The Training course for Trainers (TfT) is one of the elements of the Intellectual Output number 2 of Senior Plus project. Led by the UK partner View from Here ltd, the IO is aimed to put the theoretical and content basis for the Training Courses for 50+ participants, that will be held in the first semester of 2017.
In Cantalupo in Sabina, in the region of Rome (Italy), 2 trainers for each Senior Plus partner joined the TfT, where Jonathan Bowyer (View from Here) with the support of Cemea del Mezzogiorno organised the training activity from the 7th to 12ve of July 2016.
“How could I summarize the Training for Trainers experience this summer? Let’s say I can do it in 3 words: empowering, interesting and pasta!” (Pauline, France)
The Municipality of Cantalupo, that supported in the past some of its 50+ citizens in transnational mobility projects, took care of all the logistic and cultural aspects of the event. Thanks to the presence of young EVS volunteers hosted by the municipality, it has been possible to organise some brief and intense cultural pathways in Cantalupo and in the wonderful neighbourhood villages. Lunches prepared by local volunteering association of seniors and the choice to explore, during dinners, the taste and the specialities of Sabina’s area, completed the comfortable hosting atmosphere accompanying the multicultural group social time.
“We worked more broadly on how to accompany seniors in the use of an innovative tool: the e-portfolio.” (Delphine, France)
After going deeper on principles and values underlying the work with seniors, the group investigated the 2 main types of public the S+ trainers will refer to: seniors and employers. Different expectations, different languages, 1 bridge: the E-Portfolio. They worked out the potential elements of a portfolio, starting from different situations and approaches, focusing on possible evidences for life skills, training and working experiences.
“I learned a lot about the work with the seniors and how to empower them. The overall point of the training we are going to handle is, on one hand to help senior realize by themselves the skills and experiences they already have and, on the other hand, support them highlight these skills and experiences while applying for a job.” (Pauline, France)
They passed through Senior Plus project‘s structure in order to define the different implementation phases: participants identification, selection, preparation, training course, support…. Before to jump into the project essentials, they revised their expectations and identified their questions for further development. They focused on trainers’ competences for running a training course: what knowledge, competences and attitudes are needed from a trainer to accompany and to facilitate the process of a training pathway. Senior Plus training format designed by View from Here was the intellectual common base to work on, but the TfT was aimed to develop ownership among S+ trainers. They merged project aims, process needs, internal constraints (organisation) and external constraints (job orienteering, employment services, local laws about unemployment) in order to fine-tune a common Senior Plus Programme.
“The TfT gave us a lot of tools, dynamics and exercises that we didn’t know about, various possible approaches for the training and general awareness of the way to run it.” (Margarita & Isabel, Portugal)
Once the group has evaluated the level of common understanding about the training courses for seniors and the consortium expectations within the project, their contribution started to be really concrete and went on tools and practices that can be adopted to reach the TC’s aims. Online resources and the role played by the Senior Plus ToolKit got clarified. How to read internal competences and how to communicate them through the e-portfolio, without forgetting an analysis of what the job market is asking? So market and marketing have to be integral part of the training pathway design and need to be adapted to the local reality. Senior Plus TC for seniors will have a common structure and a common training format and will contain, at the same time, important elements of flexibility to function in all realities/markets.
CEMEA del Mezzogiorno onlus
Staff
Rome, 26th of September 2016