Media
Centre
Giunti Labs
Master
List
Giunti Labs, Exchange House, 494 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9
2EA
Tel +44 (0)1908 306009/ +44 (0) 7733 365063; Web
www.giuntilabs.com
7th November 2007
Giunti Labs delivers in EU project to help Mediterranean countries
develop their e-learning potential
Over the last six months or so, Giunti Labs, Europe’s leading
e-learning and mobile learning content management solutions (LCMS)
vendor, has developed and implemented a number of e-learning and
e-learning related learning materials having been assigned
responsibility for ‘component 4’ of the EU’s Mediterranean European
Development Action - Education and Training for Employment (MEDA-ETE)
Project, which aims to introduce e-learning into North African and
Middle East Mediterranean countries.
The £5m project is implemented by the European Training Foundation (ETF),
an EU agency active in the field of education and training in the EU
partner countries. The main direct beneficiaries of the project are the
governmental structures and other public and private partners, who are
key players in the field of education and training in ten partner
countries: (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the
Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey).
Component 4 of the Regional EU project MEDA-ETE aims to achieve a full
and thorough knowledge of methodological, pedagogical and technological
aspects of e-learning in MEDA countries. Its specific goal is to
develop and implement a ‘train the trainers’ programme to increase the
usage of e-learning in this field.
Education and Training for Employment (ETE) is a regional project being
implemented within the ‘Barcelona process’ - a wide framework of
political, economic and social relations between the Member States of
the European Union and Partners of the Southern Mediterranean. The ETE
project has identified education and training as the main tools to
facilitate the economic and social development of the North African and
Middle East Mediterranean region.
The project is aimed at helping the MEDA countries to meet the
increasing demand for new types of qualifications in the labour market;
focusing on further understanding and integrating e-learning
methodologies and tools in the education and training systems.
The main project beneficiaries are the teacher training institutions in
the MEDA region. The target group comprises trainers, teachers and
managers from training organisations taking part in the planning and
implementation of the e-learning programmes, with particular focus on
the IT and tourism sectors.
According to Fabrizio Cardinali, Giunti Labs’ CEO: "In the last six
months, we have produced a ‘train the trainer’ course and made this
available via the MEDA-ETE portal; published and introduced the
learning materials in eight of the ten target countries - Algeria,
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Syria - and
welcomed the first trainees."
"The learning materials are divided into ten modules, each of which
contains learning activities with learning objects, guided lectures,
checkpoints with tests, active participation with a discussion forum
and chat session. After completing the learning materials, learners are
asked to put their learning into practice.
"The learning materials were piloted in two phases," Cardinali
explained.
"The first phase - conducted at the end of last year - was directed at
experts, managers and decision makers. Their feedback enabled us to
obtain crucial qualitative data and validate the toolset.
"The second phase - early this year - sought information from members
of teacher training institutions. In addition, we have explored how it
would be possible to integrate - and sustain - the pilot course within
an institutional setting in each country."
Cardinali concluded: "E-learning solutions provide the necessary tools
for meeting the rapidly evolving new requirements of the labour market
in the MEDA countries. The interactivity offered by new learning
technologies facilitates the involvement of the target audience in the
learning experience, which is one of the focuses of Component 4 of the
MEDA-ETE project.
"Throughout the different phases of this project, we are seeking
greater co-operation with, and among, the ten countries. This
co-operation is facilitated and supported via learning technologies."
End
Notes for Editors
About The Barcelona Process, MEDA (www.meda-ete.net) and so on
The Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held
in Barcelona on 27th and 28th November 1995, marked the starting point
of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Barcelona Process), a wide
framework of political, economic and social relations between the
Member States of the European Union and Partners of the Southern
Mediterranean.
The latest EU enlargement, on 1st May 2004, brought two Mediterranean
Partners (Cyprus and Malta) into the European Union, while adding ten
Member States. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership thus comprises 35
members, 25 EU Member States and ten Mediterranean Partners (Algeria,
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority,
Syria, Tunisia and Turkey). Libya has observer status since 1999.
The Barcelona Process is a unique and ambitious initiative, which laid
the foundations of a new regional relationship and which represents a
turning point in Euro-Mediterranean relations. In the Barcelona
Declaration, the Euro-Mediterranean partners established the three main
objectives of the Partnership:
1. The definition of a common area of peace and stability through the
reinforcement of political and security dialogue (Political and
Security Chapter).
2. The construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic
and financial partnership and the gradual establishment of a free trade
area (Economic and Financial Chapter).
3. The rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and
human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures
and exchanges between civil societies (Social, Cultural and Human
Chapter).
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership comprises two complementary
dimensions:
-
Bilateral dimension.
The European Union carries out a number of activities bilaterally with
each country. The most important are the Euro-Mediterranean Association
Agreements that the Union negotiates with the Mediterranean Partners
individually.
-
Regional dimension.
Regional dialogue represents one of the most innovative aspects of the
Partnership, covering at the same time the political, economic and
cultural fields (regional co-operation).
-
The existing MEDA
programme is the main financial instrument for the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership. From 1995 to 2003, MEDA committed € 5,458m in co-operation
programmes, projects and other supporting activities - the regional
activities comprising some 15 per cent of this budget. The other
important source of funding is the European Investment Bank which has
loaned € 14bn for developing activities in the Euro-Mediterranean
Partners since 1974 (€ 3.7bn in 2002-2003).
About Giunti Labs:
Giunti is unique in
the international publishing industry.
In 1497, Giunti publishers and typographers in Florence, together with
others in Venice, began modern book manufacturing. Over the years
Giunti has built a 'historical catalogue' of huge dimensions, through a
gradual process of 'fusion' of different publishers, but also through
the creation of new brands, including Giunti Labs. Giunti Editore now
includes 20 companies in the publishing sector.
Giunti Labs, which has its EMEA headquarters in Italy and offices in
Milton Keynes (UK), Frankfurt (Germany) and in Boston (US), provides a
wide range of services, in response to any content, learning and
knowledge management need, covering:
• Content production
• Research and development
• Technological solutions for content, learning & knowledge management
• Architectural and technological solutions for mobile & wireless
• Training and consulting
Giunti Labs provides the learn eXact® suite, Europe's leading
e-learning and mobile learning content management technology. This
suite is interoperable with all major vendor-driven and open source LMS
and VLE solutions in the market including Plateau, Oracle, SumTotal,
Saba, WebCT, Blackboard, Sakai, LRN and Moodle.
Moreover, Giunti Labs does not just adhere to the international
standards relating to the LMS/LCMS world, it is one of the
organisations that helps to determine and drive these standards:
co-writing and developing them. Giunti Labs plays a key role in most of
the international institutions for the definition of eLearning
specifications (IEEE LTSC, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC36, CEN/ISSS WSLT, AICC, IMS,
ADL-SCORM and OKI).
About Giunti Labs'
learn eXact® suite
Giunti Labs' learn
eXact is an e-learning and mobile learning content management system (LCMS)
that enables users to create, manage and deliver content based on
learning objects, XML, standards and international specifications. It
delivers learning content to location-based mobile devices, interactive
TV and wearable computer devices.
Further information from:
Angus Turpin, Giunti
Labs, +44 (0) 7733 365063
Minna Leikas, Giunti Labs, +39 3489 399127
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405
