Epitome

Epitome reports

Jerome Combaz (Greta du Velay) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:30:29 +0000

Here are the public available reports produced in the frame of Epitome. All these files are PDF. The e-learning resources remain online.

The elearning modules created in Epitome are available online

Jerome Combaz (Greta du Velay) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:22:59 +0000

The elearning modules created in Epitome are available online. The partners are testing and evaluating these contents with immigrants learners.

You can browse the modules on this page.

Epitome progress

Roy Smith — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:30:01 +0000

The Epitome project is making some excellent progress with new e-learning resources and piloting taking place in early 2008. Much of this work has been based on the Market Research that the partners undertook with small businesses, current migrant workers and those who may wish to work in other countries. The key findings were to identify the issues of most concern to all:

Living in a new country
Working in a new country: the conditions and requirements
Health and Safety
Food hygiene

The project is now producing e-learning programmes on these 4 issues in Latvian, Polish, Czech, French, German and English. Each of these programmes has been written and produced to meet the particular requirements of the country.
The project is also supporting “Learning Champions” in businesses and for potential migrant workers. These will help and adise learners to gain the skills.

If you want more information about the project then get in touch with the web site or post a comment with your email address.

Who is concerned by Epitome?

Jerome Combaz (Greta du Velay) — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:41:58 +0000

Migrant workers can be divided into two major and distinct groups – professionals with very high level qualification and low skilled workers with limited knowledge of other member states. It is the latter group that is the target of Epitome.

In the UK alone, there are over 10000 migrants per year into food, hospitality and catering sectors– many of these coming from the newer EU Member States. In France, many immigrant workers end up in the hospitality sector because that is the sector where there are job opportunities. However, in many EU Member States, for example, the UK, France and Germany, due to the low skill levels of the migrant workers and without the knowledge of employment law, they are subject to long hours, poor pay, inadequate training opportunities and basic exploitation (Latter from TUC RDA Network Briefing April 2005).

Intermediate target groups are trade unions, SME employers and SME associations, business advice, chambers of commerce, trainers and training organisations and awarding bodies from the participating regions and countries.

Why Epitome?

Jerome Combaz (Greta du Velay) — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 16:48:00 +0000

There is considerable evidence illustrating increasing mobility of individuals between Member States. The partnership of Epitome represents Member States exhibiting significant emigration or immigration or in some cases such as Poland both significant emigration to Germany and some immigration from Germany. Many of these workers are low skilled workers with limited knowledge of other member states.

A consensus both from experiential and desk research evidence suggests that the skills other than language that migrant workers require are:

knowledge of local basic work legislation, especially workers rights, work permits, workers’ councils and associated monetary arrangements for work and interpretations of basic health and safety and food handling legislation between member states, equipment handling differences, customer handling (particularly as it relates to different cultural traditions and behaviours in different member states);
basic communication skills so that staff are able to discuss and gather information as well as record it, the etiquette required on factory floors;
basic skills to enter and sustain employment in the labour markets of different member states;
and finally the capacity to reference the recognition of qualifications / learning achieved in other Member States within new country utilising common framework.

Epitome website launch!

Jerome Combaz (Greta du Velay) — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 13:51:23 +0000

Welcome to Epitome blog. This website relates the activities of the Epitome project and gives information about training and skills recognition for lower skilled workers in the Hospitality and Food Production sectors. It is also used for the dissemination of the project’s results.