IWBLabs - Internationalisation of Work Base Learning in the AgriBusiness Sector

Context/background of the projectThe IWB-Labs project focus on the agribusiness sector and, with the purpose to increase students’ motivation, proposes the application of a Work-based learning (WBL) approach. The students will carry out virtual work experience s where they can apply, in a real work environment, the skills learnt at school. The work experience, which will be carried out at transnational level, will take the form of a virtual internship carried out at distance.ObjectivesThe IWB-Labs project aims to:•Motivate post-secondary VET students•Enhance the participation of Agribusiness managers in the training of the future human resources•Improve the internationalization of the training offer of the post-secondary VET providers•Develop a ICT platform for the internationalization of apprenticeshipsParticipating organisationsThe project partners actively worked to make the impact of the project on its target groups as relevant as possible. For this purpose they involved in the project activities:-123 companies for the virtual internships-57 companies for the other IOs’ development; -56 company managers; -26 VET Organisations-41 VET Trainers-2 075 students (almost 400 of them uploaded their CV on the virtual internship platform). -30 associated partners including companies, trade associations, NGO, public authorities, VET consortiums and universities.ActivitiesThe project activities will be organized in the following phases:Phase 1 - Repository of e-learning video lessons and interviewsThis phase was devoted to the creation of a repository of video lessons for the marketing of Agribusiness sector, delivered by managers and experts and providing VET students with specific knowledge, competences and skills coming directly from the market in order to be prepared to international work internships.Phase 2 – Guidelines for the organisation of internshipsThis phase was dedicated to the development of guidelines for the organisation of internships providing VET providers, students and companies with a package of easy to use guidelines and tools to effectively plan and manage internships.Phase 3 – On line platform for the organisation and management of virtual internshipsThis phase was dedicated to the creation of an on line platform for the organisation and management of virtual internships containing: the profiles of companies; the profiles of students; a monitoring tool; a database of assessment tools.Phase 4 - TestingEach of the deliverables produced was tested in the framework of specific events addressed to the project’s target groups. The testing phase allowed the collection of relevant feedbacks from the end users in order to further improve the deliverables produced and create results that are fully consistent with needs and expectations of the end users.Phase 5 - Training and Multiplier eventsThe project partners organized focus events addressed to the target groups in order to present the 3 intellectual outputs and involved the participants in a further discussion and reflection on the measures to enhance and improve the effectiveness of work based learning approaches in VET and in the organisation of transnational and virtual apprenticeships.Results and impact attainedThe main project deliverables include:-Repository of E-learning Video Lessons and Interviews-Guidelines for the Organisation of International internships-Platform for Virtual Internship The project impacted on: - VET TEACHERS providing them with innovative work based learning teaching methods for enriching their classroom lessons with Video based materials facilitating students understanding of what are companies expectations in real life business scenarios and motivate them students to finish their VET training pathsAlso the project implemented effective alternation between training and work through transnational apprenticeships and established fruitful cooperation with companies for organising international and virtual placements - VET STUDENTS who acquired knowledge, competences and skills in the fields of the latest trends in agribusiness and raised their awareness on the importance that companies give in the selection of their human resources.Students also got in contact with European companies of the sector in order to carry out transnational apprenticeships virtual or in person and also experimenting forms of teleworking- COMPANIES managers and trainers, by involving them in the creation of the Video collection of training contents. Companies reinforced their participation to the definition of VET training contents addressed to their future workforce, making sure that VET students get trained to be prepared to match their needs of human resources.Longer-term benefitsThe project outputs have a strong transferability potential and are expected to have long term benefits on the VET sector through a strong cooperation pattern between companies and Vet providers.