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An overview of the general situation of schools in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the school year starts in mid of September. Despite the global pandemic situation on 15 September 2021, all schools opened and welcomed all students for the 2021/2022 school year with strict consideration of the National epidemic measures.

The situation in Bulgaria in the last months was very dynamic and it tested on many occasions the flexibility of all schools and the overall preparation and reactions of the National system.

Despite all factors main driven power of the last 3 months was the motivation of the schools’ authorities, parents and students in close cooperation with the national bodies to ensure the learning is happening in a rather difficult situation. The schools and educational entities were to consider the local circumstances and National recommendations for the organization of the learning process. One major lockdown took all students out of schools in October-November.

For most of the Bulgarian schools that are part of the ENNE network the main focus in the last months was the local organization of the learning processes while introducing online, face-to-face or blended forms of teaching. Since the National regulations and COVID-19 measures were not easily predictable the schools and educational entities were to adapt, invent, cooperate and innovate new measures mainly focused on the local realities and specific needs in their schools’ communities.

Some of the Network members managed also to work beyond the basics and get involved in international activities, competitions and mobilities. PGEE Gylabovo also received VET accreditation for KA1 mobilities under Erasmus +.

The National network members also supported and were involved in the following ENNE project activities related to Job shadowing and VET learners mobilities.

 

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The virological maleise

After the beginning of a school year when anything was possible, reality has once again caught up with us. Vaccinations, unfortunately, do not make us invincible after all. Thanks to high vaccination rates, schools were able to teach as usual for a long time. However, the elementary school and their unvaccinated young students became the driving force behind the spread of the virus, forcing us to take new measures. The Christmas break was extended to 3 weeks. Once again, extracurricular outings have been banned and mouth masks have been made compulsory from the age of 6 (previously 12).

And yet!

In November, Connectief’s project ErasDu was able to send 71 students abroad for a 2-week internship. For the first time since the pandemic, this was possible again. The quality of the traineeship and the “appetite” of the students did not suffer from the pandemic. You can read that in the testimonials. The students and schools are enthusiastic and eager to get back on track in Europe in April 2022.  

And yet!

Teachers are joining forces again to set up innovative teaching techniques and methodologies. VTIO Hoogstraten, for example, is developing a new HEV learning box for teaching about electric vehicles. With imec’s support, the school is bringing education and the professional field together to create a great innovative teaching tool.

And yet!

Teachers are joining forces again to set up innovative teaching techniques and methodologies. VTIO Hoogstraten, for example, is developing a new HEV learning box for teaching about electric vehicles. With imec’s support, the school is bringing education and the professional field together to create a great innovative tool.

And yet!

Flemish schools are preparing (for the first time in 2 years) for a live Belfair. BELFAIR is the annual Belgian fair for virtual companies, organized by COFEP. It is usually one of the largest virtual company fairs in Europe. At a traditional BELFAIR we welcome more than 230 exhibitors and 2500 visitors, spread over 2 days. The exhibitors are virtual companies from secondary education, higher education and adult education.

And yet!

Students were able to follow important training courses and obtain certificates that facilitate their transition to the labor market, such as a training course in scaffolding construction after which students from directions such as construction, wood, … receive the certificate “working at height”.

And yet!               

Have students undertaken intriguing experiments such as the development of a solar heater from empty soda cans.

Pupils are harvesting strawberries for the first time in their new greenhouses and are making plans for the operation of a store in the school.

Beautiful chairs are designed and made in the style of Gerrit Rietveld (NL).

A youth movement will be able to work in beautiful new buildings next year thanks to the students of a VET school.

Exams and final projects continue 😊

And now…

All options are open for 2022. The air is buzzing with activity and plans are brimming with innovativeness. Good COVID figures were wished for under the Christmas tree to make 2022 a banner year.

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EYE 2021, high school students went to Strasbourg

EGInA Srl in association with the NGO CRHACK LAB took part in the European Youth Event (EYE) for the 2021 edition, involving nine students from schools of the territory (such as ITE Scarpellini, part of the ENNE Network).

Promoted by the European Parliament, the European Youth Event (EYE) is a two-yearly international event aimed at young people that promotes debates and open discussion on today’s topics and challenges.

eye2021_strasbourg_egina

For the students, participation in EYE 2021 was the final step of a PCTO course promoted and financed by EGInA Srl and CRHACK LAB.
The path offered training sessions on the European Union institution and the 17 UN goals for Sustainable Development; students also participated in the Social Hackathon Umbria 2021.


The European Youth Event gave them the opportunity to experience these topics first-hand.

This educational and international experience gave us the opportunity to get in touch with new cultures, realities and perspectives. We had the chance to visit new places and practise school subjects such as English and international law”.

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Blended Course, the Portuguese experience in Italy

“The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth”

Erasmus of Rotterdam

The blended course on Erasmus+ KA2 project proposals writing, offered by the ENNE project,
started in April 2021 and ended in October 2021, with a face-to-face workshop in Foligno, Italy.

Five schools from the Portuguese National Network had the opportunity to send their
representatives to Foligno for the face-to-face workshop.
− Sandra Machado from Escola Secundária Francisco de Holanda, Guimarães, Portugal
− Isabel Amorim from Escola Secundária de Felgueiras, Felgueiras, Portugal
− Kelly Florêncio from Escola Profissional de Campanhã, Porto, Portugal
− Hugo Martins from ETAP – Escola Profissional, Caminha, Portugal
− Rita Oliveira from EPROMAT – Escola Profissional de Matosinhos, Matosinhos, Portugal

The group met for the first time at the airport, on the day of departure for Italy, and right there it was possible to see that the whole group shared the same spirit, which lasted until the last
day: to make the most of the experience to exchange knowledge, experiences, and to work on the projects proposals.
“I am a trainer, in the field of Tourism, and it was with great pleasure that I participated in the workshop in Foligno, in partnership with Arts & Skills. It was a very enriching experience, with the exchange of knowledge, sharing of methods, and the interaction with participants from several European countries and schools.”


“The face-to-face workshop in Foligno was my first Erasmus+ mobility experience. It allowed the
consolidation of the group work and the collaboration among the partners of the European ENNE network, particularly between the partners of my project proposal (group 2). It also
promoted synergies and the common interests among the different institutions present, which allowed the participants to establish new contacts, plan future collaborations and exchange
knowledge, experiences and resources.”


During the week of the face-to face workshop, the participants had a full programme: during the
mornings, everyone had the opportunity to work on their project proposals, and after lunch, they
were able to visit local schools and laboratories:
“The programme of the workshop always started with work sessions, including talks and small
conferences. These moments were very relevant to strengthen the work that had been
developed since the beginning of the course. The experience of exchange and sociocultural
the interaction was also a very important part of the training since it provided contact with local schools, laboratories and exchange of technical and cultural experiences.”
With a full and diverse programme and a very sunny week, the participants from the Portuguese
Network consider the workshop a success!

“This experience was an excellent time and context for socialisation among all of the partners.
My initial expectations were clearly exceeded. The organisation was irreprehensible. It was
possible to develop our work with the project proposals, according to the objectives, to visit other cities in the Umbria region and to have varied cultural experiences.”
“The organization was very well designed, from the working sessions to the logistics involved. It
was indeed an enriching week, full of exchanging knowledge, experiences, and insights that will always stay positive in my professional and personal path.”

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Inspirational event on internationalisation in VET

After a warm welcome, the 29 guests were presented with a short film to get a first impression of international internships for schools. This first attempt was well received and set the tone for the rest of the event.

In the next phase, a lot of information was given about what internationalization is, how it works, which strategies are used and so on. The concrete actions that can be taken for pupils and teachers through the ENNE and ErasDu projects were also discussed. From WBL to internships, from foreign competitions to the invitation of experts for training. Special attention was also paid to ENNE’s MOOC and blended course, both aimed at strengthening the possibilities of schools to set up their own projects.

We are already convinced. But nothing is strong as a colleague who shares his experiences. Both management and teachers were interviewed about their experiences which were very positive. The added value for all involved, school, teachers and students was discussed. In addition, space was also made for some problems that could arise and the way in which these are dealt with by those involved.4

Finally, Nevin was interviewed. Nevin (apprentice) was in Italy at the time for an administrative internship. She shared what she had already learned and what her experiences were like. The enthusiasm was great.

All the information and experiences raised a lot of (mainly) practical questions among those present. Such as the supervision of students, the replacement of teachers during their absence, financial concerns, etc. In the end, time was made to answer these questions.

Would you like to rewatch the entire event? That is possible via this link.

 

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Belgian adventures in Foligno (Italie) during the Blended Course of the ENNE project

5 Belgians participated in the blended course of ENNE. For each of them, it was quite an experience. The online start of the course was not always easy for everyone. The combination with the daily assignment was a challenge. In terms of content, the sessions were very interesting. The formation of the partnerships was confusing as unexpected dropouts brought a lot of uncertainties.  Because of this start, the expectations for the face to face training were positive but tense.

The Belgian participants did not yet know each other personally. The 2 days before the start of the training allowed a fine introduction in a relaxed, sun-drenched atmosphere.

The teachers present were pleasantly surprised by the change that the face to face connection with the other participants brought. It gave the feeling of an official start of their project. A real introduction was generally no longer necessary thanks to the online sessions. Alignment of ideas all the more so. The participants were instructed on how to write a KA2 project on which they started working. In “creativity in VET”, with the help of the Belgian Mentor, project lines could be laid out and the writing process could begin.

In other projects, sometimes a lot of coordination had to take place first to get all the project partners on the same page. For these kind of project, the schedule was to full resulting in not enough time to progress with the development of the project. The use of a Gantt chart during the training did provide a basis for the further elaboration of the application.

In addition to the writing work on the KA2 projects, the training was a wonderful networking opportunity and a chance to develop subject-specific knowledge of the English language. A visit to a partner school proved to be very enriching, as Vanessa Bijnens from Level X in Hasselt, among others, told us:

“It was wonderful to be able to see how the students develop their creative skills, to see their manual and digital execution of their assignments and certainly the presentation of their works. Getting to know people in the same field yet under a different creative form is great. The way of teaching in a different country, in a different language but being able to feel and experience the experience of being creative internationally is for me beyond words.  SIMPLY FANTASTIC!”

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A review of the blended course from the German ENNE network

The project year is coming to an end – a good time to look back and ask the German participants in the blended course what they got out of it and what they took away from it … into their work, into their institutions and into the new year.

We asked the participants some questions about their impressions, experiences and insights. Read a selection of the answers here:

What did you gain from the course?

  • I was able to take away a lot, because the topic of application is always extensive and very time-consuming, especially if you are new to it.
  • It was very exciting to learn more about the possibilities of international projects and to deepen my knowledge.
  • I found the participation in the course very interesting because on the one hand it helped me to establish new partnerships and on the other hand I was able to learn more about KA2 projects and the entire application process.

What concrete suggestions did you take away from your work and your institution?

  • I benefited a lot from the exchange.
  • I think we will launch some projects in the hotel and catering sector in the future
  • I had never worked with some of the digital tools and platforms (Basecamp) before. That was exciting.

You participated in the workshop in Foligno, Italy. In one sentence: How was it?

  • Lots of information about KA2 projects and new contacts.
  • Very constructive and concentrated – not only in the morning in the course but also in the afternoon it never quite let us go.
  • I took away many personal impressions from Italy, such as the visit to the agricultural school. Touristically, I found the visit to Assisi particularly impressive.

What impressed you most during the course?

  • The dedication of the team. You always got a well-founded and, above all, super friendly answer at any time.
  • I was totally impressed how quickly and straightforwardly we got into conversation and joint work with the Portuguese partners after just a few hours and the application was essentially ready at the end of the workshop week in Italy.

Many thanks to the network partners for their commitment and feedback!

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To Foligno and back, the Bulgarian experience

As part of the Blended training course on Erasmus KA2 project proposals writing the Bulgarian
participants have provided short feedback on the Face-to-face adventure of Foligno 18-22
October 2021.

After some challenges due to the global pandemic, the three network members,
Eng. Irina Mishkova-Yotova, Eng. Kalin Ivanov and Mr Rusev successfully managed to take
active part in the residential training.

Here is what they are highlighting regarding the learning experience that they have:

“The most helpful part was the online meetings and going through each step of the KA210
application process because it is a relatively new format of submitting project proposals that I
believe will prove to be a good way to conduct VET activities without requiring many partner
organizations or large funding. The most practical part was the attendance and the mobility in
Italy, because we had the opportunity to meet our partners in person, discuss our ideas, get timely
advice from experts in the field of creating project proposals (from Egina), and write them up in
detail.”

“Communicating with colleagues in English and sharing experiences. Working through the
project documentation – accurately and clearly articulating the aims, objectives, activities, target
groups and their contribution to the skills development of the participants, as well as the
usefulness of the project for the development, accreditation and establishment of the schools as
an institution with a future.”


“Everything was interesting for me, this is the first time I have encountered Erasmus projects,
the team was well prepared, from the training on how to use the platform to the different
presentations on the layout of the project proposal itself. The whole training was extremely useful
because meeting the partners from other countries, as well as touring the localities and schools,
gives us many practical ideas that we can use. In this way, we were able to exchange different
ideas and determine the effectiveness of teaching methods”.


The participants are also sharing some impressions and feelings about the journey:

“I most enjoyed my stay in majestic Rome. The cultural heritage that has been preserved and is
open to the public is extremely precious, incredibly beautiful, impressive, spectacular and
provides the opportunity to experience a part of the historical past.”


“I was impressed with our visit to the Agricultural School in Todi. The way they have organized
the training of their students- a complete closed system including the production and creation of
their own brand of products. The rich technical facilities, experimental fields and laboratory that
the school has been impressive.”


“The part of the service trip that I enjoyed the most was visiting vocational and specialized
schools and having the opportunity to learn about their activities, management, facilities and to
gain inspiration for my future work in Bulgaria. Sharing good practices with colleagues from Italy
was very valuable as they apply/suggest solutions to a number of situations that may arise in the
process of work in VET and in our country.”

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Concorso Nazionale “Nel nome del Rispetto”

Gli studenti dell‘ITE SCARPELLINI sono stati premiati durante il Concorso Nazionale “Nel nome del Rispetto”, martedì 15 giugno, in modalità online.


La classe 4E TUR con il video “Uno sguardo al passato per costruire il futuro” ha ottenuto il massimo riconoscimento e un premio in denaro, superando 430 candidati per la sezione Scuola Secondaria Superiore. Gli studenti, seguiti dall’insegnante Maria Carla Cicciola, coordinatrice del progetto per il tema “Identità e rispetto del patrimonio culturale”, hanno realizzato un breve clip utilizzando un collage di foto e disegni. Il contenuto invita a riflettere sull’importanza di comprendere, vivere, sentire il valore dell’ambiente che ci circonda e del patrimonio che qualcuno prima di noi ha saputo trasmetterci, per elevare la qualità dei nostri comportamenti ed essere rispettosi di tutto ciò che è altro da noi.

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Tech.Lab Project

The project Tech.Lab, from Escola Profissional de Felgueiras, aims at the integration among Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and it represents the strategy and vision of the school.

With this project, the school intends to potentiate synergies and the interdisciplinary dynamics in the technological areas of the schools’ programme, such as Design/Clothing, Electronics/Automation, Management and Multimedia.

This new space is designed to be stimulating and demonstrative of good practices and culture of Project Based Learning (PBL) and Know-How. In addition, the involvement of external partners and the joint development of integrated solutions is actively sought.