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Description
The project "Practical trening stages - passport to the labour market" is carried out in partnership by the Colegiul Tehnic "General Gheorghe Magheru" from Târgu Jiu and Centrul de Calcul SA, in order to increase the quality of internships offered by the two partners for to provide students with relevant skills to ensure their rapid transition and integration into the labour market.
The objectives of the project are: Increasing the quality of internships by diversifying and updating the skills of VET teachers and internship tutorsș Intensifying the degree of cooperation between VET institutions and economic agents by establishing new partnerships.
The project supports the two partners to ensure the training of staff (teachers and practical training tutors) involved in the process of practical training of students in the field of "electronics-automation" - Computer technician, level 4. In this regard, 11 participants: 6 from the school and 5 from the partner company
During the study visit, several debates, round tables, visits to laboratories and practical training, as well as workshops are scheduled, in which participants will have the opportunity to learn and implement new teaching methods and approaches.
On returning, the results will be validated and the participants will develop: 4 CDLs, made with the support of CINEL; 1 Good practice guide for internships and laboratory; 1 project website. Among other expected results: 1 etwining project and 1 Erasmus + school cooperation project to ensure the sustainability of the project activities.
Summary of project results
The preparation of students in the specialization of Computer Technician is a very complex process. Despite the demand in the job market, it is a challenging specialization to educate due to the high requirements related to the facilities and the training of teaching staff. Due to these considerations,the school provides education for this specialization only once every two years, which is why it lacks a tradition in this field, and this fact resulted in low interest from students when enrolling in the 9th grade. Additionally, there is no textbook available, and the school curriculum does not keep pace with this highly dynamic field. Three years ago, the high school initiated a successful collaboration with S.C. Centrul de Calcul S.A., a prestigious institution in the field recognized nationally, with the goal of developing this specialization within the school. Despite the interest shown by both institutions, the partnership encountered numerous issues. Even though Centrul de Calcul has a tradition in organizing internships for university students from the University Constantin Brâncuși and other universities in the country, it lacks experience in working with high schools, with thepromotor school being its first high school partner. Consequently, practical training tutors, while experts in their field, lack experience in working with younger students, are unfamiliar with how to organize and manage consolidated internships, and do not know how to design and implement optional courses in this field. Moreover, some of the teaching staff in this field/specialization are teachers who have undergone professional retraining from other fields. In these conditions, in order to improve the quality of education provided by the school, especially in the field of electronics/automation, quantified by increasing the chances of success and employability of students, it is imperative to develop real partnerships with companies, enhance the quality of specialized training activities through the updating of the teaching skills of staff and mentors, and develop the facilities.
In this regard, the project "Internships - Passport to the Labor Market," carried out in partnership with S.C. Centrul de Calcul S.A. and CINEL High School in Lisbon, aimed to conduct activities that would ensure the training of personnel (teachers and practical training tutors) involved in the practical training process of students in the "electronics-automation" field - Computer Technician.Within the project, 11 participants, including 6 from "General Gheorghe Magheru" Technical College and 5 specialists from Centrul de Calcul S.A., conducted a study visit to VET CINEL High School in Lisbon, a recognized institution for the quality of its partnerships, the high level of student training, the training courses offered for Level 5, adult training programs, and the fact that it provides training in qualifications similar to promoter high school.With the support of the Portuguese partner, the participants were also involved in the development of many project products.
The project products and results are:
4 new Optional Curricula, approved this year by the Gorj County School Inspectorate, new work and assessment sheets, which were included in a Good PracticeGuide, satisfaction assessment questionnaires. Furthermore, the experience gained was used in:-developing documentation, including program and materials for study modules for the partnership authorization of 2 Vocational Training courses - Photovoltaic Installation Assembler and Photovoltaic Installation Installerș preparing documentation for the PNRR project - for equipping the institution with a SMARTLAB; establishing a partnership for conducting job shadowing activities within the Erasmus+ project no. 2022-1-RO01-KA121-VET-000056323, involving 2 engineering teachers, according to a memorandum agreed with CINEL. establishing two new partnerships with two new companies for the training of students in the Computer Technician specialization; a new eTwining project with partners from Romania and Slovenia – Practical Training stages – Passport to Labour Market; 2 students participated in the national stages of the Applied Informatics Olympiad Bucharest 2023 and the Information Technology Olympiad Târgoviște 2023, 6 students qualified for the NextLab National Robotics Competition, 8 students from this field received awards in specialized competitions.In the 2023-2024 school year, the institution increased its enrollment in the electronics-automation field, Computer Technician specialization, by 25%, and the average admission score for this specialization is the highest in the institution. Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in interest in the field of informatics in post-secondary education, as well as in all fields and specializations for which specialization is provided.At this moment, the high school and Centrul de Calcul are working together on a new European-funded project aimed at organizing internships at the county and regional levels for 3 years, for all specializations and levels of study provided by the high school. The project focuses on the Education and Employment Program 2021-2027, Policy Objective 4: "A more social and inclusive Europe, through the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights," the call for proposals - "Adaptation of educational services for students and teaching staff in VET – Internships for students," funded by the European Social Fund Plus.