It can be any of these. Whether the focus should be on training, awareness-raising or consultancy will be discussed with the representative(s) from the country interested in a particular offer who has /have been charged with coordinating the activity on site (local coordinator).

The format can be envisaged as a three-step process: planning, implementation, evaluation. These steps include the following measures, mainly carried out by the local coordinator:

    Planning:

• Finding resources (local coordinator of the activity, funding of envisaged events, etc.)
• Identifying target groups, participants and institution(s) interested in participating in the activity
• Identifying needs expressed by the target group(s) and realistic outcomes and outputs of the activity
• Communication of the local coordinator with the ECML activity team

    Implementation:

• Participation of the local coordinator at a launch network meeting in Graz where details of the national intervention are discussed (costs covered by the ECML) with the relevant activity team. For this meeting local coordinators of all countries interested in this particular offer come together to present and discuss their needs. All further activities will be carried out bilaterally between the activity team and each country on an individual basis (with the support of the ECML secretariat).
• Preparing the activity/activities agreed upon in coordination with both, the ECML team and the local partners
• Carrying out the activity/activities (as proposed under point 5 of each offer) which can, for example, take the shape of large-scale conference type of event(s) or small-scale expert seminar(s) – depending on the envisaged outcomes and outputs

    Evaluation:

• As proposed under point 7 of each offer
• In relation to the needs and envisaged outcomes and output expressed at the outset of the activity.

ECML mediation projects aim to serve all ECML member states who will be asked to nominate a qualified participant for the workshops foreseen for these projects. The project team addresses the variety and broad scope of different national contexts.
An ECML training and consultancy activity focuses on the particular needs of a country or the countries taking up a particular offer. Thus, the activity team can design materials and discuss issues in a more contextualised way.

Based on the identified target groups for the activity the local coordinator (possibly together with local organizers of a particular event) is requested to identify relevant partners and participants for the activity. The costs of the national participants will not be covered by the ECML.

The activities are customised according to individual contexts. The activity teams offer international expertise and provide input which, combined with the expertise in the member state, can initiate quality developments  and assist in change processes in language education at a number of levels (local, regional, national).
With the ECML intervention ideally being introduced by a higher-level representative of a local or educational authority it is likely to benefit from media coverage. Visibility of this kind will help to generate support for changes in education within the educational community and beyond.

This new format for ECML activities is intended to support the member states in:
•    addressing challenges in national language education;
•    conducting reform processes;
•    meeting international standards;
•    dealing with the effects of mobility;
•    promoting quality and excellence;
•    supporting exchange of good practice;
•    implementing innovation;
•    developing and enhancing professional networks;
•    professional development of language educators;
•    accessing latest information and know-how.

In the long term, all ECML projects may evolve to offer training and consultancy activities to the ECML member states.

In addition to English and French or German the activity teams have competences in other languages. If none of those languages can be used for communication in the national context interpretation (and possibly translation of materials) will have to be provided by the local organisers.

The ECML will provide interpretation for the launch network meeting if required.

National events carried out within regular projects usually aim to pilot or disseminate materials developed by a team. In addition to meeting local needs, the needs of the relevant project, which serve all ECML member states are in the focus of the event. Also, in many cases it is not a Governing Board member who initiates the request for a national event but rather an expert or a participant from a project workshop.

In principle you can request as many activities as you wish if the funds are provided.
Within the current programme term the ECML will cover the following:
•    the cost of one national representative (the local coordinator) coming to up to three launch network meetings in Graz for preparatory negotiations with the activity team (if only one training and consultancy activity is chosen up to three national representatives can attend the launch network meeting of the relevant activity);
•    in addition, the cost of a maximum of three missions for two of the team members to a member state for the moderation of an event and/or consultations.
This provision can be allocated by the member state to one single offer of training and consultancy (e.g. offer 1a. “Online technology for lifelong language education – developing online teaching skills”).

Another option is to “split” the missions of the ECML experts to cater for the implementation of two or three different offers of training and consultancy  (e.g. two experts covering an activity under offer 1a, two experts from another support activity travelling twice to a particular country to carry out activities under offer 5a “Adult migrants – Quality assurance in language and citizenship courses for adult migrants”).

No, there is no obligation to engage in this new format.

The ECML secretariat will ask for expressions of interest at the Governing Board meetings in 2012, 2013 and 2014. On these occasions the secretariat will also report on experience and developments of activities already launched at the request of member states.
The secretariat will also seek, wherever possible, to accommodate needs arising in member states between these meetings. The Governing Board members are welcome to contact the secretariat at any time to enquire about options for support.

Where possible, please express your interest by indicating the relevant activity at (or immediately prior to) a Governing Board meeting. For further discussions it is important to nominate a local coordinator who is briefed by you and who will act as a main communication partner for the ECML secretariat and the activity team.

If you consider this new strand as an interesting and relevant offer for your country, you are key to promoting the value of engaging in ECML support activities to your hierarchy and colleagues in the ministry and other educational authorities. You may wish to act as a local coordinator for the activity/activities of your choice yourself or nominate someone who will liaise with the ECML in order to carry out the requested intervention(s).

It would be useful to identify a competent colleague and/or expert in the relevant topic who would take over the role of a local coordinator vis-à-vis the ECML secretariat and the activity team.

You may be able to find a person willing to act as a local coordinator at no additional cost (because the task fits their existing work profile) who is able to liaise with the expert community (universities etc.) and link up an ECML training and consultancy activity to an existing event or project.

One of the objectives of this new ECML format is to raise the visibility of ECML work in member states. Therefore, it would be useful to inform not only decision-makers in the educational administration but also expert communities such as teacher associations, universities, teacher training institutions or institutions concerned with migrant issues.

Yes, but it would still be useful for you to oversee the communication of the offer to relevant target groups as well as the implementation process in order to be able to draw conclusions for further involvement in the ECML training and consultancy scheme.

Please inform the ECML about the topic and the kind of intervention you would find helpful. With your input a customized activity can be developed.

Requests, experiences and evaluation results will be discussed at Governing Board meetings.

The ECML will set up a web space for this form of support to ensure that the Board members have a reference point with the most relevant information for their needs.
 

Points 8 and 9 in the offers give an indication about formats and scope of the envisaged events for each offer. It is difficult to estimate the cost of the events and the resources required to implement a particular offer because the organisation of the activities will differ from country to country. Example: one and the same offer may have minimal costs in one country as it is attached to a conference where the required infrastructure is already provided by the event organizers; in another country the costs relating to the implementation of the offer may be significant because the country wishes all individual actions proposed by the activity team to be put into practice, for example a large-scale conference is organized for disseminating the results and a publication is produced to follow-up the initiative.

It is important to find a competent local coordinator who can take decisions according to the needs and possibilities in a given context. This person, who ideally has some experience in coordinating a project, will need to know how to find premises for an event, how to choose and invite qualified participants, how to promote and communicate the activity, etc.

Within the current programme term the ECML will cover the following:
•    the cost of one national representative (the local coordinator) coming to a network meeting in Graz for preparatory negotiations with the activity team;
•    in addition, the cost of a maximum of three missions for two of the team members to a member state for the moderation of an event and/or consultations;
•    hard copies of ECML publications and promotional ECML materials upon request.

All other costs need to be covered by the member state.

The launch network meetings will be held in Graz. Normally all other activities will be organized in the relevant member states.

The ECML is happy to host activities in Graz if recommended by the activity team and the ‘local organizer’. The cost of the participants will then have to be covered by the member state.

The hosting of an activity in Graz may prove an attractive option where member states decide to run a joint activity with another state or group of states.
 

Most materials will be available in electronic form. The local organizers may be asked to provide print-outs. If the team is using existing ECML publications the secretariat will provide hard copies (depending on availability).

Yes, the ECML will try to provide support for follow-up activities but would need to build on the funding of the member state.

Yes, it is possible to adapt the offer to a purely consultative activity with the direct involvement of only a few relevant experts or decision-makers in the member state.

The training and consultancy activities are carried out by experts recommended by the ECML selection board for the Call for submissions. Most of the experts have an excellent record on working with the ECML and some have already published with the Centre. The activity teams are putting their international expertise at the disposal of local partners. However, the overall quality of the process cannot be guaranteed by the activity team alone – it will depend to a significant extent on the commitment of everyone involved.

The respective evaluation measures proposed are listed under point 7 of each offer. These measures can be adapted to given contexts. The ECML secretariat will summarise the results of the activities and present them to the Governing Board.

2012 – 2013 will be used as a piloting phase in order to review and optimize all processes related to the activities.