Future is in our hands Erasmus Project

Project Title

Future is in our hands

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Future is in our hands was a project that wanted to prepare its participants as well as the organizations for the future. It aimed on giving an opportunity for initial and continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors as well as to promote innovative approaches to provide key competencies and work-specific skills to the learners. Future was not only dealt with through the themes of the Future labs but offered a testing lab to elaborate new learning environments.

To accommodate to the change of the working life new ways of working within teams and organizations was seen as crucial. The project wanted to foster innovation and underline the importance of “soft” skills such as collaboration, teamwork, creativity and learning. That is why the four Future labs were based on team pedagogy. This project enhanced the creativity, innovative thinking and flexibility in multidisciplinary groups. The key to the succses was to offer the teachers participating in the project an intensive three days training on the methodology. It also helped with strong bonding within the teachers participating in the project.

The main purpose of the project weeks was to activate the students into learning to learn in a more informal setting, in the four FUTURE LABS organized in this project. The themes of the Future labs were based on global megatrends and challenges of the future working life and were chosen in the first project meeting. The Future labs were held in each of the participating country. The problems that the students solved were based on interviews done in each of the participants’ home country and work places relevant to the field of study. Each of the weeks offered a chance to investigate the topic in a relevant company. For both parties to gain understanding on each other’s needs.

The future labs gave a learning opportunity for 80 learners on cultural awareness, communication in a foreign language with methods where everyone’s contribution is equally important for the final result and success. Both participating teachers and students truly were in a “pressure cooker” for one week to produce a solution; out of their comfort zone and forced to step out of their traditional roles.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 108460 Eur

Project Coordinator

Helsingin kaupunki & Country: FI

Project Partners

• STICHTING REGIONAAL OPLEIDINGENCENTRUM ZUID-HOLLAND ZUID
• BRIDGWATER AND TAUNTON COLLEGE
• Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional Juan de Colonia