Leonardo Da Vinci is the EU action programme for implementing the European Community's vocational training policy. It aims to promote transnational cooperation to improve the skills and competencies of people, especially young people, enhance quality, promote innovation and support the European dimension of vocational training systems and practices. The total budget for Leonardo da Vinci is 1.15 billion ‚¬ over seven years (2000-2006).
The Programme provides the Community support for mobility; pilot projects, including "thematic actions"; language competencies; transnational networks and reference material. There is also special provision for joint actions with related Community programmes, particularly the Socrates and Youth programmes. Separate, specific calls for proposals will be launched for such joint actions.
Proposals may be submitted by private, public or semi-public organisations and institutions involved in vocational training (i.e. private individuals may not submit proposals). Potential promoters include:
- establishments or training organisations, including universities, which, in accordance with national laws and/or practices, design or undertake vocational training, further vocational training, refresher vocational training or retraining, irrespective of what they may be called in the participating countries;
- research centres and organisations responsible for vocational training surveys and analyses;
- undertakings, particularly SMEs, and the craft trade sector, or private or public firms, including businesses active in the vocational training field;
- professional organisations, including chambers of commerce etc;
- the social partners;
- local and regional bodies and organisations;
- non-profit associations, voluntary organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
THE PROGRAMME ACTIONS
Mobility:
Proposals submitted under this heading must consist of transnational mobility actions for people in training, more especially young people undergoing training or endeavouring to enter the labour market, young employed workers or job seekers, recent graduates, students registered in higher education establishments (projects referred to as placements ). They may also be aimed at trainers or human resources managers and training scheme managers, at language specialists and at social partners (projects referred to as exchanges ).
The basic characteristic of this action is to strengthen the European dimension of initial and continuing vocational training, to encourage people to gain experience in activities involving theory and practice, particularly work-linked training, to develop language skills and transnational contacts and exchanges of good practices for trainers and human resources managers.
This type of measure is also useful in consolidating transnational co-operation in a broad sense, bringing in all actors on the vocational training scene. It is also a good way of strengthening the links between working life and training.
Mobility projects are implemented on a decentralised basis, i.e. proposals are submitted to the National Agency of the country of the promoter.
Pilot Projects:
Community support is available for the design, development, testing, evaluation and dissemination of innovative practices in terms of methods, content or products in the field of vocational training and guidance. Pilot projects are intended to stimulate the process of innovation and to enhance the quality of training and vocational guidance. They must develop tangible products, using new information and communication technologies where appropriate.
Under this measure, special support will be given to a small number of projects, known as thematic actions , on themes of particular interest at Community level. These themes are indicated in the Community calls for proposals. For Call for proposals 2003-2004 two specific themes are retained: quality and inter-cultural dialogue .
Language Competencies:
These proposals aim to promote language and cultural competencies in a vocational training context including projects on less widely used and taught languages. Proposals may be concerned with designing, testing and validating, assessing and disseminating teaching material, as well as with innovative teaching methods tailored to the specific needs of different occupational and economic sectors. They may also cover the development of language audits and innovatory pedagogical approaches based on language self-tuition and the dissemination of the results.
Transnational Networks:
The Leonardo da Vinci supports transnational networks of European expertise and dissemination. These networks undertake three functions:
- assembling, distilling and building on European expertise and innovatory approaches;
- improving the analysis and anticipation of occupational skills requirements;
- disseminating the networks outputs and project results throughout the Union in the appropriate circles.
Reference Material:
Community support is provided for the creation and updating of the Community reference material, more especially for surveys and analyses, the creation and updating of comparable data, the observation and dissemination of good practice, and the exhaustive exchange of information. On a given theme, it is the purpose of such reference material to make it possible at the Community level to record the specific characteristics and changes in national vocational training systems.
Duration of Actions
Financial Support
The financial contribution provided by the Community to projects may not exceed a certain part of the eligible costs. Co-financing is the core principle of the programme. The main reason behind this is that a partnership contributing a certain proportion of the funding will demonstrate commitment and credibility.
| Measures |
Maximum financial contribution in %
of the total eligible costs |
Ceiling of Community financial support per year and per project (Euro) |
| Mobility |
NA |
5 000 per beneficiary and per placement or exchange |
| Pilot projects of which: thematic actions |
75 % |
200 000 300 000 |
| Language competencies |
75 % |
200 000 |
| Transnational networks |
50 % |
150 000 |
| Reference material |
50-100 % |
200 000 (Up to 300 000 possible) |
For further information:
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