Ερευνητικά Προγράμματα Κύπρου

Call for proposals

Pilot Project on long-term mobility for apprentices –

"A European framework for mobility of apprentices: Developing European citizenship and skills through youth integration in the labour market" - VP/2017/007

Objectives and description

In line with the 2016 Pilot Project on long-term mobility of apprentices, the ultimate goal of this call for proposals is to enable young apprentices to develop their skills and enhance their employability prospects, whilst also strengthening their sense of European citizenship. This will be done by testing different approaches for putting in place the necessary support infrastructure as well as the relevant institutional and contractual frameworks to assist with the placement of apprentices from the moment of departure abroad through to the return date.

In particular, actions should:

1. assess to what extent demand exists among relevant stakeholders for developing long-term (minimum 6 to maximum 12 months) transnational apprentice mobility schemes, and the uptake of such schemes;

2. identify obstacles (legal, practical, institutional, academic, etc.) that prevent apprentices from carrying out longer-term stays abroad;

3. identify and disseminate good practices and success factors for long-term work placements for apprentices.

Eligible activities

Grants awarded under this call for proposals will serve to finance activities designed to meet the above mentioned objectives and the specific activities set out in this section. This shall include the infrastructure and network development costs incurred by project beneficiaries, as well as the actual costs associated with the mobility experience of the apprentices (i.e. travel, accommodation, local transport and subsistence of the students abroad).

Projects should implement the following activities.

1. Identify the candidates for placements and ensure appropriate matching of their profiles to the labour demand needs of the host companies. This includes ensuring that the candidates possess a suitable knowledge of the host country language or receive adequate linguistic support prior to and during the mobility experience.

2. Organise induction/welcome sessions, pre-mobility training and (as necessary, see point 1) language courses.

3. Design and develop detailed learning agreements for the work placements of the apprentices, including relevant curricular content with clear learning outcomes, specifying the formal recognition provisions and listing clearly the rights and obligations of each party.

4. Organise the travel and accommodation of the selected apprentices, and bear the associated costs, i.e. outward and return travel from/to their place of origin, suitable accommodation and living costs during the mobility experience.

5. Put in place specific activities to facilitate youth integration in the host location thus fostering a sense of European citizenship among the apprentices.

6. Ensure that enterprises are ready to host and train the apprentices for the entire duration of their stay, ideally appointing a mentor for each apprentice.

7. Carry out a thorough assessment and evaluation at different stages of the placement experience, allowing for the identification of success and enabling factors to:

- ensure the participation of companies, in particular SMEs, and apprentices in long-term mobility placements;

- integrate long-term mobility experiences in another EU Member State into national apprenticeship curricula;

- ensure validation and recognition of the learning outcomes acquired through the mobility experience;

- overcome obstacles to long-term mobility of apprentices across EU borders.

8. Develop and test models for long-term exchanges of apprentices in enterprises.

9. Carry out a regular evaluation of all aspects of the apprentices’ stay abroad (including: preparation, integration, relevance of the training and skills acquired, sense of European citizenship, foreign language development, quality of the teaching and learning environment including testimonies by the apprentices themselves) and foresee feedback mechanisms to the Commission.

10. Identify the various types of public support for apprentice mobility in Europe and suggest possible avenues for optimising such support.

11. Develop and implement a communication and awareness raising plan focusing on the benefits of long-term apprentice mobility. The plan should be tailored to the interests and needs of the relevant labour market and VET stakeholders.

Eligible participants - Minimum conditions

To be eligible, the lead applicant, co-applicant(s) and affiliated entities must be public or private organisations active in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and properly established and registered in EU Member States.

To be eligible, actions must have the involvement of at least two applicants (lead and co-applicants) established in at least two different EU Member States. At least one of these organisations is a sending organisation and at least one is a receiving organisation that will provide the work experience. The sending and the receiving organisations must be in different Member States to ensure the transnational nature of the action.

The proposal may also involve so-called “associate organisations” from the public or private sector that contribute to the implementation of specific project activities or support the dissemination and sustainability of the project. Associate organisations are not considered as members of the consortium and they do not receive funding.

Funding conditions and duration

The total budget earmarked for the EU co-financing of actions under this call is estimated at EUR 2.841.856. As an indication, the requested EU grants are expected to be between EUR 300.000 and EUR 500.000.

The EU grant may not exceed 85% of the total eligible costs of the action.

The indicative duration of the project is 18 months.

Deadline of proposals' submission

The deadline for the submission of proposals is on 29 March 2017.

Applications must be submitted by using the electronic submission system available at https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/swim and by sending a signed, printed version of the application form and its annexes by post or courier service (one original dossier and one copy).

Further information

Please find attached the call documentation.

An information day for potential interested applicants will be held in 22 February 2017 in the premises of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium. For registrations: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/MobilityforApprentices

In case of questions, please contact: EMPL-VP-2017-007@ec.europa.eu

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=629&langId=en&callId=504&furtherCalls=yes

Kind regards,

Rosemary

Rosemary STREVINIOTI
Acting Executive Director

Head of Brussels Office
European Office of Cyprus
Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor
B-1000 Brussels
Tel./Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85
E-mail: strevinioti.rozamaria@ucy.ac.cy

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE CALLS IS PROVIDED AT REQUEST OF ANY INTERESTED MEMBER (based on the decision of 22.12.2016 of the EOC Administrative Council).