EMIT Awarded first Leonardo da Vinci Award"...imagine an opera with no orchestra - it would be like medicine without technology..."The first ever Leonardo da Vinci Awards launched by the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission were presented in Maastricht, 14-16 December 2004. A special gala ceremony was held in the Fort Saint Pieter to reward the three projects that were judged the best examples of dynamic transnational vocational education and training (VET) in Europe:
United Kingdom – European Medical Imaging Technology Training (EMIT) Strengthening European cooperation in vocational education and trainingOn 30 November 2002, the Education Ministers of 31 European countries and the European Commission adopted the Copenhagen Declaration on enhanced cooperation in European vocational education and training. The meeting was also attended by the European Social Partners, underlining their commitment and indispensable role in the enhancement of cooperation in vocational education and training. The Copenhagen Declaration stated: "A meeting in two years time will be held to review progress and give advice on priorities and strategies". The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in Maastricht in December 2004 demonstrates in a practical way how the European Union's Leonardo da Vinci programme for vocational education and training is supporting efforts to meet the Lisbon challenge for Europe to become a knowledge-based economy by the year 2010. The Exhibition therefore illustrates how the Leonardo da Vinci programme is helping to meet emerging training needs and improve the skills of people from all backgrounds by developing mobility, fostering innovation and improving the quality of training. The 32 projects featured in the exhibition respond to real needs and are a sound investment for the future. They demonstrate how vocational training and education form an integral part of the blueprint for Europe to become a "world quality reference" by 2010. They are a shining illustration of how vocational education and training are responding to achieving the Lisbon goals. They are of direct interest to policy-makers and key actors involved in vocational education and training, many of whom will be present or represented amongst the 600 participants of the high level Maastricht Conference on 15 December 2004, drawn from all those with an active interest in vocational education and training throughout the EU and associated countries. The Award creationThe "Parlement Lycéen Européen (PLE) des écoles de bijouterie et presse lycéenne" (France) is an umbrella organisation for 23 jewellery schools in partnership throughout Europe and the world. The aim of this organisation is to facilitate exchanges of projects, actions and work between different jewellery schools. The European Commission's Leonardo da Vinci programme facilitates some of the PLE's actions by fostering mobility placements and pilot projects. At the European Commission's request, the PLE organised a competition with all students throughout its network to create the Leonardo da Vinci Award. The winner was Katrin Marx, from the "Meisterschule für Handwerker" Kaiserslautern, Germany.
European Medical Imaging Technology Training – EMIT The project EMIT (European Medical Imaging Technology Training) was awarded the first ever LEONARDO DA VINCI AWARD. This is the new international award, which the EU launches to acknowledge achievements in Education and Training. There were 30 nominees (from 4000 projects) but EMIT’s e-Learning materials were described as "unmatched in their contents' breadth and depth". The ceremony for the Awards was in Maastricht - part of the summit of all EU Ministers of Education. The EMIT motto became a catch-phrase "...imagine an opera with no orchestra - it would be like medicine without technology..." ChallengeMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Medical Ultrasound Scanning (U/S) are widely used methods of medical imaging. The complex technology that realises these two methods is used extensively in hospitals for diagnosing various diseases – such as cancer, neurological, obstetric and cardiovascular diseases. Until recently, trainees in MRI and U/S have lacked special training materials. Moreover, the use of MRI and U/S in contemporary medicine increases every year and this type of equipment takes up a considerable part of a hospital's budget (usually between 10% and 15% of the cost of all medical technology). For these reasons, the European Conference on Medical Physics Training (organised by King's College London in Trieste, Italy - September 1998), and further medical physics training Seminars during 2000-01, identified a need for structured medical physics training in medical-imaging technology using dedicated training materials. AimThe goal of the European Medical Imaging Technology Training (EMIT) pilot project was to develop work-linked training in hospitals on Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology for young graduates in medical physics and other healthcare professionals. The project also aimed at developing the first totally structured training on this subject in Europe. ResultsThe project developed curricula, timetables and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training materials for two training modules, for Ultrasound and for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The partners believe that their training materials – available in electronic form on CD and on a dedicated website – are the first of their kind in the world. Each module (US and MRI) is structured and lasts around 4 months. They both include a list of competencies, a structured timetable, educational image database, a workbook with practical tasks (in the form of a web-distributable e-book) and a course guide for the supervisor (in 5 languages). The idea is to provide the trainee with all necessary professional skills in these imaging technologies. The EMIT training e-learning materials include more than 1,900 original images and 600 pages of explanations of the tasks (including various practical protocols). These are available on two CD-ROMs and placed on a "Training on Demand" web server. All these materials are handled by a special Image Database and by an original user-friendly HTML shell. As a result, the user can learn directly from his/her PC, or online, without the need of external software. All EMIT materials are produced in English and French. Following the success of the previous project EMERALD (its materials now used in 65 countries), the EMIT consortium supported the wide international use of these training materials. Dissemination activities included the development of a Digital Dictionary of Terms covering the whole field of Medical Imaging Technology. This dictionary currently cross-translates to/from any of the 7 languages - English, French, German, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese and Spanish (a total of 25,000 terms). EMIT materials were tested in practice, through work-linked training, and reviewed at a special Euro conference in ICTP, Trieste (November 2003), with specialists from 26 countries. These materials have already attracted wide interest in the profession, especially among young specialists. Since they included various medical applications, they could easily be transferred to the training and continuing professional development of radiographers, radiologists and other imaging specialists from the healthcare sector. EMIT materials are now commercialised, and the income raised from sales will be used for future updates. This Award will be very valuable for our profession as a whole, including ICSU promotion of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering and Science.
Slavik Tabakov, Ph.D.
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