Etfja Project

The E.T.F.J.A. (acronym for European Traineeships for Junior Accountants: developing skills in the accountancy sector while training on the job) project, promoted by KBM Training and Recruitment, is a KA1 for VET learners Erasmus + project funded by the European union under the umbrella of the new funding 2014 – 2020. For more information about the funding opportunities and for more details about the different types of programmes, you can visit the UK National Agency Web Site at erasmusplus.org.uk.

KBM Training and Recruitment Erasmus plus project addresses to Students trained at one of the accounting courses offered by the company. Participants need to be aged eighteen plus (18+) and hold a UK passport.

The idea for this Erasmus plus project was born from the desire of KBM Training and Recruitment to take on a new challenge: providing training to students, while strengthening the employability chances for those categories of UK citizens who may be suffering more than others in this time of severe contraction of the Global Economy. Plus KBM Training and Recruitment has already developed a good experience in managing and implementing European funded projects through last year Leonardo project called T.E.F.A.S. project which has already provided 21 students with the chance of work experience in Malta and in Dublin in the year 2014.

The E.T.F.J.A. project addresses students trained on one of KBM’s practical Accountancy programs and mainly unemployed UK Nationals belonging to minority ethnic groups and living in the UK. The beneficiaries of the E.T.F.J.A. project have the chance to do a work placement in the Accountancy sector and to benefit from 8 weeks of professional training in one of the hosting companies that form the transnational net of the project. The hosting companies are based in Dublin, Ireland and in Valletta, Malta, which are the project destinations for the E.T.F.J.A. project.

English will be the official language for communication during the motilities’, although the Malta beneficiaries will also receive a linguistic preparation to learn the basics of the Maltese Language. The period of the mobility will range from the beginning of May 2015 until the end of October 2015. Participants will leave in groups of maximum 4 . The beneficiaries also receive a period of preparation before the mobility: a refresher course on their Accountancy Skills, some cultural awareness and preparation focusing on the hosting destination and on its main peculiarities, some linguistic preparation for (MALTA Beneficiaries).

The aims of the E.T.F.J.A. project do meet the criteria indicated in the call for proposals 2014 for Erasmus plus project:

1.  Promote Mobility and strengthen the European dimension;
2.  Improve the quality of instruction and professional training;
3.  Improve processes of validation of skills and qualifications (application of elements of ECVET - European Credit System for Vocational and Educational Training);
4.  Strengthen mutual learning and cooperation.

The project also meets the criteria of the “Green paper” (Promoting the learning mobility of young people – Brussels 8.7.2009 COM 2009 329 final) since the learning mobility has the main purpose of acquiring new skills which is one of the fundamental ways in which individuals, particularly young people, can strengthen their employability as well as their personal development. Furthermore the Green papers clearly underline the necessity of helping and supporting disadvantaged groups through mobility programmes: «There is a need to reach out to groups who tend to be excluded from mobility opportunities. The arguments in favour of learning mobility – coping with globalization, increasing competitiveness and strengthening social cohesion – apply even more so to disadvantaged groups as there are the most vulnerable».

These are the expected results in terms of skills and competences to acquire for the beneficiaries of the E.T.FJ.A. project:

Acquisition of Basic Skills:

Acquire a better knowledge of the European regulations and of the regulations of the hosting country relating to safety in the workplace, hygiene and prevention.

Acquisition of Transversal Skills:

Develop communicative skills in a different and new context.
Learn the company timing (assigned tasks, relationship with colleagues, timetable and rules for the workplace).
Develop better ways of relating to others; promote processes of integration and of development of the European citizenship.

Acquisition of Technical and Professional Skills:

Acquire knowledge of the possibilities offered by the accountancy sector in Europe.
Improve one’s technical and professional skills in order to help employers in search of more skilled and internationalized candidates.

For more information about the project destinations, the partners involved and application for funding procedures you can visit the dedicated sections of the web site or you can contact KBM Training and Recruitment from our contact page.