Second pilot VET mobility scheme for the Western Balkans - call for proposals - EAC/S54/2019

Date de clôture : 17 juin 2020  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

1. INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

The flag Erasmus+, the European Union's programme for education, training, youth and sport, offers training, learning and mobility opportunities for Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners and staff, in Erasmus+ Programme Countries1 (27 EU Member States + 6). No Programme Countries, otherwise known as "Partner Countries" can take part mainly in higher education and youth activities, which are open to the whole world.

A move to internationalise the VET sector is taking place in the EU and a number of Partner Countries are asking for opening of the VET actions under Erasmus+ to international cooperation, to benefit from the good experience, which has been accumulated in the framework of Erasmus+ and its predecessor programmes.

The Economic Reform Programme for the Western Balkans recognises the importance of vocational educational and training (VET) in underpinning industry and propelling economic growth. VET graduates are also job creators. Labour market relevant skills acquisition must be adopted and recognised in all types of training, be it formal, informal or non-formal as most of the training is happening in the informal sector. VET must be a coherent system whose purpose is to meet the demand of socio-economic development in terms of quality-skilled human resources. In coherence with the 2016 Torino Process Regional Report, the Western Balkans have VET’s responsiveness to the economy high on their reform agenda in a context of sluggish employment and high youth unemployment. Currently in the Western Balkans, the relevance of VET to employment is limited, training is costly and investments by governments challenging. The enrolment levels have increased, but the access of young women to VET remains challenging.

With the publication of the new Strategy on "A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans" by the Commission, adopted on 6 February 2018, the idea of VET mobility has experienced a regained momentum. The Strategy provides significantly enhanced EU engagement to better support the Western Balkans' preparations on the European path and the VET scheme is one of the actions foreseen for "Supporting socio-economic development", one of the six flagship initiatives.

The four targeted Erasmus+ partners in the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*2have been interested in a possibility of organising an Erasmus-type mobility action for VET, to benefit from the rich experience accumulated in the past and last year’s first pilot VET scheme for the Western Balkans and Africa (EAC EAC/S34/2018).

It is in this overall context that the present second pilot VET mobility scheme is being proposed.

2. OBJECTIVE - THEMES – PRIORITIES

Second pilot VET mobility scheme for the Western Balkans

The general objective is to contribute to the improvement and modernisation of VET systems in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*, as well as reinforcing the links between VET and the labour market.

More specifically, the aim of the call is to enhance the capacity of VET providers in the four mentioned partners by promoting mobility activities aimed at improving the skills and competences of VET teachers, learners and managers and the occupational prospects of young students.

Expected General Outputs

- Exchange programmes between the four mentioned partners and the European VET providers;
- The knowledge, technical and pedagogical skills of VET teachers is improved;
- The knowledge of VET managerial staff is improved;

- The transversal, generic and subject specific skills of learners are enhanced.

Indicative activities: Mobility arrangements (identification of target groups, development of individual programmes and action plans for schools and teaching staff, implementation of mobility in the EU), document best practices, dissemination at national and regional level, creation and institution of networks and partnerships for exchanges.

3. TIMETABLE

(a) Publication of the call

8 April 2020

(b) Deadline for submitting applications

17 June 2020 – 12.00 noon (Brussels time)

(c) Evaluation period

June – August 2020

(d) Information to applicants

November 2020

(e) Signature of grant agreement(s)

November- 2020

4. BUDGET AVAILABLE

The Commission expects to fund a maximum of four proposals. The total maximum budget earmarked for the co-financing is estimated at 4 (four) million EUR.

The maximum grant for each proposals will be 1 (one) million EUR and the minimum grant will be EUR 700,000 (seven-hundred thousand euros).

The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

5. ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications must be sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications referred to in section 3.

Applications must be submitted in writing (see section 14), using the electronic submission system available here3.

Applications must be drafted in one of the EU official languages. Applications in English, French or German are strongly encouraged.

Failure to comply with those requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
6.1 Eligible participating organisations and applicants

Eligible participating organisations

A participating organisation can be:

•   Any public or private organisation in the field of vocational education and training (referred to as a VET provider), legally registered in an Erasmus+ Programme Country or in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*, providing courses that lead to a qualification recognised by the competent authorities and accredited by the relevant national authorities; or

•   Any legally registered consortium of public or private VET providers registered in an Erasmus+ Programme Country or in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*; or

•   Any public or private organisation active in the labour market (referred to as a company) and legally registered in an Erasmus+ Programme Country or in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*.

Who can apply

In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must be:

• - a public or private VET organisation active in the field of vocational education and training and legally registered in an Erasmus+ Programme Country; or
• - a legally registered consortium of public or private VET organisations registered in an Erasmus+ Programme Country;

The applicant (or lead applicant in the case of a consortium) must be established in an EU Member State.

Number of participating organisations

The proposal must include in total at least 7 organisations of which at least 5 organisations from 3 different Erasmus+ Programme Counties and 2 organisations from 2 out of the four targeted partners in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*). The proposal cannot include more than 12 partners.

In addition, organisations active in the labour market or in the fields of education in an Erasmus+ Programme Country or in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo* can also be involved in the project as associated members. Their role in the project and activities must be clearly described, but is exclusively of an advisory nature rather than an active role and they are therefore not considered as project partners and their costs are not eligible or subject to any reimbursement, nor to funding.

Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant.

Please be aware that following the entry into force of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement4 on 1 February 2020 and in particular Articles 127(6), 137 and 138, the references to natural or legal persons residing or established in a Member State of the European Union are to be understood as including natural or legal persons residing or established in the United Kingdom. UK residents and entities are therefore eligible to participate under this call.

The applicant organisation and each partner of the consortium must have a valid PIC number already at the application stage in order to submit a valid proposal.

Supporting documents

In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, the following supporting documents are requested:

• private entity: extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of trade or association register, certificate of liability to VAT (if, as in certain countries, the trade register number and VAT number are identical, only one of these documents is required);
• public entity: copy of the resolution, decision or other official document establishing the public-law entity.

6.2 Eligible activities

Mobility arrangements including the identification of the target groups of staff, managers and students, preparation of training programme and learning outcomes and selection of participants;

- Mobility activities consisting of:

•   Learners' mobility in VET providers and/or companies abroad, from 2 weeks to less than 3 months;

•   Learners' longer-term mobility in VET/providers and/or companies abroad (ErasmusPro-type mobility5) from 3 to 12 months;

•   Staff mobility, including:

  • o Teaching/training assignments abroad – this activity allows staff of VET providers to teach at a partner VET provider abroad. It also allows staff of companies to provide training at a VET provider abroad.
  • o Staff training abroad – this activity supports the professional development of VET staff in the form of a work placement or a job shadowing/observation period abroad in a company or any other VET provider.
  • o The duration of staff mobilities for these purposes depends on the nature of the activity and is limited to a maximum duration of 3 months.
• - Mobility activities will focus on learners and staff incoming to the EU rather than outgoing from the EU (which will be limited to staff only).

Mobility for training and retraining purposes is only eligible for staff from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo*.

•   Training activities;

•   Conferences, seminars;

•   Communication, awareness raising and dissemination actions at national and regional level;

•   Actions aiming at the creation and improvement of networks, exchanges of good practice;

  Mapping, analysis and research of best practice to develop in the future a comprehensive VET mobility programme.

  6.3 Thematic areas of study

  The present call does not intend to focuss on a particular VET sector. Each application should explain the strategic importance of the selected VET scetor in each case.

  6.4 Implementation period

  The maximum duration of each project is 42 months.

  Applications for projects scheduled to run for a longer period than that specified in this call for proposals will not be accepted.

Learners

Staff

Incoming to Erasmus+ Programme Countries

Yes

Yes

Outgoing from Erasmus+ Programme Countries

No

Yes

April 2020

11

Second pilot VET mobility scheme for the Western Balkans

7. EXCLUSION CRITERIA 7.1 Exclusion

The authorising officer shall exclude an applicant from participating in call for proposals procedures where:

(a) the applicant is bankrupt, subject to insolvency or winding-up procedures, its assets are being administered by a liquidator or by a court, it is in an arrangement with creditors, its business activities are suspended, or it is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for under EU or national laws or regulations;

(b) it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the applicant is in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions in accordance with the applicable law;

(c) it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the applicant is guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the applicant belongs, or by having engaged in any wrongful intent or gross negligence, including, in particular, any of the following:

1. (i) fraudulently or negligently misrepresenting information required for the verification of the absence of grounds for exclusion or the fulfilment of eligibility or selection criteria or in the performance of a contract, a grant agreement or a grant decision;
2. (ii) entering into agreement with other applicants with the aim of distorting competition;

3. (iii)  violating intellectual property rights;

4. (iv)  attempting to influence the decision-making process of the Commission during the award procedure;

5. (v) attempting to obtain confidential information that may confer upon it undue advantages in the award procedure;

(d) it has been established by a final judgment that the applicant is guilty of any of the following:

• (i) fraud, within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Article 1 of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 July 1995;
• (ii) corruption, as defined in Article 4(2) of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 or Article 3 of the Convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of Member States of the European Union, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 May 1997, or conduct referred to in Article 2(1) of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA, or corruption as defined in the applicable law;
• (iii) conduct related to a criminal organisation, as referred to in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA;
• (iv) money laundering or terrorist financing within the meaning of Article 1(3), (4) and (5) of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
• (v) terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, as defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA, respectively, or inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such offences, as referred to in Article 4 of that Decision;
•  
• (vi) child labour or other offences concerning trafficking in human beings as referred to in Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council;

(e) the applicant has shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations in the performance of a contract, a grant agreement or a grant decision financed by the Union's budget, which has led to its early termination or to the application of liquidated damages or other contractual penalties, or which has been discovered following checks, audits or investigations by an authorising officer, OLAF or the Court of Auditors;

(f) it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that the applicant has committed an irregularity within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95;

(g) it has been established by a final judgement or final administrative decision that the applicant has created an entity in a different jurisdiction with the intent to circumvent fiscal, social or any other legal obligations of mandatory application in the jurisdiction of its registered office, central administration or principal place of business;

(h) it has been established by a final judgement or final administrative decision that an entity has been created with the intent referred to in point (g);

(i) for the situations referred to in points (c) to (h) above, the applicant is subject to:

• (i) facts established in the context of audits or investigations carried out by European Public Prosecutor's Office after its establishment, the Court of Auditors, the European Anti-Fraud Office or the internal auditor, or any other check, audit or control performed under the responsibility of an authorising officer of an EU institution, of a European office or of an EU agency or body;
• (ii) non-final judgments or non-final administrative decisions which may include disciplinary measures taken by the competent supervisory body responsible for the verification of the application of standards of professional ethics;
• (iii) facts referred to in decisions of persons or entities being entrusted with EU budget implementation tasks;

4. (iv)  information transmitted by Member States implementing Union funds;

5. (v)  decisions of the Commission relating to the infringement of Union competition law or of a national competent authority relating to the infringement of Union or national competition law; or

6. (vi) decisions of exclusion by an authorising officer of an EU institution, of a European office or of an EU agency or body.

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