Lifelong Learning Centre Dolenjska (CVŽU/LLC Dolenjska)

Project duration period: 1. 1. 2008–31. 12. 2013

Partners

The implementation of the activities was enabled by 25 more associate partners.

Target group

All adult residents of the region, with a focus on vulnerable target groups such as the unemployed, retired, immigrants, adults with special needs, less-educated adults, convicts, dropouts, less-educated employees, etc. Particular attention was also paid to the Roma.

Summary (project goals and purpose)

During its duration, the project was one of the 14 lifelong learning centres in Slovenia. As the most extensive project in the field of human resources development in the SE region, it has contributed significantly to the inclusion of adults in lifelong learning during this period. Together with our partners, we performed different activities to motivate the adults in the region for greater involvement in lifelong learning. We provided the information, encouragement, guidance support and help, and we enabled many educational opportunities.

Within the project we implemented:

  • information and guidance for adults - ISIO at the Guidance Centre Novo mesto,
  • mobile guidance service for Roma adults,
  • guidance at the workplace,
  • lifelong learning dislocated spots,
  • online computer science learning,
  • project portal.

All project activities were free for the participants.

Project results

All project partners observe that the response of the residents in the region to the offer of the Lifelong learning Centre Dolenjska was enormous since we had over 63,000 participants involved in various activities in the period from 2008 to 2013, based on which we can assume that the proportion of the adult regional population involved (older than 15) was over 50%. This proves that the LLC is the right answer to the needs of the region and has contributed significantly to the development of adults’ competencies and to social inclusion. We expect to have an opportunity to implement the Centre's activities in the new funding period from the ESF sources.

The most important project achievements within the activities

Activity ISIO (Guidance Center Novo mesto)

Guidance and information activities were undertaken throughout the duration of the project in the entire region. The activities were implemented by the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto and the Adult Education Centre Kočevje. We were operating at the headquarters of the Guidance Centre Novo mesto (which is also the headquarters of RIC Novo mesto) and at 7 dislocations: Trebnje, Žužemberk, Šentjernej, Metlika, Ribnica, Kočevje and a mobile dislocation. We used the mobile dislocation to cover the towns in the region, which had shown the need for guidance services. In the period from 1. 1. 2008 to 31. 12. 2013 we carried out 24,366 guidance hours, and 9,989 adults were involved, for whom we carried out a total of 17,465 services. The planned indicators were exceeded by 40% as a result of good cooperation with the partners of the Guidance Centre, effective promotions, as well as an increase in demand for guidance due to an increase in the number of unemployed. In addition to individual services, the counsellors also carried out various workshops - 356 workshops involved 3,566 participants. In total, the activities of the Guidance Centre Novo mesto included 13,555 adults.

Much attention was paid to the quality of our services and, therefore, we met the standard requirements in accordance with the Model of assessment and quality development in guidance centres for adult education. The Guidance Centre Novo mesto, which has been operating since 2001, has always been associated with educational institutions and other institutions operating in the region in the field of human resources development and it is establishing a network of professional and strategic partners - the LLC network is one of the strongest in the region and it contributes significantly to the development of human resources and the achievement of its objective to become a region of knowledge and equal opportunities.

Within the project, the partners also carried out various professional and promotional events. The most notable was a consultation With a good partnership to assisting vulnerable target groups, Partnership cooperation for the successful integration of migrants in lifelong learning, Identification and evaluation of informally acquired skills in adult education, and Days of guidance centres. We actively presented our professional work at the national and regional consultations and conferences as well as at international meetings. Within the network, we have also developed the concept of the largest regional educational and employment event - the festival zaTE (forYOU), which has become traditional, since in 2014 we have carried it out for the third time. In total, within three festivals, which we carried out together with more than 110 partners, we offered 230 events for adults and recorded more than 4,000 visits to the festival events.

Lifelong learning dislocated spots (TVŽU/LLDS)

Lifelong learning dislocated spots were being carried out from 1. 1. 2008 to 31. 12. 2013 and were intended for motivating adults in the region for the dissemination and exploitation of different skills. We organised 20 permanent dislocated spots, and with an additional mobile dislocated spot, we made sure that we brought learning closer to other towns as well, where people themselves expressed their wish. This activity was carried out by the Centre for Education and Culture Trebnje, the Adult Education Centre Kočevje, the Institute for Education and Culture Črnomelj, and the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto.

The LL dislocated spots were implemented in the following towns of the region: Sodražica, Ribnica, Loški Potok, Kočevje, Kočevska Reka, Fara, Adlešiči, Semič, Metlika, Straža, Dolenjske Toplice, Žužemberk, Novo mesto, Šentjernej, Šmarješke Toplice, Škocjan, Trebnje, Šentlovrenc, Mokronog, Mirna, Šentrupert in Šmarjeta. Various lectures and workshops were carried out at the dislocated spots, aimed at acquiring skills for leisure, personal and professional development. We also implemented individual learning of computer science with the support of a mentor. At each spot, we provided at least one learning space with access to the Internet and, thus, to the materials and contents for e-learning and for the individual learning on the project portal and on other web portals.

The activities involved a total of 36,624 participants.

The implementation of LLDS (TVŽU) was enabled also by our partners, who provided the space for our activities (cultural centres, nursing homes, libraries, prisons, municipalities, companies, various associations ...), and volunteers - coordinators in the field who helped us organize and promote LLDS (TVŽU) in their towns.

Mobile guidance service for the Roma

RIC Novo mesto was carrying out the activity in the period from 1 9. 2008 to 31. 8. 2010, and then the activity was passed to the regular tasks of the Guidance Centre Novo mesto. During this time, the guidance included 250 participants, and we performed 524 services.

Within the framework of this activity, we tested the model of a mobile guidance service for the Roma, which was developed in the first project LLC Dolenjska and it represents an example of good practice in Europe. Predominantly, guidance was carried out in the Roma settlement Brezje, and occasionally also in other settlements (Poganci, Ob Potoku, Otočec, Škocjan, Šmihel). In doing so, we connected with our partners, especially with the Centre for Social Work Novo mesto, ESS, Regional office Novo mesto and primary schools including Roma children.

Guided blended learning of computer science in the online project classroom

The activity was being carried out by the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto and the Institute for Education and Culture Črnomelj, from 1. 1. 2008 to 31. 8. 2012. Various materials for learning computer science and other contents were available at the project portal for the inhabitants of the region.

Adults who have opted for online learning were provided with an introductory workshop where they were taught the basics of learning in an online classroom. While learning, the help of a mentor was available to them at all times.

Learning opportunities in the online project classroom have benefited 1,890 participants; in total, they were learning for 8,313. hours. Meanwhile, they covered 3,620 computer materials (basic Word, advanced Word, basic Excel, advanced Excel, Excel functions, Access, Internet and e-mail, PowerPoint). They also accessed other materials for individual learning, such as Let’s create a safe nest for children, Effective job search, Nordic walk, The basics of computing, Using public transportation to get to your doctor, Grandparents and grandchildren, Living healthily - medicinal plants, Book your own travels, The basics of computing, My journey to an occupation, How to prepare an e-material, Let's discover the treasures of the forest, Business plan, Non-verbal communication, Bees and honey, and Career planning.

Validation of informally acquired skills

The activity was carried out by the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto in the period from 1 9. 2008 to 31. 8. 2010 and it was focused on spreading the accessibility of employee guidance in cooperation with the Adult Education Centre Slovenia and under the auspices of the project Leonardo da Vinci - Transfer of Innovation, 2007 2009: "Guidance Merger 2 - Guidance in the workplace”. In the meantime, we have presented the possibilities of guidance services for the employees to various businesses and trade unions. The guidance involved 333 participants from the planned 120. We have worked mainly with the following companies: Dana d.d., Quiet, Mirna, Kovinotehna MKI, d.o.o., Adria Mobil, d.o.o., the Post of Slovenia, Revoz d.d., and Tilia, d.d.

After the end of the project, the activity was passed to the regular tasks of the Guidance Centre Novo mesto. At the same time, the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto joined the project Literacy Development and the Identification and Validation of Non-Formal Learning from 2009 to 2011, sub-project: Identification and Validation of Non-Formal learning, for the activity: The Development of Tools and Materials for the Identification and Validation of Non-Formal Learning, led by ACS.

In the period from September 2010 to December 2011, we, therefore, were testing the e-portfolio, developed by ACS, we participated in defining the stages, tools and methods in the process of the evaluation of the informally acquired skills, we presented our opinion on the placements of so-called evaluation counsellors into the activity of guidance centres and introduced a pilot evaluation and validation of informal knowledge to the LLC activity. The pilot group included 21 participants. The results of the pilot implementation were presented at the final conference of the ESS project Literacy Development and the Identification and Validation of Non-Formal Learning (Ljubljana, December 2011).

Project portal (www.cvzu-dolenjska.si)

Within the project we have developed the web portal www.cvzu-dolenjska.si, which promotes in one place the project activities and opportunities for learning in the whole SE region.

The portal, which has been maintained by the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto, using its own means after the project has finished, consists of websites and a virtual classroom. After the completion of the project, the website was maintained by the partner LokalPatriot, however, since 1. 1. 2014 it has been maintained by the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto. It is intended for the presentation of the project, individual activities and for informing the inhabitants of the region about the objectives of the Lifelong Learning Centre. Educational opportunities in the region are presented in the left menu (the database was prepared by the professionals in the project), while in the right menu one can find project activities, individual project materials, publications in the media, the designed promotional project materials; and it also displays the regional distribution of the activities in the project.

The online classroom, respectively, E-campus, was hosted and maintained by company B2 until the end of 2012, and then we transferred the project materials to the virtual classroom of the project in the Development and Education Centre Novo mesto.

The portal has recorded a total of 99,742 visits to the website in the period from 1. 1. 2008 to 31. 12. 2013, which means an average of 45.50 visits per day. Of this, each one looked at an average of 2.86 subpages, which means a total of 285,699 page views. Therefore, the portal has allowed free support for lifelong learning to a large proportion of the population of our region.

The project manager was Marjeta Gašperšič. Further information on the project is available at ric@ric-nm.si.

The operation was partly financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. The operation was carried out within the Operational Programme Human Resources Development for the period 2007-2013, developmental priority: Human resource development and lifelong learning; policy priorities: improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems.

 

Funding sources: the European Social Fund and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport

Financerji

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