Developing an Innovative Integrated System and Learning Methods for digitalising Vocational Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing an Innovative Integrated System and Learning Methods for digitalising Vocational Education

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

Background:
The current COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the lives of many and we are facing a phenomenon across all nations that we have never seen before. The coronavirus has a tremendous influence on mobility programs and the delivery of education as distance learning has taken over and the mobilities are currently limited. In spite of that, a huge potential hasn’t been utilized yet due to the lack of digitalization. The current pandemic situation pushes our society to modernize not just the way we live, but the way we think. The uptake of innovative approaches and digitalization in vocational training can increase the involvement of the next-generation students who are eager to utilize their tech-savviness. We can widen the means of student engagement through utilizing not just physical mobility but virtual mobility too.

Project objectives:
O1: Developing an integrated vocational education e-learning platform (a mobile and desktop application) to enable the involved partners to digitalize mobility processes more effectively to make it more convenient for all parties involved (especially for students, schools, host institutions)
O2: Development of e-learning materials and supporting documents (guidebook for the platform) with a special focus on digital skills to develop the student’s competencies and improve their employability
O3: Creating synergies through transnational challenges and catalyze cooperation between the educational institutions, business representatives and other associated partners

Profile of participants:
StartITup Győr is a bottom-up entrepreneurial initiative providing young people with a chance to start their businesses locally with a global mindset. The Move and Develop Foundation is focused on fostering mobility and education among young people and adults, with a special focus on the labor market. Global Startup Awards is the largest independent startup ecosystem competition around the globe, they have a remarkable background in IT developments. The aim of the Junior Business Club is to bring the economic culture to the youth as well as to all the young people who want to be interested in the business world. The Szolnok Vocational Training Center carries out vocational secondary education as a basic task with 11 member institutions and 23 sites. Muravidéki Teacher’s Association is a unique umbrella organization, which represents a bilingual kindergarten, school, secondary school, and vocational secondary school.

Methodology and Activities:
We have conducted a secondary and primary research to identify the needs of our target group. Regarding our background research, 90 % of our target groups (teachers and pupils) only use Zoom or Classroom as a digital platform to support education which is ineffective. All of them (100 students and 15 teachers) agreed that blended and virtual mobility carried out on a safe digital platform could build capacity online, and develop those digital skills and pedagogical competencies that are needed to survive this pandemic. Based on the result we wish to develop a modern and integrated vocational education system by providing innovative tools and approaches through it. This platform will serve as a one-stop-shop for the relevant players to coordinate the whole mobility process, increase information flow, promote safety, and lessen the ever-growing administrative work.
1) Developing E-learning training materials in order to improve students’ employability: 8 disciplines involved with special focus to digital and language skills, integrated into the platform for physical and virtual mobility
2) Developing an integrated vocational education e-learning platform in order to digitalize mobility processes (Mobile and desktop application, 3 digitalized guidebooks)
3) Creating synergies through cooperation and transnational challenges: co-creation, launching business challenges through the platform
4) Blended mobility of VET learners in order to test the platform with the target groups in real-time, 8 disciplines, 32 students involved, 5 disadvantaged, 8 teachers.
5) Multiplier events to present and disseminate the results

The results, impact, and long term benefits:
The main result will be an alternative platform to support mobilities and learning, communication, file, and information sharing throughout the mobility to aggregate all necessary information. The hosting companies would communicate and share best practices, e-learning materials through this platform to engage the student even before and after the mobility program takes place. This integrated platform allows us to develop a database from the relevant information and experiences including the profiles of all hosting companies, schools, and students, which will promote carrier guidance and provide a great recruitment service as well to strengthen the employability of the students.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 270106 Eur

Project Coordinator

Start IT up Egyesület & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Szolnoki Szakkepzesi Centrum
• Global Startup Awards
• Junior Business Club Association
• FUNDACJA MODE – MOVE AND DEVELOP FOUNDATION
• Drustvo pedagoskih delavcev dvojezicnih sol in vrtcev Prekmurja-Muravideki pedagogusok Egyesjulete