Euromob is an online tool that is developing in the context of the EUROMOB project with the aim to identify, measure, and recognize the skills that learners have acquired during their mobility program in a European country, with the acknowledgment of companies and education institutions.
Approximately 50 thousand young students engage in international mobility for a traineeship every year through the Erasmus+ program. The benefits of these academic activities are recognized at all levels including inter-personal and professional competencies. Students, the direct and main beneficiaries of such initiatives, become aware of the added-value for their employability and the number of applicants is increasing at a rate over 10% per year.
A key concern with regards to this type of mobility – mobility for an internship/traineeship – relates to the certification of the acquired skills and competencies. Internships/traineeships evolve in an environment that is quite distinct from traditional classroom settings. Several characteristics of traditional classroom environments are not observed in internship/traineeship activities thus preventing the use of similar assessment and certification mechanisms. In general, the following internship/traineeship activities characteristics are not observed in traditional classroom environments:
- students are enrolled for a short period of time
- involved in practical tasks to perform certain activities (highly practical)
- formal assessment, written exams, and the like are not expected either welcome
- companies, in general, internship/traineeship hosts, are more focused on results than on student assessment
- companies are not willing to spend time on academic/educational assessment tasks
These circumstances demand new approaches to certify the skills and competencies acquired by an increasing number of students during an internship/traineeship.
The European Center in Training for Employment – ECTE, is participating in the EUROMOB project consortium, for addresses the development of recognition of skills and qualifications with the objective of enhancing youth employment opportunities. Youth employability is considered as the main priority in Europe and the optic of the project is to reduce the breach between graduates and companies through direct recognition of skills.
