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Creating an innovative environment for QA culture and models in FSS VET programmes.
About the project
EQAFIT is a 26 months Project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission which aims to support iVET Providers in the FSS to improve their quality offer through the implementation of QA principles in line with EQAVET recommendations.
In particular, EQAFIT will develop customized and user-friendly online services, both to integrate what already developed in previous EU Projects, and new ones specifically designed to cater to the QA needs of employers and VET providers .
Main output
Quality Assurance Tools and Guidelines :
It will result in a Compendium of ten Good Practices in VET programmes implementation, and in a Report of fifteen Tools and Guidelines to strengthen VET providers’ performance.
Graduate Tracking System :
It will allow the establishment of a tracking system of trends in the labour market. The package includes Questionnaire templates for different stakeholders, a Model for Feedback loop, and Guidelines on evaluation activities and enterprises’ involvement.
Online Quality Service :
It will develop a service for Providers that will allow them to conduct self-assessment to understand the level of compliance with EQAVET and FSS quality indicators. Furthermore, events that disseminate and validate the outputs of the project (IO1-IO2-IO3) will be organized in partner countries. These events will take place both at national and European level, involving a wide representation of stakeholders.
Τarget Groups
VET Providers acting in the FSS
How do they benefit from EQAFIT? What will they be able to do with the outcomes of EQAFIT?
VET Providers in the FSS will be able to use the QA Tools and Guidelines, the Graduate Tracking System, and the Quality Online Service, in order to offer updated training programs teaching the skills needed for the most recent job profiles.
VET teachers/trainers
Business Sector
How do they benefit from EQAFIT? What will they be able to do with the outcomes of EQAFIT?
By communicating their needs/expectations and by rating their satisfaction with graduates’ skills, employers are fundamental actors in the feedback loop. They help in shaping new trends in job profiles, and in return they receive graduates whose abilities are more tailored to their requirements.
FSS institutions
How do they benefit from EQAFIT? What will they be able to do with the outcomes of EQAFIT?
FSS Institutions can benefit from the EQAFIT project by professionally supporting VET institutions/centers in updating educational programmes. Moreover, being informed on current trends, and being able to anticipate them, will allow FSS Institutions that offer VET programmes to offer their students better quality career opportunities.
Basic objectives
- 1The EQAFIT project aims to improve QA systems in VET programmes, with a special attention for the sustainability of feedback loops. For this reason, the Partners will develop the Guidelines and Tools for supporting VET Providers in improving and/or setting up Quality Assurance systems.
- 2Next, the Graduate Tracking System will be designed, and the overall results will be integrated in an innovative, customized and accessible Online Service for VET Providers. This will be aimed at supporting quality systems, with a particular focus on the ACT phase of the PDCA cycle.
The challenge
During the needs and gaps analysis conducted, the main Problems identified:
– the limited awareness about EQAVET of VET Providers (and financial institutions in general)
– the need to further define the EQARF indicators, make them more usable and resilient for the sectoral market needs
– the need to develop a quality criteria recognised by FSS both nationally and across the EU
– the ‘Act’ phase of the PDCA cycle is still considered as the most challenging and difficult to implement
The main consequence is that VET Providers face practical difficulties in implementing EQAVET and thus have limited motivation to invest in this QA approach. This also represents a challenge for the implementation of EQAVET at State level in the EU. Quality needs to be assured in all phases of VET – design, teaching, assessment, validation and certification – to ensure that the outcomes are good, for both iVET and cVET.
Key concepts
Vocational Education and Training (initial/continued)
Financial Service Sector: segments of the global economy which offer financial goods to people and corporations. Examples of operators in this sector are banks, insurance companies, and financial companies.
Quality Assurance: Part of the quality management system, which is the way an organization defines, manages, and controls its own resources in order to meet and satisfy clients’ needs and requirements.An important step in this process is to be engaged in continually improve and better its own products and abilities to fulfill necessities.
European Quality Assurance in VET: European network that combines Member States, the Commission, and social players in order to promote and improve the quality of vocational education and training. Its activities are focussed on two main areas: Indicators and Guidelines.
European Quality Assurance Reference Framework: European system that helps Member States to document, develop, monitor, evaluate, and improve their VET practices in Quality Assurance.
(Plan/Do/Check/Act): management model for Quality Assurance based on four different phases.
Plan: determine objectives and processes of the system by defining its resources, risks, and opportunities based on the clients’ needs.
Do: implementation of the decision taken in the previous phase.
Check: control and monitor of what has been done.
Act: correct and improve to better the project’s performance.
Project roadmap
Cool Timeline
2020
DEC
Project Starts
2021
SEP
Quality Assurance Tools and Guidelines
2022
APR
– Graduate Tracking System
– European Seminar
OCT
7 National workshops
2023
JAN
Final Dissemination Conference
FEB
– Online Quality service
– Project Ends
Consortium
