Project CoachLearn Partners. Project CoachLearn Summary

Transcription

1 Project CoachLearn Partners 1 P a g e Project CoachLearn Summary CoachLearn is funded through an Erasmus+ bid (2014 call) under the Strategic Partnerships Action within Key Action 2 Cooperation and Innovation for Good Practices. Project Background and Rationale Sport coaches are at the front-line of sport development and delivery. It is estimated that there could be as many as 5 to 9 million coaches operating across Europe, with a likely reach of somewhere between 50 and 100 million sport participants. In July 2012, the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture: Youth and Sport) produced an Implementation Report for the period A key element of this implementation report was the further work required on the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) within the sport sector. It was also indicated that these issues would remain permanently on the agenda of the EU Expert Group on Education and Training in Sport (XG ETS). CoachLearn seeks to enhance sport coaches' learning, mobility and employment through the development of a European Sport Coaching Framework and associated research data, implementation and dissemination tools to act as a recognised reference points across the Union for the development of coach education programmes and coaching systems. The Framework will also enhance national systems of vocational education and training in sport coaching by being referenced against the European Quality Assurance Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) and aligned with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The Framework will not only address the vocational education of sport coaches, but also those of coach developers (the trainers of coaches). Despite considerable work in recent years, a number of key issues remain to be addressed: a) Despite significant progress on the development of the European Framework for the Recognition of Sport Coaching Competence and Qualifications (EFRCCQ), there remains a

2 need to further evolve this work so that it aligns with EQF and with the recently developed International Sport Coaching Framework (ICCE, ASOIF and LBU, 2013). Achieving clarity around the necessary competencies per role and domain will support this. b) Within this context, there is also need to develop a more effective system for the recognition of experience, education and qualifications that occur in a work based context, applying ECVET to sport coaching. There is also a need to reference national systems against EQAVET. Again clarity around required competencies will facilitate this. c) Sport coaching is, by its nature, lifelong and employment/deployment orientated. Yet, there is a need to develop consistent and appropriate approaches to the recognition of prior learning and work-based experience that are more closely related to the work and life experiences of volunteer; part-time and full-time coaches. d) The nature and contribution of the sport coaching workforce has not been quantified, with consequent implications for planning; education and training; work integrated learning; employment and mobility. CoachLearn will conduct preliminary research to quantify these and facilitate the development and matching of training programmes with the needs of the labour market in the five participating countries, as well as develop tools for future planning at local; regional; national and European levels by clearly stating the different roles coaches play, the contexts they work in and the associated competencies needed to fulfil such roles. There is, therefore, a need for a European Sport Coaching Framework that considers all the above elements and provides a recognised reference point against which different coach education and employment systems can be transparently benchmarked and quality assured. This will enhance coach mobility; foster the sharing of knowledge and good practice across member states; and last but not least, offer guidance around the development of flexible and responsive coach education and development programmes and fit-for-purpose coaching systems at international, national and local levels. The outcomes of CoachLearn will create a step change in the learning, mobility and employment of sport coaches in the European Union. In doing so, CoachLearn also seeks to contribute to both the economic and social elements of the recovery in Europe (Europe 2020 Strategy, COM (2010)) boosting growth and jobs and consequently fostering social equity and inclusion. What will the ESCF add to the current landscape? The ESCF will innovate in three ways: 1. By referencing coaching domains, roles and statuses against existing European frameworks, such as the EQF, ECVET and EQAVET. This will produce a highly contextualised framework fit for the European landscape, yet flexible for the customised application of its principles by different nations and different sports. 2. By developing a set of tools and how-to-guides to support the implementation of the principles contained within the ESCF 3. By providing adequate channels for communication, education and dissemination of the ESCF principles and tools to enhance the reach of the project and its impact across the Union and beyond. In brief, this will include web-based content, seminars, international conferences and webinars. CoachLearn Overall Objectives 2 P a g e

3 CoachLearn will: a) Develop a European Sport Coaching Framework that is responsive to the needs of coaches and the idiosyncrasies of international, national and sport specific contexts. This Framework will be aligned to EQF and the International Sport Coaching Framework, referenced against EQAVET reflecting the principles of ECVET. b) Provide, through a careful process of data collection and analysis, a clear picture of the needs of sport coaches, coach developers (trainers of coaches) and a variety of organisations with a stake in their education, employment and mobility. c) Identify examples of good practice at a global and European level in relation to systems and frameworks of education, employment and mobility of sports coaches. d) Offer an accurate representation of the nature of the sport coaching workforce in the five participant countries in relation to its status (volunteer; part-time paid; full-time paid), domain (children; participation; emerging athletes; high performance athletes) and its role (coaching assistant; coach; senior coach; master coach). e) Develop suitable guidance and practical tools to facilitate the adoption and implementation of recognised protocols and systems for Recognised Prior Learning and Work-Based Experience within European Union coach education stakeholders f) Produce tools to support member states and coaching stakeholders evaluate their current coach education systems against clear reference points (European Sport Coaching Framework) and plan for the development of future, enhanced systems. This tool will also serve as a quality assurance instrument for relevant bodies and agencies CoachLearn Impact As a result of the above developments, CoachLearn will: a) Enhance the lives of sport coaches and their participants and athletes across the European Union. b) Enhance the synergies and effectiveness of the existing European network of organisations involved in the betterment of sport coaching. This will provide the basis for future research, development, innovation, dissemination, implementation and evaluation of new solutions in the education, employment and mobility of coaches that will be applied to the wider industry. c) Support the creation of a common language and methodology used by member states. d) Foster the development of an enhanced model for long term coach development (LTCD) and long term coach developer development (LTCDD) within Europe. These will provide a reference point for the development of suitable coach and coach developer learning and employment pathways across the Union. e) Clearly define primary functions of the coach and work related competencies and associated modes of work-based integrated learning per coaching domain (children, participation, emerging athlete and high performance athlete), role (coaching assistant, coach, senior coach and master coach) and status (volunteer, part-time and full-time). These will provide the basis for the development of effective and efficient learning opportunities for sport coaches throughout the member states. f) Enhance the contribution of sport coaching to the social and economic life of the EU. 3 P a g e

4 g) Retain and further enhance the position of Europe as a leader in sport coaching and in the development of solutions that are relevant to the labour market and the social economy of the Union. CoachLearn Management Structure The Consortium for Work Based Learning, Recognition and Mobility in Sport Coaching (CoachLearn) will create a Management Group among the partners which will sign off on all key decisions. In the event of disputes, decisions will be resolved democratically through a voting system. The Management Group will appoint, where necessary and appropriate, advisers drawn from the European Coaching Council, ICCE and other expert groups qualified to assist in the achievement of the project aims. The Management Group will meet twice a year during the life of the project on a face-to-face basis, augmented by frequent web-based meetings. A web-repository will also be created for Management Group documents and business. The consortium will seek formal status as the vehicle through which the European Coaching Council (ECC) will develop the ESCF; work based learning; apprenticeships and coach developer programmes. The Executive Board of ECC will act in an advisory capacity to the project. Through the regular meetings of the consortium, each of the members will report on the progress of the outputs and activities. Each of the partners will also be responsible for engagement, communication and sign-off in their own contexts. A web-site has been established, complemented by regular e-bulletins to the consortium. An ultimate objective will be the formal adoption of the work of the project by ICCE, which will integrate the outcomes into the formal work, reporting and communication of the organisation. Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting As an integral part of the project, one of the partners will take a lead in co-ordinating internal evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative measures. The methods will be: An online survey in the early stages of the project, intended to deliver data that obtains an overview of the project, to determine whether all partners understand their tasks and to reduce/eliminate problems occurring One-to-one interviews with designated persons within activity-leading organisations on the intellectual outputs of the project. This will build on the detail collated during the online survey. Consultation and subsequent feedback from all partners and members of the ICCE network. With regard to external evaluation, an external advisor will be appointed. An advisory panel (drawn from the wider European Coaching Council network) will also be consulted on progress made, and the production of interim and final evaluation reports. An evaluation plan will be developed, to include the internal and external evaluation processes. The evaluation plan will be developed during the first year, and will be reviewed during the second and third year. 4 P a g e

5 The production of interim and final evaluation reports will be based on the observations of the external advisor and the advisory panel as well as the relevant metrics compiled in the process of implementation. Project Phases The project will have a number of discrete yet at times overlapping phases in order to achieve the stated objectives and results. 5 P a g e o Preparation Phase: This phase is designed to gain the necessary intelligence and knowledge to inform the implementation phase. In order to do this, four small-scale, focused, research studies will take place. These studies will consist of a series of quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, case-study generation, qualitative interviews and report generations. In order to coordinate and progress these studies, a series of remote meetings will take place coordinated by ICCE and LB and managed by the Lead Project Managers for each study. The specific outputs of the above described studies are: 1. Needs-Analysis of Sport Coaching in the European Union Report 2. Examples of Good Practice at a Global and European Level Report in relation to systems and frameworks of education, employment and mobility of sports coaches. 3. Sport Coaching Workforce Preliminary Report in the European Union 4. Recognised Prior Learning and Work-Based Experience Best-Practice Examples Report Also as part of this preparation phase, and on completion of the four studies, a first phase of the development of the ESCF v1.1 (consultation draft) will ensue. This phase will consist of a series of face to face and remote meetings where the direction of travel and main elements of the ESCF will be discussed and debated thus setting the development agenda for the lead writers. The lead writers will develop a first draft for discussion by the expert group and, subsequently, a consultation draft for wider consultation. o Implementation Phase: This phase will see the development of a number of practical deliverables: 1. Suitable Guidance and Development Tools (how-to guides) to facilitate the adoption and implementation of recognised protocols and systems for Recognised Prior Learning and Work-Based Experience within European Union coach education stakeholders. A working group formed by suitable staff from the partner organisations and led by a designated Project Lead will develop the guidance and tools based on the results of study 4 above. Remote meetings are envisaged to be the main form of communication with face to face communication built where necessary alongside the face to face meetings of the ESCF expert group to maximise the budget. 2. European Sport Coaching Framework v1.2. A set of guidelines and recommendations for the creation of coach education programmes and coaching systems. It will become the recognised reference points across the Union. In order to develop the final version of ESCF, two face to face meetings of the expert group led by the co-chairs and a number of electronic communications and video

6 conferences will take place to ensure the final version represents the views of all within the expert group and serves the purpose established at the outset of the project. 3. ESCF Mapping, Self-Assessment & Development Tool (how-to-guides) to support member states and coaching stakeholders evaluate their current coach education systems against clear reference points (European Sport Coaching Framework) and plan for the development of future, enhanced systems. This tool will also serve as a quality assurance instrument for relevant bodies and agencies o Dissemination: This phase will ensure wide reach of project outputs and maximise impact 1. Publication of all outputs on ICCE and CoachLearn websites, partner websites and global and European ICCE membership. 2. Webinar series throughout the duration of the project and particularly during consultation phases to ensure all stakeholders have a chance to express their views around the outputs of the project and the next steps. 3. Multiplier events: a series of three conferences aimed at sharing the project outputs and facilitating engagement of all stakeholders in both the process of evaluation and dissemination of the results. This will include the Global Coach Conference 2015 in Finland, and the continental conference in Cologne in 2016 and the end of project Conference in a venue yet to be determined. o Closure: The project will come to a close once the ESCF v1.2 and the associated tools have been produced. This will be marked by the celebration of the end of project conference where CoachLearn partners will present the outputs of the project to all stakeholders from the European Union and where the basis for implementation and adoption will be set. o Follow Up: Initial follow up activities leading to wide-spread implementation will be led by the International Council of Coaching Excellence and thereon a progressive handover of dissemination responsibility to the European Coaching Council from the Global and European Coaching Office based at LB will occur. This process will engage all ECC members and their networks of influence. ESCF will also undergo a review every 4 years to ensure it remains relevant. Leeds October 2014 Document prepared by Sergio Lara-Bercial and Julian North 6 P a g e