Full name: INCLUSIVET: Inclusive Engagement of Underrepresented Students in Vocational Education & Training

Duration: from September 1 2022 until August 3 2025

Total funding received: € 400.000,00

Community share of the VET School funding: € 62.460,00

The InclusiVET project has as main objective to contribute to a more inclusive environment at Vocational Education & Training (VET) Institutions, by creating interventions aimed at increasing underrepresented students’ engagement in the life of their academic institution. The project aims to:

• Increase understanding of existing practices of inclusive student engagement at VET institutions
• Identify good practices and innovative ways of a more inclusive student engagement of VET students
• Promote increased participation of non-traditional and underrepresented groups within VET institutional formal and informal systems of students’ engagement
• Develop strategies and tools VET institutions can apply to support the development of an inclusive student engagement culture

OUR OBJECTIVES

Report on identified challenges and barriers to inclusive student participation for underrepresented students
A benchmarking framework for inclusive participation
Self-evaluation tool for inclusive participation
Methodology and training manual for student-led institutional review of inclusive policies and practices
Guidelines for Institutional Action Planning
Online course and supporting resources
Toolkit for promotional campaigns
Policy recommendations

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The priority and guiding principle of InclusiveVET is inclusion, diversity in all areas of education, training, youth and sport.

InclusiVET is based on the idea that education is key to processes of social change and that VET institutions have a key role to play as educators of a large proportion of young people. The project advocates that VET institutions should be places where all students are equally represented. Understanding the challenges of participation in student affairs is key to identifying the support needed by students with different disabilities.

InclusiVET aims to create a toolkit for VET institutions to engage in the inclusion of diverse students (WP2 & 3) and to develop a sense of participation in institutional governance among VET students, regardless of their diversity (WP3 & 4). InclusiVET will develop innovative tools to assess and promote inclusive student engagement and social activism, as well as new mechanisms to facilitate the participation of disadvantaged groups, including students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, their parents, ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and refugees.

Another priority of Inclusive VET is to promote shared values, civic engagement and cooperation. The latter is essential for developing and sustaining a culture of democracy. This can only develop if it is inclusive. Democratic skills, behaviours and attitudes cannot be developed in the classroom alone. Education must encourage students to take an active part in the governance and life of their institution and society at large. Therefore, all students need to be equipped with the skills necessary for inclusion in the wider society. Institutions have a responsibility to develop a democratic culture, and InclusiveVET addresses this by developing tools to engage students in preparing for active life in democratic societies.

More information about the project can be found on the website HERE.

 PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND OUTPUTS

– Report on identified challenges and barriers to inclusive participation of underrepresented students
– Benchmarking Framework for Inclusive Participation
– Inclusive participation self-assessment tool
– Methodology and training manual for student-led institutional review of inclusive policies and practices
– Guidelines for institutional action planning
– Online course and supporting resources
– Toolkit for promotional campaigns
– Policy recommendations

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

– Benchmarking student engagement in VET institutions – scorecards and self-assessment to make student engagement more inclusive and accessible for underrepresented and disadvantaged students
– Action planning for inclusive student engagement policies and practices in VET through self-assessment and student-led review
– Online course and support resources on inclusive student engagement for student support staff