Types of learning

News: Suspension of onsite training activities in Hungary until end of June 2021

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Residential activities provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of a subject. Teaching often features case studies and participants are encouraged to share best practices. In 2019 CEPOL will offer for the first time simulations in its trainings.

All participant applications for residential activities must be made through your CEPOL National Unit.

Residential Training Activity is a physical gathering of Participants and Trainers for a certain number of days for the purpose of transfer of knowledge, expertise and skills between Trainers and Participants, facilitated by the Organiser, who is represented by the Activity Manager. The term “residential” refers to the fact that a physical venue is required.

A Residential Training Activity can be a course, a seminar, or a conference:

• Course is a training programme on a particular topic by means of learning/teaching activities like a specified number of lessons, practical exercises, study visits, discussions, group work, assignments, etc.
• Seminar is a meeting for an intensive exchange of knowledge, experience or views on a specific topic for the encouragement and improvement of cooperation. It is a discussion focused upon an expert(s) presentation(s), project report or paper(s).
• Conference is a large official meeting which may last several days and at which people with the same or similar work or interests come together to enhance their knowledge, experience, views and understanding.

Residential Training Activity Organiser: CEPOL itself or a Framework Partner in a Member State¹, responsible for preparing all aspects of a Residential Training Activity, covering the content, budget planning, implementation and logistics, following the timeline for Residential Training Activities. The Organiser is free to organise the respective work as necessary by having an Activity Manager and staff meant to assist with the organisation of content and/or logistics.

Facilitators:

Activity Manager: natural person nominated by the Organiser, who is responsible for implementing the Residential Training Activity, according to the Curriculum, Programme, Budget and ensuring all the necessary logistical aspects for its implementation.

Trainers: natural persons who transfer their knowledge, expertise and skills before, during and after the Residential Training Activity, and prepare and deliver the learning in cooperation with the Organiser and using the CEPOL Learning Management System (LMS). Trainers can be from:

• Law enforcement agencies and training institutions,
• EU Agencies or bodies,
• the Framework Partners,
• international or regional organisations and entities,
• private sector,
• academia, or
• other relevant entities.

Teaching methods:

• Lectures
• Practical exercise
• Assignments
• Group Work
• Discussion
• Role-play
• Other

Assessment strategy:

The assessment strategy has the focus on the learning process, not on a grading. It is a combination of:

• Participant profile.
• Self-assessment.
• Participant feedback.
• Monitoring through the course.

More information available in the User's Guide for Participants of CEPOL Residential Training Activities, in Decision 12/2016/GB on the CEPOL Training Evaluation Methodology and in the Privacy Statement for the Processing of Personal Data in CEPOL Residential Training Activities.

List of residential activities

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¹Denmark is not considered Member States in relation to CEPOL in accordance with Protocol 22 on the position of Denmark and Protocol 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU.

CEPOL’s online learning platform, LEEd is open to all EU law enforcement officers and is free to use.

Online learning is a good way to learn at your own pace and in your own time. You can choose from webinars, online modules and courses or join communities of practice.

To take part in online learning, you must be a registered LEEd user.

List of webinars

List of online courses

List of online modules

The CEPOL Exchange Programme (CEP) is an Erasmus-style exchange programme that allows law enforcement officers to spend one week with a counterpart in their country, exchanging knowledge and good practices, initiating cooperation projects and fostering deep and long-lasting learning and networking opportunities.

The programme seeks to enhance cooperation in combating crime. It is based on mobility, mutual learning and provides participants with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with working methods of other countries. Such exchanges promote trust and cooperation between law enforcement officers from across Europe and beyond.

The programme fulfils one of CEPOL’s key objectives - developing a European law enforcement culture. It allows participants to spend a week (Monday - Friday) with a counterpart in a chosen hosting country.

The Exchange Programme is open to law enforcement officers from all EU Member States, EU Candidate Countries, Western Balkan and European Neighbourhood Policy Eastern Partnership countries. It is available for all law enforcement bodies.

In 2020, the programme has been further refined to better reflect requirements deriving from the EU Policy Cycle priorities as well as requests from Member States. Thematic areas of study are better synchronised with CEPOL’s overall training portfolio, which enables the Exchange Programme to complement CEPOL’s other training options, contributing to the agency’s multi-layered approach to learning. The programme allows “pre-matched” participation where both exchangee’s give reference to each other in their applications ensuring full coherency with national priorities and requirements.

The programme has also been enhanced to encompass exchange opportunities related to border management in close cooperation with Frontex. Also in 2020 a Joint Exchange Programme pilot is initiated with The European Judicial Training Network (EJTN).

CEPOL is also responsible for the implementation of various projects that also integrate exchanges in their learning portfolio.

In result, the 2020 edition of CEPOL Exchange Programme is divided into four sections:

1. General Exchange Programme
2. CEPOL-Frontex Joint Exchange Programme
3. Pilot CEPOL/EJTN Joint Exchange Programme
4. Project led Exchange Programme

To take part in an exchange, participants must:

• have a minimum of three years’ work experience in the field of interest;
• have a reasonable level of English /other common language (at least B1 level) which enables communication with colleagues about enforcing the law on the selected topic;
• have a need and readiness for individual learning;
• commit to cascading their newly gained knowledge to colleagues at a national and European level.

Law enforcement staff interested in taking part in the CEPOL Exchange Programme can contact their National Exchange Coordinator through their CEPOL National Unit:

Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Estonia Finland France

Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta

The Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden

EU Member State with opt-out from CEPOL regulation¹

• Denmark

Former EU Member State (as of 1 February 2020)

• United Kingdom

EU Associated Countries

• Iceland
• Norway
• Switzerland

Candidate countries with Working Arrangement with CEPOL

• Albania
• Montenegro
• Republic of North Macedonia
• Serbia
• Turkey

Potential candidate countries with Working Arrangement with CEPOL

• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kosovo *

Eastern Partnership countries with Working Arrangement with CEPOL

• Armenia
• Georgia
• Moldova
• Ukraine

¹ Denmark is not considered Member States in relation to CEPOL in accordance with Protocol 22 on the position of Denmark in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU. The United Kingdom is no longer an EU Member State since 1 February 2020.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

For further insight search for #CEPOLexchange at social media channels and download the documents below:

• 

  CEPOL Exhange Programme Highlights 2018
• 

  CEPOL Exchange Programme - flyer
• 

  CEPOL Exhange Programme Privacy Statement

CEPOL European Joint Master Programme

SECOND EDITION - 2017-2019

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Last update: The deadline for applications has expired, 30 students have been selected to attend the second edition of the CEPOL EJMP.

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Attendance: blended learning

Dates: October 2017 - October 2019

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1. What is the CEPOL European Joint Master Programme?

2. Entry requirements

3. Structure

4. Costs

5. The Master in depth

6. What can you expect from this programme?

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WHAT IS THE CEPOL EUROPEAN JOINT MASTER PROGRAMME?

The CEPOL European Joint Master Programme (EJMP) is an EU academic programme which aims to address common challenges of police cooperation in the frame of internal security. It provides students with science-based competences in a European community of practice.

This master programme is unique and complementary to the Higher Education Programme and to existing master programmes on policing in the EU Member States. The programme fully complies with the Bologna Declaration for higher education and the Dublin Descriptors, which are recognised by all universities in the European Union. This alignment warrants the academic quality, coherence and consistency of the European Joint Master Programme.

The European Joint Master Programme (EJMP) is a very important learning programme in CEPOL’s portfolio, and is dedicated to the legal and operational aspects of international and European police cooperation. The academic programme is implemented by a Consortium of 22 partners, and the diploma is awarded by the National Distance University in Spain (UNED) and jointly developed and delivered in cooperation with University Consortium Partners from Hungary, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, the Netherlands, UK and Estonia.

The EJMP is addressed to senior law enforcement officers or experts in general management and specialist positions who intend to gain or improve competences in the field of international and European police and law enforcement management.

The language of the CEPOL European Joint Master Programme is English.

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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Without prejudice to national legislations, in order to be eligible to take part in the EJMP applicants must have as a minimum:

• a Bachelor’s Degree or an equivalent in national education to a Bachelor’s Degree recognised at a level of 180-240 ECTS - the level of acquired credits is dependent on the competence of each Member State to set the minimum eligibility criteria between 180 and 240 ECTS. In terms of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) this is comparable to EQF level 6.
• good command of the English language at minimum B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, with a language certificate of this equivalence. Native speakers with English as mother tongue are not required to submit a language certificate.

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STRUCTURE

The EJMP is a part time fully academic programme that consists of 6 modules totalling 46 ECTS and one module of 14 ECTS representing the module of the Master Thesis. All modules are compulsory and the EJMP will be delivered within 2 years. The EJMP shall imply blended learning and a restricted number of residential phases, which involves the mobility of teachers and students.

No.	Module	Duration	ECTS
1	General Introduction and Methodology	12 weeks 100 hrs	4
2	International and Comparative Policing	12 weeks 200 hours	8
3	Governance and Strategic Aspects of International Police Cooperation	12 weeks 200 hours	8
4	Legal and Regulatory Aspects of European Police Cooperation	12 weeks 200 hours	8
5	Operational Aspects of European Police Cooperation	12 weeks 225 hours	9
6	Management and Leadership Aspects of European Police Cooperation	12 weeks 225 hours	9
7	Master thesis	18 weeks 350 hours	14

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COSTS

Studies are free of charge for students from EU Member States that have adopted the CEPOL regulation 2015/2219. CEPOL will pay for flights, accommodation and meals including study costs in line with the budget approved by the CEPOL Management Board. CEPOL can fund a total of 30 students; however, it is also possible to accept up to further 10 self-paying students nominated through the CEPOL network.

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THE MASTER IN DEPTH

Students responsibilities

Students must attend all the residential modules specified in course timetable and follow the rules relative to the university/police facility implementing the module. A short absence may be authorised for personal reasons. A code of conduct will need to be signed by all students.

Methods of delivery

The European Joint Master Programme will be implemented by the way of blended learning. Each of the six learning modules encompasses a residential week in the organising institution. The Master thesis has to be defended, and the thesis defence can be performed by means of a video conference.

The CEPOL learning environment is part of the learning structure, including an e-learning environment. The European Joint Master Programme rests on an integrated cooperation between CEPOL and the participant universities in the EU Member States, in which CEPOL provides a unique e-learning environment and academic facilities such as documentary resources. Webinars and online modules are an essential part of the content. Additional e-learning facilities can be provided by the university awarding the diploma.

Specific learning materials as manuals, textbooks, readers etc. are developed to meet the specific interests of the students and to cover the specific subjects of the European Joint Master Programme. The teaching and learning methods will be distributed according to the logic of curriculum consistency and coherence.

Detailed module descriptions, teacher’s manuals, study guides, compulsory and recommended literature will be provided insofar as necessary by the institutions responsible for a certain module. The learning and teaching methods used during the two years’ master programme serve the development of professional and intercultural competences of the students, and have a direct link to competences which have to be improved and to the learning outcomes of the modules.

Examples of methods of delivery are:

• Panel discussions
• Lectures
• Case studies
• Group works
• Learning café

Dates of implementation

The EJMP is 2-year programme. Please note that the following dates of implementation may be subject to changes:

Module	Country	Pre-learning phase	Residential week	Post learning phase	Comments
1	Hungary	02/09/2017 – 08/10/2017	09/10/2017 – 13/10/2017	14/10/2017 – 24/11/2017
2	Finland	25/11/2017 – 14/01/2018	15/01/2018 – 19/01/2018	20/01/2018 – 16/02/2018	Holiday 23/12/2017-05/01/2018
3	Italy	17/02/2018 – 25/03/2018	26/03/2018 – 30/03/2018	31/03/2018 – 11/05/2018
4	Lithuania	12/05/2018 – 17/06/2018	18/06/2018 – 22/06/2018	23/06/2018 – 03/08/2018	Holiday 04/08/2018 – 26/08/2018
5	Romania	27/08/2018 – 23/09/2018	24/09/2018 –28/09/2018	29/09/2018 – 09/11/2018
6	Netherlands	10/11/2018 – 09/12/2018	10/12/2018 – 14/12/2018	15/12/2018 – 15/02/2019	Holiday 22/12/2018 – 06/01/2019
7	Estonia	Thesis 16/02/2019 – 16/06/2019	Marking 17/06/2019 – 14/07/2019	Defense 15/07/2019 – 02/08/2019	Holiday 03/08/2019 – graduation October

More information about timetables and deadlines is available at CEPOL’s Learning Management System (LMS) on e-Net.

Assessment

To obtain the Master Diploma it will be necessary to get a minimum marking of 50 out of 100 in each module and pass the Master Thesis.

The oral defence represents a maximum of 20% of the mark for the Master Thesis, and the written part corresponds to maximum 80% of the mark.

The Board of Examiners will have right to give the final validation of the Master Thesis.

Assessment criteria are distinguished under 5 headings which indicate the level of the performance of an academic professional in different gradations for the same dimensions. The dimensions of the “assessment grid” refer to the level of quality of:

• the selection, reading and analysis of literature;
• the understanding and articulation of the relationship between theoretical perspectives and practical circumstances;
• the organisation of the material;
• the accuracy of referencing;
• the extent of bibliography;
• the relationship between questioning and process of study;
• the clarity and logic of the arguments, premises and conclusions;
• the discernment and expression of reasoning.

If a student fails an assessment, he/she will have a second opportunity. With regards to written exams including online tests, the second attempt will take place after the conclusion of the residential week.

Concerning the elaboration of a written assessment, if the student fails he/she will have to prepare and submit a new work to the examiner following his/her instructions.

Students will also have a second opportunity when failing the Master Thesis. This second opportunity will be granted on the following Master Thesis defence session at his own expenses.

Failing twice in the same assessment will impede the progression from one module to the following, and the student will be expelled from the Programme.

The expulsion of the student will be decided by the Master Programme Committee after receiving all the information from the consortium partner implementing the module. An appeal procedure to the Steering Board is available.

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WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS PROGRAMME?

Students and employers must both be aware that this is a comprehensive part-time academic study in English, and the study will be both difficult and time consuming.

However, students who succeed in their studies can look forward to a unique, CEPOL-endorsed pan-European Master Diploma recognised by every university in the Bologna space.

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What is the EU Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA)?

The EU-STNA is a collective and EU-wide effort between Member States, the Commission, key experts and stakeholders such as Europol and EBCGA (Frontex). It forms part of CEPOL’s mandate, in that the agency is tasked to support, develop, implement and coordinate training for law enforcement officials.

The EU-STNA was developed to identify gaps in knowledge, skills and competencies and training needs. The assessment identifies training priorities and aims at coordinating available training to prevent overlaps and duplication. It identifies emerging law enforcement trends, such as increasing synergies and overlaps between different crime areas, as well as larger demands for cooperation between disciplines.

A pilot started in 2017, which resulted in the first 2018-2021 European Union Strategic Training Needs Assessment[NA1] . Based on the outcomes of an external evaluation of the first, pilot EU-STNA CEPOL updated the methodology and launched the EU-STNA 2022-2025 [NA2] to define strategic and EU-level training priorities for the law enforcement community for the next policy cycle.

[NA1]Add link to tab EU-STNA 2018-2021.

[NA2]Add link to tab EU-STNA 2022-2025

How is the EU-STNA completed?

EU-STNA consists in step-by-step analysis of strategic level EU documents detailing crime threats that were then discussed in expert and focus groups by Member State and EU specialists with a view to extract capability gaps and training needs that should be addressed by training implemented at EU level. The list of EU-level training needs is then prioritised by Member States. The EU-STNA Report provides an overview of horizontal and thematic areas enlisting the capability challenges and related training needs of law enforcement in priority order. The Report guides training providers to build up their training portfolio and helps avoiding overlaps in training delivery on EU level.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2idlxTls6o

Why CEPOL implements the EU-STNA?

With the 2010-2014 Stockholm Programme, training of law enforcement was intensified with the objective to ‘foster a genuine European judicial and law enforcement culture’. For CEPOL this had impact on different fronts:

• The programme called for improved coordination and coherence between EU Agencies;
• The programme called for stepping up the training on Union-related issues and make this accessible for all professions involved in the implementation of the area of freedom, security, and justice. CEPOL (and EBCGA) would play a key role in this, opening the possibility to widen the scope of the Agency;
• The programme emphasised the need to find solutions in strengthening the European Law Enforcement Training Schemes (LETS), as well as developing e-learning programmes and common training material to train professionals in the European mechanisms;
• The programme emphasised the importance of the external dimension of the EU’s policy in the area of freedom, security and justice. In particular, it called for priorities in external relations to inform and guide the priorities of the work of relevant agencies, including CEPOL.

A Communication from the Commission in 2013 (COM(2013)172.) formally proposed the establishment of the LETS. This scheme aimed to equip law enforcement officials with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent and combat cross-border crime effectively through efficient cooperation with EU colleagues. The Commission stresses the importance of learning under the scheme to be built on existing training at national and EU level and to base this on regular assessments of training needs

The new Regulation entered into force in July 2016 and changed several key features, in line with the Internal Security Strategy and the Common Approach on EU decentralised agencies:

• CEPOL shall target all law enforcement officials, which is no longer limited to (senior) police personnel, but now also includes staff of police, customs, other relevant services, and staff of Union bodies across all levels;
• CEPOL shall play a coordination and implementation role to address the European dimension of serious and organised crime, terrorism, public order, and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) preparedness;
• CEPOL is tasked to: assess EU initiatives in defined fields; build the capacity of third countries; provide multiannual Strategic Training Needs Assessments; and promote mutual recognition of training among EU Member States;
• An extended scope of CEPOL’s remit in the area of research relevant for training and external relations;
• Changed governance arrangements.

Against this background, CEPOL in collaboration with the European Commission developed in 2017 the EU Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA).

CEPOL Regulation^* mandates the Agency to incorporate training needs assessments and analysis in its planning. CEPOL completed the EU Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA) in 2018, identifying strategic level training priorities for law enforcement officials across Europe for the period 2018-2021.

As a follow up to this exercise, CEPOL regularly conducts training needs analyses on operational level, on the priority topics defined by the EU-STNA. The aim of these analyses is to get a detailed understanding of the number and profile of officials to be trained as well as on the proficiency and urgency level of training to be delivered.

In 2020, CEPOL completed Operational Training Needs Analyses (OTNA) in the following strategic areas identified in the EU-STNA:

• facilitation of illegal immigration
• trafficking in human beings,
• criminal finances
• money laundering and asset recovery
• drug trafficking.

To provide timely response to training needs emerging as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEPOL, in cooperation with the European Council and the EMPACT structure, completed a ad-hoc additional analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on investigations and training needs with regard to the current EU Policy Cycle priority areas. As respondents indicated that cases of domestic violence have substantially increased as a consequence of the pandemic an additional analysis was completed on the Impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence law enforcement operations and training needs.

CEPOL designs its multiannual training portfolio building on the outcomes of the OTNAs. Outcomes of the training needs analysis on the impact of COVID-19 feed to newly developed learning products that aim at enhancing the knowledge, skills and competencies of law enforcement officials across Europe as a response to the pandemic.

The analyses provide a comprehensive picture on operational level training priorities, therefore, they can be used by training providers in Member States and on European level when designing their training portfolio.

The training needs analyses can be downloaded here:

• Operational Training Needs Analysis on Facilitation of illegal immigration
• Operational Training Needs Analysis on Trafficking in human beings
• Operational Training Needs Analysis on Criminal finance, money laundering and asset recovery
• Operational Training Needs Analysis on Drugs trafficking
• Impact of COVID-19 on law enforcement operations and training needs on current EU Policy Cycle priority areas
• Impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence law enforcement operations and training needs

Should you have any inquiry concerning the process please contact the OTNA team via email.

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* Regulation (EU) 2015/2219 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) and replacing and repealing Council Decision 2005/681/JHA