ERASMUS+ KA3 – Support for Policy Reform
VET Business Partnerships
The Challenge
Italy has recently reformed the legal framework of its national dual-VET and apprenticeship system to bridge the gap between the world of education and the labour market needs. However, implementing the new dual system at local level is often problematic despite of an active engagement of VET institutions and business organisations. In effect, in the Marche regional territory, the introduction of this newly reformed system is not yet delivering effective outputs in terms of offering very attractive work-based learning programmes for local apprentices and in terms of delivering effective VET learning outcomes matching with the professional skills required by the business actors. To face this problem VETBUS project seeks to establish a local VET-business alliance aiming at
A) Better matching VET schools curricula with the specific professional skills required by the local manufacturing sector;
B) Actively involving local manufacturing companies in the process;
C) Raising the quality excellence and attractiveness of the VET work-based learning programmes in Marche Region context.
The Outputs
To reach project objective, a transnational consortium composed by two VET operators, a regional public authority, a chamber of commerce, a private manufacturing enterprise and a youth organisation (in association with social parties and other territorial actors) will firstly carry out an internal capacity
building programme to share good practices and learn from the German dual-VET well-established models. Then project partners will establish the VETBUS Alliance at local level, they will carry out a skills need assessment on the regional manufacturing sector and they will deliver a set of operative
tools for the elaboration of qualified VET curricula. The VETBUS Alliance will work during the project life to systemise its operative methodology in designing personalised WBL paths and in producing a Vademecum on how to actively involve training companies in this elaboration process. A specific professional qualification WBL path will be finally tested and evaluated, on a small-scale, leading to the official validation of competences achieved and to the updating of the Regional Catalogue of professional profiles and qualifications. VETBUS target groups are mainly represented by VET schools/providers and business companies involved in the implementation of the duel-VET system in the Marche Region.
