Transnational Co-operation

Equal has a clear emphasis on transnational co-operation across Development Partnerships in other Member States. Transnational working can add value to domestic activities in a variety of ways. In particular, it deepens understanding of the nature and forms of discrimination, inequality and labour market exclusion - providing the opportunity for you to influence the national agenda by looking at issues from a different and new perspective.

During Action 1, DPs produced a Transnational Co-operation Agreement (TCA) with DPs in another Member States which are made up of similar organisations and operate in the same theme with similar target groups and activities.

The other European Union Member States are:

Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Republic of Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden.

It may be possible to co-operate with partners not involved in Equal if these partners clearly add value to the DP. These partners are known as ‘associated transnational partners’ and must be able to provide their own funding. Associated partners in Equal TCAs can be one of the following:

1 Organisations located in one of the Member States, with funding from sources outside Equal.

2 Organisations supported under the PHARE, TACIS, CARDS or MEDA programmes.

Innovative activities undertaken in the 1st and 2nd Round of Equal include:

developing methods and approaches to training and job creation with transnational partners;
‘benchmarking’ successful partner countries’ training and management systems;
exchanging trainers or trainees; and
organising joint conferences and workshops.

Models of transnational co-operation inlcude:

Exchanging information and experience: here partners do not identify specific joint objectives for co-operation, but tell each other about the activities they are developing and the labour market, policy and institutional context they operate in. Partners do not deliberately seek innovations – but these occur incidentally or naturally. On its own, exchanging information and experience would not justify funding as an Equal TCA, but this often forms one part of a mix of activities across the partnership, with different partners being involved at different levels. It would be expected to support developing more sophisticated work programmes.
Exchanging trainees, trainers and staff: at this level of transnational partnership, exchanging trainees, trainers or staff usually occurs in parallel with other types of joint transnational activities. But such activities need to go beyond study visits to include joint workshops, conferences or development ‘toolkits’ (otherwise they would belong to the first type of co-operation outlined above). If you establish a precise definition of the specific purpose of the exchange, it will help to make sure there is genuine progress towards common transnational goals.
Parallel development of innovative approaches: here DPs work in parallel towards a common objective, such as developing a curriculum for a new vocational area, but do so relatively independently of each other. Partners each remain responsible for developing their own specific concepts. The extent to which you can accept partners’ contributions depends on how compatible they are with your work.
Importing, exporting, adopting and adapting new approaches: this is a variant of the previous model and occurs when you identify a more or less complete solution to the problem being tackled. Transnationality enables you to exchange best practice. Innovation occurs when you transfer specific procedures or solutions from one context to another. You must take care to make sure that these practices are adapted to the present conditions in the importing country.
Joint development: this involves developing innovative solutions through dividing tasks between you. You should have a shared and focused idea of the outcome to be achieved and the amount of work necessary to reach mutual goals and clear objectives. Joint product development often results from organisations that have had previous experience of working together.

See some Good Practice examples from 2nd Round Scottish DPs

Last Update: 25.01.08

In October 2007 the Genderwise Scotland DP has been invited to attend the ESF Gender Mainstreaming Community of Practice peer review “Gender Mainstreaming. A tool for Change” in Florence (Italy). This is a positive result even in terms of Mainstreaming as the event was organised by the Gender Equality Network, sponsored by the European Union and the UK is not currently member of the network. The DP promoted the participation of the UK in this. (Genderwise Scotland DP)

Although the transnational activities under the Equal programme is now completed, collaboration continues between Scotland and Austria in the form a contract to host an on online community of practice which brings together experts in Gender Equality across Europe. (Genderwise Scotland DP)

Last Update: 04.09.07

Swedish and Hungarian partners of the COOL DP have expressed their interest to develop further the practices implemented through Equal.

Ideas developed by the Swedish partner on producing marketing materials to promote non traditional careers have also been developed and distributed in Scotland. (COOL DP)

The Gender in Peacekeeping working group of the Gender@Work Transnational Partnership completed successful exchange visit between the Ministry of Defence in Sweden and The Netherland partner in March. Useful links were established and this collaboration is expected to continue beyond the Equal programme. (Genderwise Scotland DP)

Last Update: 27.04.07

The Mentoring Project and Redress the Balance Project joined to deliver a series of transnational seminars around the theme of engaging young people at transition beyond compulsory schooling. Redress the balance website will provide a platform for a sharing of information and discussion between all transnational partners. (COOL DP)

Students of the University of Strathclyde attended the STEPS transnational meeting in Besancon in January 07 as part of the 'Exchange trainers/trainees' activity (COOL DP)

After the 'Empowerment Through the Arts' presentation held by 2 Dundee College beneficiaries during the Transnational meeting in Sweden, links were made with staff of Swedish partners to organise the attendance of their beneficiaries at the Equal Experience event planned in May 2007 at Dundee College (COOL DP)

Equal Enterprise Scotland DP has been working jointly with the partner DP from the Netherland to develop a common programme resulting in an ILM accredited certificate in Exploring Enterprise. A bi-lateral visit by teachers and Student of Kilmarnock College was planned to engage in the new programme with their colleagues and peers in Holland in March 2007

Last Update: 15.02.07

The ‘Routes to Employment’ Transnational Partnership has now developed a common website hosted by Equal Employability DP. The website is now up and running and is being used for mainstreaming and dissemination activity
The Diversity Management Group amongst the Transnational Partners agreed to work towards developing a European Business Diversity Award and Glasgow agreed to develop a template and criteria for the standards. This would be seen to be a progression for the regional and national Business Diversity Awards already being developed (Re: Focus DP)

Last Update: 11.01.07

A member of the Polish partner in the SETEN TCA undertook and completed the course developed and piloted domestically by the Social Enterprise Academy and is now looking at how this can be delivered within their own city. (Hi Hopes in the Highlands and Islands DP)
The start-up Transnational Partnership is planning the development of common activities that can be potentially mainstreamed in each of the three countries (Scotland, German and Spain).These include the development of a common passport for business advisors shaped on the findings of the Integration through Business Project. (Icons DP)
The Start-up Transnational Partnership has three areas of common interest where joint activities can be piloted. To this purpose three transnational Work Groups have been established to develop ideas in each specific area of interest. (Icons DP)
A joint working is now being undertaken by the Scottish and the Spanish partners trying to shape the Icons Branding model to Spanish SMEs.
The opportunity to test a Scottish project in another European country will boost the domestic impact of the project at policy level. In order to maximise the mainstreaming potential of this transnational activity the DP is planning to invite Scottish and Spanish policy makers to meet at the next transnational event planned in Spain. (Icons DP)

Last update: 11.01.07

A member of the Polish partner in the SETEN TCA undertook and completed the course developed and piloted domestically by the Social Enterprise Academy and is now looking at how this can be delivered within their own city. (Hi Hopes in the Highlands and Islands DP)

***

Three planning visits have been carried out by the COOL DP representatives in Sweden to design a seminar for key people involved in a range of mentoring interventions in that country, involving the Scottish Mentoring Network, the Glasgow Mentoring Network, SFEU and contacts in Sweden.
The development of shared understanding of "service user involvement" models and techniques is being piloted by Glasgow Caledonian University amongst the transnational partners of the Equal Access DP. The good practice examples are being collected across a range of practice to increase service user involvement in all the involved countries.

The transnational website of the Start-up Transnational Partnership – which involves the Scottish ICON’s DP - has been established with best practice from the German partners and design content from the Spanish partners. All DP partners are now in a position to contribute to this site.

Representatives from the COOL DP were engaged in s study visit at the University of Norrkoping in Sweden to compare mentoring responses with young people between Sweden and Scotland. This event will open up several possibilities for networking across the two countries.

A comparison study of evaluation processes in all transnational partners is being prepared by the Start-up Transnational Partnership in order to improve understanding of different approaches to evaluation of European projects in different countries. The Scottish partner of Start-up TP is the Theme C DP Icon’s.

A number of contacts have been established at policy makers’ level by Empower DO to ensure the development of the Diverse City Project, including Members of the Scottish Parliament. A similar networking at policy makers’ level is underway in the Empower transnational partners in their own country.

Glasgow Caledonian University, as partner of the Equal Access DP, developed a shared understanding of "service user involvement" models and techniques amongst transnational partners. Good practice examples are being collated across a range of practice to increase service user involvement.

The COOL DP central support team have produced a transnational exchange template which all partners who take part in transnational visits must complete to ensure the knowledge and lessons learned can be used by all partners.
A similar exchange questionnaire for transnational visits has been produced also by the Social Economy Scotland DP. The findings will use to make future visits more structured and effective. After each exchange visit partners record their learning in a “facilitator learning exchange process” template developed by the partner Community Scotland.
A Transnational Questionnaire has been devised and distributed by the Equal Enterpirse Scotland DP to identify attitudes to entrepreneurship within the four transnational partners in the TELNET Transnational Partnership.
Social Economy Scotland DP designed a specific website for the Transnational Co-operation Partnership named S.E.E.N. The website contains a password-protected repository that transnational partners wil use to share information and learning.

A specific website for the Transnational Co-operation Partnership has also been created by ICON’s DP with the contribution of all transnational partners.

The evaluation strategy drafted by the ICON’s DP central support team has been agreed and adopted both by domestic and transnational partners. This allows DPA and TCA activities to be evaluated consistently
Transnational Partners within the TELNET Transnational Partnership (Theme C) have established a transnational Newsletter containing updates on the activities being undertaken by the partner countries of TELNET. In Scotland the TELNET Newsletter is being issued by the Scottish TELNET partner DP Equal Enterprise Scotland.

Transnationality & Empowerment One of the partners in the COOL DP will use Video Conferencing to involve beneficiaries in a transnational conference

Representatives of the COOL DP attended three planning visits to design a seminar for key people involved in a range of mentoring interventions in Sweden, involving the Scottish Mentoring Network, the Glasgow Mentoring Network, SFEU and contacts in Sweden.
One of the transnational study visit held by representatives of the COOL DP at the University of Norrkoping in Sweden aimed to compare mentoring responses with young people between Sweden and Scotland. This event will open up several possibilities for networking across the two countries.
Equal Enterprise Scotland DP devised a Transnational Questionnaire to identify attitudes to entrepreneurship within the four Transnational Cooperation countries (TELNET).

Last Update: 6.7.06

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