Making your skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood in Malta and Europe with

Training event for PSCD Teachers 17 th April 2015 This programme is funded with the support of the European Commission

Reality Check!!

• With 32 countries and some 740 million citizens, Europe’s Labour Force is becoming increasingly

competitive.

Competition for jobs is no longer limited to where you live. For every vacant post employers receive hundreds of applications

• The talent pool is constantly evolving • • University is the new high school. No one is going to pay you just for having a degree

• Informal and non-formal education is more accessible than ever before.

• We no longer have an excuse not to know how.

• To find and stay in employment job seekers need to stand out and clearly and effectively project their skills and competences.

• If your students fail to make the right first impact they will waste their opportunity!!! »

Are they going to make the cut?

CAN HELP US MAKE THE RIGHT FIRST IMPRESSION

What is Europass?

• Europass offers students a set of documents that helps reflect both their heterogeneity and complexity of their individual experience, skills and competences. • Supporting mobility and helping job seekers are the raisons d’être of Europass.

• Europass helps you as teachers to help students realise the different facets of their educational and personal profile. • Helps you to show students on how to inform employers in an organised and clear approach. • Encourages transparency and structured comparison of candidates. • Thus, it also helps the employer discover just what it is that makes your students the right persons for the job.

• Thus: – By setting out one’s skills and qualifications – acquired by formal and non-formal learning – in a clear and understandable way throughout Europe,

Europass facilitates communication between job seekers and employers and act as mediator between the worlds of education and training and the realities of the labour market.

In times of high youth unemployment this is a considerable asset.

5 documents

• • • • • Europass CV Europass Language Passport Europass Mobility Document Europass Diploma Supplement Europass Certificate Supplement

The Europass CV

Are your students finding it hard to bridge the gap between education and employment and find a job?

A badly organised CV may be the culprit

HELP THEM INCREASE THEIR CHANCES of MAKING an INTERVIEW SHORTLIST. PROMOTE the EUROPASS CV

The Europass CV

• A tool with harmonised structure and outfit. • Aim:- To make featured information transparent and comparable.

• • Not all Europass CV will look the same. The ECV allow for flexible individualisation of its format. Every user will make the CV unique (all headings are optional) by presenting information according to his/her preferences and needs.

New Europass CV Template

1. New graphical identity: clearer differentiation of sections, simplified headings...

2. New headings: personal websites/blog/instant messaging accounts – frequently used by youngsters to give a full picture of their skills in communication, self-assessment of language skills can now be completed with a list of language certificates. 3. More flexible and further structuring of headings.

•

The Europass CV can be created ONLINE

Europass offers the possibility of a user-friendly online editor whereby students can easily write their CV. • Writing the CV online allows your students to regularly update their CV without having to issue the document again.

• Available in all 24 languages, including Maltese • The traditional templates are still available.

https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/ editors/en/cv/compose

Now also available for the visually impaired.

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/a ccessibility/en/cv-template/

The Europass Language Passport

• After gaining skills and competences in languages you can help students create their own language biography with the Europass Language Passport • Details their language proficiency regardless of whether that proficiency was attainted formally or informally.

The Europass Language Passport (ELP)

• Summarises the holder’s linguistic identity, language learning achievements and intercultural experiences. • Includes the holder’s self-assessment of his/her own language competence.

• Done according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

• There are 6 levels: • A1 – Breakthrough • A2 – Elementary • • B1 – Threshold B2 – Vantage • C1 – Effective Operational Proficiency • C2 – Mastery

• Self-Assessment has to be carried out in relation to 5 skills: » Listening » » » » Reading Spoken Interaction Spoken Production Writing

Objectives

• • • • Encourages the lifelong learning of languages, to any level of proficiency.

Makes the learning process more transparent and to develop the learner’s ability to access his/her own competence. Facilitates mobility within Europe by providing a clear profile of the owner’s language skills. Contributes to mutual understanding within Europe by promoting plurilingualism and intercultural learning

Why should students use the ELP?

• • • • • Keep a record of all their language learning, whether it takes place inside or outside the education system. It develops their capacity to plan, monitor, & evaluate their own learning Documents their language learning achievements Collect evidence of their language skills Record significant intercultural experiences

How to create a ELP?

• • • The completed ELP is saved on the computer students are using. Updates and amendments are easy. It does not require validation • Note: Data cannot be viewed by 3 rd parties and it is not saved on the Europass servers.

Going on Erasmus or an exchange?

Help them make use of the Europass Mobility Document

• If students are to participate in an activity abroad as part of their schooling experience or extra-curricular activities then they can benefit from the

Europass Mobility Document

• It records the skills and competences acquired in another European Country while on: • An academic term as part of an exchange programme • Training or work placement in a company • A voluntary experience...

Who can apply? And how?

• • • Individual applicants cannot apply directly. All applicants must be made by an organisation on behalf of an individual.

To apply visit: http://europass.eupa.org.mt/documents/

To be filled in electronically

• • The mobility document is then validated by the National Europass Centre. The NEC is responsible to ensure that – Europass Mobility Documents are only released to record European learning experiences – Completed in line with the instructions provided • The Maltese National Europass Centre is hosted by the EUPA.

Europass Mobility Document – 5 Different Sections

• Section 1: The Mobility Document’s holder personal information

• • •

Section 2:

Europass Mobility number & Issuing date Issued by the National Europass Centre.

Without these, the Europass Mobility Document is not valid.

Section 3:

Information on the sending and hosting organisation  This table is not valid

without the signatures and stamps of the two reference persons



Sending partner:

organisation initiating the mobility experience in the country of origin  Host partner: organisation receiving the holder of the Europass Mobility document in the host country

•

Section 4:

Description of the mobility experience • • • • • Specify the objectives of the Europass Mobility experience; example: • To acquire a first work experience in an international environment • • To validate a semester in a foreign university to obtain a joint degree To acquire a first international experience in the hotel sector before starting formal training Give a description of the initiative during which the mobility experience is completed Specify, if relevant, the qualification (certificate, degree, or diploma) to which this experience/training leads Specify the programme (Erasmus+ Key Action) in the context of which the mobility experience is organised And the duration of the Europass Mobility experience.

•

Section 5.a:

Skills and Competences Acquired • Headings (29a) to (38a):- Provide a description of the activities/tasks carried out and of the skills and competences acquired by the holder during this experience.

• Headings under section 5.a. allow you to input information regarding any job related and computer skills, language skills, and organisational and social skills that you might have acquired during your experience

Date and signature • • This section specifies the date on which the above sections (Table 5.a) was completed.

This table is not valid without the signatures of the mentor and holder of the Europass Mobility document.

Section 5.b. Record of courses completed and individual grades/marks/credits obtained • You need to fill this if students are undertaking the experience as part of your university studies.

Is it useful?

• A study conducted in Germany between 2011 2012: – A great majority of the holders see the Europass Mobility document as useful and state that it is a valuable recognition of their individual skills gained abroad. – “The Mobility Document is able to document the learning outcomes in a more detailed way than a working certificate.” Michelle Knipping – Hairdresser’s apprentice in Florence, Italy

Europass Experience

• • Similarly to the Europass Mobility Document, this newly developed document will enable students to describe and record skills acquired in the workplace and through non-formal or

informal learning experience both locally and abroad.

Supports the recent European recommendation on the Validation of non formal and informal learning.

Why?

• Helps them find a job or training in Malta or abroad. • Obtain formal validation and recognition of learning outcomes acquired in non-formal settings. Note: Not official certification of learning outcomes.

Europass Diploma Supplement

• • Graduating? – The University of Malta sends its graduates to the labour market with a decent documentation portfolio including the

The Europass Diploma Supplement

MCAST is issuing the EDS to students graduating in Level 6 and 5.

• Describes the knowledge and skills gained throughout higher education.

• Additional information to that included in the official degrees/diplomas/transcripts...making it more easily understood, especially by employers or institutions outside the issuing country.

Europass Certificate Supplement

• • • Complements the information included in vocational qualifications It is not a substitute for the original certificates It, however, makes it easier for 3 rd parties to understand the content of vocational educations and training certificates.

Provides information on:

1. Skills and competences acquired 2. Range of occupations accessible by the holder 3. Certification and accreditation 4. Level of certificate 5. Assessment method (grading scale and pass requirements) 6. Further training level accessible 7. Agreements for international recognition of the qualification 8. Legal basis 9. Type of training (school/training centre-based/workplace) 10. Duration 11. Requirements to enter the training

The ECS helps

•

Job Seekers

studying/training to explain to an employer what skills they have learnt while •

Employers

to understand if an applicant has the skills relevant to a position, especially when a qualification was achieved in another country.

Is it useful?

• The 2011 Commission’s internal survey indicated that especially young workers with limited work experience see the Certificate Supplement as an

asset

job.

when looking for a

•

It’s time for the Europass Skills Passport

Once students have issued the necessary Europass documents, you can now help them create the

The Europass Skills Passport

• User-friendly electronic folder assembling all documents and certificates that attest to their qualifications and skills, acquired in formal and non/informal setting.

How to create the Europass Skills Passport?

• Online – Similarly to the Europass CV and Europass Language Passport. • The skills passport can be attached to their CV – providing real proof of the qualifications and skills listed in the CV.

More information

• • National Europass Centre: http://europass.eupa.org.mt

Find us on: • European Europass Website: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/home