What does a Lithuanian drama club and a German intercultural project or a Polish hospital foundation with a Finish dance company have in common? Around 180 European organisations like these are being part of the Local Consultation of the European Arts Management Programme (EAM). This local institutions are being interviewed by the EAM Partners in eight different countries, asking about the training needs in specific skills required in the management of arts and culture organisations, programmes or events which are likely to involve new audiences and disadvantaged people. Supported by the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the EAM project is a 2-year pilot project aimed to develop new vocational training tools. The project meets social objectives of increasing employability, and accessibility to arts and cultural activities. It will lead to the sharing of experience and to the fostering of innovation in vocational training by bringing together universities, which offer vocational training programmes in arts and cultural management, with local government arts officers and small scale arts organisations in the community and voluntary sector. Lead by the Oxford Brooks University the EAM project partners are: ENCATC European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres, the Institut für Kulturpolitik Universität Hildesheim (Germany), the Humanities Polytechnic, TURKU (Finland), ARSEC (France), Aries Formazione (Italy), the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts (Lithuania), the Jagiellonian University (Poland), University of Information Technology and Management, (Poland) , and the South-West University Neofit Rilsky, Bulgaria. The partners of this Programme will meet on the Second Partner Meeting on 25th January in Lyon, France, to discuss and collate the results of this survey and set in motion the third developmental phase of the project. For more information about this programme, visit www.encatc.org or email [email protected]