EURIAC - an EU ECVET project

A final word from the EURIAC project about lessons learned

The EURIAC project is now summarizing its results and experiences for the final report. The project was ended September 30, 2013.

EURIAC mobility 2013-2015: Ready, Steady, GO!

The European Class concept developed within the EURIAC project providing students in industrial automation transparent and recognisable international learning opportunities is now ready to be used for organising mobility in new projects. All the project results are available at the EURIAC website and support VET providers in setting up their own European Class in industrial automation.

EURIAC at the World Maintenance Forum

The two industrial representatives in the EURIAC project presented in September 2013 the EURIAC project at the World Maintenance Forum, Lugano, Switzerland.

Swiss trade organization has published news about EURIAC

The Industry magazine fmPro in Switzerland has published an article about the results of the market analysis made in the EURIAC project.

fmPro is a Swiss Association for facility management and industrial maintenance. It is the largest trade organization within this field in Switzerland.

EURIAC at European ECVET conference in Brussels

The EURIAC project has now and is still disseminating its results participating in a number of events and discussions. For instance, in the end of October, 2013, the project was invited as speakers to the European ECVET conference ‘National Implementation of ECVET – Projects, Instruments, Challenges and Solutions’ in Brussels.

There are many reasons to take part in the EURIAC project final conference, which presents its results

Find out more about mobilities and internationalisation by reading some of the interviews with participants at the final conference of EURIAC. The final conference of the EURIAC project took place the 19th of September, 2013 in Kungsbacka, Sweden.

Final conference for the EURIAC project

The final conference of the EURIAC project was a successful event and was attended by participants from several European countries and several types of organisations.

The aim of the conference was to share the results from the project and to promote internationalisation as a way to improve vocational education and training.

INVITATION TO CONFERENCE

Internationalisation is an excellent way to improve vocational education and training (VET). Would you like to know how you can improve VET by international cooperation using the European toolbox ECVET? The 19th of September you can take part in EURIACs final conference in Sweden. ECVET is a European system to support the transfer, recognition, and accumulation of an individual's learning experience abroad.

European vocational programmes lack training in advanced safety systems in automation

This insight was clarified meanwhile the EURIAC project was creating and testing a vocational training unit in safety systems in automation. This is one of many interesting conclusions that the EURIAC project has arrived at and proves that transnational EU-project adds extra value.

Interim report approved

Much has been accomplished and achieved since the EURIAC project kicked-off in October 2011. As a result, the Swedish National Agency financing the project approved the interim report in mid January, 2013.

EURIAC partners apply for funding to continue cooperation

During the third project meeting conducted in Bilbao, Spain, in September discussions on how to carry on the EURIAC cooperation were carried out. The EURIAC partners are very eager to continue the development of the European class and to carry on the mobility exchanges. It was therefore decided that the Finnish, Swedish, and Dutch vocational institutions involved would apply for funding to carry on the collaboration.

Invitation to contribute to BIBB’s discussion paper on the ECVET process in Europe

Even though the EURIAC project still has half a year left to be completed, the project team has made numerous experiences and insights that could provide input to the ongoing implementation process of ECVET at both European and national level. That is also the reason why the institute BIBB invited the EURIAC project to share its experiences and results contributing with an article in the discussion paper on ECVET that will be presented at the ECVET forum in Brussels in the fall of 2013.

ClimaVET - New consortium applying for funding to transfer EURIAC results

A consortium of five European vocational institutions has contacted the EURIAC project to ask for permission to transfer and use the EURIAC ECVET products and process in a new Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation project. The consortium has applied for funding in the call 2013.

Finland is one step closer to ECVET

The Finnish weather was at its best when Christian Dahlin, vocational teacher at Optima, Finland, greeted six European mobility students in January 2013. The temperature during the day was between -5 and -8 Celsius and there was no wind, plenty of snow and white frost in the trees.

EURIAC carried out and tested unit 2

In November 2012, Radius College in Breda, the Netherlands, organised a second mobility period to evaluate the educational unit 2 titled Working on motor controllers in the EURIAC project. In total six students from Spain, Finland and Sweden attended the two week training.

Swedish College wants to test EURIACs units

The EURIAC project has developed four educational units in industrial automation. The Swedish technical college GTG (Gothenburg Technical College) in Gothenburg has now decided that they would like to use the EURIAC concept to set up a new consortium to continue the verification and development of the European Class in automation.

EURIAC students studied in Spain

The EURIAC project has now carried out its first exchange of students. Students from Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands carried out their training in automation together with Spanish students at the vocational school Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri in Bilbao, Spain.

Structure for a Memorandum of Understanding in place

The vocational education partners in the EURIAC project has created and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that states the conditions and principles of the mobility exchanges that will be conducted with students within the scope of the project. The Memorandum of Understanding will also be used for subsequent rounds of mobility exchanges in the future.

Teachers’ involvement from day one is a factor of success

During the first project meeting, held two weeks into the project, the project partners had a guided tour at Radius College and that served as a natural kick-off for the VET teachers and the partners from the industry to start discussing vocational education and training in general.

Work tasks and Learning Outcomes give a new dimension

European learning pathways are widely different. Some are based on work tasks, others on units and credit points.

In the EURIAC project, we have created four European units in automation based on real industrial work tasks and learning outcomes.

Construction of vocational training units step by step

Based on the result from the Market Analysis sent out in 2011, the VET teachers and the representatives from the industry together decided on four training units of Learning Outcomes. The units correlate to the competences most asked for by the industry.

During a work shop at Optima in Finland, ten of the project participants started formulating the prerequisites for each unit and started filling them with work tasks.

Market analysis in automation

The EURIAC project has made a market analysis in order to define modern competence profiles in automation. At the end of 2011 we sent out a questionnaire to a wide range of industries. The result clearly shows that personnel’s’ knowledge in automation is of great importance.

Questionnaire about the industry’s skills needs in automation

During November and December 2011, the EURIAC project is sending out a questionnaire to the industry. The aim is to identify the industry’s future and present skills needs in automation.

The questionnaire is sent out to the industry throughout Europe. Automation is used by at least 35 different trades of industry; paper industry and vehicle industry being two examples.

Conference in Malta about Vocational Education and Training

Anabel Menica, International Project Coordinator at Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri in Northern Spain, participated in an international conference in Malta from 26th to 29th of October 2011.
The topic of the conference was "Towards ET2020. Positive action to Enhance Vocational Education and Training within a Lifelong Learning Agenda".

First project meeting

EURIAC had its first official meeting at Radius College, Breda, The Netherlands in mid October, 2011. Iit was wonderful getting all project partners together for a first meeting and joint discussions. Expectations were high and it was interesting to get to know each other and talk about everybody’s hopes for the project.

Kick-off in Breda -
The Netherlands

The first project meeting of the EURIAC project took place in Breda, The Netherlands on October 12-14. It served as the kick-off of the entire project. For those who met at the preparatory visit in Kungsbacka, Sweden it was an eagerly anticipated meeting of minds. For those who met for the first time, this was when it all came together.

Welcome to take part in the EURIAC experience!

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What is the EURIAC Project?

The EURIAC project will organise international student mobility based on the ECVET principles. (The European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training). Our students will study eight weeks of their industrial automation classes in Spain, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. When they return to their home institute their learning outcomes will be recognised as part of their formal training.

The context of the EURIAC Project

European mobility is a factor of promotion of European integration, of development as well economic as, of employability improvement.

The European Commission wants to create a European space of education while developing mobility of the students and the trainers and by encouraging the exchanges between European actors.

The obstacles to European mobility are still present, in particular within vocational training in spite of this determination to promote mobility and to implement tools.

If you want to sign up for the EURIAC Newsletter, please mail: carin.i.johansson@kungsbacka.se