With the implementation of the project, the aim was to achieve the following objectives that meet the general and specific objectives of the School Educational Project (PEE) and the action plan of the European Quality Assurance System for Education and Training Operators (EQAVET): 1. To increase the quality standard of the experiences that EPA (Alsud Professional School) provides, considering that internationalization is a mandatory condition; 2. To promote the personal and professional development of students, teachers, management and the rest of the school community; 3. To promote community development; 4. To stimulate cohesion, integration and inclusion among peers, at School and in the Community; 5. To promote school and educational success; 6. To enhance qualified employment in the study area; 7. To enhance/capitalize on ongoing projects: Eco-School, the Game Resources Management and Biodiversity Experimental Didactic Center(CEGRCB) and The Game School, Fishing and Nature (ECPN); 8. To expand the network of stakeholders and create new synergies; 9. To promote the School’s image and attractiveness.
The Head, Heart and Hands in Nature project comes out in our organization (ALSUD Professional School, EPA) as a valuable opportunity to expand the quality of the specialized training offer it develops in the areas of Game Management, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, for young people. The EPA has already 30 years of experience in vocational education for young people in an area of the country that dramatically lacks a population input in these age groups. The responsibility falls on EPA and the students we train, remaining in the east side of the interior south of Portugal in the countryside world, to know how to act in Nature with reason and passion, that is, with “head, hands and heart”. The skills variety required means that we seek with all means to enrich students' curriculum and experiences, putting everything at their service. It is worth highlighting the EPA role and this specific project in guaranteeing gender equality and opportunities for a public that lacks life experiences that contribute to a more enlightened view of life, the world, and their professional working field.