Capacity building in the field of vocational education and training (VET)
Capacity building projects are international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations active in the field of VET in Programme and third countries not associated to the Programme. They aim to support the relevance, accessibility, and responsiveness of VET institutions and systems in third countries not associated to the Programme as a driver of sustainable socio-economic development.
Through joint initiatives that foster cooperation across different regions of the world, this action intends to increase the capacity of VET providers - especially in the fields of management, governance, inclusion, quality assurance, and innovation – so that they are better equipped to engage with private sector/enterprises/business associations to explore employment opportunities and jointly develop responsive VET interventions. International partnerships should contribute to improving the quality of VET in the third countries not associated to the Programme, notably by reinforcing the capacities of VET staff and teachers as well as by strengthening the link between VET providers and the labour market.
It is envisaged that the capacity building projects VET contribute to the broader policy objectives that are being pursued between the European Commission and the third countries not associated to the Programme or region concerned, including Global Gateway investment packages.
Objectives of the Action
Specifically, the action will:
Thematic areas
Features that characterise capacity building in VET include some thematic areas presented below. Proposals should focus on one or more of the following themes:
In addition, applicants can cover thematic areas that are not presented above. These must demonstrate that they are particularly appropriate to meet the objectives of the call and identified needs.
Activities
The activities proposed must be directly linked to the objectives and thematic areas of the action, i.e. they must correspond to one or more of the thematic areas listed above and they must be detailed in a project description covering the entire implementation period.
In the context of this international worldwide action, project activities must focus on building and strengthening the capacities of organisations active in the field of VET principally in the third countries not associated to the Programme covered by the action.
Funded projects will be able to integrate a wide range of cooperation, exchange, communication and other activities including for example:
In case learner and staff mobility activities are proposed, these should contribute directly to the objectives of the project and be strongly embedded in the project logic as a whole.
The proposed activities should bring an added value and will have a direct impact on the achievement of the project results.
Regional priorities
The budget available is divided between different regions of the world (i.e. Western Balkans, Neighbourhood East, South-Mediterranean countries, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Caribbean) and the size of each budgetary envelope is different. Further information on the amounts available under each budgetary envelope will be published on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (FTOP).
The EU has set a number of priorities regarding geographical balance and specific objectives. In addition, organisations are encouraged to work with partners in the poorest and least developed third countries not associated to the Programme.
The regional priorities set for this action are the following:
If the application involves one or more ETF (European Training Foundation) partner countries1 , the proposal should provide evidence of responding to ETF recommendations formulated in the relevant Torino process2 regional reports3 .
Western Balkans
Neighbourhood East
South-Mediterranean countries
Sub-Saharan Africa
Latin America
Caribbean
In case the above regional priorities are addressed, projects will have to demonstrate how and to which extent they do so.
Setting up a project
A capacity building project in the field of VET consists of four stages:
Please note that while preparatory activities can start before the proposal is submitted or selected for funding, costs can be incurred and activities be implemented only after the signature of the grant agreement.
Participating organisations and participants involved in the activities should take an active role in all those stages and thus enhance their learning experience.
Identification and initiation
Identify a problem, need or opportunity that you can address with your project idea in the context of the call; identify the key activities and the main outcomes that can be expected from the project; map the relevant stakeholders and potential partners; formulate the project’s objective(s); ensure the project’s alignment to the participating organisations’ strategic objectives; undertake some initial planning to get the project off to a good start, and put together the information required to continue to the next phase etc.
Preparation, design and planning
Specify the project scope and appropriate approach; outline clearly the methodology proposed ensuring consistency between project objectives and activities; decide on a schedule for the tasks involved; estimate the necessary resources and develop the detail of the project e.g. needs assessment; define sound objectives and impact indicators (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound); identify project and learning outcomes; development of work programme, activity formats, expected impact, estimated overall budget; preparing a project implementation plan and a sound and realistic communication plan including strategic aspects of project governance, monitoring, quality control, reporting and dissemination of results; defining practical arrangements and confirmation of the target group(s) for the envisaged activities; setting up agreements with partners and writing the proposal etc.
Implementation and monitoring of activities
Carrying out the project implementation according to plans fulfilling requirements for reporting and communication; monitoring ongoing activities and assessing project performance against project plans; identifying and taking corrective action to address deviations from plans and to address issues and risks; identifying non-conformities with the set quality standards and taking corrective actions etc.
Review and impact assessment
Assessing project performance against project objectives and implementation plans; evaluation of the activities and their impact at different levels, sharing and use of the project's results, etc.
Furthermore, where appropriate, and in proportional terms, projects are expected to:
Horizontal aspects to be considered when designing your project
In addition to complying with the formal criteria and setting up sustainable cooperation arrangement with all project partners, the following elements can contribute to increasing the impact and qualitative implementation of capacity building projects throughout the different project phases.
Applicants (coordinator and full partners) are encouraged to take these opportunities and dimensions into account when designing their project.
Inclusion and diversity
The Programme supports projects that promote social inclusion and aim at improving the outreach to people with fewer opportunities, including people with disabilities and people with a migrant background, as well as people living in rural and remote areas, people facing socio-economic difficulties or any other potential source of discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. The projects will help addressing the barriers faced by these groups in accessing the opportunities offered by the Programme, as well as contributing to creating inclusive environments that foster equity and equality, and that are responsive to the needs of the wider community.
Environmental sustainability
The Programme supports awareness-raising about environmental and climate-change challenges. The projects are encouraged to develop competences in various sustainability-relevant sectors, green sectorial skills strategies and methodologies, as well as future-oriented curricula that better meet the needs of individuals. The Programme also supports the testing of innovative practices to prepare learners and VET providers to become true agents of change (e.g. save resources, reduce energy use and waste, compensate carbon footprint emissions, opt for sustainable food and mobility choices, etc.).
Digital dimension
The Programme supports digital transformation plans of primary, secondary, vocational education and training (VET). It fosters the purposeful use of digital technologies. This includes the development of digital pedagogy and expertise in the use of digital tools, including accessible and assistive technologies and the creation and innovative use of digital education content.
Common values, civic engagement and participation
The Programme supports active citizenship and ethics in lifelong learning. The projects should offer opportunities for people’s participation in democratic life, social and civic engagement. The focus will also be on raising awareness on and understanding the European Union context, notably as regards the common EU values, the principles of unity and diversity, as well as their cultural identity, cultural awareness and their social and historical heritage.
Which are the criteria to be met to apply for a capacity building project in the field of VET?
Eligibility criteria
In order to be eligible for an Erasmus grant, project proposals for capacity building in the field of VET must comply with the following criteria:
Who can apply?
Any public or private organisation active in the VET field and legally established in an EU Member State or eligible third country associated to the Programme (please see Part A of this Guide). Organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme cannot be coordinators. The coordinator applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project.
What types of organisations are eligible to participate in the project?
Each participating organisation must be active in the field of VET or in the labour market. It can be involved as full partner, affiliated entity or associated partner and must be established in an EU Member state or third country associated to the Programme (please see Part A of this Guide), or in an eligible third country not associated to the Programme (please see below).
Eligible third countries not associated to the Programme for this action:
Exception: organisations from Belarus (Region 2) are not eligible to participate in this action. Type of eligible organisations can be (non-exhaustive list):
Associated partners can participate to the extent it is demonstrated that their participation brings an essential added value to the project (e.g. implementation of specific project tasks/activities or support the dissemination and sustainability of the project). For contractual management issues, associated partners are not considered as part of the project partners and do not receive funding.
Number and profile of participating organisations
Capacity building projects are transnational and must involve at least 4 organisations (coordinator and full partners) from minimum 3 countries:
The consortium must include at least one VET provider at non-tertiary education level.
The number of organisations from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme may not be higher than the number of organisations from eligible third countries not associated to the Programme.
Affiliated entities and associated partners are not counted in these above requirements.
Venue of the activities
The activity must take place in the countries of the organisations participating in the project except in duly justified cases related to the objectives of the action. In addition, if duly justified in relation to the objectives or implementation of the project:
Duration of the project
Projects should normally last 12, 24 or 36 months (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment). The duration must be chosen at application stage, based on the objective of the project and on the type of activities foreseen over time.
Where to apply?
To the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Call ID: ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CB-VET
When to apply?
Applicants have to submit the grant application by 28 February at 17:00:00 (Brussels time).
Other criteria
Only one proposal per deadline can be submitted by the same coordinator. If more than one proposal is submitted by the same coordinator, only the one submitted the earliest will be taken into account while the other(s) will be automatically rejected.
Applicant organisations will be assessed against the relevant exclusion and selection criteria. For more information please consult Part C of this Guide.
Expected impact
The granted projects should demonstrate their expected impact by achieving the following results:
Award criteria
Each proposal must answer in part B of the application all points listed under all four award criteria presented below.
Relevance of the project - (maximum score 30 points)
Quality of the project design and implementation - (maximum score 30 points)
Quality of the partnership and the cooperation arrangements - (maximum score 20 points)
Impact - (maximum score 20 points)
To be considered for funding, proposals must score at least 60 points (out of 100 points in total).
Furthermore, they must score at least half of the maximum score points for each of the four award criteria mentioned above (i.e. minimum 15 points for the "relevance of the project" and the "quality of the project design and implementation"; 10 points for the "quality of the partnership and the cooperation arrangements" and "impact”).
In cases where two or more applications have received the same total score (ex aequo cases), priority will be given to highest scores for "relevance of the project" and then “impact”.
Additional information
The acceptance of an application does not constitute an undertaking to award funding equal of the amount requested by the applicants. The funding requested may be reduced on the basis of the financial rules applicable to the action and the results of the evaluation.
As a general rule, and within the limits of existing national and European legal frameworks, results should be made available as open educational resources (OER) as well as on relevant professional, sectorial or competent authorities’ platforms. The proposal will describe how data, materials, documents and audio-visual and social media activity produced will be made freely available and promoted through open licences, and does not contain disproportionate limitations.
What are the funding rules?
This action follows a lump sum funding model. The amount of the single lump sum contribution will be determined for each grant based on the estimated budget of the action proposed by the applicants. The granting authority will fix the lump sum of each grant based on the proposal, evaluation result, funding rates and the maximum grant amount set in the call.
The EU grant per project will vary from a minimum of 100.000 EUR to a maximum of 400.000 EUR
How is the project lump sum determined?
Applicants must fill in a detailed budget table according to the application form, taking into account the following points:
Proposals will be evaluated according to the standard evaluation procedures with the help of internal and/or external experts. The experts will assess the quality of the proposals against the requirements defined in the call and the expected impact, quality and efficiency of the action. Following the proposal evaluation, the authorising officer will establish the amount of the lump sum, taking into account the findings of the assessment carried out. The lump sum value will be limited to a maximum of 80% of the estimated budget determined after evaluation.
The grant parameters (maximum grant amount, funding rate, total eligible costs, etc.) will be fixed in the Grant Agreement. Financial support to third parties is not allowed. Volunteer and SME costs are allowed. Please refer to Part C of this Programme Guide, section 'Eligible direct costs'.
The project achievements will be evaluated on the outcomes completed. The funding scheme would allow putting focus on the outputs rather than the inputs, thereby placing emphasis on the quality and level of achievement of measurable objectives.
More details are described in the model Grant Agreement available in the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (FTOP).
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1 Except Belarus and Central Asia countries that are not eligible under this action.
2 The Torino Process (TRP) is a participatory process leading to an evidence-based analysis of the vocational education and training (VET) policies in a country. Introduced in 2010 and carried out every two years, the Torino Process provides a snapshot of the state of development of VET systems in the ETF’s partner countries, an overview of progress made and priorities for the future.
3 https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/policies-human-capital-development-southern-and-eastern; https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/policies-human-capital-development-eastern-partnership-etf; https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/policies-human-capital-development-south-eastern-europe-and
4 https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/global-europe-programming_en
5 As above
6 As above
This will involve * Surveys to establish the presence or otherwise of CAD subjects in VET programs being offered in the countries in focus (e.g., Nigeria) * Developing curricula ...
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