From April 1 to 6, the Fundació Catalunya Voluntaria hosted a new international on-site study visit and job-shadowing activity in Barcelona, starring on this occasion the teachers of the ‘Ivan Hadzhienov’ School of Kazanlak,Bulgaria, centennial vocational training center dedicated to technical training in electronics, machinery, robotics, etc.
The school team, made up of 5 people, was led by the principal and the vice principal and it had the invaluable support of its English teacher, who translated from English to Bulgarian. They visited 2 non-profit organizations and 4 vocational training centers throughout the week.
On the first day (Tuesday) we were at the FCV to present the objectives and program, as well as some of the pedagogical tools that the FCV uses, to put them into practice and thus reinforce a learning experience based on communication, observation, and exchange with other teachers. Afterward, the group went to Mescladis Borrell and met with its director, who briefly explained the axes of its programs that take place in the different spaces around the city, as well as some of the keys to the success of professional training that serves to help vulnerable people to find work in the culinary and hospitality sectors.
On the second day (Wednesday) we dedicated the morning to learning about the work of CECAC, in Vilapicina, Nou Barris, with the help of the person overseeing international mobility, and getting to know its operation and organization, as well as some of the most innovative aspects of its methodology and social and community focus, meeting the school principal and visiting one of the classes.
On the third day (Thursday) we traveled to Cornellà de Llobregat to learn about the work of one of the most important vocational training centers for technical families in the entire metropolitan area, both in terms of the number of technical subjects and students, making the visit accompanied by the person in charge for international mobility, getting to know the equipment and facilities and also meeting, briefly, the principal of the center.
On the fourth and last day (Friday) we visited two vocational training centers, both significant: the ‘Escola del Treball de Barcelona’, at the industrial complex of the ‘Universitat Politectica de Catalunya’, accompanied by the head of studies and the person in charge of international mobility programs, who presented the historical trajectory of the first professional training center in all of Catalonia, the architecture and installations, a lot of information on the different subjects, the organization of the studies and some of the cooperation with other centers, companies, and institutions. After we had a brief but intense visit to the IES ‘Lluïsa Cura’, a center with a long history, also, to learn about the specific challenges due to its location in the city center, in the ‘Sant Antoni’ district, accompanied by the pedagogical and international mobility coordinators.
The group learned new ways of working and got a bunch of new ideas thanks to the organizations who opened their doors to us and shared their experiences and knowledge, to which we are very grateful: Fundació Mescladís, CECAC, IES ‘Esteve Tarrrades I Illa’, Escola del Treball de Barcelona and IES ‘Lluïsa Cura’, Thank you very much for your work and hospitality!
The teachers who had participated in previous international visits expressed, on the last day, that this was the one they enjoyed the most, and, in the final evaluation form, they rated the activity with the highest grade, both about achieving expectations and logistical aspects.
Regarding the FCV, it allowed us to reinforce the collaboration with VET schools with which we have already collaborated, and learn about new ones, with which we hope to continue collaborating in upcoming initiatives, international internships, and job-shadowing visits.
The activity, the result of a partnership agreement between the FCV and the ‘Ivan Hadzhienov’ School, was possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission and the Bulgarian National Agency. With this, there are 8 mobility activities for teachers and students from vocational training centers hosted by the FCV in less than 3 years (since September 2021), reaching the planned learning objectives and a more than notable satisfaction of the groups.
For more information about the activity you can send an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat