The Salesian School “Nuestra Señora del Pilar” in Zaragoza organises the 35th edition of the Don Bosco National Award, which is aimed at the promotion of creativity, research and innovation among young people. In addition, it emphasises on individual development and students’ access to the labour market.

By carrying out these projects, a series of crucial skills and aptitudes are reinforced, such as: collaboration, perseverance, commitment, autonomy, and effort. On the other hand, through these innovative and research projects, this Award’s intention is to encourage the active participation of the entire educational community and companies, in order to give collaborative work and entrepreneurial spirit a leading role.

In this 35th edition, innovation and research of young students who see their projects as potential forms of entrepreneurship in the given categories prevail. Within the Research Area: Science category (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, etc.) and Health Science and Social and Legal Science category (Medicine, Psychology, Humanities, etc.); within the Technological Innovation Area: Information and Communication Technologies category (Telecommunications, Audiovisual Technologies, ICT, etc.) and Industrial Technologies category (Electronics, Robotics, Mechatronics, etc.).

The Don Bosco National Award is financed entirely by private capital and it is thanks to the participation of sponsors and collaborators that the initiative is consolidated year after year.

Students of Vocational Education and Training (Basic VET, Intermediate VET and Advanced VET) and Bachillerato may participate. In order to participate, they will have to submit their projects via the online application form before November 30, 2021.

Share Don Bosco National Award on social media with the hashtag #PdB35ed

The 7th VET Conference: VET, challenges for a world in transition, held on November 4 and 5 in the Spanish city of Toledo, has ended successfully. Its celebration has been received with a great reception by the more than 500 attendees. The Conference has been organised by the FPEmpresa VET Schools Association and CaixaBank Dualiza and has had the collaboration and support of the regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Castilla-La Mancha.

The president of FPEmpresa, Luis García, values ​​the results obtained in this 7th Conference very positively and is convinced that it has shown that “VET is not only a key issue for the development of the Spanish productive sector, but it has already become in a matter of national significance”. In addition, this Conference confirms the importance of VET centres working together since, only in this way, “can we all achieve the desired objective: make VET more visible and improve the VET system so that it is established as a solid academic path, with present and future, in all the Spanish territories”.

For his part, the director of CaixaBank Dualiza, Juan Carlos Lauder, has expressed his satisfaction with the development of the Conference that “for yet another year has served as a reference for the VET world, as a meeting point for educational centres and nexus for the 500 teachers and professionals in this field who have gathered in it”. Furthermore, he wanted to add that “events like this only make us more convinced of the talent that VET accumulates and that the future of our society depends on its impulse; something that we will continue to support from CaixaBank Dualiza”.

More than 30 speakers, from the academic and institutional sectors, have participated in the Conference, who have expressed their different points of view on Vocational Education and Training and have shared their experiences and good practices with all the attendees.

Presentations such as the one made by the General Secretary for Vocational Education and Training, Clara Sanz, by the President of CaixaBank, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, or by the General Director of Vocational Education and Training of Castilla-La Mancha, María Teresa Company González, have been accompanied by many contributions made by representatives of VET educational centres from all corners of Spain, as well as by experts in the VET field and by representatives of the CEOE, UGT and CCOO (main social agents in Spain). Additionally, within the framework of this Conference, some visits have also been made to VET schools and companies in the Spanish province of Toledo. They have visited the IES Alfonso X El Sabio, the IES Universidad Laboral, the IES Azarquiel and the Infantry Academy, as well as the companies Aerennova, Innovantia and Bezares.

The 7th VET Conference has been broadcast live through the official YouTube channels of FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza and can be watched again in its entirety at the following links (in Spanish):

FIRST SESSION 4 NOVEMBER9:30 to 11:30.

SECOND SESSION 4 NOVEMBER11:50 to 14:30.

_____________________________________________

FIRST SESSION 5 NOVEMBER9:00 to 11:30.

SECOND SESSION 5 DE NOVEMBER.  12:00 to 14:30.

 

 

The FPEmpresa VET Schools Association will be present at the Annual General Assembly of EfVET (European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training), which is going to be held today, October 28, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (CEST), via virtual platform for the second consecutive year.

EfVET, an organisation of which FPEmpresa is a member, is one of the institutions with the greatest international relevance in the field of Vocational Education and Training and its mission is to defend and enrich VET, through transnational cooperation and the creation of a strong pan-European network of institutions working towards a common goal.

The purpose of EfVET is clear: to promote quality and innovation in Vocational Education and Training throughout Europe, in order to develop fruitful mechanisms for cooperation and mutual learning and to guarantee an agile exchange of good practices between all parties involved. Furthermore, this organisation plays a decisive role when it comes to influencing European policies related to Vocational Education and Training.

At the Assembly, various internal issues of the organisation will be discussed, such as the presentation and approval of the activity report and financial report for last year’s financial year; the presentation of EfVET’s strategic plan for the period 2022-2026; and the presentation of the EfVET History Book.

The FPEmpresa VET Schools Association has been the organisation in charge of hosting the celebration of the second PLA (Peer Learning Activity) of the European project PRALINE (Promoting Adult Learning in Networks), which took place at the beginning of October in the city of Valencia.

The FPEmpresa’s Project Manager, Elena Argudo, highlights: “In this project, we strengthen collaboration between organisations similar to FPEmpresa from 9 different countries.” “It has been a very fruitful gathering to see first-hand how lifelong learning is being developed in other countries,” she adds. Argudo also points out that this activity will be very useful for the creation of a solid network of contacts that will allow the development of new projects.

“This has been the first face-to-face activity carried out since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it has been very special for all the participants”, she concludes.

This second learning session counted on the participation of the different European partners of the project, as well as some other guests who shared different good practices that are being developed in the field of Vocational Education and Training. Among other guests, the training technician of the VET Department of the Valencian Community, Robert Crespo; the professor of the CIFP Mislata of Valencia, Santiago Rodrigo; the professor of the Colegio Santiago Apóstol, Sandro De Gregorio; or the associate professor at the University of Zagreb, Tihomir Žiljak.

In addition, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy different activities in the city that allowed them to experience the Spanish culture.

The ultimate objective of the PRALINE project is to strengthen the international networks of adult education providers that are already in operation, through peer learning, counselling and capacity building.

The FPEmpresa VET Schools Association together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Spain complete these days in Florence the first edition of the SCoopConSS contest (Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools) with the participation of the Spanish delegation in the international final. This final has been part of the extensive program of the National Festival of Civil Economy, a wide-ranging festival in Italy, attended by personalities from all fields related to social economy, that took place in the emblematic Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

“At FPEmpresa, we work daily to promote projects that provide added value to our associated centers”, the FPEmpresa’s Project Manager, Elena Argudo, highlights. “In this case, SCoopConSS responds to the commitment that VET has towards the Sustainable Development Goals,” she adds.

Argudo also highlights that it has been an innovative project that has given all the students the opportunity to approach a model of entrepreneurship such as cooperativism. Regarding the final objective of this project, she underlines: “The final phase of the project has been very enriching for everyone; participating in the National Festival of Civil Economy in Florence is an experience that surely none of the students who have reached the final will forget”. “We hope to be able to repeat future editions of this contest and to expand the number of countries that compete in it,” Argudo concludes.

The final phase of this project counted on the participation of teams from schools from 5 different countries. These teams had previously won their respective finals in the national competitions. In the end, the first prize of SCoopConSS has been awarded to the Greek team, from the Fryganiotis Secondary School, with its ergaZWmai Cooperative project; a proposal focused on responding to the social needs of the local community.

More info on SCoopConSS:

The Spanish delegation leaves for the SCoopConSS final in Florence

The winners of SCoopConSS national phase: “After having carried out this project, we are certain that we would like to be entrepreneurs”

The EFA La Malvesía will represent Spain in the SCoopConSS final in Florence

SCoopConSS: students design their proposals for cooperatives in the final stage of the project

The EFA La Malvesía team, winner of the national phase of SCoopConSS (Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools), leaves today for Florence to present their proposal for a social cooperative at the international final of this contest, which will take place tomorrow, Friday September 24, and September 25 at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

The Spanish students will present their business idea to those attending the Civil Economy Festival, one of the most important entrepreneurship and social economy events held in Italy. The event will be attended by great personalities and experts, among which are the Minister of Equal Opportunities and Family, Elena Bonetti, the Minister of Youth Policies, Fabiana Dodane and the Minister of Justice and Social Policy, Andrea Orlando, among others.

The Project Manager of FPEmpresa VET Schools Association, Elena Argudo, highlights: “Participating in the Civil Economy Festival in Florence presenting the winning idea in the Spanish phase of SCoopConSS competition is a unique opportunity for these VET students”. “It is the reward for the great work they have done throughout the academic year”, she emphasises.

Over the last few months, the boys and girls of the EFA La Malvesía have worked with great effort to prepare their presentation, which they will have to present to the members of the jury and to the rest of the participating countries.

The programme of their trip to Florence, which will last until next Sunday, will be full of complementary activities, allowing the members of the EFA La Malvesía team to learn about the good practices that are already being developed in the field of Civil Economy, as well as to enjoy cultural events in this Italian city.

The SCoopConSS project, in which seven organisations from five southern European countries have participated, aims at creating a pool of resources for teachers in the field of social entrepreneurship. It is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the Horizon2020 funds and has been organised in Spain by FPEmpresa and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Spain.

The FPEmpresa VET Schools Association and the Embassy of Spain in Brazil, more specifically its Education Office, give Spanish and Brazilian VET centres the opportunity to collaborate in different educational projects. This initiative is part of the objective set by FPEmpresa of promoting international cooperation between associated centres and other centres in other parts of the world.

Elena Argudo, FPEmpresa’s Project Manager, highlights: “Stimulating the international relations of Spanish centres is one of the objectives of FPEmpresa. Facilitating this networking seems essential to us, so that the centres can see what is being done in the field of VET in other countries. Furthermore, in this case, Brazil is a strategic country, as it has a very powerful Vocational Education and Training system. It is significant to see that in the Worldskills contest, Brazilian VET students often reach the top positions”.

Brazil, a benchmark in the world in terms of Vocational Education and Training, will be the first country with which cooperative relations between centres are established, but there will be more. “This first collaborative action opens a potential line of work with the Education Offices of the Spanish Embassies in the world, through which to foster this type of initiatives” Argudo adds.

After the agreement reached by FPEmpresa and the Embassy of Spain in Brazil, work began last year to put the participating centres in contact. Thus, there are three Spanish VET centres that are already assigned to their Brazilian project partners, all belonging to the Federal Institute of Paraná (IFPR): the CIFP Ciudad de Béjar with the Telêmaco Borba campus; the CIPFP La Costera with that of Jacarezinho; and the Goierri Eskola with Campo Largo.

At the moment, these are all eTwinning projects, although it is expected that other real mobility projects may be developed in the future.

Cristina Sanz Godos, Nathassa Gil Podgórska, Pau Cerveró Campos and Pedro Mas Campos, under the coordination of their teacher Efraim Vendrell Galdon, are the members of the winning team of the national phase of the European competition SCoopConSS (Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools), organised in Spain by the FPEmpresa VET Schools Association and the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Spain (CCIS).

With their EDUNATURE project, they have won the first prize in the national competition and have been given the opportunity to travel to Florence next September to represent Spain before the other participating countries: Croatia, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

“At the beginning, we decided to participate out of curiosity, because the teacher suggested this project to us and we said, well, let’s see how it goes; later, we did some research and we liked it more and more, because we realised that we were learning a lot ”, Nathassa highlights; an opinion shared by her teammates.

When they were asked what they liked the most about carrying out this project, Nathassa emphasized that she really liked the researching and self-learning part; Cristina points out that she has been very surprised and has found the social media and the website development very interesting; Pau, on his part, highlights that he did not expect that in such small, unpopulated towns, so many things could be done, so many different activities; lastly, Pedro is very satisfied with the teamwork and with the fact that, despite the difficulties encountered, the project has finally got off the ground.

The teacher, Efraim, also wants to emphasize that what he was most surprised about the development of this project was the great involvement of all the students. “It is very difficult to carry out a project with 100% remote work, going online at late hours because they were carrying out their respective work placement modules. I am very proud of how they have performed and that they have overcome every obstacle with great effort. The teamwork has been spectacular and I am very happy that they have received this reward ”, he highlights.

SCoopConSS is a project aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship among young people and when they were asked if they would like or if they would consider starting a business in the future, they expressed their unanimous opinion: “We do not know when, but, after having carried out this project from scratch, we are certain that we would like to be entrepreneurs”.

“We are quite nervous”, the team members let out a soft giggle when asked about their next trip to Florence to present their proposal to the international jury. “The use of the English language will be a challenge, but we have several surprises in store for the presentation,” Efraim concludes.

In line with the objective of improving the quality of internships in the educational field of Vocational Training, the FPEmpresa VET Schools Association becomes one of the active members of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships («EAfA »), after the commitment application form sent to the organization has been approved.

The European Alliance for Apprenticeships brings together government institutions and key actors in society with the aim of strengthening the quality, provision and overall image of apprenticeships across Europe, while promoting apprentices’ mobility. The achievement of these two objectives is promoted through national commitments and voluntary commitments.

In July 2020, the European Commission launched the renewed EAfA as a key element of the youth employment support package. This strengthened alliance requires, and will require, new commitments for digital and green apprenticeships, by targeting economic sectors that will be at the forefront of the transition to a greener Europe.

Spain presented its national commitment to the Alliance in 2019 and currently, the EAfA has a total of 38 voluntary commitments from Spain.

The profile of FPEmpresa as a member of this Alliance can be found at the following link.

#ApprenEU

The FPEmpresa VET Schools Association, through the appearance of its president, Luis García Domínguez, participated in the month of July in the extraordinary session of the Education and Vocational Education and Training Commission, held in the Spanish Congress of Deputies, to provide the vision of VET centres on the next Draft Organic Law for the Organisation and Integration of Vocational Education and Training.

García transferred the content of FPEmpresa’s assessment on the draft law, a document that includes recommendations on all the points dealt within the text of the future VET law.

García began his appearance by highlighting the importance of the point of view of VET centres on this piece of legislation. “The schools are one of the places where this task of teaching/learning Vocational Education and Training is developed, along with the companies”, he pointed out.

Likewise, he also highlighted the relevance of the state registry of Vocational Education and Training, through which all citizens are given immediate access to information on different professional careers. Regarding the joint organisation of the different types of provision, García underlines: “It seems very important to us that all the information is located in the same place, in the schools, so that citizens can have a clear reference of where to go in order to decide about their professional path in VET”. “What we want is for the whole process to be easy, for the new law to facilitate access to VET studies to any citizen, anywhere.”

Regarding the teacher/student ratio, García stressed that “in Vocational Education and Training, we work in real workshops with real tools, each student with their own, and a teacher with 30 students in a workshop, the only thing that situation achieves is to jeopardise teaching quality. For this reason, we would like to create some type of guarantee so that lower ratios are established in the VET training cycles”.

After twenty minutes approximately, García concluded: “We will work hard to have the VET Law that Spain deserves and that our young people, schools and companies deserve.”

In subsequent statements, García highlighted: “Let’s hope that together we can make a consensus law, so that Vocational Education and Training can make a qualitative leap, in economic, social and productive terms. FPEmpresa is honoured to make its contribution to work towards the improvement of Vocational Education and Training”.