INNOVET – Fostering INNOvation in VET through the exchange of good practices Erasmus Project

Project Title

INNOVET – Fostering INNOvation in VET through the exchange of good practices

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

Committed and competent teachers (or trainers) are crucial to ensuring the quality of learning in VET schools. In the coming years, VET teachers and trainers will be more and more required to help shape quick and flexible responses to emerging needs such as: the digitisation processes; the inclusion of students with fewer opportunities, the internationalisation and more in general the rapid changes that affect companies in all sectors, where the students will land after their training. While VET teacher professional development has been on the EU education policy agenda for many years, it has not been sufficiently visible in national policies. The Riga conclusions (2015) have put renewed emphasis on the issue, calling for systematic approaches to and opportunities for initial and continuing professional development (CPD) of VET teachers. Unlike teachers in other sectors, VET teachers have a “vocational identity and a teacher identity”, and yet little is known about how these interact and how they can be best supported. Peer learning can highly contribute to the CPD of teachers, one of the most powerful tools in this sense is job shadowing, which has been highly supported by the Erasmus+ programme. However, there is a need for creating new innovative approaches concerning the training of teachers. The partners have identified the lack of structured “meeting places” as a relevant problem that needs to be tackled. Meeting places are intended as transnational events where VET schools can: exchange practices; establish new contacts; discuss with other schools on how to introduce innovation in VET, visit and observe other contexts.

Given the context presented, the general objective of the project is to innovate VET provision in Europe through an intense capacity building addressed to VET schools’ staff. The project will involve VET teachers, Headmasters, staff with administrative functions and mobility experts. The main goals will be to create more opportunities for VET schools to exchange practices and discuss about innovation on a regular basis; to improve the competences of the VET staff on innovative teaching methodologies and raise awareness on the most relevant themes on the agenda for the development of VET in Europe; to improve the internationalisation strategies of VET providers, including fostering the “internationalisation at home” processes.

In order to reach these objectives, two joint staff training events will be organised in the framework of INNOVET involving 80 practitioners in the VT field. The exchange activities will focus on two priority areas for VET providers and more in general for the EU Agenda: Internationalisation of education and Technology and Industry 4.0 in VET. The partners will develop the structure of a one-stop-shop-conference, where schools can participate and find in one place and it will be tested in occasion of the two joint staff training events. The final prototype of the conference will be released at the end of the project with the ambition of becoming a regular event to be replicated every year thanks to the sustainability strategy devised by partners.
The main impact of the project will be in terms of stimulating life long learning and learning to learn among teachers. Furthermore, the practices exchanged are expected to provide new innovative teaching material and approaches and the development of new international activities, that will lead to an improvement of the quality of the education. Beside, the model of conference that the project will launch will provide schools with more meeting places where exchanging practices on a regular basis.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 141560 Eur

Project Coordinator

EUROPEAN FORUM OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING & Country: BE

Project Partners

• STICHTING REGIONAAL OPLEIDINGENCENTRUM ZUID-HOLLAND ZUID
• INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING AND MOBILITY AGENCY SOCIEDAD DE RESPONSABILIDAD LIMITADA
• UNISER SOC. COOP. ONLUS
• SOCIETE D’ENSEIGNEMENT PROFESSIONNEL DU RHONE
• Ylä-Savo Municipal Federation of Education
• TEC, TECHNICAL EDUCATION COPENHAGENS/I
• Heilig-Hartinstituut Technisch Onderwijs