Description of the
Participating Schools
Zespół Szkół Chłodniczych i Elektronicznych, Gdynia, Poland
ZSChiE in Gdynia, Poland is a secondary technical state school. The school has a very long tradition as it is almost seventy years old.
The school provides education in electronics, Information Technology, mechatronics and mechanics of cooling and refrigerating systems. All the departments and school workshops are in one building. The school cooperates with companies and institutions where students spend one month in their third grade.
There are about 650 students and 60 teachers of general and vocational subjects. The students are mainly boys, there are about 10 girls only.
Students start their education at the age of 16 and finish at the age of 20. Apart from general subjects like Polish, mathematics or languages they study their vocational subjects, attend workshops and spend one month in companies in the third grade.
After four years students take general school leaving exams which give them the opportunity to start studies at universities and vocational technical exams which certify their technical qualifications.
As a result of international cooperation with European Union countries students have had a chance to take part in Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus+ projects since 2006.
VAMIA (Vocational college) Vaasa, Finland
VAMIA was founded 1.1.2017 when Vaasa Vocational Institute, Vaasa Adult Education Center and Vaasa Apprenticeship office merged to one organisation.
VAMIA is run by the City of Vaasa and is a multidisciplinary vocational education organisation with approx. 7000 students per year (3000 fulltime). Vamia is offering vocational education to youth ( 16-19 years), to adults, to working life and the industry. Vamia offers programs in Finnsh, Swedish and English.
Almost 60 different vocational exams and over 40 study programs are offered within Vamia. The school has two campuses within Vaasa ( Hansa campus and Sampo campus) and six fields of education: Energy services (electrical engineering and automation technology, electrician, automation assembler, electronic assembler, ICT-technician construction builder, earthmover operator, safety and security) Technology services (car mechanic, pipefitter/plumber, HVAC installer, caretaker, machinist, maintenance assembler, sheet metal welder) Wellfare services (social and welfare- practical nurse, hairdresser, beauty therapist), Business services (customer services and sales, accounting and office services, business information technology, media assistant, management, entrepreneurship) Tourism services (hotel, estaurant/Catering, tourism, cleaning services) and General education services ( general subjects and vocational preparatory education).
The region of Vaasa is international. There are plenty of international companies especially within technology (energy- 140 companies). Vaasa hosts the largest energy cluster in Northern Europe. The citizens of Vaasa represent 117 nationalities and 7% has another mother tongue than Finnish or Swedish. The population consists of 68% Finnish speaking, 25% Swedish speaking and 7% other languages. It sets challenges but also possibilities to the education, the staff and the students.
Vamia has a long experience of International projects and mobilities. The school received Erasmus+ mobility charter in 2016. The school is sending approximately 100 students and 50 staff abroad every year. The school has participated in and run several projects funded by Leonardo da Vinci, the Finnish Board of Education, Nordplus and Erasmus+ ( K1 and K2). Internationalisation of vocational education is one area of focus within the school and is continuously developed. The school is every year welcoming a large amount of experts and students from abroad on internships, job shadowing, bench marking, field trips, development projects etc.
RBZ Technik Kiel, Germany
The school Regionales Berufsbildungszentrum Technik (RBZ Technik) [Regional centre for vocational studies – technical department] is a vocational school for the technical professions. Classes are attended by students from the Kiel metropolitan area and bordering communities. A major part of the education at the RBZ Technik consist of the partnership with the region’s apprenticing companies.
Our school focuses on three main areas: The education of students that are in professional training at apprenticing companies (ICT, motor mechanics, electronics, metalworking industries), the further qualification of young people currently in need of an apprenticeship, and various schooling arrangements qualifying full-time students to enter further paths of higher education (e.g. university studies).
The aim of our various European projects and endeavours is to help young students gain new perspectives on international co-operation and to prepare them for professional life in a globalised world. The European co-operative projects are generally met with most favourable responses in local politics and the apprenticing companies and are held in high esteem by student participants and the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
As of now, 2660 students take classes at the RBZ, with 140 teachers responsible for their education. Additionally, 150 students with refugee status from the ages 15 to 18 attend the school in various schooling programmes.
Our main emphasis is on the coordination of the project activities, the assimilation of further schools into standing partnerships and the promotion of the European idea. Another main idea is to help students experience the interaction of ICT, electronics, mechatronics and electrical engineering. Our projects seek to further the ‘technical’ and the ‘inter-lingual’ communication in that respect.
New and developing classes at our school are the innovative area of electronic mobility, the training to become an event technician, and the A-level profiles media-technology and maritime technology