by editor
Xarxa FP held its XXIV General Assembly last 15th of March, gathering around 40 representatives from 25 European cities. During the General Assembly, participants reviewed the results of the last year, discussed new actions and projects for 2023 and welcomed a new city: Härnösand (Sweden).
The main difference with other assemblies was becoming more concentrated in time to give more space to the mobility manager’s meeting.
The main approval voting were:
- Approval of the Executed Budget 2022 & Estimated Budget 2023
- Approval of the Management Report 2022 & the Work plan 2023
- Approval of new city addition: Härnösand
Despite all the problems due a pandemic and the effects after that, we considered that the number of mobilities and strategic projects were handled the best way possible. 26 cities developed mobilities actions during year 2022, and one of the objective of the network would be to increase the number of mobility actions for both students and staff/professionals.
Strategic Plan 2021-2025
The network will in general carry on developing the same strategic priorities as in the previous plan (VET MOBILITY, VET INNOVATION & VET POLICY) but a new objective has been added: to work towards the development of international mobility for VET learners and staff beyond Europe, in line with the future Erasmus+ program 2021-2027.
Adaptation of the statutes in order to include other local institutions beyond Europe to Xarxa FP was discussed during the executive committe and will be voted the next meeting in october.
Quality of VET Mobility:
Enhance VET mobility quality procedures and methodologies.
Provision of external and internal audits during 2023.
KA1 Projects:
Preparation and submission of Erasmus+ KA102 project, titled “Basic VET internships in Europe”, for pre-VET students (EQF 2) and staff with the cities of Lisbon (PT), Munich (DE) and Toulouse (FR), coordinated by Xarxa FP Secretariat.
Implementation of the Youth Guarantee project “TLNMobilicat” with the cities of Espoo (FI), Munich (DE) and Roma (IT), managed by Xarxa FP Secretariat.
KA2 projects: results and new projects
The first Report of the Logisitics VET Hub project was presented to the audience. The publication collects data collected and analyzed by the 8 partner organizations during 2021 as for example: the present European logistics industry in the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Finland; future challenges and trends in logistics and how companies are adapting to new models; the VET professional profiles and skills most demanded today and tomorrow, as well as a selection of Good Practices with potential of transferability.
A new project was approved. EU Water Challenge VET Hub, organizing a European VET awards competition between students and staff to solve a real-world challenge by applying CBL methodologies in an invented city
Also, we presented two more strategic projects with pending approval for the next months: Electric Cars VET Hub and ID-VET – A Micro-Survey Framework for Inclusion and Diversity in VET.
A new candidate: Härnösand
With the incorporation of Härnösand (Sweden) Xarxa FP membership enlarges the network and different ways of collaboration, which confirms the sustainable growth of the association in recent years.
Sadly, there was an approval of the exclusion of Sète (France) and Gandia (Spain).
Härnösand is situated in the middle part of Sweden. Approximately 25,000 inhabitants. The Gate Way to The High Coast area. Härnösand Gymnasium was founded in 1650. The school has approximately 900 students and 135 teachers and is divided into four sections, where the two largest parts are:
-Programs that prepare for a work degree (vocational training)
-Programs that prepare for higher education in University.
Härnösand gymnasium has six programs that prepares for/generates in a work degree.
-Children’s and leisure program
-Gastronomic program
-Plumbing and property management program
-Apprentice/trainee program (for instance crafts, sales, construction, vehicle mechanics)
-Health and social care program
-Maritime education program
-Arts program (theater and music)
Networking at the Mobility Managers’ meeting
26 Mobility Managers representing 24 cities took part in the online networking meeting in the afternoon. They took an active role in different activities like an ice breaking activity and work in small groups in order to increase cooperation with other members through speed date activity.
Visiting two VET Schools in Prague:
15 members of the network went to a visit of two VET Schools of mechanical engineering and technical support. They had the opportunity to share with the staff members the differences beetween VET systems in Czhec Republic and other european countries and walk around the installations and see the equipments.
