"What can European projects offer in the field of vocational education?"...this was the leading question of this year's VET Forum organised by the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS).
Agricultural College & Secondary Agricultural School Benešov, as a representative of two European "green" projects (TEAM#UP and European platform for urban greening, EPLUG), had the honour to present both projects personally as the main guest of the event.
What is the VET Forum?
The VET Forum is the annual flagship event for the VET sector. It is organised by DZS and closely follows the European Vocational Skills Week announced by the European Commission.
VET Forum 2024
Theme: The path to environmental sustainability in Erasmus+ international projects
The aim of this year's conference was to inspire organisations on how to integrate sustainability naturally not only in Erasmus+ projects but also in the life of the organisation. The forum offered opportunities to attend experts' presentations, practical workshops with examples of good practice, and for informal sharing of sustainability tips, interesting facts and experiences.
The focus themes of the conference were agriculture, forestry, ecology and environmental protection, veterinary medicine, food and gastronomy, but representatives of other fields interested in this topic could also participate.
The forum brought together representatives from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Institute of Education, directors of vocational schools and Erasmus+ project coordinators.
During the professional programme, several speakers from different organisations and institutions took the stage to present on a variety of topics, including methods applied in environmental education in schools and principles of circular economy in practice were presented, and DZS representatives also spoke about the promotion of environmental sustainability in the Erasmus+ programme. Examples of integrating the sustainability as a priority into international projects were presented by the Director of the Benešov Agricultural Secondary School & College, Mrs. Ivana Dobešová. She introduced the participants to the mission and goal of the projects in which the school is involved. She pointed out the concrete results of cooperation of international teams and gave examples of participation of teachers and students in these projects.
Those interested in learning more about the TEAM#UP and EPLUG projects had the opportunity to visit the booths in the lobby and get information about the projects activities directly from the students. They shared their experiences and insights from their participation in the International Urban Greening Week or from the expert seminar with a practical demonstration of collecting regional seed mixtures using brushing machines. They were also able to see the green roof designs created during the Green Weeks by international student teams or learn more about the upcoming Open Educational Resources platform on ecological restoration.
The theoretical part of the programme was complemented by practical workshops designed both for students of vocational schools (Climate Mosaic) and for representatives of professional organisations to share examples of good practice (Sustainability in Practice).
Thank you to the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research for the opportunity to present interesting European projects to the professional public and we hope that this meeting will inspire other organisations and schools to get involved in sustainable projects.
More information about this year's VET Forum can be found directly on the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research website.