Leonardo da Vinci Programme

The Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Project Practice Firm Trainers Training ran from 2012 to 2014. The programme was created in cooperation with Practice Enterprise (PE) national Central Offices (COs) from Italy, France and Lithuania in partnership with PEN Worldwide, based in Germany. At the time, there were over 4,500 Practice Enterprises (PEs) in 20 European countries.

The quality of learning at PEs depends on the PE Trainers and their skills: their ability to organize and moderate work, to motivate, encourage and empower students and equip them with the knowledge and skills required by their future employer and today’s labour market. PE trainers require ongoing professional development to be flexible with new ways of doing business and choose the right activities and tools to organize work at PEs. Prior to this project, most COs provided PE Trainer Training, but there was no exchange of knowledge, experience and practice among COs. The results of the project are an integral and sustainable PE trainer’s training programme which is available to all PE trainers. Current PE trainers training experiences and practices have been gathered, developed and adapted to the cultural and political environments of various countries, piloted and created into a final training programme. Using this programme, a trainer’s role in PEs changes from the more traditional role of instruction to the more complex one of helping the learning processes for learners who may differ greatly in terms of learning needs. Trainers’ responsibilities are broadened, including mentoring and counseling, and quality assurance.