National market research in partner countries has indicated that (except for the Netherlands) all partner countries lack higher (professional) education in counselling. Generally, there is neither demand nor professional standard for this kind of work. Consequently, the counsellor is usually a person with any education in social sciences and probably completed short training course. Those counsellors/coaches who work with low-skilled adults lack relevant training for professional development. Moreover, the situation in partner countries shows that:

1. Most of stakeholder organisations working with adult education and social affairs lack staff as a consequence of staff-cuts in this sector;
2. There are more and more people searching for a place on the labour market in the post-recession period. Many of them are low-skilled.

“Nowadays 77 million of people in Europe are low-skilled and those with the lowest educational attainments are the least likely to participate in learning. According to the above, there is a strong need for the professionalization of staff working with counselling of the low-skilled for effective management of big caseloads with limited resources in the stakeholder organizations. To solve this problem, IGMA-II project aims at development of innovative training curriculum for improving competences of coaches working with counselling of the low-skilled to labour market through adult education. The second output of the project is DEMP of ICT-based Information Management System for professional stakeholder networks working with counselling of low-skilled into adult education/labour market. The system will ensure smooth cooperaton between adult education staff and other stakeholders working with labour market activities for low-skilled. The effective guidance will put low-skilled individuals with their needs in the centre of integration process, which will increase chances for entering education/labour market and integration into society.

It is important that during the project the national authorities be engaged in promotion of the IGMA-II project at national levels. The impact on target sectors includes:

• Promotion of lifelong learning and adult education as a part of formal education
• Promotion of the adult education as a way for low-skilled for entering labour market
• Promotion of innovation and new technologies (Demo ICT-based Management System/platform for dialogue b-n professionals in social media)
• Promotion of networking and cooperation between different organizations and regions
• Promotion of common standard for in-service training of counsellors/coaches working with low-skilled at different stakeholder organisations
• Promotion of the attractiveness and high status of the counsellor/coach profession in all partner countries.

The project is focused specifically on the following short-term direct target groups:

1. Professionals at organisations working with adult education and career counselling of low-skilled into education /labour market. The organisations are various including adult education providers, VET providers, NGOs, Public Employment Service and Social Welfare Office, local/regional companies, career counselling centres.
2. Decision-makers at regional / national levels in partner countries and lifelong learning institutes.
3. Professionals and decision-makers working with integration issues and adult education in other EU countries.
4. The consortium.

Cooperation with local/regional stakeholders has already been established by each partner in their everyday work with low-skilled, and particularly through IGMA 2011 project. IGMA methodology was successfully integrated into services of stakeholder organisations for low-skilled in partner countries. The idea to this project (meaning development of professional standard and training course for professionals based on IGMA methodology) comes from stakeholder organisations, which ensures their full support. At the beginning of the project each partner will organise formal / informal meetings with stakeholders in order to identify the most relevant ones among the existing contact networks to build mixed pilot groups (meaning mix of professionals from different stakeholder organisations). Moreover, the partners will reach necessary stakeholders through regional forums and platforms. During the project lifetime dissemination sessions and forums will be organised by each partner to professionals in different regions in their countries, apart from the region where pilot activities will be implemented. It is important during the project to engage central authorities for adult education and labour market sector for ensuring recognition of the elaborated approach by them. In all partner countries IGMA methodology was presented to National Adult Education authority (or similar organisations). The further development of it into a professional standard is submitted with the support of authorities in all partner countries because the approach was recognised as innovative and relevant. The national authorities will help to promote IGMA-II project at national levels. The partnership has well-established network of organisations working with integration of low-skilled people in other EU countries. Each partner will be responsible for dissemination of the IGMA results to at least 3 more EU countries.

The outcomes of the proposed IGMA-II project will be focused on development of a professional standard in the area of counselling of the low-skilled into the labour market through adult education. There will be three main expected outcomes of IGMA-II project:

1. Training Curriculum “Integration Agent” for professionalization of adult education staff and other professionals working with integration of the low-skilled in different types of stakeholder organisations.
2. European Professional Standard for professionals in the area of career counselling / coaching / guidance of the low-skilled through adult education.
3. Demo of ICT-based Management Information System as a holistic platform for good governance by different stakeholder organisations in the region.

INTERNAL EVALUATION will comprise:

1. Evaluation of deliverables as compared to those planned, their quality, impact. The evaluation will be implemented through 2 questionnaires on assessment of deliverables by partnership before interim and final reporting.
2. Evaluation of main stakeholders through questionnaires for internal evaluation of activities/results by main stakeholders (professionals at NGOs, adult education providers, PES / social welfare representatives, employer representatives). These questionnaires will provide feedbacks and constructive comment of main involved parts regarding the relevance and effectiveness of EU Integration Agent methodology.
3. Evaluation of PM through: - 2 questionnaires (interim/final) to assess effectiveness and efficiency of coordinator, overall assessment of consortium, communication, etc. - Evaluation of participants after each transnational meeting.
4. Development of Quality Assurance Manual on criteria for ensuring quality of project activities/results in each WP, namely: 1) choice of stakeholder organisations relevant for project goals, 2) recruitment of 2 relevant facilitators from adult education organisations; 3) recruitment of participants from each stakeholder organisation (adult education counsellors, trainers, PES and social welfare staff, HR managers at employer organisations, NGOs staff); 4) elaboration of training curriculum and trainers` package; 5) elaboration of ICT-based Management Information System; 6) requirements for integration of the above into services of regional stakeholder networks; 7) content and organisation of training, workshops.

An External evaluator produce interim and final reports concerning quality of the product and continuous improvement of processes. Moreover, an external evaluator will evaluate the results of in-service training of counsellors/coaches and write a report with recommendations.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.