Brussels, 04/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - Participation in projects financed by the Leonardo da Vinci vocational training programme brings substantial social and economic benefits, a recent study funded by the European Commission has shown. It bolsters the competitiveness of the European labour market by helping citizens acquire new skills, knowledge and qualifications in European countries other than their country of origin.
The study shows that vocational skills gained during a period of vocational training abroad pay dividends during the subsequent career. For instance, 58% of unemployed people found a job after their training abroad, 32% of employed people found work in another country, 27% improved the quality of their jobs and 34% got jobs with greater responsibility. More than one third of trainees in initial vocational training improved their results and 41% said that their participation in training is now more intensive. Other figures indicate that 86% of all former participants would consider another stay abroad, or making a career in another country, and 83% are willing to improve their language skills, and are making use of their acquired skills and techniques. Leonardo Da Vinci programme participants also benefited personally: experiences gained abroad boosted participants' self confidence (70%), their adaptability (73%) and enjoyment of teamwork (62%). The study also found that 66% of trainees improved their language skills, 65% their ability to manage unexpected situations, 72% the ability to interact with people, and 71% to cope with new challenges. The only criticism was on the length of the placement: 48% of participants said that the stay was too short. Evaluators came to the conclusion that the success of the projects funded under the programme depends on the project design, the quality of pedagogical, linguistic and cultural preparation, and on there being a system of monitoring and/or tutoring in cooperation between the sending and the host country. The Commission will discuss the study's findings with member states' national authorities and other stakeholders in order to build on the programme's strengths and address its weaknesses. The aim is to develop a continual impact assessment based on permanent data collection. The study is available in several languages at: http: //ec.europa.eu/education/doc/reports/index_en.html (I.L.)