Summary

The Quality Assurance in VET for learners with ADHD project aims to contribute to the improvement of the VET quality offer for learners with SEN, with a specific focus on learners with ADHD, through the implementation of Quality Assurance principles in VET in line with the EQAVET recommendation.

Based on the results of the state of art analysis regarding at European level on the QA systems implemented in the field, the Project Partners will identify success factors (“what work”) in iVET for learners with ADHD and in the transition to employment.

The Consortium will set out Quality Assurance Framework and Tools as effective support for VET providers to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate their training offer and strategies in addressing challenges regarding participation both in iVET and cVET; and related to the continuous feedback loops between the two systems.

Description

In the EC's European Disability Strategy 2010-2020, the European Commission notes ‘the strong mandate on the EU and Member States to improve the social and economic situation of people with disabilities’, and further underlines ‘the aspiration of creating a barrier-free Europe’. In Europe, recent estimates place the number of children with SEN at 15 million (EC 2012), and about 5% of aged 18 population affetected by ADHD. A global survey has indicated that 50-60% of children and adolescents with ADHD will continue to have ADHD as adults (Childhood predictors of adult ADHD, Lara Carmen, 2009).

Considering the results of the needs analysis conducted by the partners for preparing this proposal, despite the different policies and measures taken both at European and at national level, there are still several problems to be considered:

- limited access to early and accurate diagnosis of ADHD (in schools, at workplace).

- generally these disorders are not addressed with a lifelong learning approach: from kindergarden to VET and adult education.

- limited number of specialised staff for the integration into the education process.

- lack of State Education Standards (SES) for children with SEN in all EU countries, although new educational standards are in a process of development. The absence of SES reflects negatively on the development of a sustainable quality assurance system, which on its turn, is utmost important for effective preparation of the students with SEN for their further professional realisation.

- reduced awareness about 'what ADHD is' and about existing opportunities for supporting ADHD learners and their families. VET providers, experts and professionals should be more active in presenting these disorders and disseminating information about assistance opportunities in the different countries.

The main consequence of these problems is that learners with ADHD frequently leave school with few qualifications and are much more likely to become unemployed or economically inactive.

Therefore, Partners will develop a European Quality Assurance Framework for VET and a concrete Toolkit for supporting VET providers in improving their VET offers and thus, for facilitating more employable ADHD learners.

Objectives

The main priorities of this proposal are:

- Promoting a more inclusive iVET education for learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN), in particular students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), in order to reduce disparities in learning outcomes, to increase the employment rate of the graduates and to enhance completion rates in iVET;

- Developing Quality Assurance mechanisms in i-VET programmes for learners with SEN, establishing specific measures to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the training delivered;

- Supporting the professional environment of iVET organizations, in particular for trainers, providing them examples of good practices and new working methods to be applied

UNINETTUNO Role

UNINETTUNO will be responsible for the “Intellectual Output O1 -Compendium of good practices in the field of EQAVET implementation in VET for learners with ADHD” (with the support of Effebi, NART and FORO and with the collaboration of the other partners).

Specific activities envisaged in the O1 are: 

- Provide examples of QA systems implemented and QA indicators applied by VET providers (against EQAVET indicators).

- Select good practices of EQAVET implementation by VET providers. Out of the different examples identified, Partners will select the ones considered most relevant for the project and will acquire more details in order to define the contents of the Compendium.

Furthermore, UNINETTUNO collaborates as partner in the rest of Intellectual Outputs.

Partners