This project addresses the current European concern that our VET courses do not currently fulfil their need to be labour-market orientated. As the world changes rapidly, students future professions are as yet undefined and likely created between sectors, we must modernise our systems to allow us to share, combine and transfer new skills (both old and new), experiences and knowledge in a cross-disciplinary fashion and teach life-long learning skills. We will listen to the labour market and identify and address each partners needs in order to become more entrepreneurial in our wider approach to VET, ensuring that our learning institutions develop a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation on their courses. We have set the following objectives for the project: TSC Inform international policy reform in the College and continue to build strategic relationships with local business market Inform direction of the VET learning curriculum for the preservation of VET in FE and to increase number of students with international work experience Inform the writing of a new HNC and HND course within the department to include business and enterprise learning IKATA Implement new curriculum that allows the student to benefit from working cross-departmentally to modernise learning and anticipate the changes of the labour market Continue to grow international mobilities and self-confidence in using English for both students and staff ISA Develop English language speaking skills to fulfil job interview needs of students (all students must undergo many job interviews in English) and the teaching capabilities of staff, growing self-confidence in using English for both students and staff Implement Europass recognition system in to the school On a whole, we wish to prepare students for the needs of future working life by: Improving their linguistic, cultural, social, communication, co-operation and entrepreneurial skills and encouraging their sense of initiative and self-confidence Making visible all possible employment and higher education options across Europe Encouraging all to work across disciplines, combining and adapting skills in a new way to produce innovative and creative work Teaching all to identify and consolidate their learning and present their work in a professional manner The project will benefit 78 students/staff directly and 434 indirectly and will be available for applications from students studying or staff teaching across level 3 courses in applied arts, graphic, jewellery, fashion and textile design and 3d product design. We have also made provision to support any students with social obstacles, cultural differences and educational difficulties. The activities that will be: 3 Blended mobility of VET learners 1 Short-term joint staff training ‘Survival phrases' on Skype Project applications and Skype interviews Weekly Facebook assignments ISA staff teaching in CLIL Student post-mobility PowerPoint presentations Project exhibition and dissemination event We wish to build up a strong partnership and form strong connections and support networks with those we work with on the project and through our dissemination activities and for these to continue in the long term. We wish to maximise the onward opportunities available for our students and staff and for them to work consistently work on live briefs, maximising current curricula content by introducing entrepreneurship education. We envisage future study and employability opportunities to improve for our students and for them to identify their learning and instil an entrepreneurial approach to their work. All staff will be able to consolidate and define entrepreneurial learning outcomes and to be in a position to confidently introduce effective entrepreneurial learning methodologies into the classroom. At the end of the project, we will be able to: -provide a summary of entrepreneurship education models -have evaluative power point presentations of the project -each participant to have a Europass mobility document -have a Facebook page full of project content (activity and post feed of written learning threads, photo’s, video’s, links to resourseces, etc.) -small exhibitions of the outcomes of each workshop’s and larger dissemination event -a project website -staff professional development -improved linguistic, cultural and social skills, digital competence, professional vocabulary and confidence in using conversational English. In the long term, all organisations will become a more attractive place to study VET, reflected by the higher grades and successes achieved by the course students and in some cases, the development of courses and curricula content. We will expand and evolve the capabilities of students, staff and their organisations to compete in an ever changing, innovative and dynamic labour market.
This project addressed the current European concern that our VET courses do not currently fulfil their need to be labour-market orientated. As the world changes rapidly, students' future professions are as yet undefined and likely created between sectors, we sought to modernise our systems to allow us to share, combine and transfer new skills (both old and new). It is also essential that our future professionals are capable of working collaboratively across multiple creative diciplines and have life-long learning skills. We investigated the labour market to identify and address each partner's needs, in order to become more entrepreneurial in our wider approach to VET, ensuring that our learning institutions developed a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation within their curriculum delivery. We set the following objectives for the project: TSC To inform international policy reform in the College and continue to build strategic relationships with local business market Inform direction of the VET learning curriculum for the preservation of VET in FE and to increase number of students with international work experience Inform the writing of a new HNC and HND course within the department to include business and enterprise learning IKATA Implement new curriculum that allows the student to benefit from working cross-departmentally to modernise learning and anticipate the changes of the labour market Continue to grow international mobilities and self-confidence in using English for both students and staff ISA Develop English language speaking skills to fulfil job interview needs of students (all students must undergo many job interviews in English) and the teaching capabilities of staff, growing self-confidence in using English for both students and staff. Implement a Europass recognition system in to the school. On a whole, we wished to prepare students for the needs of future working life by: Improving their linguistic, cultural, social, communication, co-operation and entrepreneurial skills and encouraging their sense of initiative and self-confidence Making visible all possible employment and higher education options across Europe Encouraging all to work across disciplines, combining and adapting skills in a new way to produce innovative and creative work. The project beneffited 78 students/staff directly and 434 indirectly and was available for applications from students studying or staff teaching across level 3 courses in Applied Arts, Graphic Design, Jewellery, Fashion & Textile Design and 3D Product Design. We also made provision to support any students with social obstacles, cultural differences and educational difficulties. The activities we undertook consisted of; • 3 Blended mobility of VET learners • 1 Short-term joint staff training • ‘Survival phrases' on Social Media Platforms • Social Media collaboration via Facebook • ISA staff teaching in CLIL • Student post-mobility PowerPoint presentations • Project exhibition and dissemination events During the project strong partnerships were formed within our international team. We increased the progression opportunities available to students and staff and enriched curriculum delivery, maximising curricula content by introducing entrepreneurship education though live briefs providing employability opportunities and instill an entrepreneurial approach to their work. Staff are able to consolidate and confidently introduce effective entrepreneurial learning methodologies in the classroom. Results and impact attained Our outcomes included; • Provided high quality staff professional development for implementation/ adaptation of the TOY entrepreneurship education model. • Accumulated evaluative presentations of the project for dissemination and future reference. • Provided each participant with a Europass mobility document. • Populated a Facebook page full of project content (activity and post feed of written learning threads, photo’s, video’s, links to resources, etc.) • Exhibited the outcomes of each workshop and disseminated our findings to teaching, staff, learners and stakeholders. • Developed a project website • Improved linguistic, cultural and social skills, digital competence, professional vocabulary and confidence in using conversational English. • Implemented live projects and provided work experience to learners. In the long term, all organisations will become a more attractive place to study VET, reflected by the higher grades and successes achieved by the course students and in some cases, the development of courses and curricula content. We will expand and evolve the capabilities of students, staff and their organisations to compete in an ever changing, innovative and dynamic labour market.