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New project researches LGBTIQ discrimination in vocational education

27 March 2021 - A new European project embarks on a research on LGBTIQ discrimination in vocational education. The UNIQUE project focuses on training vocational teachers to become ambassadors of sexual and gender diversity, and the research is part of the needs assessment. GALE is one of the partners in the project and conducts the research both in the Netherlands, where it is based, and in other countries in Europe.

The UNIQUE project

Attention for sexual and gender diversity in schools - if there is attention at all - has until now mostly focused on high schools. The UNIQUE focuses on vocational education and training (VET). Attention for LGBTIQ people in vocational education is important for two reasons. In the first place because of the safety of LGBTIQ students, and in the second place because vocational education prepares students to be good service providers to the population. By training vocational students in sexual and gender diversity, they will be able to better serve their customers, clients and patients.
The project starts by mapping the views of VET students and teachers, and existing non-discrimination interventions and curricula. Based on the findings, it will train VET teachers as ambassadors to promote LGBTIQ equality in vocational schools. The training will be partly life and partly online. The ambassadors will become trainers and advocates in Greece, Poland, Cyprus, and Croatia and will cooperate with the LGBTIQ movement. In addition to ;partners in these countries, this Erasmus+ project also has expert partners in Bulgaria, Germany and the Netherlands (GALE).

The survey for students and teachers

The online survey that was developed for VET students and teachers contains 32 questions. Half of the questions are developed for the project. The partners in Greece, Poland, Cyprus, Croatia and Germany will translate the questionnaire in their own language and offer it to VET institutes in their own countries.
The other half of the questions was developed by GALE to get a more full view of the way the right to education is implemented. These questions go a little bit more in detail. The GALE version of the questionnaire is available in English for respondents across Europe, and in Dutch because the GALE headquarters are in the Netherlands.
We call on the GALE members to help disseminate the survey to vocational students and teachers in Europe. The survey had to be filled in before 1 May!

Source: UNIQUE project