In a sunny week of October, 26 participants from Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany and Portugal gathered together to further learn about project proposals writing and to strengthen the projects they have been working on in groups during last summer.
The week of face-to-face work followed in fact 8 online meetings which started in May 2021 and covered the most important topics to know when writing an Erasmus+ KA2 project in VET, taking into account the differences between Small Scale partnerships (KA210) and Cooperation Partnerships (KA220). In addition, experts from the field were invited to participate in the online meetings to address issues such as quality, impact and dissemination. Good practices developed by VET organisations and others in line with the interests developed by the working groups were also presented.
During the months of distance working, participants worked on specific and real proposals, which were built on the basis of the participants’ own ideas and then materialised in 7 working groups.
Representatives from all seven groups met in Foligno to complete their training and finalise their project proposals. The daily programme was structured in order to have every day the first part of theoretical training in which technical and methodological aspects were covered in detail. Nevertheless, from the first day participants expressed the desire to dedicate as much time as possible to the work in groups in order to be able to submit the projects on the given deadline (the 3rd of November).
This is a first clue as to the degree of participation, dedication and willingness that the seven groups have shown in tackling the small and large problems that have arisen in the process of project writing. In fact, the 7 groups worked steadily on the proposals, searched for contacts and partners, deepened the themes of their respective projects within the framework of the Erasmus+ priorities.
The workshop, therefore, followed a “Learning by doing” approach in which the participants could test the knowledge and skills learned during the online part of the Blended Course.
The work was intense, sometimes going beyond the hours foreseen in the programme. As a first, great, result, all five Small Scale Partnerships were submitted for the deadline of 3rd of November, while the two more complex Cooperation Partnerships will be completed for the next deadline – as already planned.
Parallel to the work on the proposals, the participants had the opportunity to get to know the schools in the area and the excellence in VET, by visiting the schools and facilities, which in some cases were part of the partnerships of the proposals in progress.
Finally, the participants were also able to enjoy the natural and historical-artistic beauties of the Umbria Region, with visits to Foligno, Spello, Todi and Assisi.
