Inroduction to eGuide

What is eGUIDE?

eGUIDE is pilot project funded under the European Union Community Leonardo da Vinci II Programme with duration 24 months between oct 2005 and sept. 2007.

The project represents a Quality Assurance Framework and related Model of Web Based Assessments for the Guidance of Disadvantaged Job Seekers into Initial Vocational Training.

This project is based on the learning from the Leonardo da Vinci Pilot Project CHOICES (LEONARDO DA VINCI - PILOT PROJECT – No. IRL/02/B/F/PP – 119118), which aimed to pioneer the development of an Assessment Centre tailored specifically to facilitate the guidance, assessment and development needs of disadvantaged job seekers in the area of ICT. Quality guidance is essential to disadvantaged job seekers who are attempting to access VET. Members of this target group are very often unaware of their own abilities and aptitudes; furthermore they are also unaware of the options available to them in the VET system. Consequently they often end up in low paid, low income jobs with little chance of progression or training, or they find themselves on training courses for which they are unsuited. Conversely it is recognised by the members of this partnership who deal with disadvantaged job seekers, that access to a structured comprehensive guidance process leads to progress into appropriate vocational training and education both within and outside of the workplace.

If Europe is to meet the strategic objective for the European Union to become the world’s most dynamic knowledge –based economy, with more and better jobs and greater social inclusion by 2010 it will be important to develop quality approaches to guidance into VET for those disadvantaged job seekers such as early school leavers, lone parents, unemployed people, disabled people, people with a record of drug abuse or criminal convictions, ethnic minorities, those with little of no educational qualifications and indeed anyone who currently finds themselves excluded from the quality jobs market.

eGUIDE specifics aims:

-The research and development of a Quality Assurance Framework for Guidance into Initial Training
-The design and development of a Battery of Guidance Assessments, specifically aimed at disadvantaged job seekers/those in and out of low skill employment. The assessments will be interactive computer based assessments with audio-visual aspects to ensure usability with the client group as demonstrated by research on the CHOICES project. This Guidance package will be developed based on the Quality Assurance procedures identified and will be used as a model to test and implement the Quality Assurance Framework
-The design and development of a web based framework within which the guidance tools can operate

Target groups

Guidance practitioners and Initial training providers working with Disadvantaged Job Seekers in Employment Services, VET organisations, Employing organisations. Disadvantaged Job Seekers

Expected Outcomes

• Quality Assurance Framework for the guidance of disadvantaged Job seekers – including quality assured policies, procedures & indicators
• Model of guidance to meet the requirements of the QAF
• Battery of 6 computer/web based assessments/ guidance tools
• Web Laboratory
• Practitioner Manual for use with the assessments
• Series of user friendly leaflets
• Research Report
• Publicity Brochure