Mcast has finalised a €7,259,912 EU co-funded project aimed at increasing the attractiveness, accessibility and flexibility of its lifelong learning course offer.

The aim of the project is to consolidate Mcast’s life-long learning courses by providing more flexible learning options.

Course deliverables including electronic access to labs and workshops; usage of resources after working hours; re-designed/developed 201 e-modules in various subject areas namely agribusiness, art and design, health and social care, electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering and ICT; and recognition of the previous working and learning experience.

Through this project Mcast has designed and reformulated a number of courses between EQF Level 3 and EQF Level 6 through the Blended Learning Approach. It has selected a number of training programmes and restructured them so that students can engage in a number of train-ing modules from home coupled with traditional lecturing, practical sessions and class tutorials for subject areas that require contact with lecturing staff.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and e-Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (eAPEL) are interrelated parts of the same process since in many cases an individual will have both formally acquired qualifications and non-formal skills.

Through this project Mcast developed an online tool that enables individuals to map the learning outcomes that an individual has acquired through other qualifications and hands-on experience and if applicable, provide exemptions for those learning outcomes that have already been achieved when following an Mcast course.

Through this project Mcast will support individuals who would like to further their studies but do not have sufficient time to combine a highly demanding training programme with personal/professional commitments. The project is co-funded by the European Social Fund 2007-2013.