Key Action 1Start-up Seminar2014 Call

Welcome and overview

Delegate SurveySurvey results:

The opportunity to ask questions, and network

Understand differences between the E+ and LLP

programme

To learn about tools for recognition of learning outcomes

How to make any changes to your grant agreement

Practical demonstrations of IT Tools

Hard copy materials.

Purpose of Today• Go through stages of the project lifecycle

• Understand rules of the Erasmus+ KA1

programme

• Opportunity to network with other delegates

• Ask questions to the National Agency / Project

Officer

• Delegate Pack

Overview of 2014 Call

2014 Call Results (R1 VET)

• Received 189

• Eligible 160

• Approved 80

• Budget awarded € 9,788,676.00

2014 Call Results (R1 VET)

Participant TypeApproved

ApplicationsParticipant Numbers

VET Learners 72 3362

VET Staff 38 856

2014 Call Breakdown by UK Country

2014 Call Results (AE)

• Received 58

• Eligible 55

• Approved 11

• Budget awarded € 641,632.00

2014 Call Results (AE)

Participant TypeApproved

ApplicationsParticipant Numbers

AE Staff 32 627

2014 CallBreakdown by UK Country

78%

3%

6% 13%

England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

The Role of the NA• To promote the Erasmus+ programme in the UK

• To provide information, advice and guidance

• To manage project assessment and selection

• To make payments to projects and conduct audits

• To undertake on- going monitoring of projects

• To disseminate and exploit results

The Role of the Beneficiary• Responsible for project implementation, monitoring,

reporting

• Ensuring a strong, committed partnership in place

• Ensuring placement content is relevant and objectives

defined

• Ensuring appropriate participant selection, preparation,

support, and contractual systems in place

• On-going evaluation

• Dissemination of results

Managing your Grant & Contract

Overview

• Grant Agreements

• Grant Agreement Annexes

• Contract Amendments

• Eligible expenditure & Ineligible costs

Grant Agreement

Grant AgreementsTypes:• Mono-beneficiary agreements

• The applicant becomes the single beneficiary of the agreement

• Multi-beneficiary agreements • All partners of the consortium become beneficiaries of the agreement

Structure:• Part I: Special Conditions (Tailored)• Part II: General Conditions (Fixed)• Annexes (Integral part of Grant

Agreement)

Grant Agreement Annexes

Grant Agreement AnnexesAnnexes:

• Annex I: Description of the Project

• Annex II: Estimated budget

• Annex III: Financial and Contractual rules

• Annex IV: Templates beneficiary/participant agreements

• Annex V – Mandates

• Annex VI – List of other beneficiaries

Part 1: Special Conditions

Specific Articles of the Grant

Agreement

Article I.3.2 – Budget Transfers

• Not considered as an amendment of the agreement.

• Transfers to/from budget categories of unit contributions are percentage based.

• Unit contribution rates apply after budget transfer.

Budget Transfer ExampleAwarded Budget 

Organisational Support Budget

€22750 Special Needs Budget

€0  

No of participants 65      

Unit contribution per participant

€350      

 Transfer based on budget transfer allowance (b) 

 

Transfer from Transfer to % or amount New estimated budget after transfer for: Organisation Support

New estimated budget after transfer for: Special Needs 

Organisational Support Special Needs €500 €22250 €500

Application of Unit contributions after transfer for organisation support €22250/€350 = 63 Beneficiary can only claim organisational support for 63 participants.

Article I.4 – Reporting and Payments• 1st pre-financing payment within 30 days of signed contract

• Payment of the balance/refund within 60 calendar days on receipt of the Final report

Article I.14 – Supporting ParticipantsBeneficiaries can provide support for the budget categories: travel, course fees, linguistic support and individual support as outlined in Annex I and IV for participants in three ways:

1.Full transfer: the beneficiary transfers the full funds to the participants to make suitable arrangements

2.Contribution in kind: the beneficiary makes suitable arrangements on behalf of the participant

3.Form of a refund: the participant makes suitable arrangements themselves without pre-financing and then reimbursed by the beneficiary

Part 2: General Conditions Specific Articles of the Grant Agreement

• Beneficiaries are obligated to acknowledge the contribution of the European Union programme funding.

• Two Commission documents with guidance on displaying the European Union emblem.

• Example of standard text for a Disclaimer: “This publication has been produced with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of <name of the beneficiary> and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the NA and the Commission."

Article II.7 Visibility of Union Funding

• General provisions:

• Activity within eligible period - project start & end

date

• Necessary for implementing the Project

• No overlap between unit costs and actual costs

Article II.16 – Eligible Costs

Article II.20 Checks and AuditsArticle II.21 Monitoring and Evaluation

• Beneficiaries subjected to technical and Financial checks or audits in relation to the use of the grant. (by NA, EC, mandated bodies, OLAF)

• Beneficiaries obligated to keep documents for:• 5 years if grant amount more than €60,000 • 3 years if grant amount not more than €60,000

Contract

Amendments

• Amendments can be broken down into 2 groups

Amendments to the Agreement

Change Requested

Permitted

Not PermittedNotification only

(project change)

Significant change

(formal request)

Contact person √    

Legal signatory √    

Bank details √    

Organisation name   √  

Participant/ accompanying person flows √ √  

European partner   √ (VET) √ (AE)

European country   √ (AE) √ (VET)

Beneficiary organisation     √

UK consortium     √

Eligible Expenditure

& Ineligible Costs

Eligible Expenditure Eligible cost Financial

headingAmount

Travel Unit costs Distance calculator dependent €0 - €1100

Individual Support Unit costs According to country of destination, duration of placement and activity type

Organisational support

Unit costs €350 per participant up to 100 participants€200 per additional participant (above 100 participants)

Linguistic support Unit costs Mobilities separated into 3 strands – placement description, requirement and unit cost

Special needs support

Portion of eligible costs

Exceptional costs Reimbursement of portion of eligible costs

Adult Education

Eligible costs Financial heading Amount

Course fee Portion of eligible costs

100% of eligible costs

Ineligible costs

• Activity outside the contract period

• Losses on exchange rates

• Bank charges and interest

• Placements to countries not participating in the programme

• Activities not covered your contract i.e. target group, partners

• Double funding

Things to consider

• Participants

• Partners, roles and responsibilities

• KA1 Handbook

IT Tools, Monitoring & Reporting

ECAS

ECAS• European Commission Authentication System

• Common login system

• Access linked to email address

• How to register

Participant Portal• Single-entry point for participation and

administration of projects in Erasmus+

• Accessed through ECAS

• Requirement for all project partners

• May need to be updated throughout project lifetime

Mobility Tool+

What is the MT+?Mobility Tool+ is an online system for management of mobility projects that received an EU grant under the Lifelong Learning and Erasmus+ Programmes.

MT+ will be used to:

• provide all the information about projects,

• identify participants and mobilities,

• complete and update budget information,

• generate and follow up participants reports,

• generate and submit interim and final reports to the National Agency.

Accessing the MT+• Accessed through ECAS

• The ECAS account needs to be registered to the project contact person’s email address

• You will receive an e-mail from the MT+ and then you can log in with your ECAS password at https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/eac/mobility

Home

Home

Search = Ctrl-F

Project Details

Project Details

Organisations

Organisations

Contacts

Contacts

Mobilities

Mobilities: Import - Export• Large amounts of data can be input efficiently• Uses .CSV file format – similar to Excel • Information is coded – refer to Mobility Tool Data Dictionary

Import• You can add or update mobilities information• You cannot delete information

Export• Contains information about any mobilities input into MT+• You can use this file to import information back to MT+

Import – Export

Import – Export

Import – Export

Budget

Budget

Budget

Monitoring

Overview of Monitoring ActivitiesNational Agency monitoring

• MT+• Monitoring calls• Audits, checks & monitoring visits

Your responsibilities• Project monitoring• Project evaluation

Audits, Checks & Monitoring VisitsFour types of visit:

• Monitoring visit (NA only)

• On the Spot Checks (NA only)

• Systems Check (NA only)

• Audit Visits (NA or other agencies)

Monitoring Visits• Sample of projects selected at random

• Reviews the progress of the project against the original objectives set out in the application

• Covers key areas of the project implementation

• The NA will provide support and collect examples of best practice

On the Spot Checks• A random sample of monitoring visits will also

include an on the spot check

• Financial checks on project activities

• Verify amounts claimed for mobilities are supported by relevant documentation

Your responsibilities• The project partnership

• Participants

• The mobilities

• The budget

• Ongoing evaluation

Reporting

ReportsBeneficiary report• Submitted after the end of the project• Covers qualitative and financial information• Accessed from the MT+• Online Submission

Participant reports• Covers feedback from the participant about their

experiences• Generated by the MT+• Completed online via EUSurvey• 100% submission requirement

Mobilities

Katherine LattaHead of European Programmes, UK NARICand member of the UK team of ECVET Experts

Recognition of Learning Outcomes:Recognising Mobility with

Europass and ECVET

CurriculumVitae

Language Passport

Europass Mobility

DiplomaSupplement

CertificateSupplement

Europass Portfolio

European

Skills

Passport

Europass Mobility

• Often used to record work placements abroad and Erasmus+ placements

• Completed by the organisations responsible for organising and hosting the experience

• Helps individuals to identify key skills when applying for work and study

• Intended for any person undergoing a mobility experience whatever their age or level of education

Europass Mobility

What does it do?

It  provides  a  record,  and  validation, of skills  and  competences  acquired  by  an individual  during  an  organised  period  of learning or training such as an Erasmus+ mobility placement.

How to apply:

Go to  http://www.uknec.org.uk/mobility/

The Sending Organisation stamps or signs the Europass Mobility Document before issuing it to the holder in paper and/or electronic form and stores the completed document as appropriate

The Host Organisation (“Host Partner”) returns the Europass Mobility Document to the Sending Organisation (“Sending Partner”)

The Host Organisation completes either section 5a or 5b of the Europass Mobility document and signs or stamps the document

Sending Organisation (“Sending Partner”) Registers at the Europass Mobility Registration and Logs in

Partially completed Europass Mobility documents are automatically emailed to the Sending Organisation- instructions for completing the document are attached

3

The Sending Organisation completes sections 1 to 4 of the Europass Mobility Document (where it has not automatically been completed as part of the online registration)

The Sending Organisation sends the Europass Mobility Document to the Host Organisation and the individual participants take part in the mobility programme.

 4

51

2

6

7

2

1

Europass Mobility

Europass Certificate Supplement

• A supplement to a vocational qualification certificate• Specific to the qualification rather than the individual• Can be issued in paper format on graduation, or made available 

from an online database• Provides additional information on the degree or diploma, in 

particular:• Content, key skills and grading,• Level with in the NQF and information on the issuing 

awarding body,• The function of the qualification and any professional status.

• Aids recognition of qualifications• Helps employers and education providers understand the level 

and content of qualifications

ECVET – the European Credit System for VET

Learners’ Personal Transcript

(Europass)Validation of LOsRecognition of LOs

Accumulation of LOs

Learning Agreement(based on units of Learning Outcomes (LOs))

Memorandum of Understanding(agreement between competent institutions)

VET programme in the UK

Assessment of LOsCredit for LOs

Placement in the Netherlands

ECVET steps for mobility

From http://www.ecvet-toolkit.eu (2013)

ECVET tools for recognition

Accumulating and recognising learning outcomes

1. Information about the participants involved

3. Qualification being prepared by the learner - including information on where the learner is in his/her learning pathway (his/her current status of acquired knowledge, skills and competence)

Title of qualification being prepared by the learner

Level 2 Diploma in Women’s Hairdressing (QCF)

EQF level (if appropriate) 3

4. Description of the learning outcomes to be achieved during mobility

Learning outcomes to be achieved

Unit – Working in the hair industry

Students will partake in the Finnish unit ‘Business and Entrepreneurship in Hairdressing’ alongside local students.

Learners will use their experiences to inform on and to complete LO1 - Be able to describe the key characteristics of the hairdressing industry from the unit

5. Assessment and documentation

Name and role of the person(s) responsible for assessing the learner’s performance

How and when will the learning outcomes be assessed?How and when will the achievements be documented?

Description of the learning activities (for instance, information on locations of learning, tasks to be completed

and/or courses to be attended)

6. Validation and recognitionName and role of the person(s) responsible for validating

the learning outcomes achieved abroadHow will the validation process be carried out?

How and when will the achievements be documented?Name and role of the person(s) responsible for recognising

the learning outcomes achieved abroad?How will recognition be conducted?

2. Duration of the training period abroad

Questions?

Katherine LattaHead of European Programmes, UK NARICkatherine.latta@naric.org.uk 

For further information and guidance:www.naric.org.uk www.europass.org.ukwww.ecvet.org.ukwww.ecvetexperts.org.uk 

Erasmus+ UK Programme Impact Assessment14 January 2015

1. What is Impact Assessment?

2. Impact Assessment at the NA

3. NA Impact Assessment and Projects

Overview

What is Impact Assessment?

• The process of examining the effect of a Programme or activity on individuals, organisations or society.

• These effects may be positive or negative, intentional or accidental, short or long-term.

• Assessing Impact allows us to judge whether an intervention has been successful, to what extent and in what way.

What is Impact Assessment?

NA Impact Assessment Activities

• Logic Model & Indicator Framework

• Research & Evaluation projects

• Programme statistics

• Cooperation with other NAs and the EC

Impact Assessment at the NA

“…a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships

among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan, and the changes

or results you hope to achieve.”

Source: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

What is a Logic Model?

Example

Source: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

• An essential part of the Logic Model.• Demonstrates how we will measure outputs,

outcomes and impacts.• Clearly demonstrates the [assumed] links

between outputs, outcomes and impacts.• Allows us to build a clear picture of, and track,

the intended impacts.• Helps identify potential gaps in our evidence

gathering.

Indicator Framework

NA Impact Assessment & Projects

• Projects are expected to measure their own impact but they’re not required to do additional activity specifically for National Agency Impact Assessment activities.

• We would like you to align your Impact Assessment with the UK Erasmus+ Logic Model and Indicator Framework where possible.

• We may ask you to share your Impact Assessment reports with us or to participate in some of our research projects.

Impact Assessment & Projects

• Online information & resources at www.erasmusplus.org.uk – UK Erasmus+ Programme Logic Model and

Indicator Framework– Programme statistics– Reports & research tools– Links to research and evaluation resources

Impact Assessment & Projects

Contact

Steven MurrayErasmus+ Impact AssessorT: 0845 199 2929E: steven.murray@uk.ecorys.com

Contact Details

Dissemination and communications resources

Promotion and dissemination• Congratulations on

starting your successful project

• How we can help?• National Agency

communications resources and activities.

Erasmus+ website

www.erasmusplus.org.uk

How we can help

• Showcase your project case studies• Feature these in our newsletters and publications• Help promote them on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

and more.

E-newsletter-

sign up now!

• Receive the latest Erasmus+ and sector specific news

• Stay up-to-date with deadline reminders, online booking for events and webinars

• Feature your project news.

https://erasmusplus.org.uk/subscribe-to-our-newsletter

Social media channels

Follow us on Twitter:

@erasmusplusuk / https://twitter.com/erasmusplusuk

Like us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ukerasmusplus

View our YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/erasmusplusuk

Follow us on Storify:

https://storify.com/erasmusplusuk

Community events and webinars

Learning Networks

Annual Conference

Support webinars

www.erasmusplus.org.uk

@erasmusplusuk

www.facebook.co.uk/ukerasmusplus

Thank you for attending the Start-up Seminar and good luck with you project!