Skills for Life

Project description

“Skills for Life – Orientation Toolbox for Life Design” is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership in the field of vocational education initiated within the European StartNet network and lead by the Goethe-Institut.

The project aims to empower educators to provide early orientation and Life Design Skills to young people between 13 and 14 years. The project consortium consists of the Goethe-Institut (DE), Aliseo Liguria (IT), Scoala de Valori (RO), Tracé Brussel (BE), the City of Mannheim (DE), as well as the BIBB – German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (DE) as an associated partner. Between October 2020 and March 2023, an ‘Orientation Toolbox for Life Design’ will be designed. It consists of:

An on-line self-evaluation tool to help students discover their strengths, weaknesses, priorities, interests and personality types, as well as to start considering how these may relate to different professional profiles; A board game, available both offline and on-line, to help students match their own characteristics and those of different job profiles and economic sectors in a playful way;
A series of teaching modules that educators can easily implement in their respective teaching environment, enhancing the awareness and skills of the students;
A half-day training to teach educators to deliver these activities, also available as on-line training modules;
A user-friendly Impact Assessment Methodology that will enable educators to measure the impact and efficacy of their interventions.

All of tools will be freely accessible on-line in five languages: Dutch, English, German, Italian as well as Romanian, and will be designed for easy usage beyond language or cultural barriers. Moreover, the project will raise awareness – among local, regional, national and European stakeholders – of the need to introduce guidance and orientation to students at a younger age, and will promote its outputs as an efficient and effective means of meeting this need.

The Toolbox will be jointly implemented, used and promoted by all project partners. Furthermore, outcomes will be disseminated to school directors, educators, counsellors, local authorities, Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholders.

In the longer term, the project will help to bridge the gap between education systems and a labour market in constant evolution. As a result, young people will be better prepared to envisage their future, to seize new opportunities and be more resilient to constant change and continuous transitions.

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