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Completed project · 2019–2022
Supporting Tutor’s Educational and Professional Upgrade
Work-process-oriented learning plays a fundamental role in successful vocational training programmes: it enables trainees to acquire the skills and competences required in real-world workplaces. Alongside the trainees, the key players here are the skilled workers who support the training process; depending on the context and sector, they may also be referred to as mentors, tutors or training officers. Unlike teachers and full- or part-time trainers, however, these mentors have little or no formal teaching qualifications. This is where the ERASMUS+ project StepUP comes in: Drawing on examples of good practice from the four participating countries – Germany, Italy (IT), Lithuania (LT) and Spain (ES) – training modules are being developed, delivered and evaluated to enhance the teaching skills of mentors, particularly in the context of new technologies.
Background and problem statement
Work-based learning (WBL) is a central element of vocational qualification, yet the pedagogical competence of workplace tutors and mentors remains rudimentary in many settings. Small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy, Germany, Lithuania and Spain, in particular, have neither systematic continuing training provision nor practical tools for digital Industry 4.0 environments. European analyses show that WBL quality correlates directly with the pedagogical professionalism of the specialists involved, while continuing professional development for this target group is still considered a neglected area of VET policy. STEP UP addressed this dual gap by developing, piloting and evaluating a pedagogical framework applicable across Europe, a modular capacity-building pathway and a community of practice.
Research questions
What quality criteria and examples of good practice can be identified in the four partner countries and incorporated into a common qualification model for workplace tutors?
How must an ECVET-compatible modular capacity-building programme be designed to meet both Industry 4.0 requirements and the needs of disadvantaged learners?
What competence gains do teachers and trainers achieve after completing the STEP UP modules compared with existing national formats, and how do these gains affect the quality of WBL pathways?
Under what institutional conditions can the tested elements be permanently embedded in company, school and regional structures?
Approach
WP 1 Preparation (months 1–8): analysis of VET systems, policy workshops and partner country reports
WP 2 Development (months 8–24): train-the-trainer programme with five intensive weeks, establishment of eight e-labs and production of multilingual VOOCs (video open online courses)
WP 3 Quality assurance: semantic learning analytics, external review and stakeholder assessment (ongoing)
WP 4 Dissemination/exploitation: website, branding guide, newsletter and roadmap conferences in Moscow and Belgrade, used here as a blueprint for STEP UP in Turin, Kaunas and Madrid
WP 5 Management: steering and technical committees, nine transnational meetings, financial control and auditing
Results
Analysis of existing best practice identified 38 effective models for tutor qualification and extracted 24 quality criteria for digitalised WBL.
An ECVET-based capacity-building pathway comprising eight modules and 16 ECTS credits was tested in three pilot training programmes involving 800 participants in total; 200 tutors completed the full certification route.
The STEP UP Community of Practices currently connects more than 40 key stakeholders and over 300 workplace tutors on an open e-learning platform.
The impact evaluation showed significant competence gains, with an average Cohen’s d of +0.62, in planning, supporting and assessing WBL, and increased self-efficacy among 75% of participants. Recommendations for action were submitted to four national education ministries.
Dissemination / knowledge transfer activities
Three multiplier events:
Berlin (October 2020): presentation of the pedagogical guidelines, with 40 participants
Kaunas (October 2020): presentation of the capacity-building modules, with 30 participants
Turin (September 2021): final conference on impact and sustainability, with approximately 100 participants
Digital channels: project website, social media campaigns and an open VOOC library, reaching more than 10,000 teachers and 300 institutions.
Publications: four peer-reviewed journal articles, one position paper and several conference papers on tutors’ competences in Industry 4.0 contexts.
Sustainability: memoranda of understanding with regional authorities secure the continuation of the Community of Practices and recognition of the capacity-building pathway within national qualifications frameworks.
STEP UP thereby made an evidence-based contribution to enhancing the professional standing of workplace tutors, strengthened the quality of work-based training in four countries, and established a transferable network model that can be adapted across Europe.