February 3, 2025

Erasmus+: good practices for developing the eight soft skills identified by the European Union

The European Union’s identification of the eight European key competencies – soft skills – (also called key citizenship competencies) is the result of a long journey that began in 2006 and was renewed in 2018. A complex process that saw Parliament and Commission working together. Today, the European Key Competencies represent a reference point for Italian legislation, especially in the area of Schooling and Education.

To provide support for competency-oriented Education, Training and Learning in a lifelong learning context, three issues were identified: the use of multiple learning approaches and contexts; support for educators and other teaching staff; and assessment and validation of competence development.

To act on all issues, some examples of best practices were identified.

Let’s start with the multiple approaches and contexts of learning:

– interdisciplinary learning; partnerships involving education, training and learning actors at different levels as well as the labor market; and concepts such as comprehensive and integrated school approaches, which emphasize collaborative teaching and learning, active participation and decision-making by learners, can be used to enrich learning. Cross-sectoral collaboration between education and training institutions and external actors from the business, arts, sports and youth sectors and higher education or research institutions can be decisive for effective skill development;

– the acquisition of basic skills and the development of broader competencies can be promoted by systematically integrating academic learning with social and emotional education, the arts, and healthy physical activities that promote health-conscious, future-oriented, and physically active lifestyles;

– strengthen learning methodologies such as inquiry- and project-based, blended learning, arts and games can increase motivation and commitment to learning;

– could be encouraged to use digital technologies to enhance learning and support digital skills development, such as through participation in Union initiatives;

– building partnerships and platforms that associate schools, communities, and businesses at the local level, particularly in rural areas, can play a decisive role in spreading entrepreneurial education;

– multilingual competence can be developed through close cooperation with educational, training and learning contexts abroad, the mobility of teaching staff and learners, and the use of eTwinning, EPALE and/or similar online portals;

– all learners, including those in disadvantaged circumstances or with special needs, could receive appropriate support in inclusive settings.

– Such support could take the form of language, academic, social-emotional support, peer coaching, extracurricular activities, career guidance, or material assistance;

– cooperation among educational, training, and other partners in local communities, and with employers, in association with formal, nonformal, and informal learning, can foster skill development and facilitate the transition from education to work as well as from work to education.

Whereas in terms of supporting educators and other educational staff:

– integrating competency-oriented education, training, and learning approaches into initial education and continuing vocational training can help educational staff evolve teaching and learning in their respective contexts and develop the skills needed to apply these approaches;

– support could be given to staff in developing competency-oriented approaches in their respective contexts through staff exchanges, peer learning, and peer counseling, allowing flexibility and autonomy in organizing learning, through networks, collaboration, and communities of practice;

– Instructional staff could receive support to develop innovative practices, participate in research, and appropriately apply new technologies, including digital technologies, for competency-based approaches in teaching and learning;

– guidance and access to expert centers should be provided to teaching staff; appropriate tools and materials that can improve the quality of teaching as well as learning methods and practice.

Last but not least, support for validation of skill development could be resolved thus:

– key competency descriptions could be transformed into frameworks of learning outcomes, which could be supplemented by the appropriate diagnostic, formative and summative assessment and validation tools at the appropriate levels;

– digital technologies, in particular, could help identify the multiple dimensions of learner progress, including the learning of entrepreneurial competence;

– different approaches to the assessment of key competencies in nonformal and informal learning contexts could be developed, including relevant activities carried out by employers, guidance specialists, and social partners;

– the validation of learning outcomes from nonformal and informal learning could be expanded and enhanced, in accordance with the Council Recommendation on the validation of prior nonformal and informal learning, to include different validation processes.

– The use of tools such as Europass and Youthpass, which serve for documentation and self-assessment, can contribute to the validation process.

Don’t stop following us on all our social channels to be informed about documents, European Programs, Erasmus+ work placements and other transnational experiences that can be activated at ETN locations.

Written by Federica Summa

Related Posts

Just a few days left to apply your project to the Erasmus+ Programme

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

23 February at 12.00 (Brussels time) is deadline to apply for a short-term Erasmus+ project and participate in the European...

European Project Design: how school can put into practice the Europe 2020 strategy through Erasmus+

December 2, 2019

December 2, 2019

Europe 2020 is a ten-year strategy proposed by the European Commission in 2010: the European Union has set ambitious goals...

Erasmus+: the KA2 Mob4app project has come to an end

November 10, 2022

November 10, 2022

After two years of intense work, the Erasmus+ KA2 Mob4app project has come to an end. The project was designed...

Training – Experience – Welfare: the three key elements of any Erasmus Plus projects

May 10, 2021

May 10, 2021

After few weeks from the approval of the new 2021-2027 call of Erasmus Plus Programme, an important deadline is getting...

Partner Meeting at Tribeka Training Lab: Advancing AI in Apprenticeship Mentoring

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Tribeka training lab recently kicked off, as partner, a new ErasmusPlus KA220Vet Project with title: ’AI in Apprenticeship Mentoring’ (project Number:2024-1-BG01-KA220-VET-000247196...

YOUTHShare: the results achieved and future objectives in the project’s Open Event

June 1, 2022

June 1, 2022

What do we mean with NEET? What if we told you that one in four young people in Italy does...

Not only Montecchi and Capuleti: an Erasmus+ in Rimini to get to know the Malatesta and Montefeltro families and their rivalry

July 26, 2022

July 26, 2022

Everybody knows the famous rivalry between the Montague and Capulet families or, if you will, between Romeo and Juliet. It’s...

Erasmus+ KA2 “Playing 4 Soft Skills” project: gamification as a pedagogical approach

June 9, 2022

June 9, 2022

Why is non-formal education important? Everyday life and professional activity in the 21st century often require us flexibility, creativity and...

5 tips for an effective dissemination strategy for an Erasmus+ project

February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020

During the project evaluation phase, one of the quality criteria examined with greater attention regards the realization and management of...

Erasmus+: a survey states that experiences abroad increase the acquisition of soft skills

June 29, 2022

June 29, 2022

In 2014, the European Commission published the Erasmus Impact Study, a study carried out by experts in which it states...

The professional mobility of students and teachers from ZSZ NR 3 in Starachowice in Rimini has just ended

May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

It’s time to go back to Poland. On Friday, April 28th, students and teachers from ZSZ NR 3 (Starachowice) completed...

Job Shadowing in Rimini: an indelible experience for some Polish teachers at the Scuola Maestre Pie

March 27, 2023

March 27, 2023

Last week our agency in Rimini “Sistema Turismo” hosted a group of four teachers from Poland within the Erasmus+ program...

“Virtual Classroom”: Erasmus + training course for four teachers from Bulgaria has been successfully completed

July 26, 2021

July 26, 2021

The training course “BIG BLUE BUTTON AND G SUITE TO IMPROVE DIGITAL LEARNING” of the Erasmus + KA1 “Virtual classroom”...

“Oh, Lisbon, my sweet home!”: Lisbon and the amazing Fernando Pessoa

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

We can say that Lisbon wouldn’t be the same without Pessoa and even that Pessoa, without its rare beauty and...

Erasmus+ 2022 call has just been published: 3.9 billion euros for mobility and cooperation

November 25, 2021

November 25, 2021

Today, the European Commission launched the calls for proposals under Erasmus+ call for 2022, following the adoption of the 2022 annual...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Newsletter