M I N U T E S

INCOM-VET
Development of Intercultural Competence of Students and Trainers in EU VET institutions
No. LLP-LDV-TOI-2013-LT-0145
Kick-off meeting in Vilnius, November 7 - 8th, 2013
MINUTES
List of participants:
Project partners:
Mr. Juozas Baranauskas (VSRC/Lithuania)
Ms. Renata Černeckienė (VSRC/Lithuania)
Ms. Inga Korlienė (VSRC/Lithuania)
Ms. Edita Aidukienė (VSRC/Lithuania)
Mr. Ivaras Giniotis (VSRC/Lithuania)
Ms. Julita Navaitienė (LEU/Lithuania)
Ms. Violeta Rimkevičienė (LEU/Lithuania)
Ms. Daiva Račelytė (LEU/Lithuania)
Mr. Egidijus Žukauskas (PANKO/Lithuania)
Ms. Deimantė Končiuvienė (PANKO/Lithuania)
Ms. Dalia Urbonienė (PANKO/Lithuania)
Ms. Maria Giovanna Onorati (UNIVDA/ Italy)
Mr. Furio Bednarz (ECAP/ Switzerland)
Mr. Frank Bertelmann-Angenendt (BZB/ Germany)
Ms. Sirpa Arvonen (SATAEDU/ Finland)
Mr. Marko Kemppinen (SATAEDU/ Finland)
Mr. Margus Ojaots (IVK/ Estonia)
Ms. Helju Virunurm (IVK/ Estonia)
Mr. Siim Parts (IVK/ Estonia)
Guests:
Ms. Ona Monkevičienė (Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences/ Lithuania)
Ms. Sigita Remeikienė (National Agency/ Lithuania)
Ms. Aleksandra Sokolova (Ministry of Education and Science/ Lithuania)
1st SESSION, November 7 th
Venue: Lietuvos edukologijos universitetas/ Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, Studentų g. 39, LT-08106
Vilnius
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Welcome and greeting speeches
Prof. Ona Monkevičienė, Ms. Aleksandra Sokolova and Mr. Juozas Baranauskas welcomed the participants and
stressed the importance of the INCOM-VET project for Lithuania and its construction and education sectors,
reflected on the relation of the Project to the current EU policies.
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Overview of INCOM-VET project
Mr. Ivaras Giniotis and Ms. Renata Černeckienė (P0, VSRC) gave a brief presentation on the Project, its aims and
objectives, planned activities and foreseen outcomes as well as project partnership.
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Building intercultural competences: The learning model
Prof. Maria Giovanna Onorati (P3, UNIVDA) and Mr. Furio Bednarz (P4, ECAP) introduced their organizations and
made a detailed presentation of the Handbook „Building Intercultural Competences“, the model developed in which
will be used as a transfer product in LT, FI and EE.
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Partners‘ presentations and overview of WPs
Each partner briefly presented their organisation and then made an overview of the WP they are responsible for,
reflecting on the activities to be performed and the outcomes to be achieved in each WP:
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Overview of WP1: Adaptation of transfer material and production of methodological
material "Development of Intercultural Competence“, WP leader (P1, LEU): Assoc. Prof. Julita
Navaitienė;
Overview of WP2: Development of Intercultural Competence. Handbooks for VET trainers and
students. WP leader (P2, PANKO): Ms. Deimantė Končiuvienė;
Overview of WP3: Examples of learning material, practical tasks, case studies, videos. WP leader
(P4, ECAP): Mr. Furio Bednarz;
Overview of WP4: Living labs for the interactive development of intercultural competence. WP leader
(P6, BZB): Mr. Frank Bertelmann-Angenendt;
Overview of WP6: Development of testing structure, performance of testing and generalization of the
outcomes. WP leader (P7, SATAEDU): Ms. Sirpa Arvonen, Mr. Marko Kemppinen;
Overview of WP8: Dissemination. Valorization: transferability and recognition; WP leader (P5, IVK):
Ms. Helju Virunurm.
Discussion:
The presentations of WPs activities were followed by a discussion. As the main challenge noted by project partners
will be to make the topic of Intercultural Competence (IC) less academic, otherwise there might be difficult to involve
trainers in the Project activities (living labs, testing, evaluation, etc.). It is essential that the foreseen outcomes (e.g. a
toolbox on IC) would be practically applicable. Involvement of the trainers in Project development has to be realized
as a wider approach, i.e. not only letting them to test the products, but making them co-workers in the Project.
At the end of the 1st day session the round tour in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences was organized.
2nd SESSION, November 8
th
Venue: VšĮ Vilniaus statybininkų rengimo centras/ Vilnius Builders Training Centre, Laisvės pr. 53, Vilnius
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WP 5: Quality Assurance of Deliverables (Quality assurance plan), QAP guideline
Prof. Maria Giovanna Onorati, WP leader (P3, UNIVDA), proposed a model for Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) which
can be summarized as follows:
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Types of evaluation:
1. Ex-ante and final evaluation:
Supervision of quality standards (coherence, pertinence, readability, sustainability of the outputs )
2. Ongoing self-assessment
Formative accompaniment of the partnership (Reflective/monitoring tools (websurveys, focus groups, debriefing
sessions) inspired by the PDCA circle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and SWOT analysis (Strong – Weak – Threats Opportunities) after any meeting.)
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Tools to be used for evaluation:
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Websurveys >> online questionnaires (quantitative feedback), developed by UNIVDA and uploaded on
the iNCOM-VET website for each partner to be completed; 3 websurveys during Project life-time
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Focus groups, Interviews, Debriefing sessions >> qualitative feedback to the learning process
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Diaries, Blogs, Forums >> self-generated feedbacks
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Audits, Reports >> external evaluation
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Actors of evaluation:
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Internal evaluator (WP5 >> Univda)
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External Evaluator (eventually selected by sub-contracting): 2 external evaluators will be sub-contracted –
one from Lithuania/Estonia and the other one from Italy/Switzerland – final decision to be taken during 2nd
Consortium meeting in May, 2014.
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Participants to the project: staff, external tutors, trainers, advisers, testimonials involved in the “check” and
“do” phases.
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Stakeholders and actors involved in the valorisation / exploitation.
UNIVDA will prepare QAP guideline and send it to all partners by 1st December, 2013.
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WP 7: INCOM-VET website (Creation of the Project website, its testing, improvement, presentation)
Ms. Inga Korlienė, WP leader (P0, VSRC), made presentation of the planned Project website www.incom-vet.eu,
dedicated to fostering and raising awareness on the IC issues. She explained that the Project website is
intended not only for the use during Project‘s lifetime, but its use will be extended and supported after the Project
is over. Project partners are expected to take an active participation in designing the project webpage and in its
content development by expressing their observations and comments.
The website www.incom-vet.eu will be the main working area intended for project partners‘ communication and
emerging products. It will be operated in all project partners' languages: EN, LT, EE, IT, FI, DE. All relevant
information in partners' languages has to be emailed to project manager Renata Černeckienė [email protected]
VSRC will launch www.incom-vet.eu by 1st December, 2013.
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Project activities and financial administration
Ms. Sigita Remeikienė, representative of Education Exchanges Support Foundation (Lithuanian National
Agency), made an explicit presentation on the administration of the Project activities and its finances. Project
partners are insistently requested to get familiarized with Guidelines for Administrative and Financial
Management and Reporting (an Annex to Partnership Agreement) and follow them while implementing the
Project activities.
Ms. Sigita Remeikienė answered the questions by Project partners. She confirmed that certain shifts between
staff categories can be made before the Partnership agreement is signed between the beneficiary and the
partner. In all cases, the partners have to address the beneficiary with all questions and requests who in their
turn will address the NA.
Ms. Sigita Remeikienė stressed the importance of the visual identity of EU funded projects. It is obligatory to use
the logo of Lifelong learning programme and EC claimer in all presentations, publications, products, etc.
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WP 9: Global management and coordination
Mr. Ivaras Giniotis (VSRC) presented the timeschedule for the Project activities which was confirmed by all
partners. Most importance was given to the following issues:
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Contractual issues
VSRC as Project beneficiary will prepare and send each partner the Partnership Agreement by 1st December,
2013. It will be supplemented by detailed budget allocated for each respective partner, partner‘s envisaged tasks
and responsibilities, Guidelines for Administrative and Financial Management and Reporting, etc.
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1
nd
2
rd
3
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Payment arrangements
payment
- EUR – 20%
payment
- EUR – 20%
payment
- EUR – 20%
payment
- EUR – 20%
Final payment
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- EUR – 20%
Within 45 calendar days after signing this
contract and receiving the first advanced
payment from the National Agency.
Within 45 calendar days after Partner Progress
report approval.
Within 45 calendar days after receiving the
second advanced payment from the National
Agency after Interim report approval.
Within 45 calendar days after Partner Progress
report approval.
Within 45 calendar days after receiving the
final payment from the National Agency.
Steering Group
By common agreement of partners the Steering Group (SG) was set up, including one representative of each
Partner organisation:
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Mr. Furio Bednarz (ECAP/ Switzerland)
Mr. Frank Bertelmann-Angenendt (BZB/ Germany)
Ms. Renata Černeckienė (VSRC/Lithuania)
Mr. Marko Kemppinen (SATAEDU/ Finland)
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Ms. Deimantė Končiuvienė (PANKO/Lithuania)
Ms. Daiva Račelytė (LEU/Lithuania)
Ms. Maria Giovanna Onorati (UNIVDA/ Italy)
Ms. Helju Virunurm (IVK/ Estonia)
The SG will meet on a regular basis during Project partnership meetings to review the overall progress of
performance and its correspondence to the set aims and objectives. The SG will also play a role resolving any
conflicts that may arise within the Consortium.
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Timetable for Consortium meetings
By common agreement of partners 2nd Consortium meeting will be hosted by UNIVDA and held on 21st-22nd
May, 2014.
Initially, Mr. Ivaras Giniotis proposed to organize it in Milan in order to save travel costs. However, Ms. Maria
Giovanna Onorati explained why she preferred hosting it in Valle d‘Aosta: UNIVDA has all the necessary
facilities and staff for organizing meetings as well as reasonable hotel rates. The only extra costs the partners
will have will be for the transfer from/to the airport, but they can be reduced by renting a mini-bus and sharing the
costs among participants.
Another change to the proposed timetable was switching the venues of 4th and 5th Consortium meetings with
regard to the request of the hosting partners. By common agreement 4th meeting will take place in Finland in
February 2015, while the 5th meeting will be organised in Germany in May 2015 (the exact days to be confirmed
at a later stage).
Differently from the initial application, the final Consortium meeting/Valorisation conference will be organized in
Estonia (transfer country) in September 2015. This change was done with regard to the reccommendations
received from the evaluators of the application. All partners confirmed their agreement.
Mr. Ivaras Giniotis proposed the following engagements of the hosting partner:
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Organizing the venue for the meeting, including coffee breaks and lunch, and paying the related costs from
the allocated budget;
Preparing the meeting agenda in collaboration with the Lead Partner (VSRC);
Inviting partners to an evening event/dinner and paying the related costs.
All the partners expressed their agreement with the proposal.
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Dissemination
All partners have to put great efforts in disseminating information about the Project and its foreseen outcomes.
Dissemination has to be performed on local, regional, national and international levels. All partners need to
upload information about INCOM-VET (using the LLP and project logos) on their organizations websites.
Ms. Renata Černeckienė explains that initially 6 Project Newsletters were planned (3 each Project year), but
due to the cuts in the budget the number of the Newsletters will be reduced to 4. She also encourages partners
to use the INCOM-VET Newsletter as a means to disseminate information about partners‘ other EU initiatives.
She points out the requirements for any dissemination event organised by a partner: a programme, participants
list, photos and presentations (if possible) will be requested as supporting evidence.
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Open Tasks
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To be completed by 1st December, 2013:
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WP9: Signing Partnership agreements with all project partners EN (responsible project partner P0 VSRC).
WP5: Preparing the final project quality guidelines EN (responsible project partner P3 UNIVDA).
WP8: Launching the project‘s webpage www.incom-vet.eu EN, LT, DE, EE, FI/ (responsible project partner
P0 VSRC).
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To be completed by 1st January, 2014:
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WP1: Adaptation of transfer material based on "Development of Intercultural Competence“ EN (responsible
project partner P1 LEU).
WP8: Project dissemination and valorisation plans for all partners (responsible project partner P5 IVK).
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To be completed by 1st February, 2014:
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WP4: The methodology for performance of the living labs EN, LT, DE, EE, FI (responsible project partner P6
BZB).
Issuing of the 1st INCOM-VET newsletter EN, LT, DE, EE, FI, IT (responsible project partner P5 IVK). All
partners participate by submitting the information for the newsletter and translating it into the national
languages.
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To be completed by 1st March, 2014:
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WP8: National events: meetings, seminars, conferences in Lithuania, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Estonia,
Finland (responsible project partner P5 IVK). All partners participate – at least 1 event in each respective
country.
WP2: Development of Intercultural Competence. Handbooks for VET trainers and students/ EN/The draft
version of the product. EN/ (responsible project partner P2 PANKO).
WP3. Examples of learning material, practical tasks, case studies, videos/ EN/the draft version of the
product. EN/ (responsible project partner P4 ECAP)
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To be completed by 10th May, 2014:
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WP5: QAP (Quality assurance plan) report No 1. EN (responsible project partner P3 UNIVDA).
WP6: Development of testing structure (responsible project partner P7 SATAEDU).
15th November, 2013
For the minutes:
Vilnius
Renata Černeckienė/ VSRC

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