WAVE Project

Visit http://www.waveproject.com 

WAVE is a new initiative, in line with EU educational developments, that targets the aquaculture industry throughout Europe - the workers and employers in SMEs, trade associations, colleges, training organisations and [educational] accreditation bodies. The WAVE project is coordinated by AQUATT, the European network for training and technology transfer in aquaculture. The initiative has received financial support of the Commission of the European Communities under the LEONARDO DA VINCI PROGRAMME.

The 8 core partners of WAVE are:

1)AquaTT European Education and Training Network
2)FEAP Federation of European Aquaculture Producers
3) INTECHMER Institut National des Sciences et Techniques de la Mer (CNAM), France
4)FHL Havbruk, Norway
5)KEK Diastasi, Greece
6)SATA - Scottish Aquaculture Training Association, UK
7)SQA - Scottish Qualifications Authority, UK
8)AMC - Aqualex Multimedia Consortium, Ireland

WAVE partners
1st Partner Meeting
January 2004, Dublin

The project addresses the need to introduce a "Work Experience Validation Protocol in European Aquaculture".

It is recognised that much of the acquisition of skills in professional aquaculture occurs outside the scope of the awarding of accredited University/College tertiary degrees or diplomas.

Such skills may be acquired through formal certification (termed "vocational") or by informal means (experience-based, workplace assessment, lifelong learning). Currently there is no accepted Europe-wide system for validating and accrediting such types of training in aquaculture thus making comparison with other countries and systems impossible.

The WAVE project will:

- Produce a comprehensive and definitive list of aquaculture relevant qualifications, including skills, expertise, knowledge requirements and industrial competencies

- Identify gaps between current qualifications and competencies and training needs for both structured and informal learning within the industry

It must be stressed that the WAVE initiative does not try to change, nor to compete with systems that are already established around Europe. Clearly each country has its own courses accredited by procedures it has set up, perhaps over many years. Thus each European country is asked to identify its course components and procedures for recognition which will make transparency and comparison possible. The WAVE initiatives goal is to define a "comparison tool" (protocol), which will be evaluated for acceptance and incorporation within each national scheme, in line with the identified European Commission priorities (Copenhagen Declaration) on enhanced European cooperation in Vocational Education and Training.
(see http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/copenhagen/index_en.php )

The WAVE project, by means of these tools will facilitate the validation and assessment of the training of current workers, new workers, interim staff and students. This should give enterprises the opportunity to have better trained staff which should lead to higher efficiency and profits.

An important aspect of the project results is that they could also lead to the transnational recognition of qualifications and competences.

Methodology

The initiative has been split into several phases over 36 months (start 12/03)

To summarise;

1. Data Collection
Educational system
- To map out the current existing systems in place in Europe (degrees, diplomas, vocational training, non-formal, lifelong learning)
- Overview of the accreditation systems in each country

Competencies
- Create an accurate list of competencies related to aquaculture production for all of Europe (all species, all technologies and differences around Europe)

2. Verify the information is correct and the format is understandable

- Consultation with Industry (producers associations and workers through farm visits)
- Consultation with Education bodies (Universities, training organisations, colleges etc.)

3. Develop a matrix of all qualifications and competencies for the whole of Europe 

- A complete description of current informal and formal on and off-farm training available across Europe
- A complete competencies list for European Aquaculture

4. Develop a protocol for comparing different systems, qualifications and individuals learning pathways

- Develop a system for comparing different formal and informal training between countries
- Be able to take individuals and map their learning pathway

5. Consultation regarding the potential use of the tools and results from the initiative

- Consultation with Industry (producers associations, etc)
- Consultation with the policy makers (Education authorities, accrediting bodies
- Consultation with Education bodies (universities, training organisations, colleges etc.)

EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES OF THE WAVE INITIATIVE

Student on a Work placement
More and more students have to undertake a compulsory work placement on their courses. It is widely accepted that vocational training is a very valuable component of any aquaculture course.
How WAVE helps
The WAVE competency lists will enable the farm manager to verify all the competencies the student has acquired during his/her placement.
Beneficiaries;
- The Farm managers can structure on-site training
- The Student can have a structured plan with aims and targets for the training experience and at the end leave with a full list of what level he has achieved in every aspect of the work experience placement
- The sending Training organisation will know exactly what the placement has achieved and thus possibly incorporate the experience into its accreditation system (ECTS or other)

Farm worker
Every worker has a unique "learning pathway". It may be a combination of structured courses (degree, diplomas, doctorates etc.) short training courses (1 day, week or month) and lifelong learning (employment, experiences etc.).
How WAVE helps
Every worker is unique, currently it is very hard to compare individuals as they have different qualifications and work experience. But using the WAVE mapping system it will be possible using a competency based approach to identify each individual's knowledge.
Beneficiaries
- The Farm Manager when selecting staff will know exactly what the potential employee can and cannot do. He will also be able to use the tool on his existing staff to identify training gaps.
- The worker will be able to map out his own learning pathway

Government and Local Authority Staff
It is very hard for decision makers (government, developments agencies etc) to identify training needs or compare current systems.
How WAVE helps
WAVE will provide a map of existing education and training nationally and on a European level. It will also provide a list of competencies identified and accepted both by farmers and educational bodies thus making comparison possible.
Beneficiaries
- The WAVE tools will allow all policy makers to easily identify gaps and thus take steps to meet existing needs.
- The industry (FEAP, Producers Associations) will also be able to take action to improve the experience of its own workforce.
- Both of the above will also have a grasp of the current situation with regards to the industries workforce

Education and Training Bodies
Training systems are changing in Europe. There are new methodologies (problem based learning, ODL, case studies etc) and media (WWW, video streaming etc).
How WAVE helps
WAVE is in line with the Education changes taking place. It approaches all training from a competency based approach in order to allow comparison. Thus in a practical industry like aquaculture it places large value on practical training appropriately. WAVE can thus help training bodies carry out internal audits of their own existing systems and compare it to other systems.
Beneficiaries
- Teachers/Trainers will be able to
- Identify future training curricula
- Compare and contrast European systems
- Accredit their students for work placements