Project name: Museum Professionals - Leading organization: Ankara University (Turkey) Partners: Euro Innovanet (Italy) ,University of Sibiu (Romania) ,Etnografya Müzesi (Turkey) is the oldest state museum of Turkey Yaşayan Müze (Turkey) is private ,new and a living museum built in 2007 .Türk Kadınları Kültür Derneği (Turkey) is the first women civil society organization established in Turkey . It is a cultural association and have close relations with museums, other cultural organizations, universities and civil society organizations through its members. Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust LBG(UK) Project Description In addition to protection, preservation and exhibition of heritage, the “modern” museum becomes a public space, a place of enjoyment and expression of cultural identity for a wider audience. Museums are going beyond the traditional dichotomy between preservation and enhancement and rewriting the same mission in new terms. Successful museums have to be aware of the interrelated issues of cohesive leadership and visitor focused public programming and make sure that visitors have easy access to all that museums do. All these could be done by a skilled and trained museum professional who can also guide other staff for the long term success of the museum. In some of the larger national and private museums in Turkey, such a staff and resources have been dedicated, but often this professional profile is not available in most of the museums. This project has been designed in order to answer to those needs and will be implemented through transferring the innovative best practices of the F-MUSEUM project implemented by Euro INNOVANET (http://europeanvirtualmuseum.net/evm/index.asp.html). The first specific purposes of the Project is to transfer a vocational training program of F-MUSEUM project and to revise it in accordence with the needs of the museums in Turkey through conducting current situation and needs analysis as well as an impact assessment. The curricula will use F-MUSEUM project's innovative methodology. This methodology will use the ICT and other educational tools aimed at training and retraining current and potential museum professionals through an e-learning portal . This portal will be designed and functionalized in accordance with the curricula designed within the project . The other purpose of the Project is to develop a training program ( academic curricula ) for the Department of Museum Education of Ankara University to enhance skills and vision of the potantial museology students through develeoping capacities of the lecturers at the university. This academic curricula will be a reference program for the museology and other relevant departments in the other universities in Turkey Target Groups: 1. Museum professionals(MPs) who are still working in the museums (VET),2. Academic and lecturer staff in the Department of Museum Education (and other related departments) of Ankara University (Higher Education) Project Activities 1. Current situation and needs analysis 2. Impact assessment 3. Development of l training program /curricula (VET/HİGHER EDUCATION) 4. Designing an e-learning portal and structured Web site 5. Dissemination Activities and Multiplier Events 6. Learning/Teaching /Training Activities (Training of trainers)) 7. Project Monitoring, Evaluation Activities and Transnational Meetings Expected Results of the Project • Defining current situation and the needs of the museums in the sector through conducting current situation and need analysis • Revealing the impact of adopting alternative training models on the situation of museums and to provide a road map while revising the transfered training model through conducting an impact assessment study • Transferring an innovative European training methodology and related modules for museum professionals • Improving university-sector relation through developing vocational training modules for museum professionals • Promoting use of digital learning, and supporting the creation of flexible learning pathways in line with learners' needs and objectives through designing an e-learning portal for museum professionals who are working in the museums in Turkey • Providing a joint staff training at Roma (training of Trainers) •Disseminate project outputs to the stakeholders and the target groups through conducting 5 multiplier events • Promoting cooperation and partnerships that have an impact on the modernisation and internationalisation of higher education through designing an academic curricula for the Department of Museum Education of Ankara University • Promoting open access to materials, documents and media that are useful for learning, teaching, training • Creating a sustainable network for the continuous training of museum professionals • Providing professional and methodological tools for the policy makers • Ensuring continuous relations between the partners at local, national and European level