The project “Programa de Formació i Inserció: Pràctiques Professionals”, led by XarxaFP (International Mobility Association of Barcelona City Council), aims to improve employability and avoid disengagement from the education system of young students of PFI and is a step forward in the internationalization of training and insertion programs in our country. Last Monday, June 13, the closing ceremony of the first state-level mobility project for the educational level of PFI took place in the Salón de Cròniques of Barcelona City Council.
The event was chaired by the the councilor for education, Mr.Pau Gonzàlez, Mrs.Marta Ortueta (electronically), the director of the vocational training Unit of SEPIE, Ministry of Universities and Mrs. Maria Jesus Cervero, president of the XarxaFP.
Mr. Pau Gonzàlez, Councilor for Education of Barcelona City Council opened the event by pointing out that the project has been a success due to the joint involvement of the institutions, and the involvement of all the people involved: management teams, coordinators of mobility, tutors of the training and insertion programs. The project responds to the city council’s commitment to making international mobility more inclusive at all levels of education and breaking with the idea that Erasmus is only for the university. International internships are important for professional experience, language skills but especially for personal skills that are key to their professional and personal development (initiative, confidence, flexibility, organization, teamwork, etc.).This project is just the beginning of a long road that we hope will be successful and full at all levels.
Finally, the councilor thanked the vocational training centers for trusting the city council in this new adventure, as well as the organizations XarxaFP, Fundación BCN Formación Profesional, and the technicians in charge of executing the project more directly, for their commitment. in the project and for all its support.
Then, Ms. Marta Ortueta, thanked all the institutions involved for making possible the development of the project. “Erasmus + is a program made by people, personal situations, a living program,” said the director of the Vocational Training Unit of SEPIE. “We, as institutions, can encourage and promote the program, but it is thanks to you, the participants, that all Erasmus is possible, you are the most important ambassadors.”
The opening of the event ended with the gratitude of Mrs. Maria Jesus Cervero, President of the XarxaFP, who explained how we have been promoting and promoting the internationalization of vocational training in Europe for almost 25 years. “I can proudly say that the young people present here today are the first generation of Erasmus in the Training and Insertion Programs. You are the first but I am sure you will not be the last and we are very clear that in the future doing Erasmus internships in a PFI should be almost as common and everyday as it is today to do them at other educational levels. We believe that the word Erasmus should not only be the property of universities and that vocational training, at all levels, has a lot to show and offer to society, ”concluded the president of XarxaFP.
The project is aimed at young people with fewer opportunities or with obstacles for social, educational and cultural reasons that make it difficult for them to access the labor market and is based on an updated analysis of the common needs of the 13 vocational training centers that make up the consortium promoter of the initiative, and the willingness of all of them to start offering more inclusive mobility opportunities for their PFI students.
This includes 3 group internships for a total of 32 young PFI students, in the cities of Lisbon (Portugal), Munich (Germany) and Toulouse (France) for fifteen days.
Then, the tutors explained their experience during the course of the project as well as that of their students, a very positive experience. It was asked to be repeated and reproduced more regularly. The tutors of the Escola del Treball, INS Escola d’Hoteleria i Turisme centers also highlighted the series of skills that are acquired or reinforced with this project: Basic skills: skills for accessing the labor market, (mobility, functional calculation and basic computer science), knowledge of English / French), b) Transversal skills: adaptability, learning to learn, communication, emotion management, initiative-autonomy, organization, responsibility and Technical and professional skills according to professional profile, vocabulary and language professional in English or French, according to professional profile.
The event ended with the presentation of the diploma of recognition by Councilor for Education Pau Gonzalez and the President of XarxaFP Maria Jesus Cervero.
