Dissemination & Exploitation

The UK Multiplier Event was held on 28th February 2018 as a showcase in a national event for providers of adult learning. A wide cross-section of organisations, including public sector organisations, VET training providers, vocational support agencies, regional colleges and universities, voluntary sector organisations attended. Approximately 400 people were registered for the event and 60 expressed an interest in coming to the CLIL showcase event.In the event 41 delegates attended.

Out of the 60 who had expressed an interest in the VG-CLIL Showcase, 41 attended the event which included presentations about the project and its objectives plus a demonstration of the Training Platform. Delegates were given the chance to experience the activities on the platform.

There was positive feedback and a genuine interest in the topic. Many of the audience were not familiar with this approach to employability/language training and thought that the integrated content added a new dimension that made the learning programme more interesting and challenging. They felt that it would be especially useful for language students seeking job opportunities abroad thus contributing to greater economic and social mobility. There were several enquiries likely to result in exploitation and sustained use of the product (particularly from language tutors). There were also a number of requests for a similar tool to be developed at lower language levels eg. A2

Tweets updating audience on project progress the project posted on 22nd November

Promotional posting on Facebook updating audience on project progress

On 12th November 2017, Apricot held an event at their offices in Loughborough for the benefit of local companies who had expressed an interest in language learning for their employees. The event was well attended and the content, with its focus on employability, useful particularly for delegates with an HR remit. The employers who attended were encouraged to promote the project through their business networks.

Apricot presented the training platform to key members of a large nationally funded Job Centre in Genova. The learning materials were then further disseminated at the bi-annual regional jobs fair run by the agency. The estimated audience was in the region of 300 delegates. These included employers, VET institutions, local and regional authorities as well as students and young job seekers. They were all encouraged to register on the platform, try out the learning modules and further promote the project through their own networks.

A number of tweets and retweets promoting the piloting phase of the project

The VGCLIL platform was presented to a group comprising 10 learners studying English as a second language at a local VET institution. They tried out a number of modules and found them useful as an aid to job searching. The materials also improved their 'functional' skills in English.

Presentation of project at regional event for Colleges of Further Education, East Midlands

Tweets updating audience on progress of the training platform and promoting participation in pilot phase.

The latest newsletter was distributed to 78 institutions with an estimated audience of over 150. We received feedback from 2 language centres that inquired as to the feasibility of using the CLIL resources with their migrant students. We are currently assessing their language levels to see if they reach the required level to benefit from B2 materials.

The project was presented at a conference in Meppel, Netherlands to an international audience comprising 35 delegates. Flyers were distributed in addition to a short presentation on the purpose of the CLIL project and a description plus samples of the materials and resources imminently available in 5 languages.

The project was presented at a convention of employability trainers held at 2 local Colleges of further education. One of these events was held on Thursday 2nd March a.m. and repeated at the 2nd venue in the afternoon of the same day. Both events were well attended by trainers, representatives from local authorities and 9 local companies. 3 of the attendees (trainers) expressed an interest in piloting the modules in Italian and one company expressed an interest in piloting the Spanish resources.

This event focused on Learning Networks (discussion groups for organisations funded through Erasmus+).The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and project information with a number of key stakeholders as well as peers.Apricot attended and contributed to a workshop focused on employability where the VGCLIL project was discussed in some detail.A number of project managers were enthusiastic about the concept, especially with respect to mobility projects and there were fruitful discussions on synergy and complementarity.Useful contacts were also established with language centres trainers who had previous experience of developing and delivering CLIL materials.

Apricot had the opportunity to network extensively at the Annual Erasmus plus conference held in Cardiff last month. The event was well attended (over 300 delegates) and provided and ideal opportunity to showcase the project amongst interested parties. The VGCLIL project leaflets were distributed to a large number of attendees and there were a number of vocational centres that expressed an interest in piloting the platform when available. We also had productive discussions with Employability Agencies to whom the CLIL approach was a new concept. They felt that there would be possibilities for their clients to trial the materials and they agreed to disseminate information across their networks. Between sessions the Apricot team took advantage of the E+ Community hub and discussed additional dissemination channels with National Agency staff. This included access to new Video booth to record project results and impact. This will provide a valuable dissemination tool for the future promotion of VGCLIL

The project was presented at a careers open day where local colleges were recruiting young people and adults on full and part time vocational courses for the next academic year. Apricot participated in the programme and took the opportunity to promote the benefits of CLIL to prospective students especially those with an interest in languages and EU internships. There were also a number of adult job seekers who expressed interest in the CLIL approach and would be keen to pilot the new learning materials.

Apricot was asked to present the project at a local VET institution interested in using the CLIL methodology to improve the career prospects of adult job seekers wishing to improve their language skills in order to work in other EU countries.

The project was presented at a local careers event for college leavers

International Project Meeting

The aims and objectives and progress to date were presented at an international meeting.

The project was presented at an exhibition for local employers.