1. The 'WoLLNET' and 'CELiNE' EU Leonardo da Vinci Projects:
Interventions meant to support trainers and employers become
aware of workplace literacy issues in order to support workers
and trainees meet the challenges of the 'new economy'
1. Brief presentation of yourself acknowledgement of key partners (keep this
short – some of the information will be in the program booklet)
Dr. Mihaela TILINCA is a trainer and researcher. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the
University of Lancaster. In the past twenty years she has been training teachers and
trainers, teaching Applied Linguistics and Research skills and examining policies and
practices around literacy and adult education.
IREA The interest of the Institute for workplace literacy comes both from the needs and the
expectations of its beneficiaries and of the larger local, national and regional community and
from the research interests and activity of the Institute.
2. A description of the problem the two projects/interventions intend to address
Both projects acknowledge that European citizens have to adapt to the continuous
restructuring of routines, roles and hierarchies in the ‘new economy’ workplaces. The
specialised knowledge learnt through vocational qualifications helps workers to ‘do things’,
but, in order to increase their participation chances in the European labour market, to
support their employability and to prepare them for life long learning, the European
workers also need to draw on different literacy practices and to perform different roles
within institutional literacy networks. They need to interact with other social actors, to
read, write, listen and talk about workplace tasks and processes, to interpret and re-
contextualise information and to be flexible and critical enough as to manage their own
learning and development. Stakeholders involved in workplace literacy training are not
aware of the impact of literacy on the performance of individuals and organizations and do
not have tools to support them in their work towards training individuals so that these can
fully perform in their workplaces.
Both projects aim to support different stakeholders involved in workplace training (VET
teachers and trainers, employers, trade unions, training providers) to become aware of the
impact of workplace literacy on their organizations and on the people they work with; this
is to be achieved by participation in the development of training and evaluation
instruments.
3. A description of the projects/interventions, including:
 Conceptual model
WoLLNET CELiNE
draws on a number of evaluation theories
and frameworks, and on the toolkit
developed by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development in UK
concerning the evaluation of training
impact
it transfers innovation developed through
the research project "Literacy Practices in
the Working Life' developed by a team
working for the University of Stockholm
and the concept of embedded literacy as
developed in the UK project ‘Embedding
Skills for Life and Key Skills in Vocational
Qualifications’ funded by the Depatment
of Education and Skills; the project
implemented by VOX – 'Learning for

2. Working Life', has also informed work
 Target groups and their characteristics
WoLLNET CELiNE
employers, trade unions, providers of
workplace literacy skills from six
European countries who are involved in
developing and piloting the evaluation of
workplace literacy skills training.
trainers and teachers working in VET
adult education in six Europeaan
countries who are involved in developing
aand trailing training materials to be used
in VET teacher/trainer training.
 Main contents of the projects, describing both the literacy component and
the component concerning the particular topic of your panel
WoLLNET CELiNE
The project researches, trials, pilots and
develops a web based, user friendly
toolkit to enable employers, providers
and unions to evaluate the impact of
workplace basic skills training
programmes on learning, both at
individual and at organizational level; the
project team draws on the wash back
effect of evaluation to raise awareness of
stakeholders involved in developing the
tool concerning workplace training and to
create dialogue around literacy training in
the workplace.
The project team works with VET
teachers and trainers in documenting the
workplace literacy needs of the learners
in VET as future workers in the new
economy and the competencies the VET
teachers/trainers need to acquire in order
to support these needs. The
documentations phase informs the design
of training materials that help teachers of
vocational subject embed workplace
literacy in training. The training materials
will be piloted and validated through
training and teaching sessions in two
partners countries.
 Methodology;
WoLLNET CELiNE
Needs analysis realized in partner
countries through desk reseach, survey
and focus groups in which 250
stakeholder participated, design of web
based tool for evaluation of impact of
workplace basic skills training as
documented by the research report and
needs analysis, two phase trailing of
toolkit, and design of final version of
toolkit, dissemination of toolkit.
Diagnosis realized through desk
research in six partner countries on
policies, practices and provisions for VET
training and workplace basic skills
training, identification of set of
competences needed by
teachers/trainers to embed workplace
literacy into VET training, design of
training curriculum and training
materials to be used for training the
VET teachers/trainers to embed
workplace literacy into teaching of
vocational subjects, consultation with
teachers and testing of the materials,
finalizing the materials and
disseminate them.
 Main actors/project teams (training, background, etc.)
WoLLNET CELiNE
Academics with background in adult education/ literacy, researchers in research
institutes that focus on adult education, governmental agencies in charge with
coordinating training policies for literacy work with adults, providers of CVT for adults

3. (workplace literacy training, basic skills training), developers and providers of support
services/products for organizations/professionals in AE or in literacy training
 Materials, books, and other resources that are a part of service delivery
WoLLNET CELiNE
Web besad user friendly tool for
evaluating impact of workplace literacy
training
Training curriculum for embedded
literacy, training materials for training of
VET teacher/trainers to embed workplace
literacy into vocational training,
collection of resource materials (case
studies, learner stories, activites) for Vet
teachers
4. How are participants motivated to remain involved/sustainability
Both projects have approached research and development as dialogic and as a participative
process, involving the stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the expected results of the
project in the design and trailing of materials. The stakeholders and beneficiaries of the
products to be designed in the projects have been motivated to participate in the projects
through involving them from the initial stages of the projects in a consultation process
(needs analysis, diagnosis study) and through signalling that their needs inform the project
products and that the products to be developed in the projects can be relevant for their
current work. The stakeholders will be active participants in designing and training and
evaluation tools.
5. Cost and general sources of funding
WoLLNET CELiNE
EU Leonardo da Vinci project funded by
Education and Culture DG,London
Development Agency and Leading
Learning and Skills
EU Leonardo da Vinci project funded by
Romanian National Agency for
Community programmes
6. The expected outcomes of the projects/interventions
 How many actors/stakeholders are involved in the projects?
WoLLNET CELiNE
250 stakeholders in six countries during
the consultation phase; 30 stakeholders
during the trialing phase
10 stakeholders in six countries during
the design of curriculum and training
materials, 10 VET trainer/teacher trainers
and teachers/trainers and min 50 direct
beneficiaries in two countries during the
testing phase
 How are outcomes assessed/evaluated
WoLLNET CELiNE
Verification by project team ans steering/consultation bodies involved in the projects;
validation of outcomed through trialing/testing
7. Impact
Stakeholders and beneficiaries became aware of dimensions and impact of workplace literacy
on individuals and on own organizations; they have become familiar with aspects and
components of literacy specific for the workplaces/occupations/sectors in which they work;
they have started to question and evaluate means to introduce workplace literacy in training

4. programmes in their institutions; they have manifested interest to participate in trails and
tests and to stay in touch with project teams; they 'recognise' literacy in work contexts. They
compare work in their countries/organizations with work done in other
countries/organizations.
 Present a short story from a stakeholder that is active in project
8. Lessons learned that might be useful to others
 Projects can become contexts for experimentation and of dialogue among
stakeholders if dialogic approach is taken
 Research and evaluation instruments have an important washback effect on
learning and awareness raising
 Talking around concepts and issues is an important means of learning and
development
 Grass root approach towards workplace literacy training has to be both supported
through instruments and materials and to be channeled towards policied; projects
can contribute to both objectives
9. Future challenges
 Introduce literacy and workplace literacy on public agenda and in national policies
 Introduce literacy and workplace literacy in education and training of teachers and
educators
 Find the most appropriate ways to mainstream results and outcomes of the projects
 Find the most effective means to initiate national/regional progrmmes that caapitalise
on lessons from projects and use the results of projects
 Find means to keep the dialogue between stakeholders open and develop
partnerships involving these stakeholders
10. Brief acknowledgment of key partners
WoLLNET CELiNE
Skills for Work Ltd, UK, applicant
and coordinating organisation
Asset Skills, UK; BEST Institute of
Vocaational Education and Personnel
Training, AU; BTL Group Ltd, UK;
Business in the Community, UK; German
Institute for Adult Education, DE;
Investors in People, UK; Romanian
Institute for Adult Education, RO; KTP
Associaation for qualification and the
Labour Market), CZ; Learning ans Skills
Council (London Region), UK; The
London Development Agency, UK;
National Adult Literacy Agency, IE; Swiss
Federation for Adult Learning, CH;
Romanian Institute for Adult
Education, RO, applicant and
coordinating institution
German Institute for Adult Education,
DIE, DE; ERGON KEK Vocational Training
Centre, EL; University of Florence –
Education and cultural, training processes
and sciences Department, IT; VOX –
Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning,
NO; RGF – German Romanian Foundation
Centre for vocational Training and
Development, RO; Uniiversity of
Stockholm -Department of Scandianvian
Languages, SE;