Work-based Learning Paths in Water Management Erasmus Project

Project Title

Work-based Learning Paths in Water Management

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Recognition, transparency, certification; Energy and resources

Project Summary

WATER is a 24 months KA2 project on Exchange of good practices aiming at updating the professional development of teachers, trainers and mentors in schools, VET, post secondary and HEI and work based sectors. Transnational partnership is composed by VET centres, post secondary institutes (ITS), Higher Education Institutes and public companies from Italy, Canada, Ireland, Albania and Spain.

The proposal arises from the Apulia region, Italy specifically from FO.RI.S. a VET centre daily working with companies and matching skills’ needs with training innovation. Through a consolidated partnership with ITS Cuccovillo Foundation post-secondary school and Acquedotto Pugliese public company, managing the biggest water grid in Europe, Italian partners have been trying to innovate and specialize future workforces related to the profile of Technician for Integrated Water Resources. This specific professional profile, needing integrations to be in line with companies’ demands, was introduced to transnational partners finding a common ground for project development at transnational level.

The implementation of the project is based on the presentation of best practices and approaches starting from the needs analysis of the partner territories, finding similarities and complementarities. The best practices showed will bring to a comparison among different profiles and qualifications for building a final integrated CV for the Water Resource Manager, upgraded, revised and adjusted on the basis of the state-of-the-art in the sector and welcomed by National and Regional VET policy makers in their qualification frameworks.

Assuming a common project background related to management and saving of Water resources in all project countries, promotion of best practices’ exchange shall favour continuous learning of practitioners in VET HEIs and companies. The transnational comparison will bring to organizations capacity building processes in order to update/upgrade the set of skills needed to face future challenges in the water sector and improve the sector operators’ responsiveness in terms of skilled workforce.

Erasmus+ 2019 priorities tackled by WATER project:
Horizontal: Transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications

VET: Initial and continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors in both school and work-based settings

VET: Developing partnerships supporting the setting up and implementation of internationalisation strategies for VET providers

The project workflow is the following:
– Documentation phase and cross cutting analyses on state-of-the-art on professional profiles connected to Integrated Water Management processes in all countries.
– Three transnational joint staff training events in Italy, Spain and Canada for exchange of transnational practices, field visits with participation of 15 practitioners from the partners.
– Selection of best practices experienced in transnational joint staff training events and replication in home countries for an assessment phase before mainstream process.

Direct beneficiaries:
Professionals from VET, HEIs, companies. Associated partners: Universities, Technical High Schools, companies.

Indirect beneficiaries:
Policy makers, associated partners, other companies involved during the project.

Expected results and impacts with long lasting effects:

Professional development of teachers, trainers and mentors in VET, HEIs, and companies thanks to capacity building actions through transnational joint staff training events;

Innovated training profiles and training policies at regional, national and transnational level with a focus on upgrading existing profiles in Regional and National qualification frameworks;

Enhancement of the capacity of the educational systems to train professionals able to deal with water crisis and water-related issues, improving the responsiveness of water operators towards the
Citizens;

Constraints in water resource management in partner regions detected, clarified in their interrelation with other topics (energy, agriculture, environment/climate change, tourism, infrastructure) and specifically with employment;

Similarities and complementarities among the water conditions of the partner territories and their educational systems, investigated to build effective interaction among VET-education-business partnerships and policy making processes;

Long lasting education, VET and environmental policy reforms benefiting from project results.

Project Website

https://associazioneforis.it/water-management/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 123503 Eur

Project Coordinator

Associazione di promozione sociale FO.RI.S & Country: IT

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK – NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORK
• Water Supply and Sewerage Association of Albania
• ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING MCGILL UNIVERSITY
• ACQUEDOTTO PUGLIESE SPA
• FONDAZIONE ITS ANTONIO CUCCOVILLO
• UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA