The ESW Project at the EfVET 2020 Roundtables

At its annual conference, EfVET – the European network for vocational education and training, of which ENAC has been a member since 2018 – offers its members the opportunity to disseminate the results of their projects in order to promote best practices.

During the Roundtables, partners from various European projects have the opportunity to provide more in-depth information to all interested parties and discuss future opportunities for cooperation. During this event, ENAC and the Catholic University will present the main results of the project, specifically:

the first Intellectual Output, which consists of a report on UTCs (University Technical Colleges) and how to transfer the model to other contexts

the second Intellectual Output – Methodological framework and common tools for the development of a new curriculum

To participate, send an email to enac@enac.org indicating:

• email address to which the link to participate should be sent
• first name
• surname
• organisation

J2E.Experience in the Netherlands

We asked some trainers who participated in Erasmus+ mobility projects last year to evaluate the impact that this experience has had on their training activities over time.
Below is the testimony of Vera Bottazzi, language trainer at ENAC Lombardia – C.F.P. Canossa in Bagnolo Mella, who visited Friesland College in the Netherlands last year.

“During the three days of visits as part of the J2E project promoted by ENAC, I noticed that the training structure in the Netherlands is very different from ours.
There are more unstructured activities, which I hope will also come to Italy, as I believe they are good for both professional skills and soft skills. In fact, it was the focus on the latter that struck me most during the study visit.

What have I learnt and what do I use? Definitely explaining the objective!

Each lesson, each period is dedicated to a concept, an activity that is always visible (on the blackboard, on the interactive whiteboard), which helps students understand the reason behind the exercises. In addition, the experience has helped me rethink teaching spaces. In a classroom in Bagnolo (first pastry shop), we created a different classroom setting:

• The desks are arranged in groups of four, which greatly helps both students who are struggling and those who are more skilled, as they can help others.
• The teacher’s desk is not near the blackboard but on the other side of the room, which helps the teacher to avoid “sitting down”. They have to get up to stand in the middle of the room (which attracts more attention) and to write on the blackboard. This situation met with a lot of resistance, but gradually seems to have been accepted.
• The presentation of group work or various individual tasks takes place in the centre of the classroom. I have set up a lectern so that students can overcome their shyness and clearly share what they are doing with others. It wasn’t easy, but now the students have no problem with it.

Going beyond simple lectures…

In the fourth year classes, I gave them independent assignments to be completed over time, which they could then discuss in class (as I had seen during lessons at the Dutch school). This gave each student greater autonomy and responsibility. Of course, some took advantage of this to do less than was asked of them, but I think this is normal; the habit of lecture-style teaching does not help students to work towards results.

My confidence in the students’ soft skills has increased. I believe that in the past I sometimes took their place, but the Dutch experience made me realise that giving them more autonomy, listening to their opinions on the progress of the course and reviewing the situation as a group every month helps them to be more responsible towards their studies.

I hope that soft skills and professional skills will be considered complementary. In the future world of work, there should be no division between what you do and how you do it. I believe this will be the rule for success, and the same should apply to vocational training centres.”

Erasmus Days 2025

Live Broadcast Canossa Erasmus III ed.

Again this year, Canossa Erasmus will participate in #Erasmusdays with a live marathon involving Canossian schools and vocational training centres that have taken part in #Erasmus+ mobility programmes. Students, teachers and staff will tell us about their experiences!

There will also be a second live broadcast with our European partners, with whom we collaborate every day to carry out our projects.

We will talk about group mobility, long and short mobility, internships, job shadowing, incoming activities, training courses and much more.

Follow us live on our YouTube channel on Wednesday 15 October and Thursday 16 October from 10th a.m. to 2th p.m.!

The EUAMI project workshop: One Africa – many Africas by Anna Pozzi

Anna Pozzi, is a journalist and writer specialising in Africa. She is editor of the monthly magazine «Mondo e missione» and contributes to various publications, for which she has produced numerous reports from countries in Africa and the Middle East. She was invited by Canossa Campus to hold a new workshop as part of the European EUAMI project. This gave Canossa Campus students the opportunity to learn more about the African continent and make new discoveries.

The meeting was a journey through the complexity of Africa, a continent often reduced to stereotypes, but which reveals extraordinary cultural, geographical and demographic diversity. Anna Pozzi emphasised how the borders drawn by Europeans during colonialism have contributed to generating long-lasting conflicts, such as the one in Sudan. She went on to compare African population growth with that of India and China and demonstrated the need for a careful reading of the dynamics that shape the continent’s future.

The journalist also focused on North Africa, highlighting the challenges posed by conflict, terrorism and climate change, which have forced millions of people to migrate. She then analysed Africa’s rapid urbanisation: more than half of the population now lives in cities, where the pandemic has exacerbated social inequalities.

A significant example was that of the Kivu region, rich in minerals but devastated by instability and exploitation. He recounted the story of Denis Mukwege (Nobel Peace Prize winner) founder of the hospital Panzi Hospital and Foundation a Bukavu, capital of the province of South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for women victims of violence, linking local difficulties to the consumption choices of Western countries.

The journalist also cited Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as an example of extreme contrasts: wealth and poverty, tradition and modernity. She concluded her remarks with an invitation to consider the impact of European policies and consumption on African humanitarian crises.

Anna Pozzi’s speech left a deep impression, stimulating greater awareness of a continent that is often misunderstood and of the responsibility to look at Africa with new eyes.

Vet2sustain project meeting a Verona

The VET2Sustain  project team met in Verona on 12–13 March 2025 for a productive and collaborative meeting, working efficiently towards the project’s objectives.

The first working session was led by Sirje Hassinen and Oona Haapakorpi from Omnia, who provided an overview of the current status of the project. They reviewed the project objectives and commitments outlined in the project application. To align everyone’s understanding, they also introduced the working methods, key actions and target groups.

Later, Katarina Sandbacka presented the development of a long-term strategic action plan focused on promoting sustainable, inclusive and digital vocational education and training (VET). The main outcomes of the plan include establishing a partnership agreement for future cooperation, creating a shared strategy and action plan for the network, and organising a recurring annual event. In addition, short- and long-term action plans will be developed for VET organisations at regional, national and EU level, ensuring a well-coordinated and forward-looking approach across Europe. Virpi Kaasinen then provided an update on efforts to create and strengthen cooperation models for vocational education and training in Europe, with a particular focus on exploring networking opportunities. Key actions under development include the creation of an online platform for collaboration, participation in joint annual events for projects funded under the same theme, and the promotion of opportunities for internationalisation activities at national level.

During the meeting, the calendar of upcoming activities was shared, and discussions were held on how to organise joint meetings with national government and qualification awarding bodies and review the current progress report. A feedback session allowed participants to discuss the report, provide input and suggest improvements. The session also focused on assessing the next steps.
The team also worked on collecting examples of how AI and XR technologies are currently being used in vocational education at partner institutions.

At the start of the second day of the meeting, there was a presentation on the use of Thinglink in education. Samiedu showed examples of how Thinglink can be used. Henri Pennanen from ThingLink guided all participants in the meeting through the use of the platform’s tools.

Finally, Wednesday’s communication and dissemination session focused on guiding partners in reporting on their communication and dissemination activities. Mira Torvinen-Määttä clarified the distinction between these two concepts, explaining that communication involves spreading awareness of the project, while dissemination ensures that the right people receive and use the results.

This meeting laid a solid foundation for the next steps of the project, strengthening collaboration and shared commitment to achieving its ambitious goals.