European IT network

Background and Problem

The project ‘Dual ECOsystems – EU Alliances for ICT’ was carried out by a consortium of seven partners from four different EU countries: Engim Lombardia (lead partner), Confartigianato Imprese Bergamo and the University of Bergamo (Italy), Asociacion de centros de formacion tecnico profesional de inciativa social de euskadi hetel heziketa teknikoko elkartea de durango (Hetel) and San Jose-Maristak (Spain), the University of Bremen (Germany) and Belfast Metropolitan College (United Kingdom). Within the regional/national dual system in which they operate, the project partners had created or identified (informal) local networks in the ICT sector that ensure effective local cooperation between VET actors and are involved in delivering dual training programmes, thereby contributing to the success of all actors (students/employees, companies, VET institutions). The project was based on the premise that, in this way, the project partners had been able to identify, prior to the project, a number of cases of good practice and success factors that guarantee the proper functioning of the local networks (high-quality VET pathways, increased employability, an effective system of work-based learning and an efficient system for certifying skills). These success factors were analysed and evaluated within DualECOsystems.

Research questions

• What are the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of good practices in cooperation between VET actors in different European countries?

• How can these factors be identified and adapted for successful transfer to different national contexts?

Approach

‘DUAL ECO’ enabled the partners to observe the good practices applied in the four local networks, to discuss them together and then to assess which of these practices had the potential to be transferred to the European level. Once this had been done, the partners selected some of the practices from the partner countries in order to adapt and pilot them in their own national context. In this way, it was possible to test whether individual good practices from the partner countries could also be transferred to the partners’ own VET systems, and to evaluate their transferability. This was followed by an intensive exchange between the project partners on the practices and the findings from the piloting. The aim of this exchange was to create a model for dual ecosystems containing a set of good practices that could be transferred at EU level, while taking the different national contexts into account.

A primary method employed during the project consisted of external assessments and self-assessments of the various local networks by the project participants. During the study visits, which took place between autumn 2021 and summer 2022, the networks of the partner countries were assessed in an interactive working mode. The individual ecosystems were assessed using elements of COVE (Centres of Vocational Excellence).

In order to understand which characteristics of a local network were transferable, a research activity using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® technique (a participatory technique) was carried out in Bergamo in 2021. In a first step, a comparison of the partner countries identified five indicators that focused on the good practices of the individual networks. In a second step, good-practice examples were derived using these indicators.

Results

The Dual ECOsystems project achieved several concrete results. Key results were the identification, analysis and documentation of good practices within dual VET systems in four European countries. These practices related in particular to functioning models of cooperation between VET institutions, companies and other actors at local level.

Within the project, five key indicators were developed that served as a basis for assessing and comparing the local ecosystems. With the help of these indicators, good-practice examples could be systematically recorded and comparatively analysed. In addition, a transferable model for dual ecosystems was developed that structured the characteristics of successful regional cooperation and made them adaptable to other contexts.

Validation took place through, among other things, peer-review processes, external evaluation and practical piloting in the partner countries. In workshops, the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method was used to capture complex cooperation structures visually and to identify potential for further development collaboratively.

Dissemination and Transfer Activities

The project results were disseminated through several channels:

• Publication of project results on the websites and social media channels of all partner institutions

• Multiplier events held in each partner country to present the results and discuss them with stakeholders from education, policy and business

• Presentations at European specialist events on vocational education and training

• Development of a digital toolkit documenting the analysed success factors, evaluation criteria and case studies, and making them available to potential transfer partners

• Establishment of a project archive containing all key materials, including guides, presentations and workshop concepts

In this way, Dual ECOsystems contributed to the European debate on effective structures for dual vocational education and training and their systematic further development.