Teachers undergoing a job shadowing programme in Malta.

Great job shadowing opportunities in schools for teachers

Also opportunities for care workers and nursery workers

Job shadowing (or work shadowing) is a popular on-the-job learning, career development, and leadership development intervention. Essentially, job shadowing involves working with another employee who might have a different job in hand, might have something to teach, or can help the person shadowing him or her to learn new aspects related to the job, organization, certain behaviors or competencies. Organizations have been using this as a very effective tool for learning. Some of the applications of job shadowing are the following:

New job training: Consider an individual planning to take up a different role in the same organization. The individual may be asked to shadow the current incumbent for a couple of days to months to get a better idea of his or her role, as well as understand the particulars of the same without the commitment of the responsibility. This helps the individual to be more confident, aware, and also better prepared to take up the role. For the organization it reduces the chances of failure and reduces the time required for the individual to be fully productive.

Career development: With multiple options available for somebody to grow in an organization, job shadowing can help to get a better sense of options available and the required competencies for the same. An employee may shadow senior employees in various positions/functions to appreciate and get a better idea about what it takes to build a career there.

Developing expertise: At the core of job shadowing is its ability to transmit knowledge and expertise to another person. By doing a planned work, job shadowing can support knowledge management and ensuring that deep expertise and knowledge are not lost.

Leadership development: Many organizations use job shadowing as an effective tool for leadership development. Aspiring leaders are given opportunities to shadow senior leaders and learn from them. It effectively complements classroom learning and aspiring leaders get to experience first hand what it takes to be a leader.

Job shadowing helps both parties to learn and exchange ideas. It helps in networking, exploring opportunities, giving/receiving feedback, and collaboration with different departments.

VET Learners and Staff Mobility

This mobility project can comprise one or more of the following activities:

Learners’ mobility:

A VET traineeship in Malta can take place for up to 12 months.

This Activity is open to both apprentices and students in vocational training schools. These learners undertake a vocational training placement in another country such as Malta.. Learners are hosted either at a workplace (in an enterprise or other relevant organisation) or at a VET school (with periods of work-based learning in an enterprise or other relevant organisation). 

Each mobility Activity is set within a quality framework previously agreed upon by the sending and Future Focus Malta Interns Programme to ensure a high level of quality for the Activity, including a “Learning Agreement”. 

The learning outcomes are formally recognised and validated at an institutional level, course contents are adapted as necessary to ensure that the mobility period abroad fits well with the course in which the apprentice/VET student is enrolled. 

In order to strengthen the employability of young people and to facilitate their transition to the labour market, recent graduates from VET schools or companies can participate in this Activity as well.
 

Staff mobility:

a teaching/training assignment: this Activity allows staff of VET schools to teach at a partner VET school in Malta. It also allows staff of enterprises to provide training at a VET organisation.

Staff training: this Activity supports the professional development of VET staff in the form of a work placement or a job shadowing/observation period abroad in an enterprise or any other VET organisation.

Erasmus+ supports learning mobility of staff that:

is framed into a strategic approach of the participating organisations (aimed at modernising and internationalising their mission);
responds to clearly identified staff development needs is accompanied by appropriate selection, preparation and follow-up measures;
ensures that the learning outcomes of participating staff are properly recognised and ensures that the earning outcomes are disseminated and widely used within the organisation.

These activities are also an opportunity for VET staff to gain competences in addressing the needs of learners with disadvantaged backgrounds. Given the current context concerning young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, particular attention will be also given to support projects that train VET staff in such areas as training refugee children, intercultural classrooms, teaching youngsters in their second language, classroom tolerance and diversity.Type your paragraph here.

Are you a VET teacher or learner?