Development of sustainable urban centres with active involvement of vocational education and training (VET) Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development of sustainable urban centres with active involvement of vocational education and training (VET)

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

A regional planning prosess for developing 10 sustainable regional urban centres was done by Hordaland County Council (HCC) during 2012 – 2015. The regional plan resulted in an increased focus and activity on developing the urban centres and towns in the region. HCC also recognised that though Upper Secondary VET-schools mostly are situated in urban centres and are important local provider of competences and future local labour force, the schools are to a great extend not invited into the local planning and implementing processes to create these centres.
Modern societies are urban and are rapidly becoming more and more urban. A general challenge is to develop towns/centres in a sustainable way, which is a multiple task requiring contribution fromm a viriety of actors/stakeholders. This requires involvemvent, competance and action. Strategies and ambitions on national and regional levels are pointing at these challenges and aiming at addressing them.
Europe 2020 emphasises that a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth will deliver high levels of employment and social cohesion. To strengthen human capital, employability and competitiveness “New skills agenda for Europe” is pointing at the need for more work-based learning and business – education partnership and the importance of using cross-sectorial cooperation as a tool to promote innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

On this background an active European partnership involving five European regions has been established; 10 partners, 2 assosiated partners operating for a project period of 27 months. The project was coordinated by HCC a regional VET provider and regional planning authority. Partners were VET schools, municipalities and regional institutions focusing on competance and employment.

Together the partnership has defined the objectives and framework for the project: “Development of sustainable urban centres with active involvement of VET” (“VET for Urban Centres”). The project takes the New skills agenda a step further and adds local/regional authorities to the business-education cooperation. By cross-sectorial cooperation, – sharing of best practices and methods, – observing differences, challenges and solution in other regions, – making contacts with local planning authorities; new ideas and approaches has been identified, and adjusted approaches and solutions developed including focus on adjusting and improving VET programs.

The objective of this innovative project is to create governance models for active involvement and participation of Upper Secondary VET schools/providers and the local businesses in the planning and development processes and development of urban centres under the responsibility of municipalities/planning authorities. Focus has also been on how VET programs correspond with actual and future needs, and how to adjust or develop new VET programmes which are more directly linking schoolwork to the challenges and possibilities in the local urban centres.
Activities related to intellectual outputs, and also in transnational meeting programs had strong focus on how to create arenas for cooperation between VET providers, municipalities and businesses/ labour market. Driving issues were:
– Strengthen VET programmes in line with the needs in the local/regional labour market;
– Develop the innovation capacity in VET;
– Strengthen VET students’ engagement in the development of their home towns/centres and thus increasing their motivation and employability.
– Reduce the percentage of NEETs ;
– Inform policy makers on important matters.

The project has focused on two intellectual outputs and have produced two conclusive douments:
O1: Develop a model for useful and efficient local cooperation to meet these challenges.
O2: Develop a model a new innovative educational VET-programme.

During the project period six transnational project meetings was conducted according to the origional plan. These meetings were organised as project management meetings combined with workshop activities and several site visits. Between transnational meetings, the partners made surveys, investigated possible contacts and established new cooperations, and to some extent did some testing in their home regions. A final multiplier event was held in Brussels February 2020.

Several contacts and activities established in the project period as a result of project activities will be continued and further developed by the various partners.
It was a general wish by partners to continue the partnership with a project on a related topic. EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 136699 Eur

Project Coordinator

HORDALAND FYLKESKOMMUNE & Country: NO

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO PROFESSIONALE INDUSTRIA E ARTIGIANATO EMILIANO ORFINI
• Sotra Upper Secondary School
• Agenzia Umbria Ricerche
• Fjell kommune
• SOLSKI CENTER KRANJ
• BARCELONA ACTIVA SA SPM
• Knarvik vidaregåande skule