This strategic partnership project aims to help move VET schools and colleges to the next level with respect to internationalisation. The partners in this project strongly believe that a successful and innovative strategic partnership will play a central role in positioning our activities nationally and internationally. There are a number of ad hoc partnerships that participate in mobility and innovative projects within EU funded programmes. However, the disadvantages that present themselves with year to year funding are significant to hinder and prevent the development of alliances between institutions that could provide real added value and benefits to students, staff and the local economy. This project aims to forge a formal strategic partnership between four large organisations. It will explore the breadth and depth to which this partnership can stretch to bring benefit to their vision and priorities as well as those of their locality and region. Each partner will identify their institutional goals, taking full account of their regional economies, and a process of sharing and agreeing a common agenda for collaboration will be undertaken. Local and regional stakeholders will be consulted on this draft partnership agreement and measures will be put in place to ensure the sustainability of the strategic alliance and its activities. A log will record the development and unfolding of the partnership process, its scope and nature, the barriers and the best and worst bits that do or don't work. Partnership will help to develop quality placements based on partners' experience and knowledge of the productive or service sectors. The previous cooperation with companies in their areaswill be crcucial to provide work placements for teachers and students: - On one hand, because every partner would know the companies activities and would know how they fit on participants' profiles, - An on the other hand because every partner will be able to facilitate agreements and suitable conditions. Out of this experience the partnership will produce a manual that would assist other potential strategic partnerships in the VET sector. The project will enhance the aims of the Mobility Charter by aligning strategic policies between institutions and by sharing common ambitions and objectives.
The objectives of the project were: - To develop a common approach to internationalisation by the partnership by aligning strategy, produces and practices. This approach should involve all the stakeholders in internationalisation and the end result should be accessible and transferrable. - To find a shared approach to inclusive internationalisation by developing a common programme that allows all students (especially those vulnerable students) to take part in international exchanges in a structured and sustainable manner.
The NAVE2 network was established in 2019 by four large VET providers in Spain, Italy, Finland and the Netherlands with the intention to bring international cooperation in VET to the next level. A level whereby the providers cooperate in a long term manner at the strategic (institutional level), tactical and operational level. This kind of cooperation, which is still quite new to VET, is in line with the long term objectives in Erasmus Plus which aim at a more sustainable and integrated approach to internationalisation, for example through Erasmus accrediation. The partnership needs to develop common, effective and efficient approaches and develop a coherent, integrated and inclusive international strategy to push internationalisation to the forefront of VET in the partner countries. This project was initiated with these needs in mind.