Project website: www.pwdemploy.net

PwD Employ – Personal Learning Environment for the Efficient Recruitment of People with Disabilities – is a Leonado da Vinci Transfer of Innovation project approved in 2008 through the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) Lifelong Learning Programme. Project number: ES/08/LLP-LdV/TOI/149101.

The project builds on the previous the IMMI TRAIN project (Leonardo da Vinci pilot project – PT/05/B/F/PPP-159155) focused in the integration of the migrants in the labour market and aims to transfer this approach for managers working with people with disabilities.

The project targets people and organisations who are responsible for the recruitment of the people with physical disabilities: human resource managers, recruitment companies and trainers specialised in human resource management.

The main objective of the PwD Employ project is to promote the integration of people with disabilities in the labour market through the provision of training or managers and organisations. The project partners will develop an e-learning programme available in a Personal Learning Environment. The tool will also facilitate the professional and personal development of people with disabilities.

The project, which started in October of 2008, runs to September 2010.

The main result of the project will be the updating of knowledge for managers about the recruitment of people with disabilities, contributing to increased employment opportunities for this group.

The project impact will be:

In the short term:

• To improve the knowledge of those responsible for the integration of people with disabilities in the labour market;
• To promote the integration of people with disabilities in the labour market;
• To raise awareness about the integration of people with disabilities in the labour market;
• To support companies in providing equal opportunities for employment.

In the long term:

• To change attitudes to the recruitment of people with disabilities;
• To increase the employment rate of the people with disabilities;
• To improve business management in relation to the participation of people with disabilities.

Not content with my MA research and a part time lecturing job I’m keeping myself busy working for Pontydysgu, I say working, I’m not sure work is supposed to be quite so interesting, or fun (it’s not fun Graham, I’m working really hard, honest!). At the moment I’m trying to find out about the use of personal learning environments in training activities. I need to find some examples of good practice and determine what is actually going on at the moment in terms of using PLEs in training. So far I think that the “personal” bit is a barrier to using PLEs and social software in training. I know that people use Twitter to create their own “Personal Learning Networks” but this is done by individuals looking out for their own personal proffessional development, not by your boss tweeting you the latest Health and Safety updates! Or is it? Suppose I should get to work and find out.

I need to interview PLE developers and researchers, teachers and trainers, or trainees. I’m looking for ideas, answers and comments on the following questions…

1) What ICT is used in training activities in Lifelong Learning?

2) What is the level of use of PLEs in training activities?

3) What are the possibilities of PLEs in training/learning?

4) What has been improved by using PLEs?

5) Who is involved in the promotion and development of the PLE: Past /Present /Future.

6) What are the main achievements of the PLE in training/learning?

7) What are the barriers to the development of the PLE in training activities: technological / social /educational.

8) What is the role of the PLE in lifelong learning/training: is it a suitable tool for managing lifelong learning/training?

9)The future of the PLE in lifelong training strategy: what are the main characteristics which can define the PLE as the training tool of the future? Policy support? Etc

That’s a lot to think about

Posted in Dissertation distractions 😉 Tagged: ple, pwd, pwdemploy, pwdproject