ERASMUS
POLICY STATEMENT (OVERALL STRATEGY)
D1. Our institution's international (EU and non-EU)
strategy.
Our
international strategy consists of a number of different factors, all of which
combine to work to create the best possible outcomes for all parties involved
in the projects. With regards to the election of our international partners; we
target institutions that suit the professional and training requirements of our
students and staff, ensuring that the all parties involved can benefit from the
experience and that match ups for the partners are both advantageous and
useful. We also strive towards ensuring that the institutions in which our
students and teachers find themselves are of a high quality and standard. Due
to the fact that the Erasmus project provides numerous opportunities in a large
variety of countries, we aim to look at institutions available in every country
that features in the Erasmus Charter call for proposals 2014, however we try to
prioritize institutions in countries where English is spoken as our institution
itself is a British project bilingual school and above all foreign languages;
English takes precedence in our institution, and thus it is likely that
students will already have at least a basic level of English. The main
countries in which we have developed our mobility activities are Germany, (in
cities such as Berlin, Mainz, Wiesbaden
and Hamburg) and Italy and United kingdom.
Before
signing an agreement, a primary visit is carried out to get to know the
companies from the health and electronic sector, or the European educational
institution in which our students and/or staff may find themselves, also to
find out about the facilities they have, the legal representatives and possible
tutors. We carry out a presentation about our institution and our students,
handing out written leaflets and also discs or DVDs carrying further information.
The dates and the program of activities are decided, corresponding with our
students’ and staff´s professional profiles and requirements. The documents
associated with the mobility activites are signed in the language studied by
each individual students or staff. It’s required that the future tutors of our
students and staff follow the curriculum or training practices that have been
set out during this time. To ensure that this is the case the tutors are
required to sign and stamp all the documents.
With
regards to our priorities and important objectives, we aim to create a 100%
transparency of the project so that everybody involved in our institution is
aware of the opportunities available, we also ensure there is no discrimination
in our project, so that all students and staff are treated equally regardless
of any disabilities or the backgrounds they may have. These two objectives are
in place to make sure that the Erasmus project and its countless benefits are
available to everybody and information is readily available if required,
another one of our objectives is that all participants in this project are well
looked after and that an Erasmus representative like myself is available to
help with any issues the participants may have whilst away in their partner
institution or whilst in our own institution. We pride ourselves in providing a
high level of care and time to the participants of these mobility activities,
ensuring they are well equipped before and after moving away, this includes the
obtaining of grants, assistance with finding accommodation and much more.
Whilst participants are away on their placements we regularly keep in touch to
ensure that the treatment they are receiving is of a high standard and that
they feel cared for and have everything they need.
D2. Our
institution's strategy for the organisation and implementation of international
(EU and non-EU) cooperation projects in teaching and training in relation to
projects implemented under the Programme.
In order to
ensure that the international projects are a success and there are no issues,
our institution works tirelessly during the planning process to make sure that
everything runs smoothly. Under the supervision of the coordinator of the
Erasmus program and coordinator of the European section tasks are shared out
between: the tutors of the students that will participate in the mobility
activities for studying or training, and the representatives of the European
partner institutions (schools and companies in which placements will be held).
The coordinators have a special timetable in which they can organize meetings
and events to ensure the completion of all tasks at hand and update information
for all those involved. To maintain a high level of communication between
partner institutes, we organize visits and meetings with potential partners
which allow us to create the base for a strong professional relationship, in
which we can openly contact each other via telephone, email or video messaging.
The experience that we have cumulated since the beginning of our participation
in the Erasmus project has also encouraged us to begin with new international
cooperation projects outside of the Erasmus scheme, for example the Erasmus
coordinator and various teachers from throughout Europe have taken part in a
number of seminars in which they have shared experiences, vital information and
knowledge and looked for new international partners for our institution. Our
institution is open to all possible opportunities throughout the world in which
we could participate, for example our French department has an international
cooperation project with Ghana and we have also applied for the Leonardo
Partnership with countries such as: Poland, Turkey, Romania, Germany and
Ireland.
D3. The expected impact in our participation in the
Programme on the modernisation in our
institution.
The Erasmus
projects opens up countless opportunities for our institution to benefit and
learn from our various partners throughout Europe, from these experiences and
the knowledge gained, we can look to improve our own institution, combining the
highest levels of education throughout Europe. The first of the priorities of
the modernization agenda is to increase attainment levels, after years of
successful Erasmus projects we have seen that the students returning from their
partner organization have increased their level of knowledge immensely with
regards to the foreign language they have been using, the country with which
they have immersed themselves in and their professional skills, be it Health
sector or Electricity & Electronic sector. Before the students and staff
arrive to their partner institution, we ensure that our students gain credits ECTS (or the equivalent) which can
be recognized by institutions throughout Europe and that despite being
different in style, the level of knowledge attained is the same and that are
linked to the qualifications in the European Qualifications Framework.
The continued success of these Erasmus
projects has ensured that students place more value in higher
education and feel that in the future their possibilities are broader and at an
international scale. In the world of work, experience is valued extremely highly,
the experience gained from these mobility projects is second to none, immersing
a student or teacher in a foreign environment and allowing them to improve
their skills helps bridge borders between countries, making international
cooperation as standard, and allows for a higher level of quality for the
workforces of the European Union. A fine example of where the connection of
higher education, research and business for excellence and regional development
has taken place is when a number of our students have decided to stay at the
institution where there placement was. Because the business for which they
worked for clearly valued the skills that they provided and decided to hire
them on a permanent basis. Thus strengthening the workforce of various regions
by allocating the best workers to where they are needed most, thus increasing
economic efficiency throughout the European Union. The Erasmus project has
provided numerous students and members of staff with new opportunities and
career possibilities, some that without the mobility activities may not have
been able to utilize the skills that they had effectively and thus funding
students with the appropriate grants has been imperative to the success of this
Erasmus project.
Para consultar el docuemnto original de la Carta Erasmus 2014-2020 consultar los enlaces:
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