The IES José Mor de Fuentes is a state school situated in Aragon which imparts vocational studies in Administration of PC Systems and Networks. These studies belong to the advance education stage and include a compulsory module Training Centres Work (FCT) that is performed in a host company.
The official curriculum of the Government of Aragon and the current legislation of the Spanish State established as mandatory this apprenticeship trying to promote the European mobility.
Our centre participates in programs and actions that promote among our students and teachers the European citizenship and student mobility. Vocational students include a mandatory practice in some companies or institutions that can be also done in other European Union countries through the Erasmus program. Currently the centre offers over 100 agreements with businesses. School exchanges are performed with two English centres (Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School (Marlow) and Haileybury & Imperial Service College (Hertford)) and with French (Collège Bétance (Muret)). At the same time the centre also hosts assistantships assistants in English through the action of Comenius Assistants. The teachers made European stays with the Comenius, mobilities PALE (Program support teaching and learning of foreign languages) of the Government of Aragon and etwinning.
The centre actively works for the expansion and consolidation of agreements with European companies and institutions that facilitate the mobility of students and teachers. The various departments and committees coordinated by the European Program Coordinator hold meetings to set concrete goals searches.
The priority actions from the centre to the Erasmus program are:
-To promote student mobility in European companies, taking into account that the students themselves are the protagonists of mobility.
-Publicize the program in several ways highlighting their appeal and accessibility.
-Encourage the learning of foreign languages and cultural preparation.
-To recognize academic activities by the students and the teachers officially.
The participation in the Erasmus program aims at our centre:
-Improve the quality and attractiveness of vocational training in our centre.
-Promoting competitiveness, entrepreneurship and the skills and key competencies required in the European workplace.
-To promote and enrich the learning of languages and knowledge of cultures of different countries of the European Union and promote the integration of different cultures.
With regard to the visibility of the Erasmus program, the centre will undertake the following actions:
-Post on our website www.iesmordefuentes.com The Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS) in English and Spanish and The different calls and Program application forms.
-Spread via leaflets, brochures and posters the information in the centre.
-Briefings through meetings with students and show previous experience of other students.
The centre meets the objectives of non-discrimination and is committed to promoting gender equality, cultures and religions. It will promote human rights and democracy, fuelling the fight against all forms of racism and xenophobia.
The quality of all activities linked with the program is granted by a committee formed by the European Programme Coordinator, Heads of Departments of Computer Science, English, French and counselling, the Management Team of the centre, The FCT tutors and all teachers involved in the activity. This process will not only be providing quality but a model and framework for improving the various program activities. With regard to placements in enterprises it will be created partnerships and individualized training for each official student and business stays. The FCT tutor will held sessions of monitoring and evaluation fortnightly, as well as any kind of advice and information to outgoing students.
The recognition of the training for both students and teachers is key to all program activities conducted by the centre. Specifically in the case of student mobilities with companies will be recognized for all purposes as if they were performed in Spain. Also they fit with The 22 ECTS credits European regulatory framework and development of Europass Supplement as an attachment document to the title of vocational Training, designed to make it easier for third parties, including employers or institutions of another country.
Strategy for the organisation and implementation of international (EU and non-EU) cooperation projects in teaching and training in relation to projects implemented under the Programme.
-First indicate that our center does not carry out cooperation projects for teaching students.
-Our center carries out projects for the realization of student traineeship activities and teacher training with the Program.
-The school only has a Higher Level vocational study in Management of computer technology that lasts two years, which has a compulsory module in the second (workplace training (FCT)). Our strategy is to introduce the first-year students the opportunity to have working experience in the European Union countries, motivating and informing them of the advantages of mobility. Once done, there is a period of reflection for students to have another meeting so we can estimate the number of mobilities we need for the next course. The school management committee of the Program, estimates the number of mobilities to be requested, with the main objective, that the difference between the mobilities applied to the program and those undertaken each year by the students is zero. In case there are more students than mobilities a selection would be made under the objetive criteria previously established .
-The teachers of these stages will format under the program, preferably when the students are doing their internship. The training received must be related to education, , research or innovation. Prior to the completion of a training period, the teacher must issue a report to a committee of the center to evaluate the adequacy of the same. Once given the acceptance of the commission, the teacher will carry out the training period, spreading as much as possible what they have learned to the other teachers at the school.
-Both groups-students and teachers will share their experiences in lectures at school.
Programme on the modernisation of our institution
With regard to the five priorities of the center modernization agenda states:
1. Increased access to quality higher education with a European dimension significantly facilitating openness to future labor mobility. It increases the number of options that our students have to carry on business practices, not only for geographical mobility in itself, but for the variety of work environments that occur throughout Europe. All this does that it reinforces the motivation and the effort to obtain the title as it portends a real opening to work. As a result of all this is to reduce the dropout due to lack of motivation to future laboral alternatives. With regard to teachers, a door opens to their mobilities to improve their technical, educational and linguistic skills.
2. The mobility to European companies of our students improve the quality of our studies of vocational training. Improve the employability of our students, develop all The key competences and prepare students to cope better with an economy and globalized labor market. Also it improves the disposition in both students and teachers to work abroad, improved labor relations and multicultural acceptance.
3. International cooperation is a broadly positive factor in our center. Within two years our high school will welcome students coming from a bilingual education (English-Spanish), who among other studies can attend higher education studies in our center. For us the possibility of mobility with the program is a source of motivation and value-added quality of this type of education. The mobilities of the program are well known throughout the world and allow our center to have an educational offer with the same performance as that of other schools in our area.
4. The only Higher education offered in this school is Computers studies. Computers is one of he branches in which education, research and innovation are intrinsically linked to. To keep up to date on our training processes it is required by law to carry out a practical training stage in a work place. This is a closed circle that allows our students to be in research and an innovation business environment . Many companies, both SMEs and large corporations that we send students have specific departments of R & D & I (Research, Development and Innovation).
5. All funds raised from the Program are transparently audited and controlled by the school management. All quality requirements on the financing required for our national agency have been fulfilled positively.