International cooperation for higher quality vocational education of forestry and agriculture Erasmus Project

Project Title

International cooperation for higher quality vocational education of forestry and agriculture

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Recognition, transparency, certification; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Project Summary

The project International cooperation for higher quality vocational education of forestry and agriculture (IDE) allowed students of vocational schools from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland and Poland to prepare interesting information about their national approach to forestry and agriculture through continuous work, monthly online meetings and presentations and visits in other participating school’s short international educational activities. Teachers of participating schools gained important experience with transnational project and many other benefits.
Target groups:
Teachers – improving, learning new approaches and methods in education and perfecting own competences is necessary for every teacher who wants to prepare their students for the needs of modern labour market and for a teacher who wants to keep his personal development a long term goal. This project provided great possibilities to fulfill these needs.
Students – students need to learn about education in other countries, approaches to their field of speciality in different perspective of other environments, improve their language, computer and presentation skills.

Main objectives of the project:
– sharing good practices – carried out during short term activities, long term activities and project meetings we have discussed and shared ideas regarding project and non project views on education,
– language improvement – students communicated, created presentations, worked in groups and worked on assignements in English leanguage. The level of project oriented vocabulary and and communication skills, mainly the openness to expres self, greatly improved in involved groups
– improving quality of vocational training – derived from sharing good practices all participating organizations have gained a different perspective on vocational training.
– competences with digital technologies – all communication during the long term activities was carried out in electronical form. Students also used online tools such as eTwinning.
– teamwork skills – each partner had a group of students participating in the project. These groups were cooperating on different topics during the project. During the short term stays, students collaborated in international groups.
– intercultural dialogue – intercultural dialogue was a great part of our project. Students were happy to share different views and customs during their online meetings and during their short term stays
– acceptance of diversity – czech, finish, austrian and poland cultures are quite diverse but that was one of great benefits of the project because even though students saw all the diferences, they still became good friends and talked to each other even outside of the project.
– labour mobility and international recognition of skills – students gained Europass certification after each short term stay.
Fulfilment of project objectives:
project objectives have been met. Both during the short stay activities and the long term cooperation, both students and teachers learned a great deal about forestry, agriculture and culture of other nations participating in this project.
The benefits of this project are multiple. Exchange of know how and good practices between participating organizations leading to higher quality, innovative methods in education, which are necessary as better incentives for students. This environment then works as substantial ground for more effective preparation for future transit to labour market. Foreign experience is necessary because it is very important to show both our students and teachers how their peers in different countries of European Union work, what methods they use, what is their cultural and social background. This leads not only to enriching our schools with new teaching methods and approaches, but promotes intercultural dialogue and strenghtens knowledge and acceptance of diversity in society. All these factors lead to better students, higher quality future employees and better citizens. Another factor which arises with this improvement is higher labour mobility which then leads to necessity of international recognition of skills which we will help students obtain in the form of Europass.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 87570 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stredni lesnicka skola a Stredni odborne uciliste, Krivoklat, & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Seinäjoen koulutuskuntayhtymä
• Landwirtschaftliche Fachschule Litzlhof
• Zespol Szkol w Tulowicach