The Leonardo Programme as a Tool for the In-Service Training of VET Teachers

THE LEONARDO PROGRAMME AS A TOOL FOR THE IN-SERVICE TRAINING OF VET TEACHERS Documents of the Leonardo dissemination conference held on 8 December 2005

IMPRINT Editors: Péter Tordai, Bianka Hajdu Publication editor: Bettina Cseke Cover design: Bernadett Baukó Printing: Komáromi Nyomda Published by: Tempus Public Foundation / Leonardo National Agency, 2006 Responsible for publication: Gabriella Kemény director ISBN 963 86699 1 8 Tempus Public Foundation H-1134 Budapest, Váci út 37.

Phone: (+36 1) 237 1300 Fax: (+36 1) 239 1329 Infoline: (+36 1) 237 1320 E-mail: leonardo@tpf.hu www.tka.hu This publication was funded by the European Commission and the Hungarian Ministry of Education. Please note that the views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the European Commission.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

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Gábor HALÁSZ: The Significance of Teacher Training and In-Service Teacher Training in the Lisbon and Copenhagen Process 5 Andrea KÁRPÁTI: Teacher Training and In-Service in the Leonardo Programme: Tasks, Potentials, Models 12 György MÁRTONFI: The Leonardo Programme: A Tool for the Renewal of Vocational In-Service Teacher Training?

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Projects:

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SZÁMALK Secondary School

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Budapesti Politechnic Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical Engeneering

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KERMI Testing and Quality Control Ltd.

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Association of Labour Market Companies

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Magyar Gyula Horticultural Secondary School and Vocational School

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GREEN Pannonia Foundation

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National Federation of Hungarian Building Contractors

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Heves County Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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Bornemissza Gergely Vocational Training Institute

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Budapesti Business School, College of International Management and Business Studies

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Zichy Mihály Secondary Vocational School of Arts and Craft

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Trefort Ágoston Electric and Metallurgical Vocational Training School

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Municipality of Budapest, Home of Mentally Disabled Persons

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Krúdy Gyula Secondary Vocational School for Trade and Catering

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Petrik Lajos Vocational School for Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and Information Technology 40 Kossuth Lajos Bilingual Secondary School

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Károly Róbert Vocational School for Trade, Catering and Tourism

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Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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Békés County Labour Centre

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FOREWORD Dear Reader, The present publication is linked to the conference "The Leonardo programme as a tool for the in-service training of VET1 teachers" held on the 8th of December 2005 in Budapest, Hungary. It contains the edited versions of the key-note presentations, the round table discussion involving important actors in the field and the descriptions of the Leonardo projects presented in the conference workshops (the slide-shows of the presentations can be downloaded from the www.tka.hu website in Hungarian).

The theme of the conference is linked to the project "The changing role of VET teachers and trainers" (www.ttvet.org) coordinated by the Finnish Leonardo National Agency and realized by a project team comprising 8 additional Leonardo National Agencies (among them the Hungarian one). This valorization project, which investigates the outcomes of Leonardo projects implemented in the field of VET teacher training, runs from September 2005 to August 2006 and counts with the financial support of the European Commission. The priority of the topic at European Union level – stated in the Copenhagen Declaration2 and the Maastricht Communiqué3 – underlines its importance.

The constantly arising innovations concerning work organisation and technology as well as the importance of establishing and maintaining international relations require constant learning from VET teachers and trainers. Although the Leonardo programme offers the possibility to develop e.g. training material, modules, courses to support this process, there have been only a few projects throughout Europe that focused on training of teachers. It is so much the more reasonable to look at results achieved until now and formulate what has to be done.

However, the contribution of the Leonardo programme to the training of VET teachers isn't limited to pilot projects. In the mobility measure several teacher exchanges are realized year after year developing teachers' vocational and pedagogical skills. Leonardo projects realized by the same institution every year make permanent further training abroad a reality.

In the future Leonardo as a subprogramme of the new Lifelong Learning programme will continue to offer the possibility to develop and reform the training and further training of VET teachers and to realize further training periods for them abroad, therefore one of our intentions with this brochure is to motivate the Reader to participate in it.

Bianka Hajdu Tempus Public Foundation Leonardo National Agency of Hungary

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VET = vocational education and training

Declaration of the European Ministers of Vocational Education and Training, and the European Commission convened in Copenhagen on 29-30 November 2002, on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/copenhagen/copenahagen_declaration_en.pdf) 2

Maastricht Communiqué on the Future Priorities of Enhanced Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (VET), Maastricht, 14. December 2004. (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/news/ip/docs/maastricht_com_en.pdf)

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GĂ BOR HALĂ SZ THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING IN THE LISBON AND COPENHAGEN PROCESS1

I hope that my presentation will justify the subject choice of this conference. As we will see, initial teacher training and the vocational development of teachers has become a major priority of common European educational policy, which must be supported by all Community actions and consequently educational programmes. It is just natural that the Leonardo programme also offers opportunities that, if taken up, could contribute to achieving Community objectives relating to the vocational development of teachers. It therefore makes sense that the managers and participants of this programme should actively be seeking out these opportunities.

I am going to talk about four issues. Firstly, about the reasons leading to this extraordinary increase of focus on the teaching profession and teacher competences during the last decade in the community of developed nations and, as such, also in the European Union. After this, I would like to show a few international trends typical of this field and largely determining the new, common teacher policy of the European Union as well. The shaping of this policy has not been completed yet but its outlines are quite clear now allowing us to speak about it and to draw a few conclusions for the Leonardo programme. This is going to be the third and the most important point of my presentation. Finally, I would like to draw a few conclusions concerning partly our national policy on teacher training and partly the potential role of the Leonardo programme in this field.

INCREASED FOCUS ON TEACHERS The interest in the teaching profession and teacher competences has shown an extraordinary increase during the last decade in all developed countries as well as in international organisations. There are a number of reasons for this reinforcing each other. I would like to put forward five such reasons.

First of all, one must mention the ageing of the teaching profession and consequently the change of generation to come. In almost all developed countries, a huge proportion of teachers has reached nearretirement age. Let me point out that this particular trend is not characteristic of Hungary for specific demographic reasons but it does not mean that we should not pay attention to it. There are countries where nearly half of the teachers currently in employment is going to retire in the next decade. This is a huge challenge but more and more people believe that it is an extraordinary opportunity at the same time.

It is an opportunity for masses of new young teachers to enter the profession, thereby renewing teacher competences and school work.

Another reason is that we know more about the link between the quality of teaching work and the effectiveness of learning. For, due to the latest research, we know more and more about how the quality of teaching work affects the effectiveness of learning. A fair amount of far-reaching research work has been carried out in this field in the last decade using much more sophisticated methods than earlier. These methods allowed to demonstrate clearly that while family background has the primary influence on academic success, the second greatest influence is the quality of teaching work. This is important because there are educational policies trying to use tools such as adjusting the infrastructure, controlling the group

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The edited version of the presentation given at the conference of 8 December 2005

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size or changing the technical tools of teaching. We have today more and more reasons to believe, however, that the major point of intervention could be the improvement of teaching work quality. These research projects have also uncovered that it is exactly the least measurable characteristics that have the most powerful impact. We are not talking about factors such as formal qualification but finer traits, more difficult to measure, such as attitudes or teaching organisation competences. Research has also shown that the organisational environment of schools has a determining role. A good teacher cannot obtain good results in a poor school and vice versa, a poorer teacher will have much better results in a good school than in an inadequate environment.

The third reason I wish to mention is finding out about the experience of countries having carried out an active teaching staff policy. We know of several countries that became aware of the above trends and launched an active and powerful public teaching staff policy. Students' test results have shown a dramatic improvement in these countries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom. The results of these countries also reflect the appearance of new tools in teacher policy. For instance, the definition of standards concerning teacher competences (which will probably appear also in the EU education policy, as we will see later). The fact that analyses are being carried out of the experience of countries with an active teaching staff policy and there are efforts to take over good practice shows that the process of countries' learning from each other is getting stronger, which is also an important factor in an EU context.

The fourth reason, and an important one in terms of EU policy, is the more and more exact description of requirements concerning teaching work. One of these new requirements is for example to prepare young people for lifelong learning. Concrete competences, not directly linked to a particular subject, must be developed, such as social heterogeneity, the handling of diversity or the use of new technologies, including information and communication technologies. Teachers need to get used to new evaluation systems, one of which is the measurement of competences in Hungary, and which means among others that every single school and most teachers can receive direct feedback about the effectiveness of their work. Processing such feedback and the common modification of learning organisation methods as a result have become a part of teaching work. One should also mention the ability to communicate and cooperate with a more and more heterogeneous and problematic social environment. Finally, new needs are created by the fact that the work of teachers is less isolated from each other, in other words they carry out more teamwork, integrated into a given organisational environment.

Lastly, I must mention the questioning of the usual, traditional model of training for the teaching profession. Fundamental elements, practically unchanged for more than a century, are being challenged today in the world. In some countries one talks about "revolutionary" changes (even in countries where normally no revolutions take place). The very basis of the relation between initial teacher training and teacher in-service training as well as the proportion of resources allocated for these two areas is being questioned. The value of practical knowledge and on-the-job learning has increased spectacularly. This is especially interesting in the context of European vocational training, which is also the context of the Leonardo programme, because the principle of on-the-job learning is given the most emphasis exactly in vocational training, though primarily not in connection with teacher training. Still, this approach has started making an impact also on teacher training, which is further strengthened by the fact, if we accept it, that teacher training itself is a form of vocational training. This process is, of course, reinforced by the higher educational reform process, which is mainly happening as part of the Bologna process in Europe. This also contributes to fundamental structures coming loose and solutions we could not even have imagined a few years ago may appear.

Altogether, these are the reasons for a striking increase in the focus on the teaching profession and teacher competences recently. Due to this, a lot of international analyses and surveys were launched in the recent period that produced information of an unprecedented quantity and quality about various issues related to teaching policies and the teaching profession. This is partly due to the OECD, which carried out a global teacher policy analysis, encompassing several countries, between 2002 and 2005. Hungary took part in this as well, so we received recommendations, too, in this field. It can be expected that this knowledge building will continue, for a data collection will be launched among teachers, as systematic as the PISA study, next year. This means that we will have continuous feedback about what is happening within the teaching profession and we will be able to analyse this within an international context. As a result, we will be able to see into the processes of the teaching profession in the same way as we can now see into learning processes

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thanks to PISA. Such a knowledge building is also taking place within the EU. The educational information centre of the EU, the Eurydice, published a series of analyses between 2002 and 2004, which became a mine of knowledge the emerging European teacher policy is being built on. Anyone interested in this field can find extensive literature, tangible facts and case studies, which is unprecedented.

INTERNATIONAL

TRENDS SHAPING THE

EUROPEAN

TEACHER POLICY

Studies and analyses carried out show characteristic problems and trends that are instrumental in shaping European teacher policy today. Let me now move on to these characteristic problems and dominant trends.

First, let's look at the new rEGULATION forms of the teacher labour market taking into account the extraordinary complexity of this market and the planning difficulties of processes taking place there. One of the conclusions of the OECD studies was that earlier linear models could not be applied to study teacher demand and offer. This is an unbelievably complex phenomenon, difficult to calculate, which can only be described by complicated models with several variables. Every system has shortage and surplus at the same time. Shortages are always relative: one needs to define the areas where shortages and surpluses appear. A quantitative shortage becomes a qualitative one, because the system works in a way that if there is a quantitative shortage they will start employing inferior quality labour force.

Another problematic area where issues are seen in a new light and novel processes can be observed is the evolution of engagement and employment conditions. Many countries having had strict wage regulations for public servants earlier are aiming for a flexible regulation of the working time. In the case of certain countries (Sweden is the most advanced one) this goes as far as their having abolished the obligatory number of classes and regulated teachers' working time on an entirely different basis. The Swedish process is extremely well documented and transparent: there are detailed analyses about establishing the model, the agreement between trade unions and the government as well as the results of the new model with its positive and negative effects.

One can see new solutions also in the way of joining the profession. There are new, alternative pathways: there are possibilities also for those who wish to enter education as an adult, with experience acquired outside the academic world. In certain countries there is a new work distribution between teachers and support staff. The United Kingdom, for instance, is pursuing quite a radical policy in this respect. The institutional level is becoming more important in employment in a number of countries: the teaching profession is not being thought of as teachers' choosing this carrier in general but also as their choosing a particular school. This requires active HR policy at an institutional level, which can take over the role of earlier central or national level regulation.

Finally, one must point out the new forms of teaching work quality development, if only because there is intensive movement in the common policy in this field. More than one country specified training standards to practice the profession, in line with new requirements presented above, and the accreditation of teacher training programmes is carried out according to these standards. Initial training, job-shadowing and inservice training, accompanying the entire carrier, are beginning to be treated as parts of one system, as I have already mentioned, leading to the redistribution of roles and resources allocated to these three areas (reallocating resources form initial training to in-service training). On-the-job training in schools becomes more valuable, new contractual relationships are established between universities and schools and a major part of training is transferred to schools, as part of their cooperation with universities. The job-shadowing stage is also incredibly appreciated, among others in accordance with research results showing that the largest impact on one's teaching work is made by the first 2 or 3 years spent in the profession.

In-service training is becoming one of the most important tools of teaching work quality development.

Incidentally, this technical term is being replaced by the term continuous professional development. Alongside to individual learning, when someone completes a course alone, focus is being shifted to forms when the entire teaching staff takes part in some sort of learning together. Another speciality is that research and development work carried out in schools also counts as training. Demand driven in-service training systems

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are created (the Hungarian in-service training system in one of them already) and training forms adapted to particular schools are generated. This latter means that schools place orders for trainings themselves according to their special needs. Participation in the school's self-evaluation and school development or the quality assurance of the school are also considered as learning processes and thus can become part of inservice training.

SHARED EUROPEAN

PRINCIPLES

These are the trends constituting today the background of the new common teacher policy of the EU, which is beginning to take shape. It must be emphasized that the new common policy relating to teachers is a result of the Lisbon Process bringing about a general increase in the value of education. The joint Education and Training 2010 work programme set up as part of this process includes thirteen strategic goals. The first of these, not for nothing, is the training of teachers and trainers. There were several working groups active in this programme in the last years that have developed common reference frames and indicators. The most active of them happened to be the one concerned with teacher policy. The common European principles relating to teacher training, qualification and competences have been drawn up as a result of the group's work2.

It needs to be mentioned in this context, from the perspective of the Leonardo programme, that the definition of common European principles underlying teacher qualification and competences are influenced by not only the Lisbon process but also the Copenhagen process, which is concerned with vocational training and closely linked to the first. The process starting with the Copenhagen Declaration, published in 2002, was meant to give an impetus to the common vocational training policy. The common vocational training policy and the common teacher policy inevitably influence each other, even if this is not widely known. We consider it natural that also teachers and trainers working in the field of vocational training should constitute a target group for the emerging common teacher policy. It therefore stands to reason that the common European teacher policy should concern also those working in the field of vocational training. It is much less frequent to turn this reasoning around but it is exactly the importance of this I would like to insist on. We will be able to think in this way if we accept, in keeping with EU definitions and the practice of several member states, that teacher training is itself a vocational training and consequently the principles of the common vocational training policy can also be applied in the training of teachers. If we think in this way, we will find it natural that the common vocational training policy starts having an impact on teacher training and we will spontaneously start looking for ways of seeing the Leonardo programme, the most important tool of common vocational training policy, as a potential tool for teacher training. In this respect, one should point out that there is a reason for such frequent references to the common vocational training policy, or more exactly, to one of its most important elements, the new European qualifications framework system, when talking about the establishment of the common European principles.

It is the common principles that make up the basic document of the emerging EU teacher policy, drawn up at the suggestion of the working group operating as part of the Education and Training 2010 work program. It was confirmed by the evaluation of the Lisbon process published in 2004 jointly by the European Council and the European Commission, which gave a strong mandate for carrying out this work.

The first draft principles were presented at the end of 20043. This document spelt out that teachers needed

2 Proposal for a recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on key competences for lifelong learning. Commission of the European Communities. Brussels. COM(2005) XXX (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/2010/doc/keyrec_en.pdf)

"Education & training 2010" the success of the Lisbon strategy hinges on urgent reforms. Joint interim report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe. Council of the European Union. Brussels, 3 March 2004. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/2010/doc/jir_council_final.pdf) 3

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high level multidisciplinary training required to cover areas such as subject knowledge, teaching skills, learning support competences and an understanding of the social and cultural dimension. The definition of competences must happen in the perspective of life-long learning, which means that the teaching profession involves continuous learning and the acquisition of diverse experience during the entire course of one's carrier. The document underlines that all schools must continuously reflect upon the school's own teaching practice and this unceasing reflection must be based on evidences produced by research. Mobility is given an equally outstanding weight in recommendations. Mobility is necessary not only within Europe but also between various levels of the educational system on the one hand and between the educational system and other social systems on the other. Partnership, cooperation and social dialogue are also key concepts in the document.

It is even more important, however, that draft recommendations are trying to define key competences that can later serve as a basis for common standards. The document makes the difference between three competence groups: working with others, working with knowledge, techniques and information (the teacher appears here as a knowledge worker) and finally working within a society (the teacher has to be considered as an active social player).

The discussion of principles was launched in Member States and also in Hungary. After debates organised at Member State level, The European Commission held a "testing conference" this summer to see how Member States reacted to the emerging new common principles. This conference reinforced these principles and, at the same time, strongly criticised them, among others for issues relevant to vocational training. It was said, for instance, that the suggestion does not pay enough attention to trainers working in vocational training or to the issue of partnership, also including partnership required between providers of theoretical and practical training. Most speakers were unhappy about the strengthening of the role of schools as institutions. They thought these principles should be more tightly linked to European higher education and vocational training processes, the Bologna process as well as the qualifications framework system, which is being set up as part of the Copenhagen process. It was also said that the teaching profession should be more deeply integrated into the system of lifelong learning and that flexibility and mobility should be further enhanced, thus giving more opportunities to join and leave the teaching profession, as well as to recognise previous experience and informal learning. Some speakers thought one should think about schools as an intelligent organisation where every teacher counts in some way as a researcher and consequently every school can be considered as a place of research. The debate showed clearly that feedback given by the representatives of Member States was strongly influenced by the Copenhagen process. It must be underlined that these discussions are still under way and the adoption of the document is expected by 2006.

The recommendation to be adopted shortly can prove an outstanding tool for the implementation of the common teacher policy, especially if it becomes part of the open coordination mechanism aiming for the harmonisation of educational policies. If so, Member States will be required to report on the implementation of the work program 2010 biannually. It can be expected that if the EU adopts the recommendations, Member States will have to report also on national implementation and it will be evaluated by the Community. Incidentally, structural funds, the common vocational training policy and training programmes themselves may prove outstanding tools for the implementation.

See: "The challenges of renewing the teaching profession", a professional seminar of the Ministry of Education and of the National Public Education Institution, Budapest, 8 June 2005. Ministry of Education, Budapest, 2005 4

Testing Conference on the Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications 20th – 21st June 2005. European Commission 5

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THE COMMON VOCATIONAL TRAINING POLICY AND TEACHER TRAINING It should be emphasized that the common vocational training policy, strengthened by the Copenhagen process, contains several progressive elements that can contribute to the renewal of teacher training and teacher in-service training. One of them is the definition of qualifications on the basis of competences, a key element of the European vocational training policy, which may introduce this principle also into the area of teacher training. The transparency of qualifications is another key element of the Copenhagen process and, as transparent and compatible systems are less typical of teacher training, this area may profit considerably from this vocational training element. The same can be said about modular structure or the special importance attached to the practical side of training, as well as the application of innovative pedagogical methods. All these are elements of the common vocational training policy that can be directly introduced into the development of teacher training.

In relation to this, finally, I would like to draw a few conclusions as to what must be done in our country and within this the potential use of the Leonardo programme. We need to develop our national teacher policy also in Hungary and to place this in the focus of our national educational development strategy. In the course of this, we must use the background knowledge created by means of the OECD and the EU, mentioned above, and look at how we will be able to follow recommendations to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. We should capitalise more on the impetus given by European processes, also including the European vocational training policy. This is the main context in which opportunities hidden in the Leonardo programme should be looked at. This programme, which is the most important tool for the implementation of the European vocational training policy, could undoubtedly foster the implementation of a national teacher policy in harmony with common goals and principles.

The definition of national priorities provides a good opportunity for this, especially when calls for tenders are launched. One will be able to pay special attention to elements related to teachers when defining the national priorities of the Leonardo programme. Priorities could include elements specifically serving the goal of Leonardo's contributing to the renewal of national teacher training by introducing the principles of the European vocational training policy into it. We do not know as yet whether we will be able to do so in the next medium term period starting in 2007 but we certainly should not exclude this possibility right now.

The Leonardo programme can be put to excellent use in the field of partnership. Let's think only of cooperation between schools participating in training and universities in the field of practical training. It would be a creative solution to think in partnership projects, eligible for Leonardo support, where universities as vocational training institutes cooperate with schools as on-the-job training sites and create something in common. One should build on the fact that the support of projects strengthening the cooperation between training institutions and on-the-job training sites has traditionally been an outstanding objective of the Leonardo programme and that this can be extended logically to this particular area of vocational training called teacher training.

The introduction of modular programme planning into teacher training offers a further opportunity. Modular programme planning does not have a strong presence in teacher training, even though this principle could be applied very logically here as well. The Leonardo programme supports efforts aiming for the modularisation of vocational training programmes. I can imagine Leonardo projects where someone wishes to implement the modularisation of vocational training programmes in the field of teacher training and applies for support for this scheme.

Similarly, one could mention the assertion of a competence based qualifications system in the teaching profession. The modification of qualifications systems in a way to base them on competences is an important objective of European vocational training policy and is naturally supported also by the Leonardo programme. One could imagine Leonardo projects where applicants would like to assert this principle in teacher training, this special field of vocational training. Teacher trainers still focus mainly on what to teach to would-be teachers and not what competences they should have. The definition of training objectives on a competence basis and the relating recast of training programmes, perhaps in the perspective of our adjustment to the European qualifications framework system, could lead to interesting project initiatives.

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And last but not least the Leonardo programme could also be used in this field to support pedagogical innovation. Supporting pedagogical innovations, as we know, is a major objective of the common training policy and as such of Leonardo itself. Teacher training is one of those fields badly needing pedagogical innovation for, paradoxically, it is still dominated by traditional teaching methods based on one-sided verbal communications. For instance, I could imagine projects trying to apply cooperative methods or project based training methods in this special training field, the training of teachers.

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ANDREA KÁRPÁTI Centre for Multimedia and Educational Technology (MULTIPED), Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University

TEACHER TRAINING AND IN-SERVICE IN THE LEONARDO PROGRAMME: TASKS, POTENTIALS, MODELS "We hoped that the much-quoted slogan by Marshal McLuhan, "The medium is the message", will come to life in the classroom of the late 20th century. The computer as medium will convey the message of the New Pedagogy, and become the Trojan horse of education and conquer the bastions of conservatives. The truth, as it is evident by now,is, that teachers never considered computers a gift of God, however PCs and their peripherials have appeared with the same unexpectedness and air of higher authority in front of the eyes of the totally unprepared school staff, as the magical wooden creature in front of the walls of besieged, tired and hungry Troyans." (Kárpáti, 2000, p. 23)

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are key components for innovation in Leonardo projects and teachers are the catalysts who are supposed to transmit new learning content to students through ICTs. Teaching as a profession certainly is entitled to occupy a much more important place in Leonardo projects. In order to promote the inclusion of the pre- and in-service teacher training programmes as integral parts of Hungarian Leonardo projects, here is a brief overview of the role of teacher preparedness, teaching skills and motivation for innovation in the successful dissemination of results of projects of the Leonardo Programme.

CERI (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation) of the OECD (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development) has initiated, between 1999-2001, an international research effort to evaluate the results of the first phases of introducing CT in education. "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Quality of Learning", (Venezky and Davis, 2002, Venezky and Kárpáti eds., 2004), a survey that included 96 school based case studies from 21 countries. The objective for the OECD survey was, in contrast to similar international school computing evaluation efforts, was not to identify sites where students' ICT level is good but those where information technology became an important factor of school culture. We concluded that staff and parent involvement as well as multiple uses of ICT for communication, information retrieval and collaborative work key factors for successful implementation of new technologies in education. We found that being the "intellectual centre" of the area was the mission that inspired management and staff of our model schools to be on the cutting edge of educational reforms to participate in the first large scale ICT projects in the country. Libraries as well as other facilities of our ICT model schools were used by community members - mostly parents and alumni, but also participants of various adult education courses in computing on offer there. These schools were also able to offer ICT in education courses for teachers in their region and soon became the focal point for pedagogical innovation of their area.

This research showed that the key factor in the dissemination of achievements of ICT culture is not the level of technical infrastructure or staff / student skills in computing, but the innovative educational repertoire of teachers. Vocational skills training in the teaching profession proved to be key for the success of ICT.

In Hungary, the development of ICT infrastructure in schools has been rapid but did not run parallel with the in-service training of teachers in this area. If we compare results of two, quasi-national surveys, done at the beginning of massive proliferation of PCs in Hungarian schools (Tót, 2000) and at the end of the second phase characterised by content development, Kárpáti and Török, to appear), we can realise the importance of teacher training to make use of the rapidly increasing ICT infrastructure. In 1999, less than 20% of schools had an intranet to shared learning resources within the walls of the institution. At this time, the majority of teachers (88%) used their computer as a word processor only, and less than 30% of head

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teachers possessed an e-mail account. 20% of primary and 64% of secondary teachers were entitled to send e-mail messages through the network of the school. The scarcity of good quality web resources in Hungarian made web browsing a language exercise, too tiring for many educators to undertake. Men were more frequent internet users and received three times as many mails as women. Within 5 years, by 2004, however, the ICT culture of Hungarian educational institutions has changed dramatically. 98% of secondary and 79% of primary schools was connected to the Internet with an intranet used as a major communication tool. All teachers were automatically assigned an e-mail account and school heads were supposed to deliver statistical reports and textbook orders online. The considerable differences in usage patterns between men and women, as witnessed in 1999, started to decrease gradually. National as well as European e-content grants financed a variety of digital learning resources, and the most important for education, the Schoolnet Digital Knowledge Base, (www.sdt.sulinet.hu) contained more than 10.000 entries covering practically all school disciplines and age groups of Hungarian education.

In 2003, the Hungarian Schoolnet commissioned a survey on student ICT culture that also revealed important data for teacher education. (Bényei et al., 2003) As a result of a massive expansion of internet connectivity, the introduction of the "ICT head quote", a regular, government-sponsored financial support for schools to improve their computer infrastructure and digital learning resource library and financial allowances promoting the tax deducible purchase of PC-s for teachers and parents of school age children, 57% of students in secondary education (ages 14-18) reported the use of the internet for homework and 35% also in class for non-ICT disciplines at school. Peculiarly, however, the majority of students who reported regular PC and Internet use declared that it was them who opted for or initiated the employment of digital solutions for a task. Teachers only accepted their students' suggestions but were intimidated to come forth with computer-based tasks. Evidently, teachers estimated both the ICT competency and access of their students lower than it was in reality.

An European survey also indicates similarly high student ICT use data. (EU ICT Survey, 2003) The sample was representative for students aged 15–18 in the EU member countries. Respondents had to list their preferred computer based activities in the last 3 months.

E-mail Educational use Games Reading newspapers Chatting Internet banking Web radio Internet based telephone

87% 85% 66% 49% 42% 42% 21% 3%

Apparently, students are ready and willing to participate in a rich in ICT educational process, "only" teachers have to be prepared to fulfil this need and potential. The Leonardo Project offers and ideal framework for proposals on the development of ICT competencies of teachers. A training project on ICT competencies, however, needs to be based on a valid model of educationally relevant computer skills and abilities that should be developed in the course of a vocational training programme. (Fehér, no date, De Yong, 2004, Kárpáti and Török, to appear, Kvilon, 2002, Robers, 2002) Some of the most frequent activities that may be used for a description of teacher ICT competencies: Teacher – student – expert communication Demonstration, visualisation), Explanation, motivation Debate, co-operation Presentation, documentation Development of skills and abilities Presentation of processes and problems in a true to life manner: simulation, modelling Usage of digital encyclopaedias, data banks and other learning resources Differentiation

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Talent development Supporting special learning needs of those with a mental and / or physical handicap Creation of multicultural learning environments, integration Digital tools for evaluation and assessment Testing and practicing environments Production of adapted to learner needs (personalised) task sequences Evaluation of information gained and stored in a virtual learning environment (VLE) to make use of data on individual thinking strategies, skill levels, eventual knowledge gaps, talent areas, developmental constraints etc. for better planning and teaching Examples of good pcatrice for all the above listed activities that competent "e-teachers" have to master are to be found on the INSIGHT project web page (http://insight.eun.org) of the European Schoolnet (EUN).

To quote just one example, the Republic of Ireland – a success story not just in economy but also, consequently perhaps, in education. The Irish ICT strategy and results of the realisation of its first phase may offer a wealth of good examples also for teacher education. (Schools IT 2000 – A Policy Framework for the New Millennium. 1998) The major pillar of this strategy is the Irish school network project entitled Technology Integration Initiative (TII, ScoilNet, www.scoilnet.ie) One of its core elements is a comprehensive training programme for the preparation of Irish teachers of all disciplines in public education for the educational use of ICT: the Teaching Skills Initiative (TSI, cf.: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers, 2003) Its characteristics: 20.000 teachers trained nationally – ICT coordinator certificate for pioneers, discipline based training for all At least one teacher per school is trained to be a mentor teacher to further train others Special training programmes for different school types – from kindergarten to higher secondary level Many countries offer courses for beginners and competitions for high end users – but the vast majority, those who have started but not yet excelled are frequently left unnerved by training institutions. Therefore, one of the most successful models for training "medium level" ICT users – practicing teachers with a basic training in computer skills and some experiences in their educational use, the Teachnet Project (www.teachnet.ie) may be of special interest for Hungarian course providers. It manifests a revolutionary approach to in-service teacher education because it invites participants to define both the content and the timing of their distant learning course.

Participants register for the course online and select a topic they intend to elaborate a digital teaching aid for. This topic may be a test bank or a presentation sequence, the only requirement is that it should be closely connected to the Irish national curriculum. First, the candidate for the course has to describe in detail the digital learning material to be developed during the course. If the idea is accepted, the future Teachnet member receives a small grant to cover his / her study expenses, a storage area on the project web server and a mentor to help - another practicing teacher with experiences in educational computing and a technical assistant to respond to questions concerning software and hardware use.

Between 2002–2004, 200 learning objects were prepared, all suited to the Irish national curriculum. The authors, practicing teachers themselves, were also obliged to test their products and report on their applicability for different educational settings. As mentioned before, they received both technical and pedagogical support to do so. An interesting finding of this project is, that teachers made extensive use of technical support but did not often turn to the pedagogical expert for help. Evidently, they supposed that their innovative skills were sufficient to make use of ICT in education if technical problems were solved. The analysis of the learning objects developed proved, however, that modern educational paradigms were not always considered, so teachers were encouraged to form knowledge building communities, discuss and test each other's teaching aids and thus provide pedagogical peer support. Several hundred of these communities is active up till now, two years after the end of the project, and maintains a very useful educational home page open to interested educators.

Another important result of the project was, that intensive involvement in ICT-related pedagogical innovation proved to be an effective means to fight professional burnout, reported by many of the participants

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at the beginning of the project. Researchers concluded that educators needed both technical and educational support for efficient use of digital technology in teaching practice, but pedagogical help has to come from a group of peers, not necessarily from a single expert or an anonymous helpdesk official.

EPICT (European Pedagogical ICT Licence, www.epict.org), a new model for in-service teacher education, proides exactly that. Its aim is to furnish basic ICT skills in connection with current methods that they can effectively upport. This course is based on a blended learning method in groups of 4 or five, that can be formed both on the basis of an institution (staff members of a school) or on a shared professional experience (kindergarden educators, teachers of the same discipline, administrators, school heads, etc.) The course requires PC and internet access and a degree in education. As all tasks and exercises are closely connected to school practice, it is important that all group members were employed in education during the course. Four compulsory and four optional modules have to be learnt. Knowledge and skills are tested through group based, collaborative tasks realised in the authentic setting of the school of the participants.

Technical and educational support is provided by the acilitator assigned to the group, a practicing teacher with high level ICT skills trained to mentor online. Focal points of the course are:

The role of ICT in the realisation of new educational paradigms Development of ICT competencies of teachers Planning for computer-supported learning Usage of digital tools, teaching aids and resources Use of ICT in school management and communication

The course has been in use in 12 countries worldwide an is currently been piloted and accredited in Hungary. The need for such a course is amply proven through the Leonardo Tematikus Monitoring Project, (Attweell et al., 2002) This study showed that the majority of the projects supported by the Leonardo Foundation between 1998–2001 have answered technological needs in the first place, through the development of new software applications and ICT enriched learning environments. Structuring the learning material in easy-to-acquire, motivating modules, planning for individualised assessment and evaluation were barely considered. It was mostly the cost-effective delivery of content through digital solutions that project efforts were focused on. The analysois of more than 250 projects showed the dominance of the programmer over the educator. The success of a learning process, however, depends on the educational methods employed much more than on the technical level of the learning environment.

According to this study, successful eLearning applications could be characterised through the following traits: Learning was based on the constructivist or constructionist paradigm that makes use of the experiences of the learner in the construcztion of the content and methodology of education.

Learning based on individual discovery was central in the process of knowledge acquisition As a result of the learning process, students gained long lasting and flexible knowledge and skills and assumed an expandable overview of the teaching content that facilitates individual, life long learning Knowledge gained was structured into the pre-existing knowledge base of the learner. Contorversies were revealed and discussed through mentoring. Problems were presented to learners not as handicaps for further inquiry but as challenges to be solved.

The learning environment and teaching aids supported all three major components of knowledge acquisition: perception, selection and practice of information Content was authentic,open ended and interesting enough to motivate learners for further knowledge expansion. Resources for this were clearly pointed out.

Learning was constructed as an individualised process, where the e-Learner could always assume a central position.

Mentoring and facilitation of the learning process introduced pair and group work situations and contributed to the development of collaborative knowledge construction skills.

Learning content was created with the observance of the cultural environment of the learner.

Methods of andragogy (an area of educational research focusing on the special needs as well as skills and experiences of the adult learner) were considered throughout the planning and teaching process.

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Teacher training was revealed to be one of the key requirements for achieving the aims listed above. One of the most often quoted recommendations of this research projects makes a clear statement about this: "Recommendation No. 4: Projects in eLearning should train the teachers and trainers Support for teachers has to include the use of new technologies as well as the pedagogical aspects of teaching, training, coaching, moderating etc.

Teaching science, technology, economics, medicine etc. needs a teaching and learning approach that is as close to the "real world" as possible. This can only be achieved with appropriately trained teachers competent in their own subject area, trained in the use of modern learning technology and also trained in methodological and didactical processes.

Although all the projects surveyed aim at teaching new skills and abilities, and invest considerable finance and labour in developing innovative learning environments, we found few examples of pro-active teacher / trainer development programmes. This was the weakest side of many of the projects we looked at.

Learning platforms and digital teaching aids are described at great lengths – mostly in technical terms, with regard to professional content – but it is hard to identify any educational philosophy that the training of future trainers could be based on. Most platforms include interactive components but requirements for mentoring and coaching, monitoring student progress and providing individualised feedback are limited.

As most projects are in their preparatory phases, measures to develop a professional community of trainers can still be made.

Teachers' training is needed because even at the highest level, university and college staff members are inexperienced in adult education. University professors with decades of teaching and research experience turn out to be unsuccessful and frustrated when teaching on-the-job courses. Course design for distance education is a set of skills that should be mastered even for highly qualified staff.

Even those with a natural talent for educating adults will face technical problems when cutting-edge technology must be used. For example, video conferencing requires totally different presentation methods than normal lecturing. Special training is required to develop illustrations and devise a suitable structure for such sessions. Technology develops rapidly, so trainers need ongoing updating.

National Agencies should organise informal training events for teachers participating in the Leonardo projects, but the projects themselves also must cater for their own special training needs. (Littig Ed., 2003, pp. 57–58)" These aims can only be realised through intensive, well-structured pre- and in-service teacher education.

(Cf. the report and recommendations by UNESCO on this topic: Kvilon, Euvgnehi ed., 2002) Teacher training was identified as a focal point for future ICT-based educational development also by the European Union by its research task force"Future Objectives for Education and Training", 2000-2004 Group C of this task force, "ICT in Education" formulated its suggestions, among which teacher training was on the top of the list.

"Empower educational actors and train for the management of change Educational actors, students, teachers, trainers, administrators and school directors need to be empowered through inclusive ICT education policies, which address the broad scope of learners and communities.

Teacher education appears as one of the most important arenas for addressing the integration of ICT in education. The ability of teachers to critically reflect on their own practice, and to review what other teachers have done, should be encouraged. Many ICT tools have already been developed with a view to such 'reflective practitioners'. Communities of practice - within or across disciplines - could foster 'learning by doing' and reflection within teacher communities. Training should include examples of educational use within the different subject matters. Teacher training should be largely be done 'in situ' with a view to the specific educational issues and problems that teachers have to face.

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Learning in a technology-enhanced environment (e-learning) should not be confused with learning about technology (learning 'e'). Teachers and trainers' initial and in-service education policies must go beyond technical skills and empower all educational actors by developing new competencies to master digital and media literacy and integrate it in daily learning contexts. Modular frameworks for the educational use of ICT and its integration in education could foster a better understanding of the changes in the educational processes and of the educational objectives that ICT can help to better attain or implement.

Students need to acquire technical skills but most importantly they need to become familiar with digital culture and more critically aware of how media and digital technology impact on the way they learn, think, create and express themselves.

Educational actors need to be trained to cope with change, uncertainty, innovation and disruptions. The increased complexity of today's schools, classrooms and learning environments suggests the need for understanding educational activities in new ways and for developing new analytical models and practices on how educational activities could be organised.

Problems encountered by decision-makers are of a decreasingly technical nature. They must grapple with financial, regulatory, ethical and political issues such as intellectual property rights and the availability of 'open source' material. They have to cope with privacy issues and with the 'safety' of new devices (protection of minors, health risks) Education and training policies must reach beyond the purely technical, and embrace areas such as media and the digital culture, reflecting the ever-growing role they play in our lives.

When piloting changes brought about by the mainstreaming of ICT into learning and teaching processes, teachers and head masters need to refer more often to clear goals, assessment procedures and evaluation criteria. New avenues need to be explored in setting up the open learning centres for lifelong learning.

Management of change therefore requires institutional flexibility and vision, along with promotion of creativity and inventiveness.

Due regard should be given to the rights and obligations of all stakeholders in such areas as freedom of expression, consumer protection, privacy, security, intellectual property rights, open-source solutions and management of Internet addresses and domain names, while also maintaining economic incentives and ensuring trust and confidence for business activities." (EU Directorate for Education and Culture, Educational Division (2003, p. 33) The new program of the EU, the Integrated Life Long Learning project, will certainly favour applications that take into consideration the suggestions and research findings summarised in this paper and encourage teacher trainers to apply with third generation ICT programmes. First generation projects were PC-based and aimed mostly at the exploitation of potentials of new hardware. Second generation projects developed learning content that utilised hardware for a more efficient content delivery. Third generation projects should finally focus on the dissemination of new pedagogy through innovative hardware and software solution. Thus, the dream about ICT to become the benevolent Trojan horse of education that defeats conservative methodology may finally be realised.

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REFERENCES Note: all web pages were opened on 21 December 2005

Atwell, G., Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L., Fabian, P., Karpati, A. and Littig, P. (2003) E-Learning in Europe – results and recommendations: Thematic Monitoring under the Leonardo da-Vinci programme. BIBB/Commission of the European Communities.

Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers - Country background report from Ireland. (2003) Department of Education and Science, Ireland http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/oecd_report.pdf?language=EN Bényei Judit – Batári Sándor – Tóth Attila (2003): Internet a középiskolában. A Sulinet program hatásainak vizsgálata.

Kutatási zárójelentés. Kézirat. 40 old. Budapest: Sulinet Programiroda.

Cherednichenko, Brenda (2004): Investigating the Relationship Between Teachers' ICT Competencies and Teaching Practices. Research report. Melbourne University.

De Jong, Ton (2002): Tudáskonstrukció és -megosztás média-alapú alkalmazásokkal. Magyar Pedagógia, 4. sz. 445-457.

European Schoolnet (EUN) (2003): Insight Project on teacher Training http://insight.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/Insight_Policy/sub_area.cfm?sa=2326 EU Directorate for Education and Culture, Educational Division (2003): Implementation Of "Education & Training 2010" Work Programme – Working Group C "Ict In Education And Training, Progress Report November 2003 Fehér, Péter (no date): Milyenek az internet-korszak pedagógusai? (Skills and Abilities of Internet Educators. In Hungarian.) Országos Közoktatási Intézet, http://www.oki.hu/cikk.php?kod=iii-feher.html# ICT Trends in Teacher Training Curricula – A Pacific Perspective http://gauge.u-gakugei.ac.jp/apeid/apeid01/FinalReport/Chapter2_3.pdf International Curriculum & Assessment Agency (Incorporating NDTEF) (1999): ICT Teacher Training - Needs Identification. ICAA: Pound Hill Alresford, Hampshire ICAA 1999 http://www.englishschoolsfoundation.edu.hk/ITinset/ICAA/Needs2.doc Internet Monitor (2003) http://www.tarki.hu/research/wip/internet/ Kárpáti, Andrea (2000):Hungarian Education: Who / What is inside the Trojan Horse of Education? International Journal of Educational Theory, Research And Practice 2000/2, pp. 23-30.

Kárpáti, Andrea and Török, Balázs (to appear): Introducing Learning Management Systems in Hungary - Teacher Preparedness School Willingness and the Educational Context. Submitted for consideration for Learning Environments Research.

Kvilon, Euvgnehi, Ed.(2002): ICT in Teacher Education – A Planning Guide http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001295/129533e.pdf Littig, Peter Ed. (2003): eLearning - Monitoring. Thematic Analysis within the framework of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Final Report, Version 3.0, 1st August, 2003 MacKeogh, Kay (2005): Implementing ODL Policy: Rhetoric and Reality. Elõadás, EU ILLP Stakeholders group, 2005 október Mulkeen, Aidan: ICT in schools 1998-2002", http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/sbpp_schools.pdf Roberts, Judy (2002): Integration of ICT in Teacher Professional Development. Comparative Analysis of Issues and Trends in Seven APEC Economies. Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) http://www.cmec.ca/international/forum/cait.Canada.en.PDF Schools IT 2000 – A Policy Framework for the New Millennium. (1998) Department of Education And Science, Ireland Tót, Éva (2000): A számítógép, mint a tanárok kommunikációs eszköze. (Computer as a Tool of Communication for Teachers. Budapest: Oktatáskutató Intézet: 2000.

Venezky, Richard and Kárpáti, Andrea eds. (2004): ICT and the Quality of Learning. Journal of Education, Communication and Information, 2004/4 Venezky, Richard L., Davis, Cassandra (2001): Quo Vademus? The Transformation of Schooling in a Networked World.

Paris: OECD Wheeler, Steve (2000): The Role of the Teacher in the Use of ICT. Keynote Speech delivered to the National Czech Teachers Conference University of Western Bohemia, Czech Republic May 20, 2000 http://www.fae.plym.ac.uk/tele/roleteach.html

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GYÖRGY MÁRTONFI THE LEONARDO PROGRAMME: A TOOL FOR THE RENEWAL OF VOCATIONAL (IN-SERVICE) TEACHER TRAINING1?

Teacher training (and in-service teacher training) has been one of the educational policy themes for decades but its renewal both in school education and vocational training was only raised recently. This is true not only for Hungary but also the educational and vocational training documents of the EU2, as well as the world outside Europe. The reason for this is the change of paradigm everyone is talking about. It is used by professionals to indicate the birth of a new type of, called post industrialist or information, society and economy. In this new world already existing, though not yet permeating the entire economy and society, the most developed economies are characterised by different competitive advantages than earlier. Economy therefore requires a different workforce at all levels from unskilled workers through technicians to developers and top managers and is unsatisfied with carrier starters leaving school with traditional training programmes or workforce socialized in the earlier economic regime with experience irrelevant for the new economy. As a new type of workforce can obviously only be "produced" by new types of training, this logic leads us to the key figures of this "workforce production", namely teachers and trainers working in vocational training, whose initial and in-service training faces fundamental changes all over the world.

The main features of education and training serving this new type of economy, differing from earlier ones, include the fact that they must be organised and used in the context of lifelong learning and that the focus has shifted from teaching to learning. These arguably similarly paradigmatic changes affect the very basis of teachers' and trainers' work, as good training puts more emphasis on laying the foundations and (also) targets the development of the whole personality, especially in formal trainings and within this in vocational training meant in a wider sense than earlier, also including any training aimed at improving the employability of the workforce. This shifts the traditional teaching role of teachers towards that of learning organisers.

During the discussion, experts made a detailed inventory of gaps in the competence of vocational teachers and trainers in the light of new requirements. The summary judgement was that "the weakest link was the teacher". The criticism is not aimed at this particular professional group but at the fact that people are slower and more difficult to change than teaching materials or even a teaching environment requiring major investments. Major gaps include the weakness of the methodology culture and more particularly the rigid separation between theory and practice and the low frequency of project method application (the learning organiser role), as well as the poor efficiency of the treatment of and building relationships with the social class appearing in vocational training (tutoring role) and language and communication barriers (ability for professional development, organisation of learning).

Teaching staff working in vocational training have their relative strengths and weaknesses. Professional knowledge is believed stronger than educating and socializing effectiveness and within this professional

A summary of the podium discussion held on 8 December 2005 as the closing programme of the Leonardo dissemination conference organised under the same title. Participants of the discussion: Dr. Zsolt BARTUS deputy general director of research and development, National Institute of Vocational Education Dr. Éva BÁNHIDYNÉ SZLOVÁK chairperson, Hungarian Vocational Training Association, Teacher Training Section Dr. Gyula GUBÁN senior councillor, Ministry of Education Zoltánné PÁDÁR component manager, Vocational School Development Programme, Coordination Bureau Dr. Ildikó SEDIVINÉ BALASSA headmaster, Számalk Secondary Vocational School Dr. János SZILÁGYI training director, Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry 1

2

For further details see the presentation of Mr Gábor Halász.

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knowledge is thought to be stronger than professional methodological knowledge (also Hungary has reached the stage when this pedagogical-methodological change of culture must be started), including evaluation methods.

The modification of teachers' expertise in the desired way and rate is thwarted because teachers' interests, such as using in-service training for material and promotion purposes, accumulating credit points or satisfying personal interests, have a stronger influence on in-service training needs than the desirability of a shift towards the new educational paradigm. They want to learn about professional novelties appearing strictly in their field of speciality: "both vocational teachers and trainers would like to receive methodology and new knowledge concerning their particular vocational qualification". This need of teachers was sharply criticized: "It is difficult to unhinge them from the role they are accustomed to. I have had this feeling of danger that there is now too much of trade, practice, labour market and it would appear that teachers' human relationships have been pushed into the background in this issue of teacher competence. I would like to call your attention to educational activity. Teachers should change in a way to make partnership and their helping-supporting role predominant and that is when we will be able to transmit vocational skills. I do not think this should be ignored" said one of the speakers, clearly maintaining that a socially relevant teaching activity requires a human and social context to happen. It is an equally important task of teachers to ensure this, though it has not yet been given equal weight.

The choice of methodological trainings is relatively limited, in keeping with the need of teachers preferring professional novelties and management trainings. Even the effect of methodological training is limited as the traditional teacher's role has become so fixed that it is an obstacle to the application of certain new methods. One of the participants gave concrete examples. "We have had two Leonardo projects. One of them was concerned with teaching and learning methods, training development, in-service teacher training ‌ We tried to have new methods applied, to prepare teachers for that, but is was an utter failure. We tried to have the individual development and project method applied as well as guided independent learning for certain subject modules. Due to their personality, teachers are not willing to guide learning.

Their disposition is wholly different. ‌ Our current Leonardo is about the innovative performance evaluation of students. Pilots have started and I can say the same thing. It is very difficult to make a differently trained teacher assess a thesis evaluation process or a learning objective project. And yet these are selected teachers who volunteered for this".

There was one aspect where the professional development of Hungarian teaching staff was unanimously said to be outstanding. "Hungarian teaching staff has made a very good progress in the development of teaching materials. We have today in Hungary a team of several hundred teachers who are able to produce good quality curricula and course programmes. I can see a remarkable progress here." The reason for this fast competence development is that teacher communities have been forced to a huge extent to carry out content development work during the last fifteen years. At the changeover to democracy, professionally obsolete and ideologically undesirable contents were scrapped and the competition between schools brought about a diversity of contents offered in this poorly regulated period. This was followed by the periods of developing national basic curricula and framework curricula respectively, when contents were modified more frequently than professionally justified due to the alternation of political forces in office. As for vocational training, content development on the large scale was started by central World Bank and OKJ (National Training Registry) programmes and later by modularisation developments following one another. This is still one of the main activities in the Vocational School Development Programme currently under way.

Enormous resources allowed therefore to create the content developing expertise of a large group of teachers. The flaw is that educational researchers brand this phenomenon as a substitute for developing other factors that are equally important but more difficult to change, such as the personality and the methodological culture of teachers or even the setting up of a consensual structure and they do not believe the result is that impressive in the light of the extent of investments made in the last fifteen years.

Leonardo projects and in general international cooperation can contribute to progress in all blank areas.

In theory they can even contribute to the modification of the whole vocational training system to make it up-to-date and adapted to global trends as quite a few Leonardo participants are experts with national influence and the project theme often includes the presentation of macro-level arrangements in partner countries. The most important contribution however, according to experts present at the discussion as well as earlier surveys carried out among Leonardo participants, lays in promoting the change of mentalities as

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"there is a need for a change of teachers' mentalities". Most people believe this is the dimension, very hard to define in a tangible way and also very hard to change, where a substantial, often a resounding change could be brought about within a short time. "It's mainly about mentalities. They will have a direct experience of this abroad; they will see that a whole range of key general skills relevant to the labour market will have developed under the pressure of performance starting from independent responsible work to cooperation. Also, they will see that we think in modules not in subjects. And I haven't even mentioned PLA3 because no one recognises anything that has been taught by someone else. And yet the objective is supposed to be measuring actual knowledge, knowing how to do". "We have today in Hungary a primarily subject oriented education. The project method based on team work has not gained ground. I saw in Germany that they very much simulate life in their practical training. There is a client order, invented jointly by the teacher and the students. The task is to draw up a business plan, develop a workpiece then argue why they chose that particular cost plan and material, so communications skills are important as well. How much time they needed to establish this new pedagogical culture? They said 4 to 5 years. Teachers put up a strong resistance. It had to be strongly supported by change management" said a member of the audience, talking about a complex programme requiring a change of mentalities as well. A number of participants repeatedly mentioned the WorldSkills competition organised biannually, related to the change of mentalities. Its only link to Leonardo is that it is equally a global mega event mobilising a large number of countries, coming back regularly. It is also a popular and efficient learning tool in the international vocational field, promoting the functional harmonisation of work culture4.

Contribution to the development of methodological culture, also considered as a blank area, is much more tangible than shaping mentalities but participants deemed it much less successful. What is more, as already mentioned above, efforts to disseminate certain methods probably requiring a change of mentalities but in fact preceding that change have sometimes led to a clear failure. An increased weight of the project method, desired by professionals, remains in the forefront of attention. A slow shift in this respect, too, is partly a mentality issue as it requires the reinterpretation and the reorganisation of the entire school and/or educational process, perhaps also hurting interests, which may prove a major barrier to its gaining ground. Evaluation methods have been mentioned several times when talking about methods. Incidentally, it is not only about mastering educational methods in their strict sense but also other components of the entire pedagogical methodological culture, such as evaluation or quality assurance, also frequently referred to. Earlier, these were considered marginal but today they have been brought into the focus of professional interest and development. As for the latter, an EU recommendation on harmonisation and standardisation is under way, offering a common quality assurance framework to all the Member States and institutions of the EU. Valorization and quality assurance constitute the theme of a number of Leonardo programmes, many of them also including a very important secondary strand of development and exploration.

Many of the discussion's participants had only a limited personal experience of Leonardo, which did not allow them to decide whether the most cost-efficient way of increasing the competence of our teaching staff, not considering varying specific costs, was participating in exchanges, acting as accompanying teachers or participating in pilot projects as developers. Still, during the conference already and also during the podium discussion, they argued for a certain kind of atypical learning environment, namely when trainers and engineer-teachers work as "skilled workers" in a particular field, in this instance in dry walling. They try out and experience also in practice all activities of which they learn the theoretical and methodological background and which later they wish to teach their students. Vocational trainers and engineer-teachers seldom practice either as a part-time or a provisional job the trade they teach, even though practicing the tricks of a trade in the economic sector obviously has a beneficial effect of on teaching.

There was another interesting contribution about "virtual mobility", a subject which will certainly become more widespread in the future, though it is still at an early stage in terms of definition and methodology.

3

Prior Learning Assessment

4 Even though Worldskills world competitions go back half a century, Hungarian professionals started to pay attention to them only recently. For further information see the webpage www.worldskills.com

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"Maybe this could be completed by communication or training through some digital, network-type cooperation, which would work between teachers from different countries, having the same interests, teaching the same vocational area and using the same method. Obviously, this would also develop linguistic and IT culture. And besides all that, there would be common digital training, that is not tied to a certain place".

Another speaker also thought that the in-service training practice of Leonardo should be extended, though in another way. He emphasised the importance of involving the two or three thousand on-the-job trainers who are employed with economic actors and are even more difficult to mobilize than school staff. It's mainly up to economic actors and especially their umbrella organisations to address this group and encourage them to participate in the programme, as the National Federation of Hungarian Contractors, for instance, has been doing it for years with success.

Most participants thought that the main reserve for an increase in the use of the Leonardo programme in our country, either in teacher training or in any other field, lies in a further dissemination of knowledge already acquired. "The yield of pilot projects is the experience and knowledge capital we create with our foreign partners. With their help, we can learn about methods and applications we can later introduce into teacher training or actually apply them in our country. This knowledge base could be put to use at home to make further progress but it would appear that we must be extremely rich because we do not use values already created, be they teaching materials created by one or more institutions thanks to Leonardo, or knowledge, or anything. Even though we do have dissemination activities, I feel these values are not capitalised on in the way and to the extent they should." It is therefore a more efficient and better targeted dissemination, often criticised but now permanently brought into the focus of attention, that could make at least part of the knowledge created and enhanced during the programme available also for non-participants. Probably there is a need for the renewal of methodology and mentalities also in the field of dissemination in order to make this major vocational and teacher training investment more efficient, though not only in Hungary, as this is an international phenomenon.

In the last round of the discussion, panellists, on behalf of their key institutions, all talked very concretely and positively about their role and tasks in this dissemination activity, and more generally in using Leonardo for teacher (in-service) training purposes. Alongside to launching accredited in-service training courses, based on the experience of Leonardo projects, and making results, but at least demo versions, more widely available, several of them mentioned the necessity of setting up structured databases and their potential contribution to this, which could serve as a treasury of products and experience, presented in a form understandable for any expert, and could lay the foundations for a common knowledge base of vocational training.

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PROJECTS

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Promoter: SZÁMALK Secondary School (www.szamalk.hu) Partners: Gábor Dénes College (www.gdf.hu) University of Veszprém Georgikon Agricultural Faculty (www.georgikon.hu) Bethlen Gábor Secondary Vocational School of Transport and Economy (www.bethleng-kozl.sulinet.hu) Yale Collage of Wrexham (www.yale-wrexham.ac.uk) Départment Informatique Institut Universitaire de Technologie (www.iut-lannion.fr) Economische Hogeschool Sint-Aloysius (www.ehsal.be ) Title of the project: Development of Content and Methodology of a Post-secondary Training Programme (www.aifsz.hu) Contact person: Ms Katalin Fazekas Contact details: H-1115 Budapest, Etele út 68., Tel: +36 1 203 0304, E-mail: fazekas@szamalk.hu

In the pilot project realised in national and international cooperation, the promoter wished to upgrade the content and methodology of post-secondary vocational training, by means of renewing a specific training programme (IT statistician and economic designer). In Hungary, in keeping with Central-European labour market trends, there is an increasing need for practice-oriented professionals with outstanding communication competence and skills. Vocational training must be post-secondary, building on the final examination taken at secondary school, integrated into the ISCED system and students starting their studies in the permanent learning cycle must be able to continue in higher education or put their knowledge to immediate use by taking up a job. National post-secondary vocational training programmes were developed in this light and their content was defined by founding colleges and universities by conducting a survey of real market needs. The continuous upgrading of programmes is made imperative, among others, by the fast development of information and other technologies. Programmes must be further enhanced by taking account of the engagement of first course-leavers, the feedback from the labour market as well as the European labour market. The promoter made development plans by capitalizing on the experience of foreign partners.

Work was carried out in several steps in the project (developing the syllabus, its discussion, submission for opinions, guest teachers, pilot course for teachers, the evaluation of the course and the publication of end results in specialist periodicals and on the web-page) and it resulted in a finalised syllabus and a publication (Teachers' in-service training programme for those teaching in post-secondary vocational education) including the following parts: The justification of the programme Its features, objectives and target group Content and syllabus The promoter prepared the material for accreditation in 2003 but did not submit it for financial and other reasons (earlier similar programmes could not be launched due to a lack of interest).

The in-service training programmes wished to fill the gap resulting exactly from the fundamental nature of post-secondary vocational training: as it is situated between secondary and higher education, none of these exclusive approaches is right in terms of pedagogical routine. It needs its own methodology and approach, namely having the right knowledge in the field of content, evaluation, methodology and legal rules and regulations. The syllabus drawn up by the promoter explores these fields in detail by attaching relevant literature and models.

The material drawn up for accreditation purposes is still available electronically or can be downloaded from the project's webpage (www.aifsz.hu). In addition, the promoter gave a hard copy to everyone who came to their dissemination events or conferences on post-secondary vocational training and showed an interest.

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If any educational institution qualified for this wishes to organise accredited in-service teacher training course based on the above material, the promoter is ready to make available for them all the material and personal knowledge they accumulated during the project.

Even though the project was finished two years ago, the promoter believes a few lessons learned may still prove useful: Œ Thanks to good professional relationships and a thorough organisation work, the promoter managed to organise the in-service training pilot courses with a sufficient number of participants. They concluded that the institution's earlier experience contributed largely to efficient work both in professional issues and in project organisation, especially as far as the organisation of dissemination and pilot courses was concerned. � In teacher in-service training it appears even more difficult, in spite of all efforts, to offer a material attractive enough for teachers convincing them to spend their little time studying a limited area they do not judge very important or developing skills that are either not popular enough at the moment (for instance, Internet, drama psychology, etc.) or do not seem profitable.

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Promoter: Budapest Politechnic Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (www.bmf.hu) Partners: Tampere Polytechnic (www.tpu.fi) Technological Educational Institute of Crete (www.teicrete.gr) College Dunaújváros (www.poliod.hu) Struktúra Consulting Ltd. (www.strukturakft.hu) Fontys University of Applied Sciences (www.fontys.nl) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciencias y Tecnologia (www.fct.unl.pt) University of Huddersfield (www.hud.ac.uk) Title of the project: Virtual Electronic Learning in Vocational Initial Teacher Training Contact person: Dr. Pál Pentelényi Contact details: H-1081 Budapest Népszínház u. 8., Tel: +36 1 219 6389 E-mail: pentelenyi.pal@bgk.bmf.hu

Initial teacher training (ITT) in the field of vocational education wishes to keep abreast of the development of information and communication technologies. This also has an effect on training content and methods.

The use of virtual learning environments (VLE) appears both in the content of vocational ITT and as a method of transmitting other training contents. The project aims to develop the use and management of virtual learning environments in the area of vocational teacher training, drawing on a well established partnership of institutions providing both technical and educational expertise. The project focuses on the development of a tangible set of products to enhance the quality of Initial Teacher Training in vocational education by making full use of the new information and communication technologies.

Products/results will comprise: an Electronic Learning Strategy for vocational teacher training institutions; staff development programmes (to support staff skills audits); guidance to institutions on selecting VLE for use in vocational ITT; a 'European collaboration' module for the vocational ITT curriculum and a series of materials and schemes of work for the electronically enhanced delivery of parts of the ITT curriculum.

Teacher in-service training courses have been completed in the institutes/departments providing vocational teacher training. The training material is being arranged for publication in the form of lecture notes and a CD. Using a virtual learning environment was entirely new in the project host institution. Their teachers looked at the use of Blackboard and Moodle. Their engineer teacher undergraduates are currently learning the material entitled "Computer mediated skills" in a virtual learning environment, as an optional subject, by having discussions with the foreign (English, Finnish and Portuguese) students of the course.

The project host was glad to see that their teachers were able and ready to master the new technologies and learning environments.

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Promoter: KERMI Testing and Quality Control Ltd. (www.kermi.hu) Partners: Alternative Secondary School of Economics (www.akg.hu) Czech University of Agriculture in Prague (www.pef.czu.cz) Business and Strategies in Europe (www.bseurope.com) University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj Napoca Budapest Politechnik (www.kmf.hu) Inveslan S.L. (www.inveslan.com) Academy of Humanities and Economics (www.ahe.edu.pl) ARIES Formazione Title of the project: Vocational Education of teachers and professors to teach the consumer knowledge within school system (www.veconproject.com) Contact person: Ms Márta Papolczi Contact details: H-1088 Budapest József körút 6, Tel.: + 36 30 992 5911, E-mail: papolczi@kermi.hu

The accession of new countries to the EU created an extended market where consumers with different legal and economic backgrounds also have different knowledge and consumer habits. The best solution is to start education aiming for conscious consumer behaviour in the formal system as early as possible. This requires specially trained teachers who are also well trained in methodology. The promoter took on to develop the methodology and the necessary source material, to test them and to adapt them to the national languages of partner countries at two (secondary and higher education) levels.

Partners developed a modular source material including the most essential general knowledge, related definitions and the list of relevant Internet links. Methodology accompanying the source material was developed at two levels. Teaching the necessary competences is based on case studies for the purposes of secondary school teachers and on legal instruments for teachers working in higher education, respectively.

Secondary school methodology is available in hard copy, supported by a CD, in the languages of partner countries as well as in English. The methodology developed for higher education is being drawn up in the form of a CD ROM, with the use of multimedia tools.

The strength of the project is that is uses interactive methodological tools popular among students, presents consumer knowledge in a systematic manner and has a uniform approach.

Currently, the project is in the stage of testing the methodology. The finalised methodology will be available by the first half of 2006, after having evaluated the results of pilot teachings and observations recorded on questionnaires, and participating organisations plan to use it as an accredited training.

In the course of project development, partners introduced the practice of Quarterly Management Reports, which they are successfully using for the quality assurance of the project.

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Promoter: Association of Labour Market Companies (www.amb.no) Partners: Regional Social Resource Centre (www.rszfk.hu) Alaji Aprelor (www.alaji-aprelor.fr) Centro Servizi „Cultura Sviluppo” srl (www.cscs.itwww.eduropa.net) Attforingsbedriftene (www.attforingsbedriftene.no) Fundación Metal de Asturias (www.fundacionmetal.org) Title of the project: In-service training for construction vocational teachers Contact person: Ms Beáta Szabó Contact details: H-9700 Szombathely, Ady tér 5. Tel: +36 94 508 770, E-mail: bea.szabo@rszfk.hu

The project was aimed at providing special training for graduate professionals involved in finding employment for the long-term unemployed, people with altered working capacity and people living with disabilities. With the help of the innovative training developed during the project, trainers acquired skill in novel vocational counselling and training methods.

An innovative element of the project was communication on an Internet forum, which allowed the discussion of literature participants read up on individually and the answering of questions raised between trainers and trainees. Partners set up a flexible working method in the project covering several modules, some of them on the Internet and some of them in the form of lectures and workgroups, equally adapted to general EU and national needs. The training included four modules and each module four lectures.

Trainees were given frontal training. Alongside to that, they continuously used the common webpage, which allowed them fast information exchange and expression of views, as well as a smooth international interaction. In the fourth module, each country took over the model of an international partner and adapted it to national conditions. Hungary adapted the first module of the Norwegian partner and recast it introducing a few changes. Trainees were awarded both a national and an international certificate at the end of the training.

The training developed was specifically targeted. It took full account of the special needs and capabilities of trainers' clients. Partners put together the training fully according to knowledge and practical information needed for the everyday work of professionals participating in the training so that they can pick up methods and theoretical knowledge they can profit from in their work. Participants of trainings increased their selfknowledge and their vocational knowledge in the field of customised help. They integrated theoretical knowledge and information into their practical work. The training enabled participants, having various qualifications other than those acquired in the social field, to strengthen or adjust their existing working knowledge by means of the theoretical training. At international level, the exchange of best practice and experience of people working in similar fields largely contributed as well to the increase of trainers' knowledge.

Assistants working for the promoters integrated employment support service use special knowledge and skills learnt at the course for their everyday work when interacting with clients. The promoter uses the education method developed in the project in their Leonardo project "Work in Mind" (www.workinmind.org) and in their project called "The special training of professionals caring for mentally handicapped people" (2006–2007) implemented through the support of Structural Funds. The training's syllabus will remain in use both in Hungary and in cooperating partner countries. A common result of the programme is a handbook summing up training experiences and syllabuses.

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Promoter: Magyar Gyula Holticultural Secondary School and Vocational School (www.magyula.sulinet.hu) Partners: Ingvar Strandhs Blomsterskola, Sweden (www.isbs.se) Taller Escuela Violeta del Teide, Spain Staatliche Fachschule f眉r Blumenkunst Weihenstephan, Germany (www.fh-weihenstephan.de Title of the project: Comparison of Traditional Floristry Within Flornet Mobility Contact person: Ms Katalin K贸kai Contact details: H-1106 Budapest, Magl贸di u. 8., Tel: +36 1 261 8695, +36 1 262 0877, E-mail: office@magyula.sulinet.hu

The promoter is a vocational school in the field of floristry, operating in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

The training courses offered include floristry, park building and houseplant growing. The project partners are on the one hand vocational schools in Sweden, Spain and Germany and on the other hand the flower shop contacts of these schools that provided the practical part of the exchange (Blomster Pigan, Sal贸n Flor de Cuba, Violeta del Teide). All partners of the project are members of the Flornet community, a europewide network of floristry training institutions (www.flornet.info).

The main aim of the project was to make the floristry teachers of the school get acquainted with the running of floristry shops in the partner countries/regions, and with various forms of the usage of plants for decorative purposes. As Hungarian vocational teachers usually lack opportunities for practical training, the promoter used the Leonardo programme to fill this lack and asked its partners to organise practical work placements for the teachers. The project was closely linked to the Leonardo placement projects of the promoters' floristry students. Not only do the two types of projects (exchange and placement) include the same partners but they coincide in the time as well, although the student placements are longer. A second aim of the project was to examine the systems and methods of training in the partner institutions. The teachers were to collect information about the duration of the training, the levels of requirements, the evaluation, the accomplishment of end-term exams, the curriculum at the given schools and to broaden the vocabulary of the Flornet professional dictionary (downloadable from the promoters' website).

In the frame of the project 2 teachers spent 3-week-long exchange periods in Tenerife (Spain), Freising (Germany) and Oxie (Sweden), respectively. Altogether 6 floristry teachers participated in the project. Out of the 3 weeks they spent 1 to 2 weeks (depending on the target country) in flower shops with the aim of increasing their proffessional skills, especially the ones relating to entrepreneurial skills like marketing and logistics. The time remaining was spent in the partner vocational institutions with meetings, theoretical and practical lessons (chromatics, morphology, art classes) and common work. In their free-time they got familiar with the culture, folk customs and natural sights of the country. At the end of the programme the host institution issued an individual Flornet certificate to teachers, which is accepted reciprocally by all members of the Flornet Network.

In this project emphasis was put on the practical training of the beneficiaries which was realized in German, Spanish and Swedish flower shops and comprised a period between one and two weeks, depending on the target country. Beneficiaries learned how a flower shop functions in the given country with special emphasis on marketing and logistical tasks. As a result, now they are able to transfer this knowledge to students in initial and continuing floristry training. As the majority of the promoters' students will be or are entrepreneurs in Hungary or in other countries of the EU preparing teachers to give useful and up-todate training to the students regarding entrepreneurial skills was a main result of the project.

A long term result of the project (together with other Leonardo projects of the promoter) is the creation of a new shared, common educational module system in the frame of the Flornet project, a Leonardo network project accepted in 2003 in Sweden, the aim of which is to elevate floristry education to bachelor level.

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Promoter: GREEN Pannonia Foundation Partners: Nieuwe Media School (www.nieuwemediaschool.be) Title of the project: Bioindication and Internet 2000 (http://bi2000.uw.hu/) Contact person: Mr György Borián Contact details: H-7754 Barcs, Tavasz u. 3. Tel: +36 30 474 3591, E-mail: gy.borian@freemail.hu

The project host implemented a study tour for twenty environmental vocational trainers, organised by the Belgian Nieuwe Media School with the contribution of the Ghent University, the Erasmus College in Brussels and the Regional Development Organisation of Kempen. Participants covered all the fields of environmental vocational training: there were sixteen vocational trainers, one person from the Chamber, two persons from the Ministry of Environment and one person from a national park.

The project's major result was that participants picked up new vocational knowledge (BISEL – biological assessment of water quality) and gained more extensive and in-depth IT skills (the use of ICT in vocational training).

Trainers deepened their knowledge of fieldwork, project work, the complex ecological approach and vocational language skills.

Due to the project, participants understood the importance of using IT in environmental vocational training. The BISEL national environmental protection network (www.bisel.hu) was set up with their contribution. Network members keep in touch by actively using the Internet (for communication, competitions or e-learning materials). They organise a national meeting twice a year as well as accredited in-service teacher trainings. The project host developed multimedia materials for the network. The dissemination of GPS skills is also under way. These techniques are mainly used in vocational training in the field of environmental protection and water management but the project host believes there is an increased demand from all types of institutions.

The project host considers their strengths include having excellent partners all over the country and the fact that thanks to the Foundation's professional contacts they see quite clearly which way the professions of environmental protection and water management are developing.

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Promoter: National Federation of Hungarian Building Contractors (www.evosz.hu) Partners: Bildungszentrum Traunstein, Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern (www.btz-traunstein.de) Le Compagnon du Devoir (www.compagnons-du-devoir.com) Title of the project: In-service training for construction vocational teachers Contact person: Mr Zoltán Pete Contact details: H-1013 Budapest, Döbrentei tér 1. Tel: +36 1 201 0333*20, E-mail: evosz.pz@mail.datanet.hu

In the last ten years, ÉVOSZ has been organising two-week in-service vocational training programmes in Germany and France for teachers of theory and practice in construction schools in trades such as bricklayer, dry waller, carpenter, joiner and road-builder. These projects allowed teachers, in one-week workshop trainings, to look at a new construction technology or a new trade not yet registered in the Hungarian National Training Register. After this, in order to complete practical training, they were shown the manufacturing of the relevant products and building materials and their competent use at company visits and constructions sites. Usually an annual number of twenty-six teachers working in various vocational schools of the country take part in the projects. Partner institutions mainly included German practical training centres concerned with the relevant vocational area. Last year however teachers also visited the French Les Compagnons Du Devoir, an institution concerned with initial and adult in-service vocational training. With this institution the promoter has been organising foreign work placements for young skilled workers for ten years already.

The in-service training for dry walling was aimed at seeing the German training experience and practice of this relatively new but dynamically growing trade which is not yet formally taught in Hungary. Further to this, the promoter asked to include this trade in the National Training Register and to launch its formal teaching. As a result of the project, the promoter drew up test requirements for the dry walling trade and the training programme of vocational subjects. They also offered training for theoretical and practical teachers wishing to teach the subject. As for in-service training concerned with masonry, carpentry and joinery, beneficiaries were able to learn about technical novelties of the relevant trade not yet widely known in Hungary. Teachers of carpentry had the opportunity to look at the preparation of roof structures for manufacturing, the practice of which is different in Hungary, as well as new tools, machinery and computer programmes going with it. Carpenters were able to practice surfacing processes and road-builders the laying of natural and artificial stone pavements.

The in-service training mainly allowed beneficiaries to see the experience of the German dual vocational training model and more particularly the methodology of practical training taking place in "non-operational" practical training centres. As regards practical work, they observed setting practical tasks, ensuring the necessary tools and material and the methodology of guiding, checking and evaluating task resolution.

At the same time, they were able to look at the rules of carrying out and evaluating practical tests.

Information materials, catalogues, CDs and videos given by partner institutions, product manufacturers and distributors, as well as contractors considerably promote and facilitate the integration of technological novelties seen in the project into national training practice. During their visit, beneficiaries were given not only the relevant tasks set and criteria for their evaluation but also full task lists, workbooks and notes encompassing the practical teaching of a particular trade, for instance carpentry or dry walling. The formal teaching of the dry walling trade started in September 2005 in eight vocational schools and further schools indicated that they would start teaching the trade as from September 2006, after having met the financial and physical conditions required by the training.

Construction in-service trainings implemented by means of the project allowed beneficiaries to compare the teaching of their vocational area with the vocational training practice of another country, with special regard to practical work. As a result, they will be able to brush up their teaching or to complete it with new elements seen. At the same time, they were confirmed by what they saw in the pertinence of certain elements of their usual teaching work.

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Promoter: Heves County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.hkik.hu) Partners: Handwerkskammer Mßnster (www.hwk-muenster.de) Title of the project: Workplace instructors' study visits – typography and building Contact person: Ms Gabriella Makó Contact details: H-3300 Eger, Faiskola u. 15, Tel: +36 36 429 612*111, E-mail: gabriella.mako@hkik.hu

The projects' target group consisted of construction and printing professionals who train specialists at small and medium size enterprises either as part of formal training, adult in-service training or master craftsman training. Construction and printing trainers spent one week in Germany, respectively, with the Chamber of Crafts in Munster and with various companies operating in the relevant industries.

Participants gained new information about recent technologies used in their trade, which they integrated into the teaching process. Thanks to their trainers' experience, students will receive more up-to-date vocational knowledge. Many of the trainers returned with support materials they could put to excellent use in their teaching. They will be able to apply in their work new technical information and work organisation skills they picked up in Germany. The account they gave to their students of their trip motivated them as well.

Energy saving and the use of environment-friendly processes were dominant issues of the construction project. Examples presented in connection with these issues will shape the way of thinking of vocational school students. Participants from the printing industry gained a thorough understanding of CTP technology and rotary printing, while those from construction became competent in the infrared camera inspection and pressurized leak testing of buildings, the design, assembly and use of solar collector systems for the generation of heating and hot water, as well as photovoltaic power generation.

Beneficiaries use their experience gained in Germany for overcoming the weaknesses of their institutions in the fields of work organisation, new technologies, design, environmental protection, national partnerships, international relations and language skills.

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Promoter: Bornemissza Gergely Vocational Training Institute (www.bgszi.sulinet.hu) Partnerek: Handwerkskammer Bildungszentrum Münster (www.hwk-muenster.de) Title of the project: Further vocational and language training for car mechanic vocational teachers Contact person: Mr István Várhelyi Contact details: H-3300 Eger, Kertész u. 128. Tel: +36 36 356 383, E-mail: varhelyi@web.de

The mobility project ensured three vocational in-service trainings extending to both theory and practice, one week each, for vocational trainers of car mechanics, car electronics technicians and panel beaters in the training workshops of the Chamber of Industry in Munster. This allowed participants to see the latest motor vehicle structures, their diagnostic measurement with cutting edge instruments, their repair technology and an even more efficient use of service tools also available at the project host.

As part of the project, German trainers gave theoretical and practical in-service training for Hungarian vocational trainers in the training workshops. These in-service trainings were mainly focused on professional issues without including any pedagogy. At the same time, participants were given teaching software and teaching CDs which they use in their training activities.

Participants looked at the structure of German vocational training and they were shown the practical arrangements for skilled workers' final tests and master craftsman tests. This helps them in harmonising the tasks set in their practical tests with European practice. The project was realised on a mutual basis so German trainers were also offered vocational in-service trainings, organised by the promoter.

Participants also looked at the instrumentation and requirements of environmental protection inspection in Germany. After this the promoter made a successful bid for a Mega Compaa instrument suitable for environmental protection testing offered by the Gutmann company, which recently arrived and was put into operation. Thanks to the knowledge acquired during the training, they have no problem with teaching its handling or measuring. Again under the influence of the project, the promoter already included in its practical teaching the carrying out of EOBD measurements, the handling of Blackhawk draw-bench and the teaching of its weighing system, as well as the teaching of the structure and operation of automatic gear.

Participants saw that motor vehicle training was more global in Hungary as employers expect mechanics to be at home in as many fields as possible. At the same time in Germany mechanics specialise in certain types or certain components allowing them to be perfectly knowledgeable about that area and to repair defects or realise precise measurements and diagnoses. The promoter believes the scarcity of the stock of instruments and equipment in their institution is one of their weaknesses.

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Promoter: Budapest Business School, College of International Management and Business Studies (www.bgf.hu) Partners: Fachhochschule Furtwangen (www.fh-furtwangen.de) Steinbeis Transferzentrum Neue Produkte (www.steinbeis-neue-produkte.de) Title of the project: Preparing students of economics for team work while teaching them business German Contact person: Enikô Fodorné Dr. Balthazár, professor and head of department Contact details: H-1165 Budapest, Diósy Lajos u. 22-24., Tel: +36 1 467 7947, E-mail: efodor@kkf.hu

Team work is becoming more and more widespread in a corporate Europe without frontiers. This means that foreign language teaching as a service must be fashioned by accounting for practical needs as regards the language skills of business undergraduates. Language learners must reach a level of skills allowing them to successfully take part in such team work. Language competence, in this approach, is a work tool. The job of vocational language teachers is therefore to teach learners how to use this work tool. This is nothing else than teaching vocational content in a foreign language, accompanied by the development of vocationallyrelated language skills. It is therefore a good idea for vocational language teachers to cooperate with vocational teachers and, as much as possible, also with companies in order to extend their specialist knowledge of the corporate world and to acquire practical professional experience. One should rely on such knowledge and experience when developing new teaching materials. The project was focused on the implementation of this new type of approach, namely joining vocational language teaching and vocational education.

As part of the project, nine vocational language teachers from the project host, all women, took part in a study tour in Germany, organised by their partners. Prior to their visit, beneficiaries took part in a professional and methodology training, jointly organised with the Fachhochschule Furtwangen, where they learned about the educational methodology background of the project and were given an insight into the theory and practice of teaching the above vocational areas.

The vocational language competence of participants improved in the field of presentation, rhetorical skills and corporate communication. They saw scenes and typical texts of internal corporate communication as well as the role played by argumentative techniques in shaping the corporate strategy and in decision making processes. Vocational competence was improved by visiting vocational classes, companies, discussions with vocational teachers and experts and mainly by participating in the corporate student project "Neue Produkte für die Verax" as well as further following this project after the study tour.

The methodological competence of teachers was improved by taking part in vocational language classes and vocational classes, with special regard to the possibilities to use role play and simulation in the development of vocational language skills and the transmission of vocational content. As regards intercultural/ multicultural sensibility and communication, participants gained experience of vocational language teaching and team work in an intercultural/multicultural environment and saw examples of ways of teaching intercultural communication through e-learning. As far as social behaviour is concerned, participants looked at student, teacher/colleague and student/teacher relationships respectively. The highly qualified teachers of the promoter realised how much more there was still to learn in order to make teaching work more practice oriented. They uncovered new possibilities for the cooperation between the educational and the business sector, a knowledge transfer realised by the contribution of specialists, vocational teachers and vocational language teachers and its use for teaching material development.

Project implementation inadvertently forged a real team of this group of participants. Since then, they have been known at the department as the "Leonardo people", sharing common experience and memories. They have been able to cooperate more efficiently; they are socially closer to each other and have a better understanding of each other. They use team work not only for the planned teaching material development (where the German partner also has a part to play) but also for everyday department work.

Due to the project, the promoter realised that their team of highly qualified language teachers and openness counted among their strengths, while their weaknesses included limited in-service training possibilities and the lack of a direct contact with vocational practitioners.

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Promoter: Zichy Mihรกly Secondary Vocational School of Arts and Crafts Partners: Virginska Skolan Risbergska Skolan (www.risbergska.orebro.se) Title of the project: Common thinking about Europe and the regions Contact person: Mr Tamรกs Mojzer Contact details: H-7400 Kaposvรกr, Szรกntรณ u. 11., Tel: +36 20 920 5041, E-mail: tombois@freemail.hu

The project was about media education, more particularly the wider discipline of visual education. The aim was to look at the often different structure of partner schools and exploring special programmes and teaching methods. In the course of the project, five teachers of the promoter institution took part in oneweek study visits in Sweden, in the schools called Virginska and Risbergska Skolan. Both partner institutions offer art education and have a lot in common with the promoter. At the same time, they also have several other strengths as well (for instance, the Swedish institutions also teach students with disabilities).

The main project aim was to understand how Swedish partner institutions apply the project method.

Starting from the Swedish experience, the promoter has been using the project method successfully and efficiently since the study tours. By using this system, they have been able to simplify their practical work processes and carry out a better-harmonised and focused work. The promoter finds the one-week Swedish study tour was also very useful for the vocational use of the foreign language. The one-week period proved even too short for having an in-depth look at the work processes they went to observe.

As for the teaching skills and knowledge of participants, an important element of the project was to observe and apply concentrated teaching processes. These processes involved disadvantaged and handicapped students to an even greater extent. The methodological support material drawn up jointly by the partners is a help in everyday work and is available for all the teachers of the promoter. Methods learnt are used not only in formal classes but also for the special preparation of students. Leonardo work-linked trainings for students are one of these areas where more open, flexible and realistic methodological solutions can be put to excellent use in teaching and linguistic work. The promoter institution used to carry out work-linked training within the institution itself. Influenced by the Swedish study tours, however, they have moved away from these old habits and are now offering work-linked training for their students also outside the school (for instance at the local television).

The promoter believes their strengths include the application of complex, specialised knowledge, which was less present in the Swedish vocational training system. Instead, they saw customized, differentiated vocational training, which often lead to learning only part of the teaching material. The promoter was confirmed in their belief that they are on the right track when building their methods on creativity; they intend to keep and strengthen this "speciality" of theirs. They think it is a weakness that the proportion of the above-mentioned "pragmatic approach", meant in a good sense, is too small. They believe their opportunities include the creation of relationships with external institutions, potential places for work-linked placements.

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Promoter: Trefort Ágoston Electric and Metallurgical Vocational Training School (www.taszi.hu) Partners: Békés County Regional Labour Force Development and Training Centre (www.brmkk.hu) Békés County Employment Centre (www.bekesmmk.hu) Hocz és Medvegy Ltd. AMU-Center Vestjylland Dánia, Esbjerg (www.amu-vest.dk) Title of the project: Euro-compatible cleaning training Contact person: Ms Katalin Lajos Kiss Contact details: H-5600 Békéscsaba, Puskin tér 1. Tel: +36 66 444 511 E-mail: klkatalin@freemail.hu

The project aim was for participants to study cleaning training in Denmark where it complies with modern environmental protection and labour market requirements and even though it goes back a long way, it is also very progressive. Participants were also supposed to develop a cleaning training programme for national use, based on vocational and methodological experience gained and to implement it in practice.

A consortium was set up for the implementation of the project After the study tour, participants developed the training programme for cleaning workers satisfying EU standards. The trade has been included in the National Training Register since the 1st of January 2005.

With the help of the Békés County Regional Labour Force Development and Training Centre and the Békés County Employment Centre a first course, then in the autumn a second one, was launched. The participants of the course had been unemployed and after the training all of them managed to get back to the labour market.

As for vocational skills and knowledge, the project's participants became competent in the DACUM method. In fact, they drew up the framework of a DACUM table in the course of their preparation for the visit already, which they filled in with the relevant information later, during and after the visit. They were given a global picture of professional work carried out in the Danish adult education institution, the wide range of their trainings and their HR, material and financing aspects. During the five-day course, presenting the process and the contents of Danish cleaning training, they acquired the necessary information allowing them to introduce the teaching material in our country. They were also given information about training modules meant for people with altered working capacity. They were shown new equipment, materials, chemicals in the course of on-site visits.

As for their teaching skills, participants were able to assimilate certain typical teaching methods used in adult training during the project, which can enhance the success of courses (motivation, tolerance, continuous work, evaluation methods).

Participants saw during the study tour that trainings in the AMU-Center were well thought out and excellently organised. The equipment and the funding of the training institution are outstanding, compared to Hungarian conditions. Trainings satisfy real employer needs and trade unions play an important part in the work of institutions. People, both trainers and trainees, are treated as a genuine asset. They put a great emphasis on the professional evaluation of courses and try to rectify mistakes immediately. The quality assurance system of the institution performs well also in practice. People with altered working capacity are given equal chances on the labour market. These are the elements participants wish to give more weight to in their own institutions. By adding this cleaning training course, implemented in practice and satisfying EU standards, to their list of course programmes, they have made a step towards reaching this objective.

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Promoter: Municipality of Budapest, Home for Mentally Disabled Persons Partners: Landshuti Üzemek (www.lh-lawe.de) Lebenshilfe (www.lebenshilfe.de) Title of the project: Employing mentally disabled persons outside the living area – integrated workplaces Contact person: Ms Klára Sánta Mezeiné Contact details: H-2462 Tordas, Gesztenyés út 1. Tel: +36 22 467 201, E-mail: tordasfo@axelero.hu

Five specialists (a special education teacher, a social worker, a mental hygiene and health specialist and a carer) working in various jobs in the field of social care spent two weeks in Germany, Landshut. They all work for the employment integration of mentally handicapped people in their various positions. They prepared for the visit by taking part in an intensive German language course, which allowed them to communicate independently during the study visit and they did not need interpreting. During the visit, they gained an understanding and practical experience of the operation of the Landshut Works, a branch of Lebenshilfe, an umbrella organisation covering all Europe. The Landshut Works offer high quality employment for more than 600 people living with disabilities or with altered working capacity.

Employment integration is a precondition of a level playing field for mentally handicapped people. German experiences showed that this was realised through the manufacturing of marketable, high quality and competitive goods and a general access to productive work, carried out in a normalised working environment ensuring special tools for handicapped people. The workplace and the living quarters were entirely separated. Work-related activities and the everyday life and living environment of handicapped people were governed by the principle of normalisation.

As part of the project, beneficiaries drew up an individual development plan including the direction and content of professional development they expected from themselves and discussing expected difficulties thwarting it. This identified the main areas they wished to observe and gain experience in. Thanks to this method, beneficiaries acquired new information and a modern vision in the Landshut Works they will be able to use in practice. As a result, they renewed their way of working and their innovative initiatives made an impact on the professional work of the promoter institution. This started a diverse development, having a notable positive effect on the skills and knowledge of the entire professional staff.

The promoter, offering permanent residence for 260 persons, made more efforts to provide customised care. Professional work shifted its focus on personality development, the development of skills determining working capacity and the creation of social independence. This new professional approach, leading to genuine development, is described by the principle "Identity instead of difference": the idea is to achieve, by building on existing skills of disabled people and leaving behind the approach focusing on their deficiencies, that they become capable of carrying out productive work and can exercise their autonomy and right to equal chances on the way towards employment integration. Beneficiaries, and as a result, the whole professional staff, adopted this principle and apply new methods and tools in their work. A number of programmes were launched under the impact of the project. This renewal is also documented by professional papers, which meant the first place for their author, one of the project beneficiaries, on two occasions. New developmental tools, conceived and made on a DIY basis by the beneficiaries, help professional work.

The innovation approach confirmed by the project brought about several new programmes, mobilising the entire professional staff: The development system was recast. Residents of the institution, while purposefully and systematically realising their personal development plan and exercising their autonomy, can choose from various

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development workshops (needle work, aesthetic, movement, IT, musical, communication, etc. workshops) where they can take part in the work appealing to them.

Experiences were summarised at a national professional conference under the title "For a chance in the world of work".

As for employment, the manufacturing of marketable products is under way. While the continuous internal reorganisation was going on, a successful tender was made and employment can be launched in a new, external site to manufacture creased coloured packing paper.

The award of bonuses to handicapped workers according to their length of service was launched.

The "Comet" programme, based on a suggestion made by the beneficiaries, helps ensuring a high-level care built on a personal "support" relationship, adapted to individual needs.

Individual initiatives of staff are given more support so that they can use their own skills to a greater extent in order to develop people with disabilities more efficiently. As a result, professional staff is willing to take on more responsibility.

Under the impact of the project, the promoter is seeking solutions for their employment objectives in new ways. Experiences gained during the study tour confirmed them in their belief that the high number of residents is not an obstacle to employment based on individual skills. They highly appreciate the approach looking for and focusing on the values of people living with disabilities. They consider the application of the normalisation principle seen in Germany as a professional task to be solved. They wish to define the main lines of accommodation, employment and support in keeping with this principle. They were confirmed in their belief that people with intellectual disabilities, with the help of special tools, if necessary, are capable of high quality production work and can manufacture marketable, high quality goods. They try to find individual support solutions that make up for deficiencies. After the implementation of the project, the project host believes that the initiative and the responsibility of professional staff can be increased by means of successful professional projects giving them opportunities for professional independence and creativity.

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Promoter: Krúdy Gyula Secondary Vocational School for Trade and Catering (www.krudy-szeged.sulinet.hu) Partners: Burgardens Utbildningscentrum, Göteborg CFA, St. Michel Mont Mercure IPPSARCT Panzini, Senigallia Title of the project: Further training of catering teachers in European countries Contact person: Ms Györgyi Együd Contact details: H-6723 Szeged, József Attila sugárút 122-126. Tel: +36 62 540 272, E-mail: egyud@vnet.hu

In the last three years, the promoter organised two to three-week study tours for altogether thirteen of their vocational trainers in the frame of the Leonardo programme. Four of them were workplace instructors, that is people providing vocational training in catering establishments in partnership with the promoter and nine of them were teachers employed by the promoter. Three of them worked in the field of vocational language teaching. Study tours took place in Sweden, France and Italy in secondary vocational institutions or, with their help, in catering establishments.

As for the development of their vocational skills and knowledge, they were able to find out about the gastronomic culture of the given country, as well as technologies and ingredients different from the usual national ones.

As for teaching skills, they adopted an approach putting more emphasis on the independence of students and transmitting knowledge in a more practical manner ("learning by doing") instead of their usual methods based on spoon-fed formal lectures.

Due to the projects, the relationship between vocational teachers and workplace instructors underwent a significant change. Workplace instructors became regular players of the school's vocational events and more involved in everyday school teaching. In fact, they disseminate best practice together even at international conferences on vocational training (for instance, at the European Vocational Training Roundtable Conference organised by the promoter in April 2005 or at the subsequent similar French event in November 2005).

After their study tours, participants were invited back on several occasions to give presentations at conferences so that they can share Hungarian experience with European partners.

The promoter learned various ways of disseminating results beyond the school itself. They are aware that the contribution both national and international partners can make to their everyday vocational training is priceless.

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Promoter: Petrik Lajos Vocational School for Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and Information Technology (www.petrik.hu) Partners: Fife College of Further Education (www.adamsmithcollege.ac.uk) Schulzentrum des Sekundarbereichs II – Utbremen (www.bildung.bremen.de) Title of the project: Training to teach English in technical subjects Training to manage competence-based learning Contact persons: Ms Katalin B. Tóth, Mr Zsolt Bertalan Kontakt adatok: 1146 Budapest, Thököly 48-54., Tel: +36 1 343 3609, E-mail: btoth@petrik.hu, bertzs@petrik.hu

Developing training programmes satisfying partners' needs, including up-to-date vocational, IT, environmental protection and quality assurance knowledge, in other words developing trainings based on competence, requires the preparation of organisers, education managers as well as teaching material and curriculum developers specialising in this field. An important part of such a preparation, both for managers organising teaching and teachers actually doing it, is looking at national and international vocational training organisation and teaching material development exercises, as well as an exchange of experience. Altogether thirty participants took part in the three projects organised by the project host, more particularly two ten-strong groups in an English-speaking (Scottish) country and one group in a German-speaking country.

It is typical of international mobility that it is realised in a living environment ensuring the vocational as well as the linguistic development of participants at the same time. It is especially true of senior management and middle management who often need to get into contact with international partners in the course of their everyday work and take decisions based on such personal discussions. This objective was fully achieved thanks to the counterparts the participants met during the programme.

Participants were deeply impressed by the approach of Fife College concerning the handling of limited mobility and disabilities and providing a level playing field. All the buildings, rooms and shared premises offer services people living with disabilities can rightfully expect. There was a very high quality planned and organised care of people living with physical and mental disabilities, accompanied by the organisation of special trainings and the free use of learning support tools. This exemplary approach made a strong impression on participants' way of thinking.

The integration of the labour market is also reflected in cooperation efforts between the vocational training institutes of the Fife area. The Scottish host organisation runs joint training programmes with the two other schools in the neighbourhood and they are planning to set up a partnership with the university of the neighbouring town in the form of a consortium. This set an example for the promoter to enhance national forms of cooperation. Alongside to the development of vocational and linguistic competences, one should also mention the effect made on participants' mindsets and attitudes by the week spent in a different country, a different environment, among people with a different culture. Hearing about the results and problems of our Scottish hosts, Hungarian colleagues, while discussing their own problems and successes, realised that there were more similarities than they expected. Though, in many respects, foreign colleagues have made more progress in seeking out opportunities of breakthroughs and new solutions and their financial conditions for education and training (for instance the equipment of laboratories) are in many ways better, it was also confirmed that the education of vocational subjects in the sending institutions were of a very high level and stood international comparison. This conclusion not only filled participants with rightful professional pride during their study tour but also had the psychological effect of making them more receptive of new experience.

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Their reports show that participants were impressed by the flexibility and permeability of the Scottish vocational training system. PR and HR work carried out in vocational training institutions is becoming ever more important, which the Scottish host organisation recognised soon enough. There is a separate department in charge of the school's external relations and they have a lot of colourful, beautifully executed information material about Fife College. The sending schools have just started this work and the Scottish experience can be put to valuable use during their enrolment process. Participants also liked the exact and uniform way curriculum modules and test requirements were drawn up and the way the module-based system ensured permeability between and concentration of various subjects and modules. These experiences can be put to excellent use when recasting the local curricula, testing and evaluation systems of the sending schools.

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Promoter: Kossuth Lajos Bilingual Secondary School (www.kossuth-csepel.hu) Partners: Tampere College (www.tao.tampere.fi) Title of the project: Preparation of instructors, taking part in aircraft maintenance training, for the application of Part 147 Contact person: Ms Ă gnes Fekete Contact details: H-1211 Budapest, Kossuth L.u. 12. +36 1 427 2700*125, E-mail: csernev@yahoo.com

The promoter has been the only institution in the country, since 1978, to provide secondary school training for aircraft mechanics and technicians. Since May 2004, aircraft maintenance companies must comply with the requirements of Regulation No. 2042/2003/EC of the European Commission instead of the Hungarian legal instrument laying down the requirements for training, qualification and employment.

Starting from this date, only aircraft mechanics and technicians with the training and the qualification set forth in the above EU instrument may be employed. According to the detailed rules spelt out in Annex IV of the above EU Regulation, the school has to modify the very foundations of its training programme.

Theoretical and practical trainers need to gain personal experience of the new modular training. Training provided by the partner institution, the aircraft maintenance branch of the Tampere College, already fulfils the requirements of the above mentioned EU Regulation. The main objective of the project was to gain direct experience of how to build and structure theoretical and practical training modules, select the relating teaching material or develop and apply the testing system.

Institutions providing basic aircraft training visited during the study tour (Pori, Kuopio, Vantaa), already dispose of conditions set up in accordance with the Annexes of Regulation No. 2042/2003/EC for the training of aircraft mechanics (B1) and aircraft technicians (B2), as detailed in Part-66 and Part-147, respectively. The promoter has been issuing aircraft maintenance licence for aircraft technicians with technical limitations concerning Part-66 requirements, because certain curriculum parts have not been taught. Thanks to the experience acquired during the study tour the aircraft subject department of the school started to put together the new curriculum fulfilling Part-66 requirements and to set up measuring points, test-benches and support teaching tools. Due to the Finnish experience, they managed to set up relatively cheap measuring points. Seeing the efficient cooperation between Finnish vocational training institutions and business organisations and their supporting each other the promoter asked MALÉV Hungarian Airlines to offer frozen stocks of tools, equipment and biding agents meant for scrapping first to them and to make the lists of such items available to them.

The aircraft subject department decided, again under the influence of the Finnish example, to set the objective of drawing up a final work for school-leavers, as a pilot, starting from the next academic year.

They introduced changes and paid more attention in order to close the gap between theoretical and practical training.

They started cooperation with the teachers and trainers of Finnish schools in order to seek out potentially useful literature for the teaching of aircraft trades as there is a notable lack of such literature, irrespective of countries. As a result, they drew up teaching notes complying with the requirements of Part-66 for a few modules.

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Promoter: Károly Róbert Vocational School for Trade, Catering and Tourism (www.ker-gy.sulinet.hu) Partnerek: Alexandre Dumas Lycee Professionel Gran Caffe Quattro Stagioni Hotel Ristorante Valentino Trattoria L'Antica Pentola Zespol Szkol Gastronomicznych (www.zsg.osw.pl) Savonlinnan ammatti-ja aikuispoisto (www.sln-ami.fi) Title of the project: Composing an international menu card in the frame of teachers' exchanges Contact person: Ms Éva Kálmán Contact details: H-3200 Gyöngyös, Katona J. út 2-4, +36 20 385 0480, E-mail: kalmaneva@freemail.hu

The project was aimed at acquiring international experience and collecting recipes for the restaurant, about to be opened, in the catering training centre of the promoter institution. Leonardo exchanges were organised for catering trainers, more particularly four persons went to France, four persons to Italy and two persons to Finland. Another four persons will go to Poland in the spring of 2006, which will complete the project. The venues for the two-week in-service trainings were partner vocational training institutes, hotels, pizzerias, pubs and restaurants.

Participants saw various types of catering establishments typical of the given country. They also worked there, allowing them to compare the equipment, utensils and working methods of companies with each other and with national practice. While actually working in these establishments, they collected the recipes and learned the seasoning, preparation and serving of dishes typical of the given country. They paid special attention to practicing techniques less well known in our country and to dishes made of less common ingredients.

By looking at the preparation, seasoning and serving habits typical of various partner countries, they also learned about eating habits: the content, length and time of meals in that particular country. These tangible pieces of information can well be used and transmitted to students during classes and in the training restaurant. Participants also looked at the vocational training system of partner schools, with their similarities and differences.

They thought the French arrangement for organising group practice in the kitchen/restaurant was very useful: at the beginning of the practical training class, the trainer writes the day's working programme, the dishes to be prepared, the name of persons responsible for preparing them and the time schedule on a dry wipe board. This provides visibility, which has a good effect on daily work, so the trainers of the promoter institution took over and use this French practice.

Thanks to work journals written during the study tours, dishes, their preparation and serving methods with their English, French or Italian names can be remembered even after a longer period of time. Hungarian trainers liked the Finnish idea of putting together an electronic cookery book during practical classes, also including, besides recipes, the teacher's evaluation or the purchasing of students' toolkits. This would however require a more considerable investment.

Mobility projects showed the promoter that their trainers were receptive to learning new techniques and working methods. Participating in such a project requires considerable adjustment to each other and foreign circumstances. Participants have made huge progress in this field, too. The school management of the promoter institution attaches special importance to maintaining foreign relationships and encourages participation in international projects. This also helps with the problem of replacing absent teachers.

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Promoter: Jรกsz-Nagykun-Szolnok County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.jnszmkik.hu) Partners: Handwerkskammer Reutlingen (www.hwk-reutlingen.de) Handwerkskammer Leipzig (www.hwk-leipzig.de) Title of the project: Development of the Hungarian vocational training system based on German experiences Contact person: Mr Kรกroly Szabรณ Contact details: H-5000 Szolnok, Verseghy park 8., Tel: +36 56 510 610, +36 56 610 622, E-mail: szabok@jnszmkik.hu

The project's beneficiaries were master craftsmen of the Chamber's member companies, working as workplace instructors, having several years of experience and a solid vocational knowledge. They are the ones who can be relied upon to set up and to operate the new type of training system involving Chambers.

Specialists from the field of crafts, services, industry and trade were able to have a look at the German dual training system presented to them by their host. Another priority was adult education, where participants observed primarily the retraining and the in-service training of those in employment and studied adaptable methods. These activities took place in training centres operated by the Chamber of Reutlingen, in Germany, which primarily wish to serve the training needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The German partners took on to present their training system, also including quality guarantees, to participants in theory as well as in practice. Accordingly, they showed the structure and the operation of their Chamber's training centre and its role in the German educational system. They held a one-week in-service training for Hungarian vocational trainers and specialists on the training and EU requirements of a vocational area selected jointly and the results of technical and technological development. They also gave practical guidance for the everyday work as well as the teaching and educational work of participants. The comparison highlights the results achieved by Hungarian vocational training but cooperation between the players of vocational training is an area where the German dual system must serve as an example.

Trainers and specialists, after their return, are trying to adapt the training system in every possible way, if not immediately in its entirety, at least starting with parts of it. This system has been working all but perfectly in Germany for several decades where practical training plays a part equal to theoretical education, which is indispensable for students to become highly trained specialists.

Having a look at dual training and adult education allowed beneficiaries to observe a new type of educational method not only from the point of view of vocational skills/knowledge but also that of pedagogical skills.

When the project's host country was selected the promoter took account of the fact that the German training system is considered as a model for the development of the Hungarian vocational training system.

At the same time, the regulation by provinces also indicates how to allow for national specialities, shown by the comparison, for instance, of Bavarian or Saxon models.

Thanks to the project, the promoter is contributing to the recast of the Hungarian vocational training system in line with EU norms (an increased role of Chambers, dual training) and helping to achieve regional development goals (development of economic relationships).

Based on the German experience, our Chamber set up an educational base. Its major task and mission is to improve the conditions of businesses offering various training activities, having diverse material and human resources but undertaking practical training, as well as to increase the chances of those finishing the training on the labour market through their practising on cutting edge equipment.

According to the Chambers' point of view, the development goal the Hungarian vocational training system wishes to achieve is dual training, which has produced significant vocational results in Germany. A key element of its strategy is to recast and develop the structure, the training content and the set of requirements of the vocational training system based on the training needs of its member companies. At the same time, it is also a labour market requirement that not only master craftsmen and vocational trainers but all workers have up-to-date vocational and language skills and information on the economic and production culture of other countries.

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Promoter: Békés County Labour Centre (www.bekesmmk.hu) Partners: Sending partners: Békéscsaba Local Government (www.bekescsaba.hu), Representatives' Body of Békés County Local Government Office, Békés County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.bmkik.hu), Békés County Public Foundation for Enterprise Promotion, Regional Labour Development and Training Centre of Békés County (www.bmrkk.hu), Human Development and Information Centre of Békés County (http://www.bmkir.hu/bmhuman), Labour Council of Békés County, Tessedik Sámuel College Faculty of Economics (www.szv.kf.hu) Hosting partners: Laois County Employment Service, Laois County Job Centre, Laois County Development Board, Laois County Enterprise Board (www.laoisenterprise.com), Adult Training Committee, Mountmellick Development Association (www.mda-mdasi.com), Laois Chamber of Commerce (www.laoischamber.ie), Teacher's Centre, National College of Ireland (www.ncirl.ie), Ministry for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Title of the project: Developing a model for vocational orientation and vocational guidance considering labour market demands Contact person: Ms Aranka Lehoczki Tamásné Contact details: H-5600 Békéscsaba, Árpád u. 2/6, Tel: +36 66 444 211, E-mail: tamasnela@lab.hu

The vocational orientation, correctional and career choice activities of the county labour centres play an important role in preventing unemployment. This activity is successful only, if the client chooses a profession that on the one hand suits his/her abilities and interests and on the other hand one for which there is a demand on the labour market. In order to make a definite career choice one needs a huge amount of information. Until 2002 the informational background of the service system in Békés County (in the region of the Southern Great Plain in Hungary) had been incomplete; the system of intermediation of the information on the employer's request had not been worked out.

Together with the promoter Békés County Labour Centre there were 9 sending institutions in the project, that all sent colleagues involved in vocational orientation and decision makers in matters of vocational training. Together with the hosting institution, The Laois County Enterprise Board Limited, Ireland, there were 11 receiving institutions. Regarding the great number of partners the promoter opined that this complex problem required a complex answer and that again required the co-operation of many partners.

Before the exchange all of the 18 beneficiaries received a 5-month-long linguistic, professional and cultural preparation. This enabled them to gain a thorough knowledge about career guidance in Ireland as well as to update their English knowledge.

Duration of the exchange was 2 weeks. Beneficiaries studied what kind of labour market information helps career choice in Ireland and how the career-choice system works. They also gained knowledge about the way the employers' requirements and training possibilities intermediated and how databases were used and updated. The co-ordinators both from the promoter and the hosting institution monitored the exchange and ensured that it was implemented according to the plans.

Beneficiaries prepared their reports according to the guidelines given by the promoter. Based on these reports the promoter prepared a final study on the experiences of the exchange.

Using the experience gained during the exchange 3 teams made up of the beneficiaries worked out each a county model for vocational orientation and guidance system that considers labour market demands. The final model was set up out of these 3 models. The final study and the final model were discussed with the Irish partner institution during a monitoring visit. The information network - the heart of the model - started to work after the termination of the project and has been working and used since then. The experience gained in Ireland was also used by the creation of a homepage for vocational orientation and guidance (www.epalya.hu) that experts in this field considered as one of the best in Hungary.

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