The European Conference "Competence Modelling for European HR and Policies: Bridging Business, Education, and Training" (COME-HR) has launched its Call for Papers: All experts from the agricultural sector, human resources development, and competence modelling are invited to contribute their own related professional or academic efforts and to present them in a scientific paper and presentation. The conference will take place in Brussels, Belgium on the 9th and 10th of November, 2011 and is organized by the European consortium for competence tools eCOTOOL. "By sharing the results of the eCOTOOL project with European professionals and academics and asking them to draw upon their own experience, we hope to greatly benefit the discourse concerning innovations for Europass and the agricultural sector by competence models, E-Learning and social communities", says Christian M. Stracke, the Coordinator of the eCOTOOL project from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, ISO Convener and editor of many competence standards and specifications. Additionally, the key note speeches and participation of representatives from the European Commission, competence modelling experts, and European standardisation bodies ensure a competent and influential audience and thus fruitful exchange of ideas.

By this Call for Papers all experts and practitioners are invited to contribute to our dialogue on competence modelling for Europass and the agricultural sector and to submit high quality papers describing fully developed results, on-going work or innovative concepts on the following topics:

• Innovations for Europass
• Competence models supporting vocational education and training
• Competence modelling in human resource development
• E-Learning for vocational education and training
• Social communities for vocational education and training
• Learning outcomes and competences orientation
• Job profiles and working places defined by competences
• Standardization of competence models
• European tools for supporting mobility and transparency of qualifications
• Qualification standards for the effective linking between education and employment requirements
• Europass instruments and their usage into the transparency of competences and qualifications
• Implementation of E-Learning and social communities
• Harmonization of competence models

This European Conference "Competence Modelling for European HR and Policies: Bridging Business, Education, and Training" (COME-HR) is focusing new ways and approaches for the vocational training by competence models, E-Learning and social communities. The "Competence Modelling for European HR and Policies: Bridging Business, Education, and Training" (COME-HR) 2011 continues the discussion developed at the first four related European conferences in Vilnius (Lithuania), Budapest (Hungary), Bucharest (Romania) and the planned European conference "Innovations in the Environmental Sector" (INES) which will take place in Brussels (Belgium) in September 2011. The eCOTOOL consortium has organized and utilised these previous opportunities, along with national workshops in each of the eCOTOOL partner countries, to raise the awareness of the stakeholders in the agricultural sector, human resource development, and vocational education and training concerning the benefits and implementations of competence modelling in relation with Europass and qualification standards.

The conference is organized together with an experience session on the 10th of November which gives all participants the opportunity to exchange their experiences face-to-face. On the 9th of November 2011, next to the key note speeches, the results of the eCOTOOL project will be presented: The Europass CS eco-tools and the Competence Model supporting a better description and recognition of competences and their online representation which will contribute to European competence standardisation and improve vocational education and training and the mobility within Europe.

Attendance at the European conference "Competence Modelling for European HR and Policies: Bridging Business, Education, and Training" (COME-HR) is free of charge and requires online registration as places are limited. Submissions of papers related to the conference (max. eight pages) must be sent to the eCOTOOL Consortium by the 16th of August 2011. The submitters are informed about the acceptance of the papers by the 31st of August 2011. All accepted will be published in the official proceedings of the European Conference (with ISBN) and distributed to all conference participants and across Europe.


Overview of the important dates:
- Paper submission deadline: September 12, 2011
- Notification of acceptance: September 30, 2011
- Camera-Ready copy due: October 7, 2011
- Conference program: November 9-10, 2011


Direct enquiries and full papers can be sent to the eCOTOOL project manager Karna Wegner, University of Duisburg-Essen, via e-Mail to: karna.wegner@icb.uni-due.de.