European Commission - LEONARDO DA VINCI Programme-
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"e-Learning for Tourism - Exchanges for a new professional figure" |
European Commission - LEONARDO DA VINCI Programme-
Mobility - Contract n. I/06/A/EX-154569 - SCF
The project aims at developing the European dimension of the trainers� training and at reducing the gap between school education and the labour market, especially in the tourist sector. The project consists in the mobility of trainers in Lithuania - universities, training bodies and tourist centres - in order to
analyse the actual vocational training in the tourist sector of the two countries, making a comparison with the new demands of the market;
identify the training needs in the field of training for new professional profiles, namely that of "tourist development agent" and exchange good practices in the field of training to foster and guarantee the environmental and cultural patrimony
establish the contents of a vocational training course about tourism comprising modules for the creation of package tours and tourist marketing.
This project takes place within a larger framework of initiatives carried out by FENICE to create a permanent network of bodies in different countries (especially in Eastern Europe) in order to :
disseminate the various experiences and practices acquired by partners in different local contexts in the field of vocational training for tourist operators;
submit a project proposal within the e-Learning Programme aiming at the creation of a portal for on-line training for new vocational profiles in the tourist sector. Once the Portal has been produced, the partners having a suitable inner structure will hold the courses in their countries and will provide for the tutorship;
develop intercultural exchanges and spread the tourist culture thanks to apprenticeships in different countries for all the students interested in becoming "tourist development agents", thus favouring European integration.
The Italian trainers going to Lithuania will also use the results and the materials elaborated during the previous Mobility Project VIR coordinated by FENICE in 2004.
In order to prepare the beneficiaries of this project, at the end of August FENICE is holding a meeting in Naples 1) on cultural and social aspects of Lithuania 2) on the contents of the project and 3) on its implementation - identifying the roles and the functions of each beneficiary.
During the first phase, the beneficiaries, in collaboration with the tutors of the host bodies, will carry out an analysis of the context, will compare competences and good practices, and will identify the skills for new professional profiles thanks to meetings with the representatives of local bodies, universities and tourist agencies. In addition, the beneficiaries will visit tourist structures in order to collect information on legal, structural and environmental aspects of tourism, on receptive services, on territorial networks and on the possible integration into the labour market.
In the second phase the beneficiaries will draw a proposal of e-learning training modules based on the skills of new professional profiles.
In the third phase, the beneficiaries will spend the month after the exchange completing the results achieved with the analysis of the outputs produced by the other beneficiary of this project and will write a report containing the findings of the research and the evaluation of the stage.
identification of the skills required for a new professional profile - the "tourist development agent";
creation of a potential structure of an e-learning course to acquire the aforesaid skills
presentation of a project within the Leonardo Action Programme - Pilot Project (or within other European Community Programme) aiming at the final achievement of the abovementioned e-learning course.
The project, put forward by Fenice, which is the coordinating body, has a partnership made of public universities, secondary schools, a Youth Tourist Centre and a professional association dealing with training in the field of European integration. The partners have different natures and structures, but they all have high standards of competence in the various areas of the project. Therefore, beneficiaries will discuss their knowledge and competences with local experts and will identify the opportunities offered by the territory in terms of tourism and skills of the new professional profiles, tourist development agents in particular.
The period spent in Lithuania will also enhance the language skills, will give the beneficiaries the opportunity to establish contacts and links at different levels for later co-operations in trans-national programmes, and to understand the mentality of the organizations and the working methods mirroring social and cultural habits different from Italian ones. The partners of �Fenice� in this project are:
"Galileo Ferraris" (Naples - Italy): a State secondary technical school dealing with Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology with a wide range of experience in the fields of distance training courses and tourism
"Giustino Fortunato" (Naples - Italy): a State secondary Vocational School for Commercial and Tourist Services with excellent human resources � teachers and experts - and school facilities able to spot the issues related to the tourist and economic sectors using ICT
The University of Vilnius, (Vilnius � Lithuania): one of the oldest and most famous establishments in higher education in Eastern and Central Europe, founded in 1579. This seat hosts the Vilnius Distance Education Study Centre (VDESC), which:
delivers study programmes and courses using distance education and ITC;
develops teaching materials for e-learning courses and training programmes using advanced technologies;
co-operates with other distance learning Centres in EU countries, in fact it has already taken part in three more projects involving distance learning.
Kaunas College (Kaunas � Lithuania): one of the first state colleges in Lithuania and the only one in Kaunas region. It has been qualified to carry out secondary non-university studies. At the moment Kaunas College has five faculties and many partnerships with educational bodies, companies and consortia in more than 20 countries all over the world. This allows the college to analyse the skills of the students, to compare them with the needs of the labour market and to open the way for the students� future employment. It has been partner in a Pilot Project whose objective was to identify the skills to become specialists in the tourist business on the basis of a survey on employees of hotels, travel agencies and tourist information centres.
The Lithuanian Youth Tourism Centre (Vilnius � Lithuania): is an institution, which offers young people the necessary tools to study the tourist sector, ethnic culture, museology and ecology. This centre organizes outdoor training courses for young tourists, instructors, pedagogists, museums workers and guides. In addition, it also organises refresher courses to exchange work experience and to share the history, the culture and the manners of other countries. It also organizes cultural events, ecological expeditions, educational excursions, tourist activities at a national and international level.