Vocational education and training stakeholders and CB_WBL signed the cross-border cooperation contract

Trieste, the Regional Education Office for Friuli Venezia Giulia, on February 21 st, 2019.

In the framework of the project “Slovenian-Italian Alliance for Cross-Border Work Based Learning” (acronym CB_WBL), co-financed by the INTERREG V-A ITALY-SLOVENIA COOPERATION PROGRAMME 2014-2020, vocational education and training stakeholders of Italy and Slovenia signed the cross-border cooperation contract. The main stakeholders and partners are the Regional Education Office for Friuli Venezia Giulia and the Center of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training (VET). Other project partners are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Italy and Slovenia, the Center of Nova Gorica, ECIPA Scarl of Venice, all coordinated by the Lead Partner, the Cooperative Center for Social Activity.

The overall objective of the contract is to improve cooperation between vocational education and training institutions with regard to work-based learning.

As the project manager and the chairman of “Cooperative Center for Social Activity”, Branko Jazbec, affirmed, this contract between Italian and Slovenian Institutions and the trade associations is a significant moment for promoting cross-border work based learning and highlighting the importance of the cooperation between cross-border vet institutions and production sector. The main speakers were Igor Giacomini, Director of the Regional School Office for Friuli Venezia Giulia (Schools with Slovenian as language of instruction and schools with Italian and Slovenian as language of instruction) and Elido Bandelj, Director of the Center of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training.

Given the particular importance of the work based learning in the framework of the European Policy in the field of vocational educational and training, 20 signatories of public institutions and production sector expressed their willingness to sign the contract. Thanks to cross-border cooperation, skills and knowledge can be transferred, and this is an important topic in the field of research of human resources for companies.

The contract is one of the objectives of the project which has a budget of € 906.248,55. Today, a new digital platform is being developed, based on the analysis of the educational systems of both countries and on the educational path carried out in the framework of the project with the help of common, innovative and standard approaches in the mobility process. This digital platform enables students and companies to receive information about the neighbouring country system and look for cross-border mobility opportunities.

For this purpose, three contact seminars will be organised, where solutions and available tools will be presented. Furthermore, a match point between educational public service institutions and the companies within the programme area will be established. The digital platform will be launched in the next months.

*cover photo: ECIPA, 2019