The Grass IS Greener on the Other Side
Posted: July 10, 2014 Filed under: Erasmus+ | Tags: Ecorys, Erasmus+, KA2, Partnerships, volunteering Leave a commentCooperation and teamwork is more important than ever as we seek to create opportunities and lasting experiences in the fields of education and training. Ecorys UK’s Birmingham office houses some of the delivery team for the Erasmus+ UK National Agency, in partnership with the British Council. On July 4 the team were able to apply the principles of the new programme in its annual commitment to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Office attire was left at home in exchange for garden greens as staff spent a day volunteering at Ackers Adventure.
‘Chip off the Old Block’ Ecorys UK staff hard at work maintaining the public footpaths.
Erasmus + Webinars: Behind the Scenes
Posted: April 4, 2014 Filed under: Erasmus+, Social media, Uncategorized | Tags: adult education, Adult Learning, application, Ecorys, Erasmus+, funding, guidance note, KA1, KA2, opportunities, Partnerships, VET, vocational education, Webinar 1 CommentNow that our successful round of application guidance webinars has come to a close, we thought we would share with you an exclusive look at their ‘inner workings’.
Over 30 Erasmus+ sessions focusing on Adult Education and Vocational Education and Training took place over a period of three months, with 779 delegates taking part – and from a broad range of sectors.
The webinars provided participants with a general overview of the funding opportunities available to their organisation under Erasmus+ and gave guidance on the registration and application process.
A typical comment was:
“Good clear content, excellent delivery. Obvious knowledge of subject, much appreciated.” – VET webinar participant
Supporting applicants, Nicola refers to the real time questions whilst presenting.
At Ecorys UK we ran sessions giving tailored application information and detailed guidance on completing the relevant KA1 and KA2 application e-Forms. The real-time chat box allowed participants to fire off their questions to the moderators as the presentation was delivered, creating good engagement between the presenters and participants. Read the rest of this entry »
Searching for Success
Posted: March 21, 2014 Filed under: Erasmus+, Leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, Transfer of Innovation | Tags: apprentices, awards, digital, education, Erasmus+, european commission, leonardo, Lifelong Learning Programme, networking, Partnerships, Transfer of Innovation, vocational education Leave a commentSearch engines provide a conundrum of possibilities that often give you more questions rather than answers; questioning the most appropriate and reliable content to source. For businesses expanding trade it is important to be able to find the right information to understand business culture with your international partners as with students searching for work placements online.
The 2014 European Search Awards celebrates the very best in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Digital and Content Marketing from around the world. So recently we were delighted to hear that a Lifelong Learning Programme project had been recognised as part of the awards. Shortlisted in the category; Best Use of Search-Third Sector is buisnessculture.org. The website is part of the Passport to Trade 2.0, Transfer of Innovation project launched by University of Salford Business School to provide business culture guides. These include social media etiquette for 31 countries, information on online and face-to-face networking and trade, plus not to mention practical advice for students considering placements abroad. Read the rest of this entry »
My first LLP event: 2013 Transfer of Innovation Start-Up Seminar
Posted: October 18, 2013 Filed under: Transfer of Innovation | Tags: Birmingham, Lifelong Learning Programme, partners, Partnerships, Transfer of Innovation Leave a comment
As a newcomer to Ecorys, I was excited to be involved with my first event: the Transfer of Innovation Start-Up Seminar for 2013 projects at Austin Court. Based just minutes from the Brindley Place canal district and within walking distance to Birmingham’s newest attraction – Europe’s largest library – delegates were able to experience the city before a day devoted to providing information on what they can expect over the next two years…
The event itself had an interesting mix of new and experienced project managers, all hoping to learn something from the specialised presentations and panel discussions.
Upon arrival, guests were presented with a delegate pack which included a range of informative publications, designed to help manage a TOI project. The seminar represented the last LLP event in its current form before the transition to Erasmus+ from January 2014.
2013 Call Leonardo and Grundtvig partnerships start up seminar!
Posted: October 8, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig, Leonardo | Tags: grundtvig, Ikon Gallery, leonardo, Partnerships 3 CommentsLast month was an exciting time for the Leonardo and Grundtvig partnership team as they held the final start-up seminar for 2013 projects under the LLP. Rufna Khatun from the team takes us through the event which over 100 people attended at Austin Court in Birmingham.
Hello and welcome!
We started the event by introducing all our partnership team members. It was particularly enjoyable as it allowed us to meet with project beneficiaries in person and to put a face to a voice we had spoken to at the end of the phone! We wanted to give our beneficiaries plenty of information on how to successfully manage a small cooperation partnership project. But secondly we also wanted them to help us mark a milestone and celebrate the final start up seminar for partnership projects under the Lifelong Learning Programme.
Read the rest of this entry »
Making partnerships possible in Erasmus+
Posted: October 1, 2013 Filed under: Erasmus+ | Tags: Lifelong Learning Programme, llp, partners, Partnerships, Transfer of Innovation Leave a commentThis week, we’re looking at making partnerships possible in Erasmus+, the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. Partnerships are changing, but there are still many relevant lessons to be learned from the LLP. To help guide you through these changes, one of our Transfer of Innovation projects shares their flexible approach to partnership working along with other tips for future aspects of partnerships in Erasmus+.
The key to partnerships in the new programme is flexibility. But what benefits can this bring? Made possible under Key Action 2, Co-operation and Innovation for Good Practices, projects will be able to not only work across all sectors, but set their own activities and work plans in line with policy. Smaller organisations will also be more involved as different sized partnerships will be available for any organisation working in education, training and youth. In the future one organisation will lead the partnership, similar to the current model used in Transfer of Innovation Projects. So looking ahead to Erasmus+ we asked Lisa McMullan, development manager at The Women’s Organisation, to share the benefits of being lead partner in the E-Business Enterprise Learning project which develops learning resources to support women-led small businesses…
21st century grand designs
Posted: September 6, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig | Tags: grundtvig, Lifelong Learning Programme, Partnerships Leave a commentFrom the Houses of Parliament to St Paul’s Cathedral, London has some of the world’s most historic landmarks. But how do you make such prestigious heritage sites accessible for all in the 21st century? One of our Grundtvig projects has been looking at just that and the importance of inclusive design.
A cruise along the Thames © CAE
‘Universal Design: Barrier-Free Environment was a two-year Grundtvig partnership between disability and access organisations from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain and the UK. The project aimes to promote inclusive design and help local authorities improve access to their towns and public spaces. The Centre for Accessible Environments, (CAE), a leading authority on inclusive design was the UK partner and tells us more about the project…
Read the rest of this entry »
2011 Call Grundtvig and Leonardo Partnerships Final Report Seminar – a celebration of achievements
Posted: July 24, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig, Leonardo | Tags: co-operation, good practice, Lifelong Learning Programme, Partnerships Leave a commentWith the deadline for the final reports for the 2011 fast approaching, the Leonardo and Grundtvig Small Scale Co-operation teams organised a seminar designed to help beneficiaries along the way. Leonardo and Grundtvig Project Administrators, Magdalena Dushanova and Maria Miranda, put together this blog about the day to help prepare and advise on final report content.
Magdalena (far left) and Maria (third from left)
Celebrating success
The aim of the Final Report Seminar was simple: to provide support and guidance to UK partners and explain the purpose of the final report and the impact it could have on future partnerships. Over 90 people attended the event held at Austin Court in Birmingham on 18 June which included presentations from members of the Leonardo and Grundtvig teams on:
-What the report should cover
-How to use the European shared database
-How to disseminate the success of projects through different media
Taking action on Erasmus+
Posted: July 3, 2013 Filed under: Erasmus+ | Tags: actions, co-operation, Erasmus+, Lifelong Learning Programme, mobility, Partnerships, policy 3 CommentsIt has been an exciting time over the past week as the new programme for education, training, youth and sport has been confirmed as Erasmus+. During the transition to the new programme which is due to start in January, we want to be with you every step of the way. We’ve put together some new resources all about Erasmus+ and to answer some of the key questions you may have going forward…
Sharing your success
Posted: June 19, 2013 Filed under: Grundtvig, Leonardo, Uncategorized | Tags: Adult Learning, Final Report Seminar, funding, grundtvig, Lifelong Learning Programme, llp, llpukecorys, Partnerships 1 CommentOur Grundtvig and Leonardo Partnerships team have been busy this week hosting their Final Report Seminar at Austin Court in Birmingham.
The event provides projects with clear guidance on completing their Final Report, as well as the opportunity to share their best practice with other organisations from across the UK and meet the National Agency team to discuss any queries.
As part of the Communications Team, I was delighted to be invited along to talk to projects about how they can share their success, with information on the types of dissemination activities and opportunities open to projects throughout their funding journey.
We produce a wide range of guidance notes including ‘Sharing Success’ and ‘Making a Difference’. Projects can also feature on the projects around the UK map on our website, and in our newsletters and publications.
Social media is a great way of getting the latest project activities out to a large audience. We have a guidance note and online resource for projects wanting to explore the different platforms and ‘Get Connected’. Projects can also follow us on Twitter @llpUKecorys, like us on Facebook, and we have a blog where we regularly feature project case studies, films, quotes and even poetry!
Many of the projects at the event are already well underway with their dissemination activities and it was inspiring to hear from some organisations on how they are using social media at events to engage their audiences.
With the projects coming to the end of their lifecycles, dissemination activities are important for raising awareness and demonstrating the impact of their project achievements and outputs. If you would like to share your success and have any tips to offer other projects for dissemination, please leave your comments below!
Information on the Final Report Seminar will be available shortly on our website.
llpUKecorys 