PON 2017: Italian Ministry of Education Announces New Funding

The Italian Ministry of Education with the “Avviso quadro MIUR prot. n. 950” has recently announced the initiatives and funding available with the 2017 PON Programme. These will be released in the upcoming months for a set of key strategic areas, including in particular:

• Language learning aimed at allowing secondary-level Italian students to receive formal certification corresponding to at least B1 level of the EU framework. → Call for Action published on 21st of February 2017 (Prot. 1953)
• European citizenship enhancement, promoting exchanges and mobility experiences abroad → Call for Action 3504 published on 31st of March 2017
• Connection with the professional sphere, allowing work placement experiences for Italian students aged 16-19 in Italy and abroad → Call for Action 3781 published on 5th April 2017

PON Goals and Purpose

PON (Programma Operative Nazionale “For School – competence and learning environments”) channels EU funds into Italian public schools to promote initiatives that boost the quality of the national education and training system. For a quick overview, check out our “PON in Numbers” inforgraphic below:

Call for Action 3504 for the European Citizenship Enhancement

The overall aim is to contribute to Italian students’ knowledge of the EU and to enhance the idea of a European Union citizenship, understood as belonging to a certain culture and upholding a certain set of values. These outcomes are pursued both through training sessions at schools and through the possibility of exchange experiences and mobility abroad, which constitute a real integrative experience. Training measures further aim at strengthening foreign language competencies through mobility actions within the Erasmus+ eligible Programme countries. These include broadening of knowledge related to European citizenship such as:

• knowledge of history, culture, values, institutions;
• knowledge of the evolution of European identity through cultural diversity, arts, music, crafts, cuisine;

Priorities of Investment

Reduce and prevent premature school dropout and promote equal  access to high-quality preschool, primary and secondary education.

Specific Objective

The improvement of key skills of students.

Action

Internationalization of education systems and mobility (language learning courses in other countries, and language competences enhancement).

Target for Mobility Actions

• Selected Italian students who are eligible to attend public secondary schools.
• Recipients for the mobility actions are students aged 16-19 who are enrolled in their 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th year of secondary education

Students participating in a mobility experience abroad must master the foreign language at la level corresponding to at least B1 level of the “Common European Framework for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment” with the aim to reach the level B2 or higher.

Type of Planning Proposals

The schools’ proposals may be of two types: 10.2.3B ” Linguistic upgrading and CLIL” and 10.2.3C “Transnational mobility.” In particular, it is possible to provide:

• 10.2.3B – educational and training programs for linguistic enhancement with native speakers in schools.
• 10.2.3C – experience exchange and mobility abroad, open to students of secondary schools of second degree (in eligible Erasmus+ Programme countries).

The course abroad can also relate to the acquisition of a certificate of language skills issued by internationally recognized Certification Authorities.

Budget

The mobility experience abroad should last 60 hours (3 weeks).

Methods and terms for submission of project proposals:

Schools will be able to submit their proposals from 10.00 am of the day April 17, 2017 to 15:00 of the May 26, 2017.