"“In most countries there is a consensus that quality assurance systems should be developed for the adult learning sector, and especially for the non-formal sector. Most countries are currently developing or revising their legislative framework for adult learning, putting more focus on quality assurance mechanisms. In the last few years, most countries produced white papers, communications, policy proposals and lifelong learning strategies in which they emphasise the importance of quality assurance. Nevertheless, the main challenge is to implement these strategies. Experience shows that it takes a long time to build consensus on the idea and content of quality systems”. Moving from this idea, PRALINE partners have set up a double action strategy that whilst rises the awareness of the importance of investing in Quality by initiating AL providers through a “Warming-up Strategy for developing a Quality Culture"", calls for a different mind-set offering an engaging tool, based on a bottom-up approach, friendly, able to ensure a focus on learning outcomes and aware of the different/flexible needs of adult learners: Peer Review. It combines self-evaluation and external evaluation carried out by ""persons of equal standing"" with the persons whose performance is reviewed: Peers. Already implemented successfully in iVET and cVET in previous EU projects by some of the partners it has proven easy to be used and coherent with the primarily informal approaches that characterise AL at large.PRALINE has worked to develop innovative and sustainable initiatives to support Adult Learning providers, specifically those of the non-formal domain, in approaching Quality Assurance in their organization and training provision. After three years of project implementation partners and the many organizations involved in the activities are more and more convinced of the importance of a strong Quality culture, intended as aware focus on learning outcomes, sector professionals' training, resources, models of management, organizational patterns, as a way to ensure the ""possibilities for adults to access high-quality learning opportunities, regardless of gender and their personal and family circumstances"". PRALINE multi-actor Consortium from IT, LT, AT, PT, MT, HU and FR has contributed to turn quality in Formal and Non-formal AL providers into practice by:• Designing the “Warming-up strategy for developing a quality culture”, based on a in-depth desk analysis of needs and challenges of the Adult Learning Sector, also integrated by the results of two level need analysis and implemented awareness-raising activities as part of the national Executive Plans• Adapting the European Peer Review Methodology for the AL sectors, developing ad-hoc Quality Areas (Criteria, indicators and sources of evidences)• Training 17 professionals during the Transnational training for trainers• training over 80 professionals during the Training for Peers at national level • Piloting the Adapted Peer Review methodology in 15 Formal & Non formal AL providers in IT, PT, LT, MT and FR• monitoring and assessing the results of the piloting through qualitative analysis and with the involvement of AL providers, learners, stakeholder and policy makers• Producing Recommendations for developing a quality culture and implementing peer review in formal and non-formal adult learning sector, based on existing policy documents and taking into account the most recent developments at EU level• Disseminating the results to over 10.000 people.The following Intellectual Outputs have been produced:O1 Warming-up Strategy for QualityO2 Tool-Box of the European Peer Review methodologyO3 Manual of the European Peer Review methodologyO4 Qualitative Analysis on the piloting of PR in ALO5 RecommendationsThe process of transferring and adaptation of the PR methodology, by producing Quality Areas and indicators adequate to AL sector, represents an innovative contribution to the European discussion on quality in adult learning and on the possibility of developing a common overarching framework for quality in education. To this regard, PRALINE has already assessed the coherency of the developed Quality Areas with the EQAVET+ indicators. In addition, the following long-term impacts are expected:- adoption of the methodology by CPIAs in IT and other organizations in partners’ countries;- insertion of the methodology among those recognised by the newly reformed QA system in France;- insertion of PRALINE approach and adapted methodology among the good practices by the Qualification and EVT Centre in LT;- continuing of reciprocal PRs among the piloting organizations in PT and LT;- new editions of Training for Peers already scheduled, also targeting professionals from countries external to the partnership.Follow us on www.praline-project.eu and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pralineproject/!"

The 'European Peer Review VNFIL Extended' project aims to extend the current European Peer Review for RVC methodology to more European partners in more countries, establishing Peer Review to complement and enhance the usual quality assessurance systems in Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning (VNFIL).Building upon the results of a series of previous European programmes, the project seeks to increase the transparency, market relevance, consistency and transferability of VNFIL across Europe. It provides in a common framework and tools for Peer Review for different Member State VNFIL systems and VNFIL providers to improve, monitor and evaluate their quality assurance policies and practices in a manner appropriate to their national/institutional context. On European level the project supports mutual trust in transnational use of VNFIL and alignment of Quality Assurance methods across Member States.Peer review – the external evaluation of VNFIL institutions/providers by Peers – is a promising instrument for quality assurance and development. It builds on quality activities already in place at a VNFIL institution/provider, it is cost-effective and it fosters networking and exchange between providers of validation of non-formal and informal learning.Transnational peer review in particular supports exchange between Member States and VNFIL providers. In the project, this is used to strengthen mutual trust and enhance alignment between Member States, working towards a common, standard framework for Peer Review on European level. The Peer Review VNFIL Extended project works with the Peer Review methodology and instruments as they have been developed in previous programmes. Most recently, in the EuropeerGuide RVC project, the Manual, Toolbox, and Quality Areas for Peer Review have been adapted to use in 3 countries. VNFIL providers and stakeholders in other countries have expressed a strong interest in adapting and implementing the Peer Review framework and its instruments. This project takes up further fine-tuning and transfer of the methodology to new countries through a number of capacity building activities directed at professional development of more VNFIL practitioners.In the project, 15 partners from 7 European countries conduct transnational Peer Reviews on VNFIL. To ensure continuity of approach and enhance transference, project partners are both organisations that have been involved with preceding programmes and new partners from new countries. All share the ambition to extend the results of the current project. Project partners are adult education- and higher education providers, VET organisations, and specialised VNFIL centres, companies and NGOs. Also organisations that impact national policies were included, as well as European umbrella organisations for learning.10 VNFIL providers get Peer Review feedback on their chosen European Quality Areas for VNFIL from national and transnational partners. The project enhances the quality and visibility of VNFIL-provision by making a complete inventory of current policies, QA systems and good practices, for all participating countries and on a European level. A reflection report provides in a scientific analysis of the added value of Peer Review, containing good practices and scientific information that can be used by VNFIL providers and national policy makers to underpin their choice for Peer Review in QA VNFIL. National strategy papers will be compiled to advise stakeholders in participating countries and European policy-makers on further development of their (trans)national quality frameworks on VNFIL. To further disseminate Peer Review VNFIL across Europe, the project provides in a practical peer review reader for interested providers and policy makers, and publish a policy paper on the outcomes of the project, indicating the added value of Peer Review for VNFIL providers and outlining opportunities for policy-making on a European level.To ensure long term impact the project supports the European Peer Review Association (EPRA) in setting up a sustainable network on Peer Review. This network starts up already during project implementation, when national coordinators and stakeholder committees are formed and, through (trans)national meetings and conferences, get involved by discussing relevant Peer Review inventories, national strategy papers and (European) policy papers. Further, the project provides in preparatory activities to formally set up a sustainable Peer Review Network. These include Business Model Canvas session(s) to develop a business plan for the Network, a Network database, a Peer Review register and Peer Review label. New and sustainable channels for dissemination and transference of the Peer Review methodology are thus an integral part of the project's outcomes. This enables the project to immediately influence, through the Peer Review Network, an emerging community of VNFIL providers and other stakeholders across Europe.

“Learning and education do not begin with compulsory schooling – they start from birth. The early years from birth to compulsory school age are the most formative in children's lives and set the foundations for children’s lifelong development and patterns for their lives. In this context, high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is an essential foundation for all children’s successful lifelong learning, social integration, personal development and later employability” (as states the Report of the Working Groups on ECCE under the auspices of the European Commission, Proposal for key principles of a Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care”, October 2014). The SEQUENCES project aimed at responding to the need to improve the quality of ECEC private and public services with adequate tools for the self and external evaluation of quality, by directly involving providers and relevant stakeholders as quality development partners. To be effective at providers’ level Quality Assurance systems must be implemented through a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down imposed set of requirements. The specific objectives pursued were:1. to promote a culture of quality and quality assurance approaches at ECEC settings level2. to develop ready-to-use tools for the self and external evaluation of quality, with transnational validity, based on the 5 quality areas (access, workforce, curriculum, monitoring & evaluation, governance & funding) as identified by the European Commission with the Proposal for key principles3. to come up with guidelines and recommendations for the key stakeholders, in order to support their acquisition of quality management mindset.The project brought together 8 partners from 7 countries - Italy, Romania, Ireland, Malta, Lithuania, Hungary and Belgium, namely: private and public ECEC providers - respectively Cooperativa SEM (IT) and Grădiniţa cu P.P Zâna Zorilor (RO), national-level education trade unions - Lithuanian Education Trade Union (LT) and Malta Union of Teachers (MT); a VET provider delivering continuous training to ECEC professionals, with professional expertise in Quality Assurance - FORMA.Azione srl (IT), academia with the Observatory Centre for Educational Development (HU) of the Corvinus University of Budapest; national policy-level non-profit organisations - Early Childhood Ireland (IE), EU networks of relevant stakeholders - European Parents’ Association (BE).3 Intellectual Outputs were developed:IO1 – SEQUENCES Toolkit for the Self and External Evaluation of Early Childhood Education and Care Provision with 34 tools distributed on the 5 quality areas and an additional Common Area, focused on quality management instrumentsIO2 – Training Curriculum and Related Didactic Materials for Quality Management in ECEC – including 34 learning activities, as well as team-building, needs assessment and evaluation activities and toolsIO3 – Multistakeholders Guidelines for the implementation of the Toolkit with tailored recommendations to the needs of different target groups.The main activities carried out can be summed up as follows:- distribution of a questionnaire on the quality in the settings and good practices that reached out around 800 respondents- 1 study visit in Dublin (IE) to identify and share good practices and to compare quality systems for ECEC services in various European countries - 1 training of trainers in Budapest (HU) aimed to learn and reflect on the SEQUENCES Toolkit in order to assure smooth piloting and test the training curriculum together with the didactic materials- 6 training sessions in IT, IE, LT, MT, RO and RS that involved a total of 108 ECEC professionals from 31 settings that served as preparation for the piloting activity- piloting of the Toolkit in the 6 countries, that involved a total of 112 professionals, 28 settings and indirectly 1673 children and their parents and families- 5 transnational project meetings in Perugia (IT), Vilnius (LT), Hamrun (MT), Cluj-Napoca (RO) - the visiting of ECEC structures in IE, LT, HU, MT, RO- 6 multiplier events and a round table to disseminate the Intellectual Outputs produced among 437 attendees- translation of the outputs in Italian, Romanian, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Serbian- communication and dissemination towards over 4.000 people.In terms of results, it is worth highlighting:- partners’ organisational improvements of their quality assurance systems and among their members in terms of developed competencies - raised awareness at local, national and European level on the importance of having efficient, effective and tested tools for the self and external evaluation of quality for ECEC provision and the importance of having a wide variety of stakeholders in the entire process- opportunity to learn from mobility activities for ECEC professionals who usually are less involved in this kind of actions.For more details, please visit: https://sequences-project.eu/

The 2012 Council Recommendation on validation encourages the Member States to put in place national arrangements for validation by 2018. These arrangements will enable individuals to increase the visibility and value of their knowledge, skills and competencies acquired outside formal education and training: at work, at home or in voluntary activities. This project was designed on the request from the real need of partners from Lithuania, Italy, Portugal and Greece. Strong partners with even more solid experiences will share their products developed via PROFI-VNFIL not only nationally but also internationally. The VNFIL process is only starting in Europe, so the products which partners are determined to develop are high at EU agenda. Project participants and beneficiaries: VET/AL providers, learners, teachers, trainers and other professionals involved in VNFIL, policy makers, employment officers, guidance counselors, researchers, regional and national authorities, social partners. Aiming to ensure the professionalization and well functioning of the high-quality system of VNFIL, the project partners have set such objectives: 1. Development of quality digital self-evaluation and self-analysis tool (E-portfolio) for candidates; 2. Professionalization of the VNFIL process – Training Programme for the training of VNFIL professionals; 3. Advocating in society and establishing National Strategy Papers for VNFIL. Quality based education, as well as high-standard and effective training, LLL, up- and re-skilling will be the necessary tools for grasping the job opportunities of the future and fostering competitiveness. The importance to Europe of skilled and knowledgeable citizens extends beyond formal education to learning acquired in non-formal or informal ways. Appropriate validation of competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning pathways (consisting of identification, documentation, assessment and certification) will bring their added value in the labour market. Short description of the results: 1. Compendium of existing innovative and effective validation practices and tools 2. E-portfolio for VNFIL candidates 3 Training programme for trainers /assessors, guidance counselors 4. National strategy papers (NSP) to support for VNFIL in VET Impact envisaged and the potential longer term benefits: Created tools will remain within the work culture of the organizations involved and will become a new way to implement strategic actions aiming at the building of efficient VNFIL systems. Self-evaluation and self-analysis, training tools will be available on the website and in the community of professionals. They can be used, replicated or adapted to new forms in unpredictable ways, reaching an indefinite number of people. The network of this project will also become a space where the organizations will be able to share its difficulties and its obtained results. Foreseen sustainability on the project: - Training program will be accredited. - E -portfolio will be used by partners and their networks even when the project will be finished. - National strategies and Compendium will be disseminated and use by the partners after the project end, to ensure VNFIL process professionalization. - All information will be published in partners' websites. - Project website with all intellectual outputs will be maintained by LETU at least 5 years.

Women constitute 52% of the total European population, but only 34.4% of the EU self-employed and 30% of start-up entrepreneurs are women. At the same time, for a large majority of years and countries for which data are available, women record a higher unemployment rate than men. The problem its much bigger for women over 40 years old, as it is even harder for them to find a job and enter (or re-ender) to the labor market.For women over 40 years old job seekers, getting a job is a challenge. When someone has been unemployed for a long time, he/she may face additional negative assumptions. Put together gender, age and prolonged unemployment is something which makes women over 40 years old a disadvanged group of citizens. Concerns employers have about older and long-term unemployed women job seekers are:- skills are out-of-date- expertise is out-of-date- cost outweighs their value- hiring riskFor the above reasons, a solution which an increasing number of women is mentioning is for them to be self entrepreneurs, focusing in e-entrepreneurship.Partnership of the project is composed of the following organisations:- Ylä-Savo Vocational College (Finland)- Errotu (Spain)- Eurosuccess (Cyprus)- Letu (Lithuania)- p-consulting (Greece)- Patras Women Union (Greece)Main objectives of Win on-line project are:- Better understanding of women expectations & needs in learning environments, concerning new technology and e-entrepreneurship;- Improved knowledge & use of pedagogical tools, new technology in educating women over 40 years old with low digital and entrepreneurial skills;- Exchange of good practice among partners;- Create the basic theoretical foundations for the implementation of education of digital and entrepreneurial skills to low-skilled and/or low-qualified women over 40 years old;- Get to know low-skilled and/or low-qualified women over 40 years old, as an diverse group of adult learners for whom education is being prepared according to their needs and for them.Primary target groups of the project are women over 40 years old (focusing to unemployed women), with low digital and entrepreneurial skills who want to be e-entrepreneurs, and through Win on-line project will gain necessary knowledge and qualificatons, will develop key competences for eentrepreneurhsip and adopt practical skills for creating their e-company.Secondary target group of this project are adult training organisations, teacher/trainers, who will have the opportunity to adapt and implement an innovative training program especially focused to women e-entrepreneurship.Short description of the results:- Compendium of existing innovative and effective practices and tools for women e-entrepreneurship;- On-line training programme for women e-entrepreneurs;- Mentoring to women to be e-entrepreneurs;- Manual to become a mentor of e-entrepreneurship;- Video faiming at elevating the status of women e-entrepreneurship.Impact envisaged and the potential longer term benefits:- Created tools will remain within the work culture of the organisations involved and will become a new way to implement strategic actions aiming at strengthening the e-entrepreneurship for women (especialy women over 40 years old);- Training methodologies and tools will be available on the website and in the community of educational providers, women associations and organisations for entrepreneurship. They can be used, replicated or adapted to new forms in many ways, reaching an indefinite number of people;- The network of this project will also become a space where the organisations will be able to share its best practices, tools, methodologies and diffculties and its obtained results.Foreseen sustainability on the project:- Training program will be used by partners and their networks even when the project will have been finished;- Manual to become a mentor of e-entrepreneurship will be used by partners and their networks;- Compendium will be disseminated and use by the partners after the end of the project;- All information will be published in partners' websites;- Project website with all interllectual outputs will be maintained by p-consulting at least 5 years.