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Mobility of higher education students and staff supported by internal policy funds (KA131-HED) - Coordinator: IES Calvia

2023-1-ES01-KA131-HED-0001362402023Mobility of higher education students and stafffinalized
Countries: ES · Grant: €13,734

Objectives

Our main objective with this project has been to continue the process of internationalisation that IES Calvià has been promoting for decades, offering both our students and staff the opportunity to broaden their horizons, improve their professional competences, grow personally, and enhance their employability. We believe that the international experience is a transformative element in the academic and personal development of our students, and a unique opportunity for professional growth and methodological innovation for our teachers. IES Calvià, inaugurated in the mid-1980s, has established itself as a reference centre in Vocational Education and Training. At present, it offers four Higher Vocational Education programmes —Administration and Finance, Marketing and Advertising, Tourist Accommodation Management and Culinary Arts— as well as Intermediate VET cycles, Basic VET programmes and Professional Certificates. This wide-ranging offer responds to the needs of the municipality of Calvià, a territory characterised by its strong focus on tourism and the diversity of its population. Approximately 30% of the residents are immigrants, which is also reflected in the school, where around 20% of the students come from foreign families. In this context, languages, intercultural competences and internationalisation are key factors to ensure the academic and professional future of our young people. Since the 2004/2005 academic year, the school has had international coordination through European programmes, first Leonardo and later Erasmus+. Since 2014, we have managed our own projects, which have grown both in number and in quality, progressively expanding the levels of education involved: we began with Intermediate VET cycles, later extended the experience to Higher VET, and eventually also to School Education projects in Secondary and Baccalaureate. This evolution has been possible thanks to the strong involvement of the management team, the work of the Erasmus Commission —formed by the coordinators of HED, VET and SCH projects and two deputy heads— and a teaching staff increasingly committed to the international dimension of the school. Participation has remained stable over the years, especially in Higher Education, where the number of mobilities is so high that we manage two projects simultaneously in order to meet the demand. The selection process for participants has been continuously refined, ensuring that mobilities are awarded to the most motivated and best prepared candidates, while maintaining our commitment to inclusion. We strive to open opportunities for students with fewer resources and for those who, otherwise, would find it difficult to access an international experience. The fundamental objective of the project is to enable students to complete their compulsory training module “Workplace Training” in foreign companies and in another language, thereby improving their professional training and adding a highly valuable personal experience that may prove decisive for their future. At the same time, we aim to offer teachers the possibility to learn first-hand about new teaching methodologies and different forms of work organisation in European educational institutions. In this way, we foster the transfer of good practices, pedagogical innovation, and continuous quality improvement in our school. Overall, with this project we pursue not only the individual development of the direct beneficiaries but also a broader collective impact on the educational community. International experiences contribute to strengthening European citizenship, generating a multiplier effect among other students, and spreading a culture of openness, inclusion, and cooperation throughout the school, reinforcing our commitment to a quality education closely connected to Europe.

Project partners (1)