The first transnational project meeting as part of the Erasmus+ project “Non formal education for people with special needs - Qualification of professionals in a European context” took place from 11 to 13 February 2025 in Linz (Austria). The project partners arrived on Monday, 10 February 2025. 17 professionals from five EU countries took part in the meeting.

The workshop began on Tuesday, 11 February 2025, with a welcoming address by Caritas Deputy Director Stefan Pimmingstorfer followed by a moderated round of introductions for all project partners to get to know each other. Project coordinator Ulrich Förster gave an initial thematic input on the project topic of non-formal education and presented background information on the Erasmus+ programme in general and the content and administrative framework. The partners then worked out a common understanding of the project, discussing objectives, main steps, expected results, responsibilities, timetable and public relations. Each partner organisation briefly presented their understanding of non-formal education and gave examples of the specific educational programmes they already offer in this field.

After lunch, the experienced job placement officer and coach Max Nemeth gave a presentation on a technical system used by the Austrian Labour Market Service to place unemployed people in jobs based on the recording of non-formal skills. The afternoon included a presentation of the Austrian Chamber of Labour's ‘DU KANNST WAS’ project, which enables the recognition of non-formally acquired skills and the acquisition of an apprenticeship qualification. The day ended with a joint dinner.

On Wednesday, 12 February 2025, an excursion to Wels to the Caritas ‘EducationFit NAVI’ programme was on the agenda. There, the participants were given an insight into non-formal education methods in the context of preparing young people and young adults for vocational training. Other Caritas offers were presented in the morning: ‘Inclusion counselling’, ‘Learning to live’, ‘Peer counselling’ and the ‘Star workshop’. After lunch, they travelled back to Linz by train. In the afternoon, the participants visited the Ars Electronica Centre Linz to learn about new forms of non-formal education and knowledge transfer through digital technologies. The day ended with dinner together.

Thursday, 13 February 2025, began with a presentation of various Caritas services and projects in the field of non-formal education and counselling for migrants: The ‘Paraplü’ integration centre in Steyr, ‘Rückenwind’ - multilingual educational support at compulsory schools, ‘FEMily’ - labour market integration for migrant women, ‘Connect U’ - interface between companies and people with refugee and migrant backgrounds and the ‘Integrationsbox OÖ’. The KLIEN project - saving energy in the home - was also presented. The morning ended with a reflection and a Q&A session. Ulrich Förster then presented initial ideas for a joint, transnational online training programme with external lecturers. National working groups then took place, followed by a reflection on the highlights of the meeting and the possibilities for transferring them into their own work. The meeting ended with a joint lunch and a farewell to the participants.

The first transnational meeting was a successful endeavour to create a common knowledge base on non-formal education and to learn about examples of good practice. It served to build a common understanding of the project and its objectives, to clarify responsibilities and the timetable, to present different approaches and projects in the field of non-formal education for disadvantaged people, to establish contacts and exchange experiences between the project partners and to plan the next steps, in particular the transnational online seminar and the next transnational partner meeting, which will take place from 28 to 30 October in Trieste (Italy).

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