service, is born to form a strategic partnership between actors of ECEC European system to contribute to the professional development of those working in education of children enhancing the quality of initial and ongoing training through the use of EQF language and developing an experimentation of guidelines for in-service training activities. The project will be implemented by a partnership made up of four actors: Demarchi Foundation, instrumental body of the Autonomous Province of Trento, who has been working in the training of the educators since 2001; ENAIP Nazionale, who provides a national view at the Italian territory; Baby Erasmus, a children’s center who has innovative ECEC services regarding pedagogical model; Sweducare, an NGO that serves as the international coordinator for the services of the Swedish welfare of childhood.
THE OBJECTIVES
This strategic partnership has 2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
- developing and disseminating at (inter)national level the qualification of childhood educator using the EQF;
working out, testing and spreading guidelines and a model of continuous training for educators connected with the EQF system and aligned with the training needs and the opportunities of the job market. The project was born from the need to invest in human capital from early childhood that is the focus of attention of the scientific community and of the EU: established this interest, Europe has a very diverse views about the organization of ECEC services and above all about the qualifications requested to staff working with younger children. There is a high diversity in the initial training of childhood educators both in Europe, with countries where educators are requested to have just a high school diploma and countries in which there are paths of postgraduate university, than in Italy where the initial training requested varies at regional level. Moreover, the reflection the quality and quantity of the in job training is mostly absent. This situation has some consequences: the impossibility for workers to move from one member state to another as well as within the same country, as is the case in Italy; a significant regional difference in the quality offered by ECEC services; a lack of in-service training for educators regarding the skills required in the workplace. It is then of the utmost importance to stimulate a EU debate on the profile of the educator in ECEC services and on the continuing training.
THE EXPECTED RESULTS
The most relevant expected results of the project are the professional qualification of childhood educator declined in EQF and a proposal for a modular in service training coherent with the current developments of ECEC services. The expected impact is to create a critical debate on the importance of standardizing the professional profile of this figure in both Italian and international level, and operationally influence the definition of the national repertoire of qualifications giving an operational tool for the recognition of learning. In addition, if the Italian trend is the integration of education for children from 0 to 6 years, Sprout is the precursor of the model that will outline. In the long term, the project will be expanded and the network of associated partners will be the basis to build more strategic partnerships within the ECEC and its operators.
PARTNER
DEMARCHI FOUNDATION The “Franco Demarchi” Foundation is an instrumental body of the Province of Trento, a non-profit organization with legal personality under private law, consisting in the development and evolution of the Regional Institute of Social Studies and Research (IRSRS). The mission of the Foundation is to promote and realize, directly or indirectly, training and research in the social, educational and cultural field benefit of local communities and their development as well as to support the skills of workers and citizens. At the Foundation, training and research activities are appropriately integrated so that training is constantly enriched by the results of research and, in turn, research can be stimulated and enriched by the relationships with the local communities and the communities of practices implemented by training.
ENAIP NATIONAL SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Enaip is a national system organized in form of network composed of ACLI and Enaip at regional level. Considering its activities, number of users, facilities and organization structure and staff it is the biggest national training agency. At European level Enaip is active member of the international association AEFP/EVTA gathering the main National vocational training organisms of sixteen European countries. This characteristic plays a crucial role in this project whose objective is to foster national awareness and commitment and to enliven a public debate through participatory tools and by implementing a permanent network.
BABY ERASMUS Baby Erasmus is the first english speaking nursery school in Extremadura (0-6 years old). In our centre all the teaching is completed through the English language and we employ fully qualified English native speaking teachers. Baby Erasmus has a highly qualified teaching staff with a wide experience in education and children care. These professionals are in charge of developing our educational projects according to the age and capacities of the children in each educational cycle.
SWEDUCARE Sweducare is a NGO that works with strategies for internationalization of Swedish welfare services and products related to childcare and preschools. The organization coordinates visits and promotes entrepreneurial development and supports the Scandinavian values of equality and individual rights. Sweducare was founded to be the basis for international interest in the Swedish childcare and preschool sector.
TASKS AND OPPORTUNITIES:• Consulting and advisory services • Matching buyers with providers and concept • Cooperation between research as well as products and service development in the preschool sector • Coordinated visits from interested countries to Sweden and vice versa • Coordinated meetings cross-over dei bambini e dei servizi per l’infanzia.
Contacts:
Website: www.sproutplus.net E-mail:
