Project Context and objectives
The eGOS (E-GOvernance and e-guidance Services) develops a prototype system enabling the delivery of educational and vocational e-guidance services, also to cross-border mobility purposes, by using distance ICT tools. It aims to deliver integrated and customized services to people that, for different reasons, have difficult access - or no access at all - to traditional help-desks.
Two main policy priorities are supported: 1. FINAL USERS’ EMPLOYABILITY. Final users (especially those in disadvantaged conditions due to problems of geographical, physical, personal or professional order) will improve their knowledge and competences in different areas, thus increasing their own employability profile. 2. THE CAPACITY BUILDING OF GUIDANCE PRACTITIONERS. They will be trained to the use of ICT-based tools for e-guidance delivery. They will use the eGOS prototype during the pilots and after the project ends.
In addition, the system will allow DECISION MAKERS to extend their penetration on targets and – in a long term – to reduce management costs and procedures of the services delivery (i.e. less human resources needed, less clients to the traditional services, and so on).
It involves 21 partners from 5 countries:
- Provincia di Arezzo (Italy) Project Co-ordinator
- Melius (Italy) Tech/transnational Co-ordinator and Core partner (contents/ methodology)
- Lynx (Italy) Core partner (software)
- Totem (Italy) Core partner (hardware)
- MasterStudio (Italy) Core partner (design/communication/dissemination)
- City Hall of Iasi (Romania) Tester partner
- The East Iceland Knowledge Network (Iceland) Trainer partner
- Diputación de Jaén - Jaén Provincial Government (Spain) Tester partner
- FAFFE - Fundación Andaluza Fondo de Formación y Empleo Andalusian Foundation for Training and Employment (Spain) Trainer partner
- Camara de Comercio de Jaén - Chamber of Commerce of Jaén (Spain) Tester partner
- SAITC, State Agency for Information Technology and Communications Evaluator partner (Bulgaria)
- Znanie Association Sofia (Bulgaria) Trainer partner
- iCentres Association (Bulgaria) Tester partner
- POLYMETIS (Bulgaria) Evaluator partner
- Ayuntamiento de Vila-Real - Vila-Real City Council (Spain) Tester partner
- Municipality of Hafnarfjordur (Iceland) Evaluator partner
- University of Iceland, Research Liaison Office/EuroGuidance Centre (Iceland) Tester partner
- Cooperativa O.R.So. (Italy) Tester partner
- Associazione Gi.O.C. (Italy) Evaluator Partner
- Cooperativa sociale Studio Progetto 2 (Italy) Tester partner
- E.N.A.P. (Italy) Trainer partner
Services to be offered
The eGOS services will be accessible by final BENEFICIARIES from Internet on their home PC, from EG-kiosks placed in their living areas and from EG-stations within the tester partners’ or any associated organisation.
E-guidance PRACTITIONERS will efficiently deliver “traditional” educational and vocational actions (up to 4 levels will be available, from self-information to interactive advice and counselling) by means of chat, email, forum, videoconference tools.
Local governments will reduce the costs of professional orientation and training, and will improve the relationship with the people, surpassing the traditional frontal approach.
Potential Market
The main solution offered by the system will be to reach a wider number of citizens in order to realize the integration of innovative and traditional guidance services, to offer the widest range of guidance actions to the widest range of beneficiaries:
- Citizens living in remote geographical areas;
- Citizens living in areas with no or few traditional guidance services;
- Citizens with little flexibility in time: workers, women with children. They will be able to access the eGOS guidance services also after the closing time of the traditional guidance centres from home or from EG-kiosks;
- Citizens with reduced mobility capacities: people with health or physical mobility problems, seniors;
- Social challenged citizens as school drop-outs;
- “Shy” users preferring the intermediation of ICT-based tools than direct relationship with a practitioner.
The pilots’ target is to deliver e-guidance services to about 5.000 users from the 5 countries involved.
At the same time, the aim of the project is to select a GROUP OF INTEREST made by public and private bodies interested in adopting (after the pilots’ end) the eGOS system to deliver e-Government contents.
Areas of deployment
Pilots are actually installed in limited areas of Italy, Bulgaria, Spain and Romania; Iceland is involved too but no kiosks are installed. During prototype, the development of the project is limited to these countries.
Future perspectives
The validation will be acquired after a two-year test, through a step-by-step monitoring of the activities. At the project’s end, the eGOS core partners will commercialise the system, suitable to deliver – besides eGuidance and eGovernment - further contents such as tourist and health issues, and so on.
Duration of the Project
The eGOS project started on November 2008 and it will finish on October 2011.
Funding source
It is partially funded by the European Community under the ICT Policy Support Programme. (ICT PSP) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme
Project size
About 3.600.000 EUR.
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