SVAClub – Specialist Virtual Assistants Club  "Where virtual staff meet virtual employers"       

Specialist Virtual Assistants Club has been established in 1999 and is committed to filling the professional virtual services gap on the Internet as a portal bringing together professional virtual assistants for serving virtual employers both individually and in coordination. The reason behind this initiation was to form a club where virtual staff could meet virtual employers professionally. That is why the name of the club contains "specialist".

Since the main consideration is the "virtual services" which can be rendered electronically and supplied over the Internet, the confidence of both the service buyers and the service sellers in this business is very important. This confidence is achieved by first establishing mutual trust and an understanding that both parties will practice proper business ethics. There are further main criteria in virtual services such as task cost, quality and completion time. The relative priority of these criteria are determined by the parties on a case by case basis.

The main categories of SVA's are:Engineering, Drafting & Detailing, Software Development, 2D - 3D Graphics, Multimedia, Translation, Word Processing, DB Management, Other Office Utilities, Service Agents & Offices Abroad, Advisors. All these main categories also have various sub-categories.

IT&E – Integrated Training & Employment of disabled people in computer aided drafting, detailing and graphics

The IT&E pilot project aims combined vocational training and e-employment of technical and computer oriented disabled people with mobility limitation in computer aided drafting, detailing and graphics. Therefore, the target group of the project was people with disabilities who are familiar with computers and have technical capabilities and/or orientation; and the target sector was engineering drafting, detailing and graphics.

TourEast – Training of Unemployed Middle Age Women for Employability in Tourism Sector.

The idea of the project TourEast is the collaboration of partners from regions where the tourist industry is more developed with partners from regions where this branch is on its way towards becoming one of the most important sectors with a big market potential.

There are many middle-aged women who lost their job and have got big problems to find a job. They are experienced, hard working and precise, they have a sense for details and are also skilled in organising matters. They live mainly in regions afflicted by restructuralisation and they are among the most disadvantaged groups of unemployed people. Yet these women can very well use their work experience, working habits and features for new work, especially in the tourism branch.

These middle-aged women are being trained via informal learning (e-course) in some skills they already have, but they also develop them even further: communication, negotiation, presentation. They are also learning about the marketing and various services.

Agro-MAC VET – Multi Actor Cooperation for Vocational Education and Training in the Agro-food Sector

The aim of this project is to provide a framework for new farmers, re-training farmers or people willing to become a farmer; by taking a multi-actor (university – enterprise-stakeholders) approach and to create tools applicable to vocational education & training institutions, and also to SMEs and individuals (farmers). In this framework both the existing work force and the upcoming farmers can be trained and certified in the areas of contemporary agriculture, environment and the production of “healthy and safe” food, not excluding the financial guidelines for start-up business.

As a product of Agro-Mac VET project, a Generally Recognized As Minimum (GRAM) Curriculum of agricultural vocational training, required for all professionals (farmers), seeking certification is proposed.

Counseling - Vocational & Career Orientation

This mobility project was realised with the collaboration of Calugareni Agriculture High School from Romania, Ataturk Anadolu Vocational Training High School and Kecioren Agricultural Vocational Training High School from Turkey.

The visitor school is a technological rural high school, with many students who come from the less developed environment (poor, without possibilities)  who need the orientation and guidance in the social life and in the professional activities. Hence, a good orientation of pupils to future professions may lead to a qualitative growth of quality at personal and professional level.

Through the mobility, a cooperation was obtained between Romanian school and the schools from Turkey and this experience offered the teachers plenty opportunities of learning and improving the knowledge and skills in the area of counselling and vocational and carrer orientation. Also the participants had acces to the innovative practices which is practised in this area.

AGRI-Culture – Integrated Agricultural and Cultural Activity for developing knowledge, skills and competences for future specialist in horticultural plant culture

This LdV mobility project was realised with the collaboration of POINT, The Calugereni Agricultural High School from Romania and Alata Horticultural Research Institute (Erdemli,Turkey). Students coming from Romania performed practical training and cultural activities during their visit.

As a result of this mobility project, the students obtained the competences, knowledges and abilities which can permit them a professional development at European level. Since Alata Horticultural Research Institute uses modern techniques and methods in horticultural plants culture, this allowed the pupils to assimilate the quality knowledges, but also to be familiar with modern methods of work in this area.

APL-Bud – Towards a Qualified Construction Workforce for Poland

An international partnership from 7 countries has developed a system for Accreditation/recognition of Prior Learning (APL) for the Polish construction industry.

The partnership developed and piloted practical mechanisms for assessing and certifying the competences: gained by Polish construction workers through on-job experience in Poland, but not formally certified, of Polish construction workers returning after working outside Poland, of foreign construction workers working (or intending to work) in Poland.

Web infrastructure of final conference in Brussels as well as Web site maintenance were performed by us.

BE CuLT eXTeND – Basic E-Cultural and Linguistic Training - Extended Version

BeCult extend is a FREE online multimedia learning tool for young people in vocational training in the hospitality, retailer and tourism sector and is the successor of the Becult project. The tool is a learning platform where young people can prepare themselves lingually, professionally and culturally for a placement in another country.  The learner can thus become familiar with the “unknown” reality of a working environment, before leaving home. BeCult extend reproduces in a virtual world real work places in Germany, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Italy, France, Estonia and the Netherlands with their specific linguistic and cultural settings.

The learning program is designed as a preparation and as guidance for a job-related stay abroad and as a help for continued learning and as a communication tool after the placement. It provides an insight into general cultural aspects as well as work-related particularities and allows the learner to become familiar with the language in the professional context. It uses attractive methodologies like appealing video clips, games and exercises especially designed for young people, thus strengthening the learners motivation.

Safestart – Basic Safety Training for Jobseekers and Temporary Workers. Translation and dissemination in different Member States

SAFESTART is a European partnership which aims to enhance work floor safety through the development of a user-friendly e-Learning training course, enabling users to prepare at their own pace for the exam in order to obtain the B-VCA or VOL-VCA certificate that is mandatory in some European countries.

Safestart - the European portal for vocational training on health and safety at work - offers an on-line e-learning course which serves as preparation for the official VCA exam; covers all the subjects which may come up in the official exam, so that course participants perfectly prepared to take the exam in an approved centre in order to gain their B-VCA certificate. During the course period, participants are being distance-mentored by an experienced tutor to whom they can address, via e-mail, any questions and comments they may have. Safestart course also give participants the option of completing exercises and taking a mock exam (at the same level of difficulty as the official exam) as many times as they like.

HeLPS Transfer – Helps for High Training and High School"

Is a project originates from the possibility to transform an e-Learning excellence initiative into the drive of an actual transformation and enhancement of knowledge, models, methodologies, school-university didactic-educational systems and professionalization of the e-Learning sector, in Italy and Europe.

The general aim of the HeLPS Transfer project is: “To transfer the results of the HeLPS Project in the framework of High School, University and Post-University High Training through the specialization of the training pathways developed by the project on the basis of the needs of the two reference sectors, the linguistic localization and structural adaptation of the main products and tools realized  by HeLPS and the training and orientation of school and university operators”.

The results obtained from the studies are compiled and the volume entitled “From Didactic to e-Didactics” is published with annexed CD-ROM in all the localization languages and in English, both in hardcopy and e-Book format. Also the HeLPS Portal is localized in all the partnership languages and integrate and maintain it with the results of HeLPS Transfer.

Oeno-MAC – Multi-Actor-Cooperation training at all level for integrated sustainable development of the European viti-vini sector from the vineyard to the glass

Is an LdV VET project, aims at developing (design, development, test, validation, dissemination, promotion, guidance) innovative vocational training approaches, materials and tools to the integrated agro-food Sector "from the grape to the glass" based on the MAC environment. (Multi-Actor-Cooperation. involving all actors at all levels.)

The Oeno-MAC coaching solution primarily provides tools and training materials to the trainers/technicians/intermediairies to train and coach the farmers (Vine aspects), the Wine producers and the health or innovation actors in relation to Wine and Vine sectors. 5 key topics which have been chosen to build the Oeno-MAC coaching solution are: Vine cultivation: exchange of good practice and varieties; Wine production + recent changes in regulation and techniques; Bottling, labelling and other containers; Health, gastronomy and safety; and Business and rural developments. These topics are also mapped against identified European job profiles and an EQF (European Qualification Framework) approach. Modules, training materials, etc. are also defined to fit with the design of a European Credit system in Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) related to these job profiles and EQF approach.

IT-CALL – Integrated Training for Efficient Employability of Disabled People as Call Center Representatives

The main theme of the project was to develop and enhance the intercultural dialogue while exchanging the ideas, experiences and good work practices background which forms the knowledge of different participating organisations; to search present status of employment of disabled people in call centers and home based employment, to search present status of communication technology permitting home based call center employment; to develop a non-formal training and guiding for call center employment including practical hints for general necessary qualifications and to develop an informative outline for organisations running call centers.

Through this project, an informal training and guiding curricula for call center employment targeting disabled people including practical hints for general necessary qualifications is developed in which also the practical ways of searching related opportunities were indicated. Also, brief technical information is made available to organisations to let them know the possibility and attractive features of employing disabled people in their call centers in the form of home based employment.

ICT – Our Way into the Future

In this mobility project, students from "Decebal" High School (10th and 11th grades) from Romania are involved.

The main objectives of the project were: to obtain certain practical skills in the field of ICT (for example, editing texts, pictures, sounds, designing posters and a webpage); to revise and improve the knowledge of HTML language of the participant students; to learn basic notions from software they do not study in school; to enlarge the participant students’ cultural horizon through becoming accustomed to another country and its traditions; to develop their linguistic competences through using English as an instrument for communication within the project and acquiring basic notions of the Turkish language. Also participants had an idea with the labour market.

VOCA Extended – Increased accessibility to vocational training and increased attachment to the labour market for disabled people through the VOCA Europe 2 Mentor model

VOCA extended Project developed a model to train people with physical disabilities to be mentors, who will consequently support (home based) employability of people with physical disabilities, by means of e-mentoring. The model can open the new channel for home based virtual job opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as providing the basement to enable disabled individuals to break through often barriers blocking their career success despite of their existing skills and abilities.

In VOCA extended portal, participants are offered e-mentor training in several languages and they are also be trained in guiding disabled people in how to work from home. Partners from previous VOCA projects were welcomed to enhance implementation of VOCA extended. SME's who are professional in the subject field, Universities, Disabled Organisations as well as Cultural Associations were all partners to be able to establish real European and professional dimension.

CONTRACTERANTO – A communication-tool for high risk work environments where non-native speakers are involved

The ever increasing geographical mobility within Europe confronts employers and contractors with a new challenge:higher safety risks on the workfloor, due to the language gap btw workers from different nationalities. This project aims to help to bridge that safety gap.

CONTRACTERANTO is an online lexicon of work related terminology and it is multilingual (7 languages) and multimedial. It is aimed to refer to all sectors of industry, all high risk functions, all safety related subjects. Current scope refers to four sectors: construction, human health and care activities, metal sector and the chemical sector. But it is expandable to other sectors and can be translated to other languages easily.

e-LIFE – e-Learning Virtual Center for People with Physical Disabilities

This project aims to develop/enhance a two-stage training program for computer oriented disabled people on CADD, Graphics, Web Design, MS Office and establish an e-platform which will serve those people to work as a freelance, self employed, or entrepreneur from their home based offices (“virtual assistants”).

In the fist stage of the program, trainees will learn “how to become a virtual assistant”, ie. learning the general principles of home office business and how to work as self-employed (or as “virtual assistants”) in general. The second stage of the training program will cover training on specific service fields, namely, CADD, Graphics Design, Web Design, Open Office.

AGORA EUROPA II -  Common Integrated Management e-Learning System for the development of professional competition skills in the small scale urban commerce in European dimension

The aim of this project is “to train retail sector shop owners and workers have perfect management competencies in retail trade”, so that they will increase their competition strengths in the sector, and their integration into labour market will be easier even if they quit from operating their small shops and try to be employed in larger enterprises.

The project also aims to provide the Human Resources of the companies in the urban commercial sector with an integrated Learning system by means of the New Technologies of Information and Communication for the Development of the competencies necessary to achieve a Professional, Advanced and Excellent Management in the sector of Urban Trade by modernization and professionalism of the urban trade sector by focusing on the labour market, workers or not, shop owners, aged between 15-30 years old and their need to keep their job besides the problems faced, or for those who have lost their job by training them on how to find new jobs based on advanced trainings and not only training them in new technologies.

The created portal area consists of a user-friendly system with a simple, highly interactive and functional infrastructure dedicated to retail sector shop owners and workers, informing them about employment issues, possible career paths and educational training through electronic media. The users will be also able to find out news about other European citizens being in the same position as they are and exchange ideas and experiences.

I-NEW - New Job opportunities of inactive women in tourism sector

Main project objective is to train inactive women for bringing them to the labor market in tourism sector. Project´s aim is to encourage/motivate/train and provide capacities, knowledge and skills to inactive women from different partner countries, to start a promising future in the tourism by being employed in the local tourism and be good examples of the theme. To achieve this ambitious goal, some innovative products of TourEast will be transferred and utilised further.

Through this project inactive women will be able to reconcile work, private and family life, they will be motivated to overcome obstacles in learning and working and moreover they will improve their capacities and skills to start promising future in tourism sector.

MTS Hospitality - Management Training System for Capacity Building in Hospitality Industry

More than 85% of hospitality is small/micro enterprises in the EU which makes management of enterprise complicated and lessens competitiveness. According to the EU research, managers of enterprises are in lack of knowledge and skills both in management of production and finances, employers' training, mentoring, instructing.

As EC indicates that special attention should be paid to training at work and during work time - both factors are important dimensions of lifelong learning, this project aims to produce standardized documents of process and staff management for small hospitality enterprises in order to reduce impact and aftereffects of the global economic crisis and improve personnel productivity and competitiveness in the global market.

TOOL - Training course and Online Osh resources for Line managers

Toolbox meetings (safety spot meetings) are proven to be an innovative, efficient and very practical instrument to transfer information on relevant OSH topics that are immediately applicable at the company floor to a specific target group. In order for the toolbox meeting to be effective, the toolbox leaders need specific training and communication skills to train and guide the trainees. In practice line managers in the construction sector often lack these skills. In addition, they often do not have the access to good quality information on specific OSH topics.

The training will consist of a structured training methodology seeking to provide the line manager with the adequate training and communication skills to train his co-workers in OSH-related matters via the use of toolbox meetings. Furthermore, an on line database will be set up to support the target group with specific tools to improve their training and communication skills; as well as information on two major OSH issues in the construction sector (prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and safe working at heights). The training will be transferred face to face and via an online training resource.

VOW+IPLM - The value of work for individual position on labour market

The recent economic crisis imposed dramatic measures in terms of employment and social protection in all European countries. Entire categories of public sector employees, such as those in public administration, health, education, have unexpectedly found themselves in a position to reorient on the labor market because the budgets of all EU countries were reduced at salaries costs. The most vulnerable are employees with low and medium education level or those whose specialty does not correspond to their work position. Many of them have acquired a lot of competencies in the work place but even they don’t know about that. This situation revel once again the necessity to have methods and tools for validating competencies acquired in the workplace, transferable between sectors. The main aims of the project are to exchange the best practice in the recognition and validation competencies informal acquired and improving in this way the quality of validation of non-formal and informal learning process and the attractiveness of VET in participating countries. Objectives of project are developing an Innovative Methodology of validation and an Innovative tool e-evaluation platform, adapting and upgrading the innovative methods and tools developed by the pilot project "The Value of Work (VOW)" as well using good practices from partner countries.

The main VOW+IPLM results: Handbook of good practices including innovative method of VOW project as well good practice from partners countries on development of innovative validation methods; "Innovative methodology of validation" describing the methods and tools for evaluation and validation; Innovative tool "e-Evaluation Platform" for individual position on the labor market. The estimated impact is increasing employability, occupational mobility and participation in VET. Another estimation is that the substantial improvement of accessibility to the competencies validation process will take a place via innovative e-Platform tool.

IT-Call - Integrated e-Training & e-Stage for People with Physical Disabilities to Work at Home as Call Center Representatives

As all kinds of vocational trainings simply aim to give opportunity to trainee to "work and earn money", the aim of this project is also to help our target group to work and earn money for their life sustainability. There exist a large number of inactive people with physical disabilities who are potentially "home based workers" or "e-workers", but they need proper and efficient training for this. One of the most convenient "home based working" field is "call centers". People who are employed in call centers as call center representatives are not necessarily have to be employed in the organisations’ premises or working offices anymore thanks to fast developing  communication technologies and Internet. As a result of development in communication technologies, call diverting is very easy and inexpensive. Access to company Intranets via Internet is now part of daily life due to high Internet access speeds. Therefore, home based working in this field is perfectly possible in any part of Europe, if proper training and practice channels are made available to those who will be interested in such a challenging employment opportunity. Another important factor of choosing this field for e-working is the fact that the sector steadily grows around 10% every year all in Europe in spite of recent years' global crises.

The main aim of this project is “to e-train people with physical disabilities for their e-employment as call center representatives, to work from their homes”. Training concept will also include e-stage possibility for efficient and complete result achievement. After such a programme, individual will be ready to start working, without needing extra steps. So, main objective is “to increase employability of people with disabilities in a profitable scheme for both employee and employer, under current market conditions”.