The teaching and management team of the network of public VET centers of Bizkaia, as well as representatives of the association, were able to visit entities related to Vocational Training in Berlin from May 2 to 6. Included in the projects of the Key Action 1 (KA1) of the Erasmus+ program, and within the commitment of the Biscayan network with internationalization, this mobility has allowed the participants to learn about the functioning of the German VET system.
The visits to VET centers in Berlin began at the Chamber of Crafts and Trades, where the scope of industrial cycles such as Machining, Construction or Automotive was addressed. Among other things, the labor needs in these sectors, the collaboration of companies through Dual VET and the importance of entrepreneurship in educational programs were highlighted.
Subsequently, activities at the Ernst Litfass School VET center and the Arrivo Practice Workshops social center served to learn about the approach to multiculturalism that these entities have had in the reception of foreigners and refugees through training. The latter, specifically, seeks the qualification and integration of these people in the community through specific art projects and collaboration with the neighborhoods.
In the last school visited, the Hospitality and Tourism school OSZ Gastgewerbe, the process of accreditation of competencies through exams and how relations between centers and students with companies are carried out through a contact app between these communities. Finally, the Federal Association of Vocational Training Providers was visited, in order to strengthen the connection between VET networks and promote future collaborations, and share common problems throughout the European Union.
Through this conference, the participants of the Ikaslan Bizkaia network have known the methodologies used in German centers to solve problems similar to those we are currently experiencing, such as the lack of students in industrial cycles. The internationalization of the teaching team is vital for Ikaslan Bizkaia in obtaining new competencies that favor innovation and improvement of educational programs.