VANIA
- Two surveys on education - training offered and the key
competencies and skills required for European cultural
project management
Minna
Ruusuvirta, Anna Kanerva and Ritva Mitchell, Cupore,
Helsinki
CUPORE
carried out two internet surveys targeted at: 1. Training
institutions; to map training available in European
cultural co-operation and 2. Young professionals working in
the field; to assess skills and competencies needed in
European cultural co-operation projects.
Training
offered by institutions
•
Only few programmes have special modules with
European/international aspect in their curricula, but
themes and issues are dealt with in other modules.
• About 50 % of the programmes/courses train their
students mainly for domestic labour markets
• Strengths, weaknesses, possibilities and threats
related to intercultural/transnational focus mentioned in
the responses:
Strengths:
networking possibilities; balance between
European/international relevant knowledge and national
knowledge; international specialists/teachers;
international co-operation (exchange programmes)
Weaknesses:
lack of adaptation to the realities of other countries; too
little mobility
Possibilities:
international co-operation; establishing programmes in
other countries; specialising in a particular
language/geographical area
Threats:
growing competition; not getting recognition/accreditation.
Key
competencies and skills in trans-European cultural
co-operation as expressed by professionals
•
In trans-European cultural co-operation, a combination of
cognitive, functional, personal and ethical competencies
and skills are needed to “manoeuvre” in
multifaceted environments.
•
Key competencies and skills: 1. contacts and networking
skills, 2. understanding the context and awareness of
topical issues, 3. intercultural communication and language
skills, 4. openness towards diversity and the will to
co-operate, and 5. professionalism in project management.
• The development of professionalism and the ability
to read the context is developed in interaction between
education/training and working in the field.
Education
and training needs as expressed by professionals
•
Training needs differ according to operators’
educational background, work experience and current career
situation, thus different ways of organising training
should be available, enabling lifelong learning at various
stages of professional career.
• Training needs are often specific and short
seminars/workshops, addressing directly needs arising in
day-to-day activities are the best way for professionals to
develop further and update their professional skills and
competencies.
• Most important aspects operators look for in
training: 1. Contacts and possibilities for networking, 2.
learning from the leaders in the field, 3. intercultural
environment and 4. exchange of information and best
practise.
• There seems to be a strong need for validation of
training courses and their quality; a need for courses to
act as valid “documents” of involvement in
cultural co-operation.
Challenges
for training institutions
•
How can institutions answer the needs of professionals and
their high-level expectations on: 1. credibility
(validation) and prestige of courses, 2. courses’
genuinely transnational content and up-to date agenda, 3.
quality of teachers and 4. contacts and networking
possibilities.
• How should learning on the job and other informal
education and training be recognised in the course of
lifelong learning?
• Is even more specialisation of trainers and courses
needed to make lifelong learning in the field a reality?
• How national and regional differences in educational
systems, traditions and needs could be taken into account?
Questionnaire
1
Identification of the training offer in
European Cultural Cooperation
field
Questionnaire 2
Skills and competencies needed by cultural
operators
Report
Two surveys on availability of education
and training for key competencies and skills required
for European cultural project
management.