Guidelines for Development of the Direction Employment Model Curriculum

Background

The Direction Employment Curriculum is intended to address the needs of the target audience for the innovative model of education and training proposed. It aims to raise the employability of students who undertake it, as well as ensuring that they overcome the disadvantages of belonging to groups that are marginalised or excluded from society.

The best way to meet those two objectives is to prepare and deliver an innovative education programme that will provide skills focussed on areas where there are job vacancies, and to give overall training in diversity and inclusion, as well as soft skills, job searching, application and interviewing techniques.

It has been established by desk research that there are shortages of workers in the IT sector, with a particular need for entry level ICT workers. Therefore, the DE curriculum will cover introductory ICT skills, and general literacy, both digital and for speech and writing in English. In addition, the curriculum will cover awareness and behavioural skills that promote diversity and inclusion in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and global and digital citizenship The final element of the curriculum will cover job seeking, application and interview skills.

Target Audience

According to the project proposal “The project will unleash the potential of NEET youth, suffering from multiple discrimination (i.e. Roma, LGBTI, refugees, single mothers, disabled)

Training Methodology

The consortium proposed to develop “an experimental model for youth education, based on progressive pedagogy, integral and gamified methodologies”…..that would “contribute to promoting the values of diversity and inclusion in the labour market”

Precise project objectives promised in the proposal:

> “To create the 4.0 DE educational model with experimental and innovative curriculum”

> “To test the educational model in different contexts and with different target groups, whose marginalization based on intersectionality make their access to the labour market very difficult”

> “To establish the mobile classroom model for training trainers at regional level” to replicate the model nationally and internationally.

With these criterial for the audience and the curriculum, the project outcomes can be achieved.

Project outcomes

> Improved employment situation of NEETs/target group

> Increased participation in education and training of former NEETs/target group

> Innovative approaches on lowering youth unemployment have been developed or adopted

> Increased number of NEETs/target group experiencing social inclusion

Individual Partner Landscape

Given the criteria for curriculum and target audience outlined above, the individual circumstances of each partner must be taken into account in the development of a curriculum that it is feasible to deliver in their country, and the selection of a suitable and available target audience. In some partner countries the focus will be more on a higher specification of Learning Outcomes to meet the needs for employees for the local job market. Likewise, some partners may have to rely on more traditional teaching and learning methods in the first take-in of students, but their experience will contribute to the overall development of the innovative DE Educational Model.

Each partner will produce a custom curriculum and description of target audience that is suited to their local circumstances, supported by a narrative justifying the approach they have taken. AS the project progresses, the target groups will include more of marginalised groups and associated curriculum, so that the outcomes of the project are achieved.

Curriculum

The curriculum will be:

> suitably structured for the achievement by learners of the stated learning outcomes

> flexible, to provide choice to learners so that learning opportunities are suited to their individual educational and training needs

> guided by objectives that are clear to learners and to the tutors

Training Facility

The training facility will:

> Have sufficient physical resources to implement the programme as planned, including:

> suitable premises and accommodation for the learning and human needs (comfort, safety, health, wellbeing) of learners

> suitable information technology and resources (including educational technology and any virtual learning environments provided)

> printed and electronic material (including software) for teaching, learning and assessment

> technical support

> administrative support

> company placements/internships – if applicable

Teaching and Learning Strategies

There will be sound teaching and learning strategies in place for the DE Curriculum, which:

> support achievement of the intended programme/module learning outcomes

> provide authentic learning opportunities to enable learners to achieve the intended programme learning outcomes

> facilitate monitoring/supervision of learning

> provide individualised guidance, support and timely feedback

> include novel and innovative strategies and methodologies to engage the target audience of learners who may have been alienated by the education system previously

Assessment Strategies

The DE Education Model will provide sound assessment strategies that:

> are undertaken consistently with assessment guidelines and conventions in place nationally in each partner country

> are fair and consistent to ensure the minimum intended learning outcomes are acquired by all who successfully complete the programme

> include formative assessment to support learning

> include appropriate summative assessment

> cover a range of methodologies like written and oral examination, portfolio, projects etc

> provide sample assessment instruments, tasks, marking schemes and related evidence