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Action plans for further development

Based on all the experiences and Good practices of the PROGRESS project all partners developed an action plan for further development of their own school. All partners were very positive about all the inspiration and ideas the project has brought them.

This is a summary of all these innovative and ambitious plans. We wish everyone every success in realizing these plans!

CIFEA de Molina de Segura

The CIFEA de Molina de Segura’s action plan is designed to address the challenges in the agricultural sector, including the need to attract young people with skills in new technologies, promote sustainability and environmental protection, and make agricultural activity more attractive for students from urban areas. The plan includes four objectives which are differentiated into four levels: regulated training, continuous training, networks and associates, and green skills development.

The first objective aims to stabilize enrolment numbers at lower EQF levels, promote gender equality in classrooms, establish an age group of students between 18-26 years, offer more online courses and activities in digital format, direct school activities to principles based on sustainability and environmental protection, and attract foreign students. In addition, the objective includes developing modular vocational education and training and attracting students from urban areas.

The second objective focuses on continuous training for adults and training for employment, aiming to increase the number of female enrolments, incorporate environmental aspects in training for adults, recognize competence units in adults, and expand the dissemination of certification processes.

The third objective aims to strengthen the development of Erasmus+ projects and participate in international cooperation projects with non-governmental organizations, develop values of social solidarity through blood donation campaigns, sensitize against gender violence, and strengthen relationships with business associations in the sector and professional agricultural organizations.

The fourth objective aims to contribute knowledge about sustainability and environmental education, develop green skills and increase technical knowledge, and improve the dissemination of training offers.

The action plan is designed to be measurable, and indicators have been defined to monitor progress towards the defined objectives.

Savonia University of Applied Sciences

Objective of the action plan: To attract new target groups, especially international students and immigrants, and equip students with the necessary skills for the changing work life.

Tasks and Activities

  • Marketing and outreach efforts through various channels, including social media, to attract new students
  • Up-to-date and interesting study plans that follow changes in society and working life, with input from working life partners and RDI-projects
  • Creating unique and attractive facilities, such as a green campus and living labs, to appeal to students
  • Implementing different pedagogies, including day, blended, and hybrid learning, with proper tools and skills for online teaching and more interactivity in lessons
  • Motivating students through interesting lessons, assignments, and projects, as well as improving guidance and counseling services
  • Focusing on practical training periods and developing practical skills, and improving the skills of teachers and RDI staff
  • Ensuring quality in all aspects of the education program.

Green Academy

The Green Academy in Denmark has developed an action plan to anchor the results of the Progress project over the past three years within the organization. The main objective is to focus on primary school pupils who are considering choosing an ordinary high school and show them the benefits of the vocational upper secondary education (EUX).

The academy aims to attract approximately 90 students directly from primary school, with at least 30 of them choosing the vocational upper secondary education. Additionally, they plan to maintain the annual intake of students who do not come directly from primary school at around 200-220 students.

The academy intends to achieve these objectives by involving as many students, teachers, and staff as possible in different projects, both at the national and international level. They are working closely with different stakeholders such as government representatives and small-medium enterprises to create a synergy in project management. The academy is also focusing on e-learning and digital projects, student mobility, and developing modern facilities with a focus on sustainability.

Yuverta

Yuverta is the largest secondary and vocational trainer in Europe in the blue-green domain, with 36 secondary schools, 20 VET locations, and thousands of professionals trained every year. The institution’s mission is to train people for a profession in the blue-green domain and for an independent existence in society, specifically for tasks such as making agriculture more sustainable, improving biodiversity and nature, animal welfare, sustainable urbanization, health and lifestyle, increasing the quality of water and water management, reducing waste flows, energy transition, and climate. Yuverta aims to actively contribute to a sustainable world and the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Yuverta faces the challenge of attracting new target groups, particularly in urban areas, to its green education programs. The institution plans to achieve this by changing its image from agricultural education to a school with a broad offering on topics that are interesting and important to students from this decade, topics that can lead to meaningful careers and a better life for all.

To achieve its objectives, Yuverta has set overall goals, such as 80% of Yuverta’s stakeholders taking part in the realization of at least four SDGs within their region, and the integration of SDGs in all curricula to the experience of 80% of all its students and other stakeholders. The institution has also created an impact strategy on sustainability by breaking down the broad theme into smaller parts, so everyone can oversee and play a part.

Terra

Terra, an organization that has organized itself into a team-centered approach, wants to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its curricula and pedagogy, by installing a practorate called ‘Entrepreneurial learning with and from the SDG goals’. The primary goal of the practorate is to provide inclusive and high-quality education while striving for equal opportunities for lifelong learning for all, in connection with the regional environment, in line with SDG 4.

The practorate aims to conduct research using the ‘whole school approach for sustainable development’ and investigate how the SDGs can be incorporated into the curricula, pedagogy, and didactics of the institutions so that every student can gain experience with and knowledge about them. The research also focuses on how business operations, professionalization, and the environment of the institutions can create a learning climate to achieve this goal. The practorate hopes to attract another category of students who were not previously interested in green education by collaborating with a grey education institute.

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Countries Curriculum & Program Denmark

Working as a municipality to make more young people
choose vocational education

Because the number of students entering vocational education is dropping Aarhus Municipality in Denmark invests a lot of time and money to attract more students to vocational education. This is a complex and difficult task Marina Stannov from the municipality informs the partners of PROGRESS the strategie and activities that has been realised during the last couple of years and their plans for the near future.

She presented some importants that should be taken into account when schools and governments are working on this issue:

  • Framework matters (national regulation, city council decisions etc.)
  • Framing matters (what / whose problem we are trying to solve)
  • Local initiatives / local collaboration can make a positive difference
  • Previous initiatives haven’t proved sustainable in the long run – but
    present initiatives can build on their foundations / activities

Taking off

The first phase of the activities started in 2018 and was mainly a bottom up approach. The main goal was to introduce activities of vocational education to youngster of 13/14 years old (grade 8 and 9) within all kinds of subjects (like match). The municipality funded these activities for almost four years. More then half of the schools participated (10.000 students) and students and teachers were positive about it, but thecosts of investment were relatively high and as a result of the temporality funding is was not very sustainable.

Moving on

During the next phase which started with a national regulation (2018) intending to make students familiar with Vocational Education through practical teaching and enhanced cooperation. This second phase was funded only for the indirect costs. Practical training with VET subjects for grade 8 and 9 students became a new teaching concept and schools got more flexibility implementing qualifications.

Towards an integrated approach

The results of these two phases in terms of the increase of students entering VET were not enough. That is the reason that they starting with a more integrated approach in 2022. This approach is based on four elements including enhanced school / VE-collaboration and school-business collaboration:

  • Making it visible
  • Working with Authentic problems
  • Schoolsubjects from practice
  • Educational knowledge

The purpose of practical training

Strengthening children’s and young people’s learning and their prerequisites for choosing youth education through teaching with an outlook to working life that

  • Gives opportunity to explore and experience the world students are part of.
  • Stimulates curiosity and insight into strengths, interests and dreams.
  • Helps understanding and recognition of other people’s interests and
    choices.
  • Provides a different kind of teaching that contributes to a better balance between a bookish and practical school day.

Goals for collaboration and practical training

  • Throughout school students must experience teaching that is – in various ways – based on authentic problems, shows the school’s subjects in real life and provides knowledge about working life and education.
  • The students’ various needs are accommodated, so that
    the teaching creates positive learning experiences.
  • The students gain a broad knowledge of jobs and educational opportunities and gain insight into what their own interests can be used for.

Principles for collaboration on practical teaching

Activities

  • Are developed and carried out in collaboration (Co-creation)
  • Span a wide range of subjects in school and vocational educations
  • Cover grades 0-9 with continuous coherence and progression
  • Meet criteria for school’s subjects – or are adjusted
  • Must be easy to book and use, and appear unified – visually,
    organizationally and practically. All activities must be described in a
    common template (Plug and Play)

‘Throughout school students must experience teaching that is – in various
ways – based on authentic problems, shows the school’s subjects in real life
and provides knowledge about working life and education’

Throughout school students must experience teaching that is – in various ways – based on authentic problems, shows the school’s subjects in real life and provides knowledge about working life and education’

This new approach based on

  • Stakeholders – shared understanding of WHY and HOW
  • More ‘holistic’ approach / focus on synergy
  • Students – early start, focus on familiarity / foundation not choice
  • Schools – activities with relevant content and easy access
  • Working towards more predictable funding and demand
  • Organization – working towards better anchoring / sustainability

should work. In a couple of years it will be clear if this approach leads to the results we are aiming at: more students entering VET-schools and he labour market that that are desperate looking for new workers.

Interested in the original presentation of Marina Stannov formt he municipality of Aarhus: download presentation.

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Countries Curriculum & Program Denmark

Nature school in Denmark

During our project meeting in Denmark we visited the Nature school of the Green Academy of Aarhus located at a farm not far from the School. Green Academy has set up this nature school with a great variety of activities from pre-school activities to masterclasses. Main goal is to increase the interest in nature and modern agriculture and thereby the recruitment of new students.

The activities vary from Summer camps, to long term learning activities or projects, to 1-day-based learning activities and Team building activities.

Potential new students get inspired to work with innovative technologies and new developments in the agriculture sector like the cultivating of insects and mealworms as an alternative protein

Ate you interested in the whole story. You can download the whole story here: NatureSkolen Denmark

Or watch the video at Website Naturskolen

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Countries Denmark Vision & Ambition

Key-facts and strategies of Aarhus Green Academy

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Challenges within the VET system of Denmark

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