Vocational Education and Training Program (Italy and France)

Deadline: 23-May-24

The Villum Foundation is currently accepting applications for the Vocational Education and Training Program to enable young people in Europe to become frontrunners in digital and green transitions.

They support inclusive VET, specifically addressing the green and digital transition, as well as young people’s social skills and motivation for education.

They support capacity building and competence development and prioritise longer-term projects with potential for systemic change.

Focus Areas

• Focus area 1: Enhancing quality of vocational education and training (VET) especially within the digital and green transitions
  • VET is an important lever of Europe’s digital and green transitions. Highly qualified and motivated employees are crucial if the industries are to become more sustainable and climate-friendly, while at the same time remaining efficient and competitive. They support high-quality vocational education and training, provided by competent teachers in state-of-the-art facilities — especially in areas relating to the digital and green transitions.
  • Within Focus area 1 they typically fund:
    • Teacher training and professional development
      • They fund training, further education and professional development of teachers in order to strengthen their capability to offer high-quality teaching, especially in the fields of digital technologies and green solutions.
      • They also fund the development of new pedagogical and didactical approaches, organisational change and new organisational practices which increase the quality of teaching.
      • They expect training and professional development to be a large part of the project, and commitment and participation from management is imperative.
    • New student training programmes
      • The digital and green transitions require new competencies. They fund the development of training courses and educational pathways within the fields of digital technologies, climate adjustment and green solutions.
    • Inclusive study environments and diversity in recruiting
      • A thriving study environment that welcomes students and creates strong learning communities is a crucial feature of high-quality VET institutions. They encourage applicants to encompass inclusive practices and to implement measures of diverse recruitment as part of the project.
    • State-of-the-art equipment and facilities
      • They fund renovations and adjustments of existing buildings for workshops and training facilities especially aimed at digital technologies and green solutions. They do not fund property acquisitions or the building of new properties.
• Focus area 2: Improving young people’s social skills and motivation for education particularly in the fields related to the digital and green transitions
  • Europe’s digital and green transitions will require that citizens develop the necessary skills to use new technologies in everyday life and at work. And they must be able to translate knowledge about technology and the environment into qualified decisions – for the benefit of a greener and more sustainable society. In order to enable young people to acquire the skills and competencies needed in the future, they also fund initiatives building young people’s motivation for education, and interest in computer technology and sustainable environment.
  • Within Focus area 2 they typically fund:
    • Early curiosity for digital technologies and environmentally sustainable practices
      • They fund initiatives in the last years of elementary school and in high schools which promote digital competencies and interest in digital technologies, the climate and sustainable environment – both by teaching children and youth directly, and indirectly through training of teachers in new didactic methods. They favour initiatives which communicate new technologies and environmental knowledge in an untraditional, experimental and motivating way – preferably with a high level of hands-on experience.
    • Promoting VET education in general
      • They fund initiatives which promotes VET education, e.g. through cooperation between schools and VET schools, regular school visits with a high degree of hands-on experience etc.
    • Strengthening social competencies and readiness for education
      • They support initiatives which empower at-risk youth to get ready for education and self reliance through networking, upgrading of social and professional skills etc. The target groups are migrants, minorities and other socio-economically challenged children and youth.

Budget Information

• Applications with a budget of less than 150,000 EUR will not be considered. They prefer projects with a budget of over EUR 500,000 in order to realistically fulfil the ambitions.

Priority Projects

• They prioritise projects that are:
  • Developmental, i.e. having a real development perspective and seeking to change and improve a specific vocational educational challenge.
  • Innovative. Please note that they do not only support new innovative initiatives, but also initiatives that in other contexts have proved their worth in promoting long-term sustainable and systemic developments.
  • Long-term, preferably with a project period of several years, allowing for necessary time to increase chances for success and systemic impact.
  • Directly including young people in its activities. Youth as a target group must benefit directly from the project, even though the main goal is organisational or sectoral development.

Who can apply?

• Schools and educational institutions, civil society organisations, local innovators and public authorities can apply. Applicants cannot be individual persons.
• They encourage collaboration with partners, that deliver supplementary competencies and capabilities.
• Please note: English is the working language in everyday communications with applicants and grantees. Applications and appendixes must be submitted in English. When grants are given, communication with project managers and key persons must be possible without interpreters.
• All types of costs can be included in the project budget as long as the costs are relevant for the project.

For more information, visit Villum Foundation.