FEIGHT - The eight solutions for fighting early school leaving in VET (funded by the LLP)

The tool is a guide for teachers working in VET schools and is divided into 4 modules:

Module 1: Training package for peer training for teachers and trainers

It provides two guidelines to teachers:

• Trainers’ training programme (68 pages) – explains the role of the peer educator trainer and assistance in training individuals to become peer educators through a series of six structured sessions.
• Peer Educator Training course – resource handbook (196 pages) – how to plan peer education training sessions and deliver a workshop when you are a peer trainer. It basically goes through facilitation techniques (e.g. ice breaking techniques; presentation skills; session planning; group attitudes, etc.).

Module 2: School for Sustainability method

These are guidelines presenting the methodology to be used to help VET students to work on a ‘real assignment’ (i.e. for a real client) that a partner organisation (IVN) implemented in the Netherlands. Students had to advise clients about sustainability issues. The guidelines look at how to recruit a client, a class (school) and an expert; how to find a partner school; how to formulate the assignment; how to ensure training and support for teachers; how to implement the project with students (defining their consultancy company). It provides tips at each stage of the implementation of the project.

Module 3: Collection of innovative teaching and training approaches and methods for reducing early school leaving in VET

Repository of activities that partners of the project used with trainers, teachers, as well as with young people. These include various arts and crafts activities, culinary activities, conflict resolution workshops, outdoor activities (‘away from school’), mind mapping activities, etc. Some of these activities are VET oriented especially those from the Turkish partner organisation DIMEM (e.g. organisation of a catering service for an event; design a business card for the manager of a zoo in the region, how to use a piston system effectively for dynamic machines, decrease energy consumption) but the majority is not as they are aimed to train the teachers working with VET students, not necessary directly the VET students. Overall, they are motivational activities based on the eight multiple intelligences.

Module 4: Quality procedures for fighting early school leaving in VET

Repository of some factsheets on how to fight early school leaving in VET, defining the different stages of implementation of an action. The quality procedures were piloted in different countries and results and adaptations on how to implement these actions are also given (see example below).

Results after implementing the procedure in Italy:

Step-by-step procedure adapted to the context where the young people live:

Step 1: The parents of young people up to the age of 18 who are exhibiting deviant behaviour or truancy or who are at risk of school failure apply for a place for them within the Community.

Step 2: The Director, his staff and tutors organise therapy (with a doctor) and counselling (with a psychologist) for the newly admitted boys and girls. The initial therapy lasts for one or two years. During this period the young people have to re-learn daily life habits regarding personal hygiene and good housekeeping. They are expected to contribute through basic tasks such as helping in the kitchen or gardens, working with young animals, internal organisation tasks or simple forms of work for local enterprises. The tutor informs all stakeholders and the families about the results of the therapy and counselling. Throughout this period all the guests of the community are asked to write down their observations and reflections in a diary and to discuss them with the director once a month.

Step 3: The staff, tutors and psychologist decide how much time a student needs for counselling. The entire procedure of empowering young people and giving them the means to reintegrate into collectives to which they belong takes between five and six years. During the second or third year of life inside the community the young people start to attend regular lessons and apply for examinations at the beginning of each school year. The counselling process is also very important during this phase in their life. Most of the young people successfully take a diploma and find a job in the surrounding area. Some of them ask to attend university.

Step 4: Conclusions from the counselling sessions are communicated to the class coordinator and recorded in a confidential psycho-pedagogical document, available only to the student, his/her parents and the class coordinator.