For over two years, an international consortium of four European countries has been working hard on the implementation of the project "PADAWAN generation: A joint virtual environment and a new methodology to improve the competences of the three key involved parties in the process of work-based learning", co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European union. The leading organization is a consulting and training company from Spain, and partners are organizations from Spain, Italy, Germany, and from the Bulgarian side, the Association "Culinary Arts and Hospitality" from Dobrich participates in the team.
The "PADAWAN generation" project aims to support learners in the vocational education and training system - to improve the quality and applicability of their soft skills, business - to improve the competencies of learners, and society as a whole.
In the European project, the main focus is on learning in a real work environment within vocational education and training (VET). For this purpose, three intellectual products have been developed - the PADAWAN European Internship School, a training course for the acquisition of soft skills and a Handbook for company mentors.
The PADAWAN European Apprenticeship School (EASP) is a collaborative virtual environment where the training system will be implemented through an innovative methodology targeting interns/apprentices, company mentors and VET trainers. It will be managed by the training centers or hospitality companies where the trainee is interning. The built collaboration platform is designed to provide a 'space' and mechanisms to facilitate the processes of planning, conducting and evaluating practical learning. It enables teachers from the VET system, on the one hand, and company mentors, on the other, to monitor the practical training of the student or trainee, and to conduct effective communication with each other, through specially developed communication protocols.
The platform houses all the training materials developed under the project, providing learners and apprentices with the necessary resources to further acquire "soft" (transversal) competences, aimed at improving their employability after completing the training. Materials developed under the project are available after registration on the platform.
The established European PADAWAN Community is а free communication environment where all participants in the work-based learning system (at the European level) can register and be in constant contact, sharing experiences, documents and know-how. The learning materials developed for the benefit of trainees in the field of hospitality have also been uploaded to the platform.
Within the framework of the project, a training course "Transversal learning modules for the acquisition of "soft" key competencies in the hospitality sector" was developed, supporting the trainees during their professional training. The course focuses on six soft competencies: efficiency and time management; creativity and problem solving; interpersonal communication and empathy; leadership and teamwork; stress management and digital competences. Each training module enables trainees/apprentices to acquire and further develop these skills by providing short theoretical training combined with practical examples and exercises derived from real working situations in the tourism and hospitality industry.
To improve dual training in Bulgaria, and to support the mentors involved in the practical training of interns and apprentices, a Handbook for company mentors has been prepared. It collects ideas and approaches on how mentors can deal with challenges in their daily work.
All developed products are available at the following link: http://padawan-project.eu/community/ressources/
