TRAINING COURSE SUPPORT

The Training Course Support is one of the three main intellectual results developed within the Erasmus+ STEPS project. It is a practical educational resource designed to strengthen the professional competences of teachers, special education specialists, therapists and other professionals working with pupils with severe and multiple intellectual disabilities (SMID) and special educational needs (SEN).

Developed collaboratively by the five project partners, the resource provides methodological guidance for implementing the STEPS approach to skills assessment, personalised vocational guidance and preparation for greater autonomy and adult life.

The Training Course Support focuses on the practical application of two complementary project results: the STEPS JOINT Scale, which supports the identification and assessment of pupils’ abilities, interests, hobbies, practical skills and vocational potential, and the Personalized Vocational Development Plan (PVDP), which helps multidisciplinary teams, including families, translate assessment findings into individual development objectives and vocational pathways.

The resource promotes inclusive, learner-centred and practical educational approaches, encouraging professionals to recognise pupils’ strengths and connect everyday learning activities, hobbies and functional abilities with opportunities for vocational development.

The Training Course Support was used in professional development and dissemination activities organised by the project partners. In Romania, 122 teachers and specialists participated in an online training course, while a further 117 participations were recorded during a county-level methodological meeting focused on the STEPS methodology and its practical application.

The main added value of this result is its transferability: it enables teachers and specialists from different educational contexts to understand and apply the STEPS tools, supporting personalised educational interventions, multidisciplinary cooperation and more inclusive vocational guidance.

Available as an open educational resource, the Training Course Support contributes to the sustainability of STEPS by facilitating the continued use and dissemination of its methodology beyond the project implementation period.