Training for Trainers: Italy 2019 and Germany 2020

At the end of November around 20 people have been involved in a training for trainers in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna: directors, teachers ad tutors from the two Italian partners ENDO-FAP and ENAC, together with prof. Franchini and prof. Serrelli from the Cattolica University, met in the VET centres in Piacenza and Borgonovo to continue the training started in Foggia (Apulia) during the summer.

During the first day the coordinator explained the project starting from the rationale and then focusing on the phases and the results already achieved. After presented the first two Intellectual Outputs and the tools to use during the piloting phase, the participants started the workshops to practically project the PBL activities. In particular during the first day the group had the possibility to work on the project “Etichette biscotti” (lit. “Biscuits labels”).

On the second day, the group took part in a presentation of the PBL activities developed at the UTC in Warrington, that were the focus of the second training organised in the UK a month before. Pictures, videos and other materials were distributed to better figure out how to proceed in the experimentation phase.

After this first part, the ENAC Puglia Director presented the PBL activity ”ENAC4FOOD” carried out as part of the school enterprise within the context of the ESW project. The activity was a real commission for students and teachers made by the University of Foggia to manage kitchen, bar and restaurant during the two days of the Job Fair.

The training finished with other workshops to programme future activities to carry out in the following months. As a main results it is possible to report the following:

• In PBL activities the collaboration among different teachers is essential;
• All teachers have to commit themselves because their contribution is necessary to students’ development (holistic approach);
• To make the challenge real as much as possible, the employer involvement is crucial;
• Groups of students can be horizontal (same age) or a mix of different years;
• Even if PBL is an important activity, it is not easy to organise it
• Examples from UTC showed that time for their PBL activities is concentrated: classes are suspended to let the PBL activities take place.

As part of the ESW project, a local training for trainers took place in January 2020 at two different locations of the CJD association North-Rhine-Westphalia South/Rhineland, where the ESW-Early School Workers project is being implemented.

The two VET training courses that are participating at the ESW project at CJD are the painters and varnishers at the CJD Frechen, a three-year course, and the VET training for sales (helpers) at the CJD Gummersbach, a two-year course.

The basis of the training was the product of Intellectual Output I, the Critical Review  on the UTC and Concept model (guidelines), as to examine the UTC system together, discuss it and receive an introduction into the different components of it.

As the next step during the training the development of a first draft for a curriculum in the area of sales (helpers), as well as in the area of painters / varnishers based on the  UTC system had been discussed.

The aim is to promote in that way the concept of dual vocational training and use the PBL method. The training was well received by the trainers and a vivid discussion took place, discussing PBL activities that are already taking place and can be further developed with these newly acquired insights of the UTC model.