Training course for teachers of Vocational Education on the European Union – History, Values and Institutions

From 30th of September to the 4th of October, 2024, sixteen teachers, from the five partner Vocational Educational and Training (VET) schools integrating the Euro4VET consortium, attended in Leiria, Portugal, a training course on the history, values, citizenship and institutions of the European Union (EU).

This course, organised and hosted by the School of Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnic of Leiria (ESECS-IPLeiria), is the first of two courses that are part of the activities of the Euro4VET project on these topics, and aimed at promoting the reflection and the development of teachers’ knowledge and skills in matters related to the EU.

The second course will target fifty VET students, from each of the same partner institutions, and will be designed on the topics that were covered with the teachers, in order to help students to better appreciate both the EU benefits and its direct impacts on young peoples’ daily life and to recognize the importance of adopting active, participatory roles in a democratic society, as responsible citizens, informed by EU values.

 

The course was organised around four main topics: History, Institutions, Citizenship and Values of EU. It counted on the valuable contribution of various specialists in these subjects, from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria but also from the European Commission Representation in Portugal, Portuguese Foreign Ministry, and the European Parliament Office, as well as from other higher education institutions.

As an introduction, and after the formal opening of the course and the engagement of the participants in active team building activities, a very enriching session was held on the information and platforms publicly available on EU institutions, academic studies, legislation and relevant factual information.

The historical conditions and events that led to the establishment of the EU, as we know it, where thoroughly presented and contextualized, followed by a presentation and reflection of what the EU is.

The EU institutions - European Commission, European Parliament - where represented, and overall presented, by their Portuguese representatives. The other EU Institutions were not forgotten and were also presented in the course. The participants were challenged to actively engage on reflections around European citizenship, namely in connection with civil rights and political rights. The EU values of Dignity and Democracy, Freedom, Rule of Law, and Equality and Respect for Human Rights were addressed in the last four sessions of the course.

 

The week, however, for the participants, was not limited to the course's training sessions. As part of the Portuguese immersive experience provided by ESECS-IPLeiria, the participants had also the opportunity to enjoy the coastal landscapes of the west region, near Leiria, cultural visits, and not of least importance, gastronomy.

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Upon returning to their institutions, the participating teachers from the five VET schools of the consortium - Spain (Escola Pia de Mataró), Finland (Kpedu, Central Ostrobothnia Vocational College), North Macedonia (SABA, Skopje), Portugal (Insignare - Associação de Ensino e Formação, Ourém) and Turkey (Anatolia Vocational and Technical Secondary School) - will also be responsible for disseminating the knowledge built up and the information shared during the course.

 

Euro4VET Project has EU funding until 2026, is supported by the Erasmus+ programme and is managed directly by the European Commission's European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which regulates EU funding in the fields of education, culture, audiovisual, sport, citizenship and volunteering.

In addition to the already mentioned VET schools, the consortium also includes, as partner members, ESECS-IPLeiria, and EfVET - European Forum for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Belgium).