Project Vetwood Summary

The VETWOOD project is designed to respond to the urgent vocational English training needs of our contemporary society by matching vocational education and training to current needs of the developing European labour market. The mobility of workforce in the European Union imposes specific demands for people's language skills directly related to employability, fast adjustment to new work environment and multinational teams.

The project partners' network has recognized the lack of training in vocational English language in the entire Woodworking Industry. The Needs Survey, carried out in all partner countries, has shown that target groups have basic but not adequate language competences essential for their professional communication and realization in an international work environment. All partners confirmed the lack of specific English language training in the curricula in their educational systems. The owners and managers from SMEs in Woodworking industry also confirmed current needs for this particular training. According the Observatory of European SMEs, carried out by the European Commission in 2007, one of the main problems of SMEs is in finding and hiring the appropriate workforce with the adequate vocational language competence.

The VETWOOD project aims at providing training methodology and materials for lifelong learning for vocational college students, university students, and professionals in Woodworking industry and SMEs in relation to vocational English language training. The project aims will be achieved through the development of useful training tools that would fill in the gaps in English language training within the system of VET.

The goal is to train existing and future professionals in the field of Woodworking Industry in order to improve their specific language skills which will guarantee safer, healthier and more productive working environment.

The partnership includes the following partners: University of Forestry - Bulgaria (project contractor and coordinator), Oikotechnics Institute - Greece, Stora Segerstad och Varnamo Naturbruksgymnasium - Sweden, National Forest Centre - Slovakia (contractor of the project Vocational English for Forestry Staff (Forestlang), which has been transferred and will be further developed by the present project) and the Institute for Research on Qualifications and Training of the Austrian Economy, Austria.

The outcomes of the project will be applicable in vocational college schools, universities and any short-term or long-term vocational training of woodworking company staff and as training materials for lifelong learning for individuals employed in the woodworking industry sector. The project products will be available to self-learners of vocational English or as a distance-learning tool since all project products will be uploaded on the VETWOOD website.

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