Erasmus Policy statement

INS ILLA DELS BANYOLS INTERNATIONAL (EU and non-EU) OVERALL STRATEGY:

The International Mobility Office of INS Illa dels Banyols is a new unit and the institution’s experience in terms of mobility is still scarce. Therefore, initial mobility activities under the Erasmus+ Programme will be carried on a modest scale, starting with KA1 activities that we intend to undertake in the medium or long term. Gradually, according to results and gained experience in mobility projects, the institution will be ready to participate in KA2 activities for Strategic Partnerships.

The purpose of INS Illa dels Banyols’ strategy is to develop European partnerships and to secure funding from the Erasmus+ Programme and the Regional Ministry of Education. Our main objective is to ensure that our Short Cycle students (Upper VET) can complete their Higher Technician Diploma through traineeships in European companies. All five Upper VET courses taught at our institution provide with a 360-hour module (22 ECTS) for vocational training, which is performed in the second year before students’ graduation. Our plan is to send a few students first and gradually increase the quantity.

Our aims are not restricted to the above, but also include:

• Carry out staff placements for teaching and training activities in European countries.
• Make new partners during the students or staff mobility.
• Involve families in those mobility projects organised by the institution. It is important to us that families believe in our project in order to give students the opportunity to have an experience living abroad.
• Introduce English as a vehicular language in some modules of higher education. This academic year we are going to teach some credits in English in some specific modules that are usually taught in Spanish.
• Improve linguistic and cultural competences of our students, teachers and staff members.
• Link the company experience with learning in the educational institution.
• Promote transnational cooperation between our institution and others through projects and knowledge exchanges.
• Increase and promote the knowledge of other countries and their cultures with special attention to the ability to adapt oneself to a new culture, language and work conditions.
• Promote personal development and motivation as well as emotional reinforcement both for students and teachers.
• Promote the use of ICT technologies at our institution.

As for the hosting partners are concerned, we will choose them according to the following criteria:

• The companies’ activity should be related to the school vocational field.
• The company training should fit the professional profile of the students.
• Previous knowledge of the company by the school or by references from students or teachers.
• The partners’ productive processes should fit the professional competences related to the Vocational Field.
• Trough the social networks such as eTwinning, which has helped us to find European partners. These partners may at the same time get us in touch with other partners in other fields.
• We have already contacts in France. They can help us to get in contact with other partners.
• Visiting partners. We were last February in Montpellier, visiting our partner to check the host institution in order to check if the installations and labs or classrooms are appropriate for our students.
• We are taking part in a mobility network managed by the Regional Ministry of Education. The Ministry gets in touch with their European counterparts in order to find institutions eager to host traineeship participants or to join international projects. Besides, this mobility network helps us in the way we have to submit application forms concerning European projects. Moreover, it provides all necessary resources and support arrangements so that mobility activities can take place.

As for the geographical area, we will prioritize the following aspects:

• The language used in the company should be English, since it is the most spoken language by our students.
• Places where the students’ vocational field is widely settled and active.
• Places with a wide range of accommodation facilities at affordable prices.

As for the target groups, we are open to all Short Cycles (Upper VET) taught at our institution:

Upper VET courses comprise three professional families. We will take a special priority to those students of Vocational Training courses whose level of maturity make them to cope with the cultural shock that means to live abroad. Likewise, we will bear in mind those students who have a level of L2 enough to communicate and manage in the foreign country, as well as they are responsible and efficient and have obtained required academic marks in both courses. Once these students have been arranged according to the system of scoring previously mentioned and after listening to the educational teams, the Head of Department of Vocational Training courses will make a final list of the students.

INS ILLA DELS BANYOLS STRATEGY FOR THE ORGANISATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL (EU and non-EU) COOPERATION PROJECTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

INS Illa dels Banyols is accredited since 2015 with the Quality Certificate UNE-EN ISO 9001: 2008. This system guarantees the continuous improvement of the learning-teaching process as well as the implementation of activities and international projects carried out in our institution. We strongly believe that a Higher Education Institution like ours, which is immersed and committed to a quality system, must necessarily reflect some aspects of the European mobility. Consequently, our institution is currently seeking new ways of expanding and internationalising the school by means of implementing international (EU and non-EU) cooperation projects within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme.

For this reason, we are currently taking part in two mobility programmes organised by the Government of Catalonia, Regional Ministry of Education:

1. Consortium for European Projects: It is a programme that facilitates placements for students and teachers in European countries where the Ministry already has collaboration agreements. It also provides with funding to carry out these work or study placements.
2. Mobility Net for International Cooperation: It is a programme that gives guidance to VET Higher Education Institutions engaged in mobility, and helps them to create and implement their own international strategy. In addition, the Ministry gets in touch with their European counterparts in order to find institutions eager to host traineeship participants or to join international projects.

The purpose of INS Illa dels Banyols’ strategy for the implementation of international (EU and non-EU) cooperation projects under the Programme is to develop long-lasting European partnerships. Crucial to achieving this goal is the figure of the institution’s Mobility Coordinator. He will be the responsible for making contacts with HEI partners in Programme or Partner countries. For this purpose, the Mobility Coordinator will use several communication channels, including educational networks such as ‘eTwinning’ or ‘Net-in-Vet’. Likewise, the Mobility Coordinator will be permanently in contact with the Regional Ministry of Education through the programme ‘Mobility NET for International Cooperation’ in order to secure partnerships.

INS Illa dels Banyols’ participation in European and international programmes will contribute to the reinforcement of the equality of opportunities through the knowledge of other cultures and customs, thus helping to reduce the rate of youth unemployment in our country, which is one of the highest among the different European countries.

In this sense, INS Illa dels Banyols is fully willing to help the youngsters who need and want training so as to be competitive in the European scene. Therefore we intend to promote international relations between our institution and those companies of the production sector that are related to our course programmes and training activities. Thus, the quality of our educational activity would be significantly improved since those foreign companies tend to work with advanced techniques and equipment.

Moreover, the ties with the companies that have agreements to improve the teachers’ training are reinforced, making them aware of the constant changes in the business and educational world. The work experience of our students and the professional development of our staff members will contribute to the interrelation of our studies with companies and businesses with the idea of achieving excellence and the development of our regions.

The action plan is to document all the above in the School Development Plan (SDP) of INS Illa dels Banyols. The SDP is a Strategic Quality Document that reflects, among other aspects, the current involvement in Erasmus+ that our institution intends to undertake. This action will be done before the end of this course, and prior to this, several informative meetings will be made to present KA1 projects to the School Board: traineeships in companies for Upper VET students, and also study placements for teaching staff. Concerning KA2 projects, these will be undertaken in the long term, once we have acquired the necessary experience in European and international cooperation projects.

EXPECTED IMPACT OF OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME ON THE MODERNISATION OF OUR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION INS ILLA DELS BANYOLS

The expected impact of our participation in the Erasmus+ Programme on the modernization of our institution has the following aims:

1. Increase our students’ professional qualifications. We are responsible for contributing to the European prosperity through our good management in our students’ professional training.
2. Improve the quality and relevance of the Further Educational Vocational Training courses by increasing the capability and competence of both, teachers and students.
3. Reinforce the professional knowledge triangle by linking the further education, the business and investigation good practice and the regional development as well as promoting the enterprising development and innovation in further education.
4. Strengthen the quality of the learning process through the cooperation with European firms, guaranteeing the acceptance of the credits obtained abroad, the working conditions and the possibility of our students’ promotion.
5. Improve the management and finance of the projects mentioned above.

In addition, we expect to:

• Improve the level of key competences and skills, with particular regard to their relevance for the labour market and their contribution to a cohesive society, in particular through increased opportunities for learning mobility and through strengthened cooperation between the world of education and training and the world of work.
• Foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training institutions, in particular through enhanced transnational cooperation between education and training providers and other stakeholders.
• Promote the emergence and raise awareness of a European lifelong learning area designed to complement policy reforms at national level and to support the modernisation of education and training systems, in particular through enhanced policy cooperation, better use of EU transparency and recognition tools and the dissemination of good practices.
• Enhance the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between Programme and Partner – Country institutions in the field of VET and in higher education, by increasing the attractiveness of Europe and higher education institutions and supporting the EU’s external action, including its development objectives, through the promotion of mobility and cooperation between Programme and Partner – Country higher education institutions and targeted capacity building in Partner Countries.
• Improve the teaching and learning of languages and to promote the EU’s broad linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness.

The outcomes of our project are related to:

• The improvement of quality and relevance of the necessary training to carry out the subjects of the Vocational Fields involved.
• The relationship between the acquired skills and market requirements.
• The increase of teachers’ and students’ exchanges.
• The increase of cooperation agreements with partners from the European Union and from other countries as a strategy of internationalisation.
• The revamping of our high school by increasing the levels of quality in education provision.