The Leonardo da Vinci programme - Thematic monitoring

Thematic monitoring activities for the LdV projects are restarting for 2006 with the following objectives:

• To increase the visibility of the programme across the participating countries
• To organise exchange of experience meetings and publish updated compendia (with the help of external experts) of projects.
• To allow for mainstreaming of results and findings into national and European vocational training and education structures
• To assess results from projects and disseminate / exploitation of the best results in order to capitalise on the invested money

Based on the experience of the current thematic working groups (since 2004), the objectives of the previous calls and the issues of the present call (the first fully in line with the Copenhagen Declaration of November 2002), the 5 following thematic groups has been proposed:

1. VET and the labour market, guidance, target groups
2. Development of competencies and skills within companies, SMEs, competences at sectoral level.
3. Quality of VET systems and practices, continuous training of teachers and trainers;
4. Transparency of qualifications, validation of formal and informal learning, credit transfer
5. E-learning

Thematic Monitoring activities will be divided amongst five Thematic Monitoring Groups (TMG), consisting of participating LdV National Agencies. The lead of each of the TMG will be a National Agency. Each of the TMG will have a dedicated desks officer from DGEAC B5, that will assume a thematic responsibility and will participate fully in the work of the concerned group.

Two main activities have been launched in spring 2006:

1. A restricted call DG EAC 17/06 for proposals intended for the National Agencies has been published and proposals have been received and the selection process will be completed end of June 2006. The objective of the Call is to co-finance conferences and seminars in addition to extend some good practices of National Agencies, (including data bases of projects and products).
2. Helsinki Award for Best Practice Projects. During the Ministrial meeting in Helsinki 4-5 December an Award for Best Practice Projects will be presented for a selection of good-practice Leonardo da Vinci Procedure B and C projects with links to the Copenhagen Process. A survey of Leonardo da Vinci procedure B and C projects have been carried out where 32 LdV National Agencies and the Executive Agency have participated. 156 projects have in total been nominated.