The quality bonus - the first ETS Conference

THE QUALITY BONUS Conference will take place on 26-28 March 2018 in Mainz/Germany and might be for you if - you are involved in youth worker education and training, - you are interested in contributing to the further development of quality youth work, - you are interested in education and training strategies and in discussing them in a European – international environment, - you might have a good example of practice to share connected to education and training of youth workers, and - ... moreover, you are ready for a new challenge! The Conference will be an opportunity to enable stakeholders of education and training to further contribute to the development of quality youth work. It will focus on systems and opportunities for youth workers by exploring topics related to the European Training Strategy (ETS), which provides resources for better strategical approaches. Besides spaces to explore and exchanges on practices and experiences, the Conference will also pay a particular attention to policy-based processes, such as the Council conclusions on the contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people (2013). The Conclusions are an important groundwork for the development of quality youth work, also from the perspective of education and training of youth workers. In the context of the Conference, the Conclusions will also be taken into consideration to explore links with other initiatives and processes. When looking at training and education realities for youth work [ers] in the Erasmus+: YiA Programme and neighbouring partner countries, very diverse situations can be found. Because of its focus on quality youth work through capacity building, the related processes it initiated, and the tools it developed, the ETS not only provides spaces, but also resources such as databases, handbooks, competence models, principles, etc. that support stakeholders in using and adjusting them to their contexts. Moreover, the ETS encourages decision makers, experts and practitioners to cooperate on a broader scale to improve the quality of youth work and its recognition; such an approach to synergies and cooperation will also be sustained during the Conference. Beyond links and synergies, the Conference will offer space to discuss necessary steps to undertake for better strategical approaches at different levels and in different contexts. More specifically, the Conference will be a collective space intending to: - Create common (strategic) space for sharing knowledge and experiences of different approaches/practises to address the diversity of youth work from a systemic perspective (incl.– national and international levels); - Get inspired by good examples of practice in youth workers’ education and training using a competence-based approach - in Erasmus+: YiA and in other contexts (national/international); - Explore the links and the opportunities of the national and European dimensions of competences for youth workers; - Identify next steps at local, regional, national and European levels in terms of strategical developments. PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS & APPROACH The Conference will bring together approx. 120 participants from different youth work context such as practise, research, policy making coming from more European and neighbouring partner countries. The profile of participants therefore includes National Agencies of Erasmus+ (youth and education and training), universities and vocational schools, policy-makers, expert, practitioners, trainers, and researchers. The Erasmus+: YiA programme countries will have the opportunities to form delegations of max. 4 people. The Conference will be an interactive and dynamic space, which will include, among other elements, virtual support not only to get prepared but also during the event to exchange and communicate within the group and with the ‘outside world’. For more detailed information (programme expected outcomes, background), please refer to the draft programme and tot he 'background info call' documents attached.