SOL - Swiss Occidental Leonardo

Projects

Leonardo pilot projects contribute to the improving quality and stimulating innovation in professional training.

Innovation transfer projects

These are cross-border cooperation projects involving a minimum of 3 countries, which meet the training needs identified in a given activity sector, by adapting innovative solutions implemented in another country, in another sector or for another type of public.

Eligible activities:

socio-cultural, legal, linguistic or methodological adaptation of the selected innovation  
experimentation with results obtained with project's target public
integration of these results into the working practices of the players
institutional recognition of the project results by regional, national, European and/or sectorial professional training systems

These projects depend for their success on being publicised and put to use, notably by involving the target public from the initial conception stage.

Examples of innovations which could be transferred:

Training tools: learning products, training modules, on-line teaching materials, training reference software, etc.
Training methods: a teaching approach, tools for the teachers, etc.
Facilities for training, career and educational counselling, work placement: a study program, a qualification, a trade reference software, etc.
Approaches to work or methodologies in the area of vocational training: working in networks, project approach, etc.

Who can take part?

All players in teaching and work training, particularly businesses, public and private training centres, employee representatives, professional branches, regional authorities, consular bodies, associations, etc.

Indirect Swiss participation

In the second phase of bilateral negotiations, Switzerland and the European Union confirmed their intention to open negotiations for Switzerland to participate officially in the new generation of programs. This participation hinges on the signing of a bilateral agreement. The Federal Council adopted the corresponding negotiating mandate on February 28^th 2007. Negotiations began in April 2008.

Once negotiations are completed, the Federal Council will present a message concerning the financing of its official participation to Parliament.

It is still too early to give a precise start date for Switzerland's official participation in the programs.

While waiting for the official participation to come into effect, Switzerland will continue to participate indirectly in the EU's educational programs, that is to say on the basis of agreements made for each project with the coordinators or partner institutions.

In 2006 Switzerland spent some 14 million francs participating on a "project by project" basis, notably on financing the cross-border mobility of students and those learning a trade. These actions concerned nearly 5400 young people (Swiss moving to the EU and an equivalent proportion of Europeans placed in Switzerland). Official participation will enable Swiss partners to participate in the strategic orientation of programs and launch and manage projects themselves, which not the case today.

Find out more on the web site of the State Secretariat for Education and Research