Schwerpunkt Zentrum

European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training

Acronym for European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training. It is a common methodological framework that facilitates the transfer of credits for learning outcomes between qualification systems, promoting transnational mobility and lifelong learning. It applies to all outcomes obtained by an individual from various education and training pathways that are then transferred, recognized and accumulated in view of achieving a qualification.

Thanks to this initiative European citizens can study in Germany or do internships in Dusseldorf companies and easily get recognition for their training, skills and knowledge when back in their country.

In SCHWERPUNKT ZENTRUM GMBH we collaborate regularly with our partners in the implementation of the ECVET system, especially those participants who do internships in local companies and long lasting job-shadowing programs.

We accompany the sending organization through the different stages of the system implementation:

Pre-mobility: design of the mobility

First, the sending partner prepares the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with information on the partners, foreseen qualifications in the project and evaluation, documentation, validation and the recognition process for the credits.

Next, in collaboration with SCHWERPUNKT ZENTRUM GMBH and the host company, the sending institution prepares a Learning Agreement (LA) for any participant indicating learning objectives (Learning Units or LU) that the participant must achieve including both professional and transversal skills.

During mobility: evaluating skills

SCHWERPUNKT ZENTRUM GMBH provides an added value to the project by being in permanent contact with participants and host companies, monitoring and helping constantly with the evaluation of learning objectives. We have developed different instruments to that end:

Tools for a better comparability and compatibility in recognition

ECVET student handbook

Containing different evaluations aimed to monitor the progress during the whole stay. Students prepare their own Competences Balance analyzing their strengths and areas of improvement. They also draft a Professional Project and correspondent Action Plan.

Host company handbook

The host company evaluates the student’s achievement of different competences such as technical, digital, linguistic and transversal.

Skills portfolio

With the evaluations done by the host company we build a personal Skills Portfolio that can be used for the recognition of credits stage.

Post-mobility – recognition of credits

The sending partner decides any time the modality of recognition and can use the personal Skills Portfolio provided by SCHWERPUNKT ZENTRUM GMBH as a proof of evidence.