This project is for motivating students in vocational level to continue their studies into higher, 3rd degree level of studies, to enable them with better chances to work in a future, when low educated work is outsourced or replaced by machines. This project is about the exchange of practices, because this project combines both school levels (2nd -and 3rd degree) best practices of practical work and creative analytic work. Currently problem in vocational schools in Finland and Slovakia is that students are not motivated to continue their studies into a higher level. The biggest reasons are; very low knowledge about the engineering level of possibilities which are usually not advertised of emphasized during vocational studies; and student`s low self-confidence for higher level working requirements. Only a few number of students from this project`s partner schools continue their studies to reach the qualification which is soon required to answer for requirements of today`s labor market. Salpaus Further education has average of 20 students in one class of wood processing and only a few continue their studies into higher, 3rd degree level. Stredná odborná škola drevárska Zvolen has also the average of 20 students in last class of wood technology. Only one of the students averagely continues their studies into University. Stredná odborná škola drevárska Spišská Nová Ves has also average of 20 students in the last class of woodtechnology and only few of them continues their studies into 3rd degree, University level. Lahti University of Applied Sciences is Finland`s leading school of educating wood technology engineers which is also the most appropriate school to continue studies after 2nd degree of vocational level. Zvolen Technical University is a leading educator of wood processing engineers from bachelor to doctoral level so it is the most appropriate school to continue studies from both vocational schools in and close to Zvolen area. Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences is one of the leading Universities in Europe in the area of woodtechnology. Rosenheim is a very important participant in this project due to a fact of their excellence and long traditions in woodtechnology. By cooperation with Rosenheim, students are able to have a chance to experience the greatest opportunities of woodtechnology from the point of view of woodworking machines, testing machines, research machines and overall the whole production chain of wood to different products. Wood is one of the best natural and renewable resources on earth so it is going to be the material of the future which requires a lot of experts to create new innovations. This project`s activities are aimed to support motivational factors in order to wake up students` interest for studies in 3rd degree level. Activities are planned the way that they show the whole scene of studying methods which can be experienced at University level. These methods are scheduled and executed the way that students will experience them short time, so they get to know the idea of the task, how it works and why it is important from the point of view of next task to complete. Tasks are closely related to product and manufacturing development processes, which are common tasks in the field of labor market in specialist field. That field will require labor workforce in the future in technology areas. Methods are applied in workshops which are the main activities in this project. Workshops include tasks in groups (which involve students from both 2nd -and 3rd degree level) like mind- mapping, planning, lectures, practical work in laboratory and little report of results that achieved during the workshop. Besides the workshops, there will be virtual seminars which are hold in each partner country. These seminars are aimed to spread information widely between partners and they can be used afterwards for different teaching purposes. These seminars are webcasted and they work in partner countries with links which can be shared by emails. Seminars work in both ways which means that the audience, mainly students from both levels, are able comment and ask question on live so the subject is going to be handled widely. All the seminars will be recorded. Projects results can be seen as benefical for many different groups and organizations. As for 3rd degree level of schools increased number of motivated students applying in partner countries of Finland and Slovakia. As for 2nd degree level of schools, benefits are expanded offering of courses for talented students and internationally experienced students and closer cooperation between higher level of school. As for 3rd degree level of students which are about to be a labor workforce, they will get to have a chance to achieve international experience and get a new information about the new woodworking
This project is for motivating students in vocational level to continue their studies into higher, 3rd degree level of studies, to enable them with better chances to work in a future, when low educated work is outsourced or replaced by machines. This project is about the exchange of practices, because this project combines both school levels (2nd -and 3rd degree) best practices of practical work and creative analytic work. Currently problem in vocational schools in Finland, Hungary and Slovakia is that students are not motivated to continue their studies into a higher level. The biggest reasons are; very low knowledge about the engineering level of possibilities which are usually not advertised or emphasized during vocational studies; and student`s low self-confidence for higher level working requirements. Objectives; Motivate young students to continue study in a higher level of education. To promote meetings for young people from wide spectra of educational levels (from high/vocational school students up to university graduate students) on the common ground of their interest; to promote an exchange of the knowledge and strategies in the qualitative development of education across the boarders to organize mixed intercultural workshop where promotion of skills exchange or enhancing the knowledge by “learning by doing” methods in solving real industrial tasks (product development, market strategy of real products, …) educating the participants in the field of wood science in general, and in the area of creating, testing and marketing modified wood in particular Number and profile of participating organizations; A number of participating was six. Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Wood Science and Technology and University of West Hungary, Simonyi Karoly Faculty are institutions of higher education that offers bachelor, master and PhD. study programs in the field of wood science and technology and economy. Vacational schools, Secondary technical woodworking school in Spišská Nová Ves, Stredna odborna skola drevarska Zvolen and Lahti Region Educational Consortium Salpaus Further Education are providing high quality education in wood working, design, promotion of wooden products and wood as easy accessible material. Description of undertaken main activities. Cooperation was operated by workshops and virtual seminars which were hold in each partner country. Virtual seminars were enabled larger number of members to get involved by the action of project. Virtual seminars were recorded via webcast so they can be followed on live and this way commented by viewers by different partner countries. Webcasts were saved and shared within the partner consortium. The project consists of 4 workshops in each participant country. All workshops were aimed to wooden product development process that cover tests of a wood product made by 3D hot forming in laboratory. Students tested coating adhesion, colour, roughness, hardness and abradability, shrinkage/swelling, EMC, and mechanical properties. The process implemented also basics of launching a product to the market, product and price and new methods of brainstorming: Learning café in three groups. Students visited woodworking companies in Finland, Hungary and Slovakia. After each workshop students analyzed data and prepared reports and presentations. Finally, students learnt about marketing and trade of woodworking products. Results and impact attained; Because of diverse of different tasks completed into workshops, students are more relevant and qualified in labour market. Because of relevant combination of mindmap- groupworking and practical laboratory tasks, there was more reinforced link between education and training with the world of work which require both skills. With the diverse of learning methods, students improved their key-competences, including basic skills and transversal skills, particularly entrepreneurship, language and digital skills. Students applied for study in higher degree level during the project. This is applied in partner countries of Finland and Slovakia. Students involved into project are also achieving ECTS points from their courses, so there will be more students which are going to graduate faster than usual (because of extra courses completed) to replace the workforce needed when many professionals are retiring within few years. The cooperation between 2nd degree and 3rd degree will be much closer and this is also an objective of Board of education which requires long term cooperation project between different education levels and internationally, to produce internationally competitive workforce. On an international level, a new cooperation between UWH and LAMK/LUAS was made possible. Students were also motivated on both sides to participate in student exchanges between these two institutions, or with other European institutes of higher education.