VALEU Project

Validation of immigrants’ vocational skills and competencies in tourism and services as an integration warrant in the EU (VALEU), Project Number 2010-1-BG1-LEO05-03082

Implementation period: 01.10.2010 – 30.09.2012 г.

The project is co-funded by the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the European Union.

Main objectives of the project

• To create a pilot methodology for recognition and validation of vocational skills gained through work experience and competencies acquired through informal and non-formal learning related to it as a tool fostering integration of immigrants and mobile workers in the new EU MSs.
• Transfer the best practices of professional skills validation in tourism and services for the purposes of vocational education in Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

The main activities within the project included:

• to study the needs and promote the opportunities for validation of work experience acquired in the home country so as to allow full-right integration of immigrants in the EU labour market
• to create a model procedure for validation and recognition of work experience and competencies as vocational qualification in tourism and services
• to develop a model training program for validation of foreign work experience and competencies as vocational qualification for immigrants in tourism and services
• to prove the practical implication of validation of prior work experience and competencies in tourism and services
• to publish and publicize the main research and innovation outcomes of the project of the stakeholders in the partner countries
• to promote and disseminate the project results

VALEU equips the partner countries with a working model for vocational skills gained through professional experience and competencies acquired through informal and non-formal learning connected to the professional experience in services and tourism that can be multiplied to other economic sectors.

Project Partners:

• International Management Institute (Bulgaria);
• International College (Bulgaria);
• FIC (Denmark);
• Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal);
• Ovidius High School (Romania);
• Mugla University (Turkey)