Project

FLin€VET - Exploring Conceptions of Financial Literacy in the European VET Context. European Partnership Project, Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), Leonardo da Vinci

FLin€VET aims to advance the development of a sustained and shared framework of Financial Literacy in the context of European Vocational Education and Training.

Rido / Fotolia

To address this aim, the project brings together a group of partners with different missions and expertise in VET practice and research (e.g., Universities, VET Providers, Teachers and Teacher Trainers, Associations dealing with VET and labour market) from different countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom), and provides ample opportunities for explicating, communicating and possibly integrating the diverse voices of the Financial Literacy debate, shaping and fine-tuning them at the same time in order to cope with the specific requirements of VET. The main objectives of the project are as follows:

  • To analyse and compare if and how Financial Literacy is actually represented and realized in existing national VET Programs of the participating countries.
  • To offer an arena for discussing the adequacy of existing Financial Literacy conceptions with respect to prevalent needs and wants in European VET.
  • To promote higher awareness, reflexivity, and critical knowledge of Financial Literacy in European VET and to point out critical issues that should be addressed in the future.
Method

FLin€VET addresses the subject of how to conceptualize Financial Literacy in European VET by an approach that strategically combines partnership meetings with collaborations in local workgroups. This allows to include various viewpoints and to support exchange between key actors in VET and in the Financial Literacy debate, and ensures maximal integration of different perspectives and capacities. Planned activities are as follows:

  • Partners will conduct an analysis of pertinent national documents. This analysis will include VET programs within selected sectors that are characterized by different degrees of affinity towards financial issues. Concerning materials, we will encompass the spectrum of possible backgrounds by incorporating officially approved materials as well as such materials that stem from private sources. Selection criteria will be discussed during the first partnership meeting. To guide the document analysis process, a tool will be developed and made available to all participants.
  • The results of document analysis will be used (a) to present national conceptions of Financial Literacy, (b) to discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and (c) to draft a common framework for Financial Literacy in the context of VET. Scientifically based guidelines for framework development will be provided. In order to include various viewpoints, the evolving framework will then be validated with a small number of national key actors in VET (e.g., VET school teachers, company trainers, apprentices) and in the Financial Literacy debate (e.g., consumer protectors, financial service providers, etc.) by using a questionnaire and rating scheme. In a final conference, the Financial Literacy framework will be moreover presented to a wider audience and be discussed with representatives of all relevant actors.
Publications
Presentations