29 November - 2 December 2023 | Leitrim
The eWBL project had a third successful face-to-face transnational partner meeting, held in Ireland last week. The gathering saw all six partners meet to reflect and discuss the project's progress since it began in 2021. Building on the initial case study research and the creation of the eWBL Framework, the project recently unveiled a pilot version of a practical eWBL toolkit designed to empower higher education institutions with essential knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality eWBL.
Following the partner meeting, consortium partner Momentum Educate + Innovate facilitated a comprehensive 3-day workshop. Six Master Trainers from Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and Slovenia engaged in role-play exercises and other hands-on activities to pilot test the new eWBL Toolkit. The immersive experience aimed to familiarise the Master Trainers with the Toolkit and Training programme in time for the scheduled program that they will undertake in their respective countries in 2024.
The eWBL Toolkit, based on and aligned with the eWBL Framework guides users through five phases of work-based learning incorporating digital elements and learning points for conducting online WBL. The capacity-building training offered ideas and learning points for master classes, lesson plans and activities to effectively transfer this knowledge to the Master Trainer's national participants. The Master Trainer's valuable insights, experience and feedback are vital to enriching the Toolkit for the next phase of training.
Starting with the Design and Preparation stages the group set expectations and objectives to ensure participants' readiness for eWBL. HR Industry expert, Darerca Flynn ably led the trainers through the importance of the Onboarding phase and brought in aspects to consider such as socialisation, networking, buddy systems and well-being. The Delivery and Assessment phases examined the day-to-day monitoring and management of internships. The important assessment process, viewed as both ongoing and final feedback, was thoroughly explored to equip trainers with the necessary tools for effective implementation.
The success of the training event was made possible through the warm hospitality of Momentum. The partners expressed their gratitude for hosting an event that not only facilitated learning but also fostered a collaborative spirit among the participants.
As the eWBL project continues to evolve, the Master Training workshop sets the stage for a broader dissemination of knowledge and skills of eWBL. Equipped with the eWBL Toolkit, the expectation is that higher education institutions will be better equipped to navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunities presented by work-based learning in the digital age.
