The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is one of the consortium partners developing a standardised practical toolkit to implement the European quality assurance framework for vocational education and training (EQAVET). 

The standardised toolkit is based on the international standard ISO 21001 ‘Educational organisations: management systems for educational organisations – Requirements with guidance for use’ and is targeted at stakeholder needs to help them adopt and implement the EQAVET criteria.

EQAVET became a European recommendation a decade ago, but its adoption by the VET market has yet to reach its full potential due to a number of causes. The scope of ISO 21001 includes all EQAVET indicative descriptors at VET provider level and provides more detailed requirements specifically targeted at improving key processes of education organisations/providers.

The KA2 Erasmus+ project VET21001: a standardised approach to implement the European quality assurance framework for vocational education and training provides the education sector with solutions that can mitigate those causes in order to increase EQAVET adoption by the VET/HVET organisations. The objectives are implemented by a consortium of six partners from four countries: Malta, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia.

Project deliverables/ Intelectual outputs (IO)

Partners will collaborate to deliver the following five intellectual outputs:

  • IO1: identify the difficulties of  EQAVET (e.g. in interpreting and/or implementing the EQAVET criteria);
  • IO2: determine adequate competence profiles for EQAVET implementers and evaluators;
  • IO3: design curricula that can be used as open-source pedagogic material for capacity-building training  programmes to  become EQAVET professionals;
  • IO4: determine the rules for an accredited certification scheme for EQAVET and joint EQAVET-ISO 21001;
  • IO5: develop a standardised practical toolkit that will simplify and support EQAVET criteria implementation by VET/HVET organisations.

MCAST’s role and promotional activities

MCAST leads the development of the VET21001 toolkit (IO5). This output is a manual divided into thematic chapters and composed of independent elements that are easily retrievable and applicable by users.  Based on ISO 21001, the consortium will develop a set of documented information to support the implementation of EQAVET.

This may include:

  • frequently asked questions (FAQs) and objectives, practical replies;
  • leadership documents to boost corporate identity, such as mission and vision statements;
  • quality principles and policy statements;
  • quality objectives and methodologies to define, monitor and achieve them;
  • strategic approaches to manage risk and sustainability.

MCAST  and some of the other partners will test elements of the VET21001 toolkit  to verify and validate the effectiveness of the EQAVET+ toolkit.

The consortium will publish the VET21001 toolkit with an ISBN on the project website as an open resource for download by users and will promote its work to the EQAVET network and the national EQAVET implementation authorities.

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VET21001 ERASMUS + PROJECT WEBPAGE