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When restrictions related to Covid-19 strongly impacted international travel conditions and the organisation of physical mobilities were interrupted, “virtual” alternatives where explored. This context pushed to innovate and develop remote exchanges or virtual / hybrid mobility. What is meant by virtual or hybrid mobility? It is a collaborative learning method, focused on the exchange of knowledge, practices and interculturality and made possible using information and communication technologies. Hybrid mobility is composed of virtual activity combined with physical/geographical mobility.
Some 100% virtual mobility experiences had been quickly set up by the training centres of the CMA network during 2021, but hybrid mobility will also be further explored and systemised in the future as it is highly recommended in the ERASMUS+ program 2021-2027.
The aims were not only the development of competences by the learners / participants. The benefits are also seen in the possibilities to extend intercultural projects to the greatest number of apprentices including those far from mobility. It is also a way to introduce new skills among trainers who must become familiar with the scripting, organisation and deliver distance learning training courses and use appropriate collaborative learning methods in an intercultural context. Finally, common pedagogical projects can also consolidate and develop European and/or intra-network partnerships.
Responsible organisation
CMAR Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Campus Deux-Sèvres)
What problem or issue has the innovative practice aimed to tackle?
Broadening the personal and professional horizon of learners is a mission of our training centres and European and International mobility is one privileged learning situation to reach these goals. Covid-19 strongly impacted international travel conditions and the organisation of physical mobilities was interrupted. This context pushed to innovate and develop remote exchanges and virtual mobility. Virtual / hybrid mobility can for example be considered for
A/ Apprentices
· Prepare apprentices for mobility through distance activities integrated into linguistic and intercultural preparation ;
· Discover and present the hosting training centre and the training system and environment in the host company
· Organise an information / training session on a technical or general subject (exchange, co-organise recipes, present safety gestures, integrate European approach into the training course and exam (e.g. the Masterpiece);
· Assess learning outcomes at the end of the mobility
B / Apprenticeship tutors and/or employers:
· Involve them in the preparation of mobility (objectives of the mobility, prepare the pedagogical path in mobility)
· Exchange between sending and hosting companies on the skills being acquired by learners
· Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of skills acquired in mobility
As an example, the projet Let’s meat! was implemented by the apprenticeship training centre 79, and involved the apprentices in the butcher training at level 4.
What have been the achievements?
Value apprenticeship and implement learning dynamics; a video “Fast and curious” were developed by the apprentices to present the training centre, the training delivered, present the companies … To implement the video, methodological skills were reinforced:
· Exploit professional situations by developing written and oral communication skills.
· Maintain and develop their skills by working independently through access to multimedia tools.
· Communicate orally or in writing using a multimedia tool
· Use communication tools
· Leverage software resources
And language skills were practically used:
· Communicate in a simple way by reformulating
· Be able to participate in an exchange of information
· Understand the essential information of a message
· Understand the essential information of a written message. - Be able to read short texts.
· Write a simple and consistent message.
Further perspectives to implement in 2022 by CMA France with 5 regional chambers:
Today the framework of virtual/hybrid mobility is not yet completely defined: the minimum durations for activities carried out remotely are not defined, they can cover various themes and objectives and be proposed for different target audiences / beneficiaries. Training centres need a support system and guidelines to undertake first steps and get inspired with project ideas. To be able to generalise the process, CMA France and 5 chambers of regions will explore an online Spoc Fortrainers training-action. The Spoc was developed in an KA2 ERASMUS+ project FORTRAINERS - Intellectual Outputs
It will be the support for training of trainers session aiming at the implementation of the process. The Spoc provides already a training-action in 5 phases:
A- Theoretical part/Exchange of practice: Discovery of examples of virtual mobility
B- Production part: Creation of blended learning project by the training centres with their partners, brainstorming about the choice of a virtual mobility sequence (to be created or copy or adapt an existing example )
C- Creation or adaptation of a sequence, a process, scripting process
D- Experimentation and implementation of the project
E- Exchanges, feedback
Who was involved and how?
CFA de la CMAR Nouvelle-Aquitaine (English teacher) for the conception of pedagogical projects (Nadine Ayrault)
CMAR Normandie for the concept to develop the support system and partners to experiment: CMAR Pays-de la Loire, CMAR Occitanie, CMAR Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and CMAR La Réunion.
CFA Pasteur and KA2 project coordinator of FORTRAINERS
