The main objective is to develop an easy to use toolbox for teachers for Internationalisation@Home activities.

We expect our teachers to train their VET students to become resilient global citizens who can manifest themselves in an increasingly international working environment. The reality is that less than 10% of the students have an international mobility experience. The main reasons are limited financial resources (Erasmus+) and reluctance of many students to go abroad for longer periods of time.
The vast majority of our students are therefore not – or hardly – able to acquire the international competences that is relevant to their future work context. In most positions in the world of work, international competences are crucial as many companies work internationally or have employees from different countries.

It is therefore necessary to link education to Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and specific 21st Century Skills. Up until now, internationalization education has often had an adhoc character. An important reason for this is the lack of an accessible toolbox for structuring internationalization education in the curriculum.

Objectives:

The main objective is to develop an easy to use toolbox BUILD@HOME that enables teachers and students to create project or activities that closely match with the curriculum/learning objectives, learning needs, talents and core qualities of the student. All this in the context of the required international competences and Agenda 2030. The toolbox is designed for every type of education and for every type of student.
We want to offer extra handles for new applications in Technical courses and Students with fewer opportunities in the broadest sense of the word.

Website Build@Home >>

The project aims to create a culture of cybersecurity in industrial environments through the interdisciplinary collaboration of IT and OT profiles (particularly industrial automation and networks management), developing the competences of VET teachers in the first place and transferring these competences to the future workforce being trained in vocational colleges.

Along 30 months, the partners will implement the following activities:

• A revision of IT and OT profiles to embed cybersecurity competences in their curricula.
• Development of training materials and upskill of VET teachers with cybersecurity competences and interdisciplinary collaboration methods.
• Implementation of a challenge based learning project based on interdisciplinary collaboration between IT and OT teachers and students, simulating an interconnected industrial plant where students in groups are attackers and defenders in a cyberattack.

With the Cyber-In project, we expect to achieve important results for the modernization of our training offer related to cybersecurity in industry:

• Upskilling of IT and OT VET teachers in terms of cybersecurity and promote interdisciplinary collaboration not only between VET departments but also inside industrial companies.
• Upskill VET learners/graduates and workers from IT and OT fields in terms of cybersecurity, from a technical point of view but also in terms of communication competences between these 2 types of professionals.
• Improve training provision in VET schools, aligned with demands of companies.

Website Cyber-In

Boost for CLIL in VET

Develop and test Massive online Open Courses (MOOC’s) on the Content and language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology.

Objectives of this three year project:

• Raise the number of teachers using CLIL to better prepare student for the labour market of the Future
• Help teachers to understand the methodology of CLIL
• Help teachers to disseminate 21st century skills
• to stress the need to master foreign language skill for better employability
• to use CLIL in improving intercultural competences for students
• to exchange innovative methodologies and learning materials in VET teaching
• using WEB 2.0 tools to share knowledge and good learning and teaching methods
• provide teachers with a database of state of the art teaching methods

Vocational Education recources to develop cyber security skills

The context of the project is explained by several data and actions carried out at the European and international level. According to a recent report released by Intel Security, called “Hacking the Skills Shortage”, there will be 1 million to 2 million unfilled cyber-security jobs worldwide by 2019.
It is in the EU’s strategic interest to ensure that the technological tools of cybersecurity are developed in a way that allows the digital economy to flourish, while also protecting our security, society and democracy. This includes the protection of critical hardware and software. To reinforce the EU’s cybersecurity capacity, the Commission and the High Representative are proposing, among other priorities and actions to address the skills gap in cyber defence. With this objective, the EU will create a cyber-defence training and education platform in 2018.

Our project therefore lies within the different initiatives carried out to build a cybersecurity capacity in Europe, at national and international level, and feeds from the momentum cybersecurity is having in the European agenda by addressing these detected needs:

• Lack of skills related to security operations among workers in general
• Lack of qualified profiles in cybersecurity and as consequence a gap between qualifications and job demands
• Increased risks related with a more digitalised world (financial operations, internet of things…)
• Low awareness and knowledge about digital risks and how to protect oneself and one´s organisation
• Low capacity of response in front of cyber attacks, at all levels (personal and professional).

With this project we intend to achieve the following aims:

• Increase the level of awareness of digital perils and the importance of adopting preventing measures among VET students.
• Define a joint VET curriculum in cybersecurity, built upon a modular basis.
• Increase the level of qualification related to cybersecurity among VET students and workers.
• Improve the capacity of people and companies to prevent, protect and react in front of cyberattacks and other digital perils.
• Reinforce cooperation between VET and business/technical experts to ensure an adequate training and qualification of workers.
• Contribute to create a saver digital Europe.

In order to achieve the mentioned aims, the target groups of the project will be:

• VET teachers, who will increase their knowledge on cybersecurity and will improve their ability to teach this topic.
• VET students, who will be able to develop their skills related to cybersecurity, especially those demanded by companies.

WEBSITE CYVET SECURITY

DTAM in short, is a three-year Sector Skills Alliances in VET project, funded by the Erasmus+ program of the EU. The project comes in answer to an ever-increasing need for the upskilling and reskilling of technical workers and students in the EU to help improve their employability in a skills intensive fast evolving labour market i.e. advanced manufacturing (AM). The project will also address other multiple needs which have recently became even more evident because of developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Among those needs are the

1. digital and technical skills mismatches in demand and supply of labour,
2. demand for sector-tailored industrial workers,
3. lack of recognized VET programs on the topic and a practical training through access to developed IoT (remote) labs and WBL
4. the need for an updated training for low or under-skilled adult workers threatened by replacement or obsolescence due to technological advances.

New curriculum in digital transformation

Therefore, DTAM will deliver a new curriculum in digital transformation dedicated to the quality training of mid-high-level technicians in key enabling technologies for Advanced Manufacturing. The curriculum will help grow a workforce of technicians capable of understanding, installing, configuring, monitoring, analysing, transferring data and maintaining digital systems in advanced manufacturing environments so meeting a critical skills gap in EU Industry 4.0 and addressing partners’ regional RiS3s.

Reskilling and upskilling opportunitie

DTAM aims to create and provide innovative curricular training (reskilling and upskilling opportunities) in digital transformation competences for the advanced manufacturing sector (AM), for mid-high-level IT and OT technicians at EQF Levels 4-5 +. The DTAM partnership will design and deliver an innovative curriculum in key enabling technologies and transversal competences for AM. DTAM will design and deliver a curriculum of 5 core sections covering professional (digital transformation and transversal) competence development for a broad base of IT and OT technicians, employed or seeking employment in Industry 4.0 environments.

Coordinator of the DTAM project is POLITEKNIKA IKASTEGIA TXORIERRI S.COOP partnering with a total of 10 other organisations from 5 European countries.

“Energy transition”, the transformation of how energy is produced and consumed, has emerged in Europe from the conviction that in order to address existing climate challenges we must both reduce energy consumption and replace fossil fuels with renewable energies. Challenges in engineering and ICT are increasingly entering the domain of energy transition. More information and the result of the Learning Outcomes of the project can be found on the website: http://edutrans-project.eu/

Energy transition

Energy transition requires innovation in business and industry, developing new technologies and products. New technologies require new knowledge and production methods, thus having a great impact on vocational education. VET students and teachers will not only have to be aware of developments and know about technical innovations, but they will also have to be able to use and innovate them.
In this project educational content and the curriculum will be developed in co-creation between VET institutions and companies, while further developing the concept of hybrid education.

The project

The project will deliver a general teacher’s handbook on implementing energy transition issues into the curriculum. Partners will develop prototypes for 14 technical models with accompanying learning materials, the modules are done in a way that all partners can work with them.
These models will be usable for levels 2, 3 and 4, and where feasible level 5 (from VET/HVET).
Partners will provide each model with didactic instructions.

Partners will involve students in piloting the products, in international exchange and virtually in between project activities.

Hybrid education

Hybrid education as it is developing requires different forms of project-based learning, in strong cooperation between VET schools and companies. Most partners have already been experimenting with these. We’ll be building on concepts already developed, such as Energy Transition Houses, forms of hybrid education and project based learning, involving co-creation of education and the industry. The networks already in place will be informed about the project, and asked to contribute actively.

Video Vertical Farming

Platform of VET excellence to drive innovation in the advanced manufacturing sector

The Excellent Advanced Manufacturing 4.0 project, EXAM 4.0 by its acronym, is one of the five Platforms of VET Excellence approved for funding by the Erasmus+ programme in 2019 under the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) pilot initiative launched by the European Commission in 2018. 8 partners from 5 countries (Spain, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands) representing the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and the industry will work together in this innovative project, coordinated by TKNIKA, the Basque VET Research Centre.

Five European regional Skills Ecosystems

EXAM 4.0 aims at setting up five European regional Skills Ecosystems that bring together VET/HVET centres, companies, policy makers and the individual (student, learner, job seeker…) in order to identify and define future skills needs in the Advanced Manufacturing (AM onwards) sector.

Project partners

• Da Vinci College, the Netherlands
• 10XL, the Netherlands
• DHBW, Duale Hochschule Baden-Württember, Germany
• AFM, Machine Tools Manufacturers’ Association of Spain
• Curt Nicolin Gymnasiet, Sweden
• Eusko Jaurlaritzako Hezkuntza, Hizkuntza Politika Eta Kultura Saila: Tknika and CIFP Miguel Altuna LHII

Positive health, positive vibes

What a privilege to work with people from 7 different countries.
We had another fantastic meeting and collaboration with a group of 28 people (students and teachers). Our topic in this meeting was positive health in elderly and home care.
It was the 4th meeting, out of 6. This time, too, we did a lot of work!

Read more >>

Fostering INNOvation in VET through the excange of good practices.

INNOVET is an initiative launched by EfVET with the main purpose of tackling some issues highlighted by VET providers related to:

1. lack of transnational conferences (not related to Erasmus+ projects) where VET schools from different countries can interact with each other and exchange know-how and practices.
2. a rising demand for training opportunities for teachers, given the rapid changes going on in society. VET schools need resilient teachers, who are able to deal with innovation in education and introduce new pedagogical approaches/methodologies in class.

The INNOVET project wants to develop and test a format of transnational conference where VET practitioners from all over Europe can develop innovation starting from the exchange of practices on themes at the top of the EU agenda with a particular emphasis on:

• Teachers and trainers’ professional development, by organising joint staff trainings for VET teachers that will work as meeting places to exchange practices on themes at the top of the agenda in Europe concerning VET.
  These joint staff trainings will be used to test a format of transnational conference, which answers the needs of VET providers described above, and can be replicated every year after the end of the project. The expected result is to create a mainstream European event on VET known all around Europe, which will offer teachers the opportunity to improve their knowledge and competences.
• An intense exchange of practices during transnational events, which will focus on thematic areas selected as priorities by EfVET members through a bottom-up approach, namely Internationalisation and Technology and Industry 4.0 (renamed VET 4.0 due the impact that it is having on the teaching methodologies).
  Focusing on exchanging practices in these fields, project partners will set up a model of a “transnational conference” targeted to the staff of VET providers all over Europe, which will be tested two times on 80 practitioners during the project in the joint staff training events foreseen. The testing will provide feedback used to improve the quality of the format for this transnational event.

More info you can find on the website: https://innovetproject.wordpress.com/

BETTER LEARNING MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES IN WESTERN BALKANS

April 2023

In April 2023 Da Vinci College hosted a Summer school, a training week where 12 colleagues from the Western Balkan come over to learn more about the way internationalisation is embedded in the strategy and daily life of the college.

One of the participants wrote this report about her experience >>

The KA3 project

The KA3 project INTERVET Western Balkans aims at creating opportunities for learning mobility in the training centers of Western Balkans and improving the culture of learning mobility in the field of VET.

To do so, the project foresees activities at two levels: on the one hand, the mobility of VET learners and on the other, the competence building of VET staff. The objectives of INTERVET Western Balkans are also twofold: the project will allow participants to have better access to resources related to international training mobility and to learn more about already existing opportunities.

The consortium includes associations, SMEs, VET centers, chambers of commerce and a university from 6 regional partners:

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kosovo
• Montenegro
• The Republic of North Macedonia
• Serbia

as well as 8 partners from EU Member States: Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Malta, Spain, Slovenia and Poland. The project is coordinated by Uniser Società Cooperativa Sociale Onlus from Forlì, Italy.

The 3-year project will involve students from all over the Balkan area and it will include the following activities:

• 56 PRO-type mobilities of 3 months (for recent graduates and apprentices) with destination: Seville, Wroclaw, Forlì-Bologna, Maribor, Lyon
• 360 mobilities of one month (for high school students) with destination: Seville, Wroclaw, Forlì-Bologna, Maribor, Lyon
• 54 job shadowing experiences (for teachers) at the following colleges of excellence: SEPR (France), ROC Da Vinci College (the Netherlands), MCAST – The Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (Malta)
• participation of 36 teachers in summer schools

Learner Centered Advanced Manufacturing Platform (LCAMP)

Bedrijven in de maakindustrie maken steeds meer gebruik van innovatieve technologie om hun producten of processen te verbeteren. Zij zien zich hiertoe genoodzaakt om concurrerend te blijven.
In de praktijk is dat verre van eenvoudig. De ontwikkelingen gaan snel: hoe blijf je bij? Op welke ontwikkelingen zet je wel in en op welke niet? Hoe voegen ze écht waarde toe voor je bedrijf en, misschien nog wel de belangrijkste: hoe krijg je de mensen mee. Hoe zorg je dat zittende medewerkers, maar ook de nieuwe generatie professionals nieuwe technologie omarmt?

Platform voor samenwerking, kennisuitwisseling en ontwikkeling

Deze problematiek speelt niet alleen in Nederland en raakt ook niet alleen de bedrijven. Het beroepsonderwijs en overheden hebben hier nadrukkelijk ook een rol in.
In het Europese project LCAMP komen deze partijen daarom samen om te werken aan een platform voor samenwerking, kennisuitwisseling en ontwikkeling.

Bekijk de website van LCAMP

Kenniskloof verkleinen

LCAMP heeft de ambitie om hét Europese referentieplatform te worden voor het opbouwen en uitwisselen van kennis, samenwerking en het bieden van services aan maakbedrijven en instellingen voor beroepsonderwijs die opleiden voor deze sector (Advanced Manufacturing/Industrie 4.0).
Het platform moet helpen de ‘kenniskloof’ te verkleinen en de samenwerking tussen onderwijs en bedrijfsleven te intensiveren. Het Da Vinci College doet mee aan LCAM vanuit de Duurzaamheidsfabriek, die als ‘hybride leeromgeving’ al ruim ervaring heeft met de structurele verbinding tussen leren, werken en innoveren.

Strategische doelstellingen

• Een ‘observatorium’ voor skills en banen
  

  Het observatorium brengt informatie bij een van verschillende bestaande Advanced Manufacturing-(gegevens)platforms. Het platform filtert en analyseert de relevante informatie en levert zo hoogwaardige gegevens en content aan belanghebbenden in het beroepsonderwijs, bedrijfsleven en (regionale) overheden.

• Een open innovatie community
  

  De Open Innovatie Community biedt ruimte voor toegepaste onderzoeks- en ontwikkelingsprojecten, primair tussen het beroepsonderwijs en MKB-bedrijven in de Advanced Manufacturing.

• Vraaggestuurde trainingen
  

  Het platform lanceert nieuwe en geactualiseerde microcredentials (certificaten), onderwijsprogramma’s en een zet hiervoor ook een database op. Daarnaast worden binnen LCAMP tools ontwikkeld voor het beoordelen van skills en voor geïntegreerde leertrajecten in het kader van Leven lang Ontwikkelen.

• Learning factories
  

  In het EXAM 4.0-project waaraan Da Vinci en de Duurzaamheidsfabriek de afgelopen twee jaar deelnamen, werd onder meer gewerkt aan een netwerk van Learning Factories: hybride leeromgevingen, zoals de Duurzaamheidsfabriek, specifiek gericht op de Advanced Manufacturing sector. In het project werd op basis van best practices een blauwdruk gemaakt voor deze ‘Leerfabrieken’. In LCAMP wordt doorgebouwd op die ontwikkeling, onder meer in een 4-daags intensief trainingsevenement over specifieke QA-technieken en -methodologieën. De face-to-face training zal intensief gebruik maken van simulatietechnieken om een industriële omgeving te modelleren.

• Aansluiting MKB – beroepsonderwijs
  

  LCAMP bouwt ook voort op het Europese project ADMA (Advanced Manufacturing Support for SME) om de mkb-bedrijven versneld mee te nemen in de digitale transitie, door een veel sterkere koppeling te maken tussen de werkgevers en het beroepsonderwijs.

Het project

Het project LCAMP bestaat uit maar liefst 20 partners uit negen Europese landen én een uit Canada. Het project wordt mede gefinancierd door de Europese Unie en wordt geleid door het Baskische TKNIKA. Het heeft een looptijd van vier jaar (2022-2026).

Partners

• TKNIKA en Miguel Altuna
• Ministerie van Onderwijs Baskenland
• AFM
• DHBW
• Forcam
• CMG
• Mecanic Vallee
• Da Vinci College  / Duurzaamheidsfabriek
• KIC
• MADE
• AFIL
• Earlall
• Kpdone
• Gebkim VET
• Gebkim OIZ
• CNG
• Simumatik
• TSCMB
• Skupnost Vsš
• Camosun College

Develop a Summerschool training for VET Teachers

The project will develop and test a methodology for a Summer school for teachers in VET schools in Europe.
The partners will put together their best practices to develop and test a training methodology for VET teachers that will take the form of a 4 days training event. European Development Plans: after participating in transnational activities with their staff, VET providers and mobility experts will produce local development strategies in collaboration with stakeholders (in particular other schools and business actors) to put in practice what they have learned and the competences acquired.
Collection of Best Practices: the practices that will be presented through the project will be categorized according to focus areas, collected in one place (e-book and website) and made available for organisations that have interest in improving their competences on WBL and mobility.

The specific objectives are:

• To improve competences of VET teachers/trainers on how to plan, organise and evaluate high quality WBL experiences in mobility.
• To exchange practices in teacher training on WBL and internationalisation, and thus identify, test and mainstream an innovative training methodology.
• To improve networking and collaboration between VET provider and mobility experts to develop Internationalization strategies together.

Overcoming Student Challenges and Aiding Retention.

OSCAR-VET is an Erasmus+ funded project. It is taking place between October 2019 and September 2021. The project is being led by the UK based Dundee and Angus College, and consists of a project consortium built from organisations across Europe: Zinev Art Technologies Ltd (Bulgaria), Escuela Profesional Otxarkoago (ES), Career Oy (FI), Epimorfotiki Kilkis (GR) and ROC Da Vinci College (NL).

The core objective of OSCAR is to identify best practices in awareness, intervention and solutions in the mental health and wellbeing areas across the partner countries, with an emphasis on educational and support staff.

Updating skills of culinary teachers on alternative proteins

By changing the eating habits of western population, the climate impact of food could be reduced significantly. By changing to diets using plant-based protein sources the climate impact of food could be reduced by over 30%. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN suggests insects to be used as protein sources for humans and livestock. Many people eat they daily meals in diners or restaurants. The workers in food production (chefs and cooks) need understanding about the nutritional value of the alternative proteins as well. The goal of this project is to facilitate the change of our eating habits towards more climate friendly direction by updating catering and culinary teachers’ skills in the field of nutrition and culinarism.

The project seeks and builds knowledge relevant for VET training on alternative proteins in several areas:

• What are the alternative proteins available in Europe?
• What information is available on the environmental and nutritional impacts of alternative proteins?
• How are alternative proteins used at the moment?
• How to combine alternative proteins with traditional proteins and traditional cooking?
• How to make attractive products out of alternative proteins and how to use them in restaurants?
• How to train teachers to spread the knowledge and teach culinary arts students about alternative proteins?

VIDEO WORLD FOOD DAY CHALLENGE

Koken met #insecten (English subtitles)

Increase the quality and effectiveness of VET through a better integration of curricula and mobility

cInternships are most times validated and results accepted. But still they are seen as extra-ordinary with little connection to the rest of the subjects. We want to increase continuity between the content of the curricula and the work based learning experience abroad. There will be a focus on key competences, citizenship skills and entrepreneurship.
Specific objectives: – to exchange good practises on the most effective ways to make mobility more integrated with VET curricula for the achievement of non-professional learning outcomes and transversal skills – to enhance the capacity of VET curricula combined with mobility projects – to raise awareness of VET providers on new methodologies that put students in the centre of the learning experience – to improve the (self)evaluation of the impact of the mobility on the training path through the use of innovative tools

Da Vinci College participates in the project Vetskilling, in which five schools from different parts of Europe work together to develop a digital learning program. It is an excellent example of an initiative within the framework of Erasmus+. Erasmus+ is the European Union’s program for education, training, youth and sport. It supports educational institutions in developing partnerships across borders, with the aim of improving the quality of education and promoting European integration and understanding between different cultures.

This particular project focuses on strengthening the soft skills of students taking technical courses. The emphasis is on skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and problem solving. These skills are crucial to the success of technical projects, especially those related to the energy transition, an area critical to sustainable development and the future of our planet.

The motivation behind this initiative is based on the understanding that technicians of the future must not only possess technical knowledge, but also be able to communicate and collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams. This is especially important in projects related to sustainable development and innovation in the energy industry, where the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of the challenges require an integrated approach.

By developing soft skills, the schools aim to better prepare students for the challenges associated with sustainable development and innovation. The curriculum will likely use digital technologies to provide an inclusive and accessible learning experience regardless of students’ geographic location.

This project also reflects the growing demand for technical professionals who are able to work in teams and communicate effectively. It recognizes that the success of technical projects depends not only on technical skills, but also on the team’s ability to collaborate, show leadership and solve complex problems.

In summary, this Erasmus+ project is a step forward in addressing current and future challenges in the technical sector. It emphasizes the importance of soft skills in addition to technical competencies and aims to form a new generation of engineers well equipped to contribute to sustainable development and the energy transition.

Building a bridge between students and the elderly by using VR methods

The goal is to help students to work with innovative methods in elderly care. Students will have meetings with elderly to discuss important life events and search with them for photos. These photos will be used to create a VR story with information about the history and questions.

The main outputs of the project:

• Creation of a Digital Compendium with best practices of how in Europe technological solutions are use in the care of the elderly
• Creation of 10 Virtual Content Packs aimed at elderly people based on 10 cultural / historical events that occurred in the past of the participants
• Creation of glasses to visualize RV contents with recycled material.
• Publication of 5 videos in English and in the partner’s language that will teach to create the virtual environments of the packs. These will stimulate the enterprising spirit of the participants because it will allow them to apply this methodology to create new virtual environments.

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