Improving the quality of vocational training: language, tourism and international commerce Training course with visits workshops & in Spain TITLE KIND OF ACTIVITY LOCATION Improving the quality of vocational training: language, tourism and international commerce Training course with visits. Cantabria, Spain. PROJECT DATES From Nov. 2016 to May 2017. TARGET GROUP Teachers of Spanish in vocational training education (tourism and international commerce areas) and staff connected to the applicant organisation. DURATION OF THE COURSE 10 days + 2 travelling days = 12 days. FRAMEWORK OF ACTION FRAMEWORK OF ACTION: MOBILITY PROJECT FOR VET LEARNERS AND STAFF. This activity supports the professional development of teachers, school leaders or other school education staff and also it’s open to people from enterprises, the public sector and/or civil society organisations, in the form of: participation in structured courses or training events abroad; Pages 50-56 APPLICATION FORM WHO CAN APPLY TO THIS PROGRAMME SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT Application form direct link A VET organisation (or its subsidiary/branch) sending learners and staff abroad. Individuals cannot apply directly for the grant. It is also possible to apply jointly, as a group of different schools, which form a national mobility consortium (consortium application). Only one school will be responsible/applicant. Permacultura Cantabria (NGO located in the north of Spain), in collaboration with vocational training local institutions and Spanish teaching schools, wants to invite you, to carry out a training activity sponsored by the ERASMUS+ programme. For our training course we have developed a 12-day programme, in which vocational training faculty and staff will explore different areas: the importance of this language in the current context; tools and new methods of non-formal education to improve the learning process and the use of ICTs as an educational innovation in the classroom. In addition we will carry out practical workshops, sessions and visits related with tourism development and local and international commerce, to offer participants a broader perspective. We will also visit several fundamental sites of the Spanish cultural and historical heritage, like the Pontifical University of Comillas, the historic centre of Santillana del Mar or Santander city. 2 INDEX 5 PLANNING 8 PROJECT SUMMARY 10 VISITS Day 3 Day 5 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Pontifical University and Comillas Foundation Opening doors to the international tourism Comillas and Santillana del Mar Production of local products and international commerce Cultural heritage and educational resources Local stores specialized in Cantabrian products sale 17 MAP 19 PROJECT STAGES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Request collaboration We will send you the project for you to check it out Submitting the project online Waiting for the answer of your national agency Start preparing the activity Coordination to arrange applications and other activity preparations Carrying out the activity Elaborating the final report 28 PRACTICAL INFORMATION 3 PLANNING back to INDEX 4 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day Breakfast 8:30 Travelling day Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast 1st Session 9:30 Travelling day Visit: Tourism Vocational Training Centre in Torrelavega The use of ICTs for teaching Spanish: methods and programmes Opening gates to International tourism (Ferries Santander) Online resources for teaching Spanish Coffee break Coffee break Coffee break Coffee break Exchange of good practices for vocational training Spanish language teachers The use of ICTs in the classroom: benefits and challenges. Museums as an educational resource (Visit to the Maritime Museum) Creating our own ICTs resources for teaching Spanish (part I) Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Visit: Pontifical University of Comillas Exchange of good practices on ICTs for teaching Spanish The importance of transportation for tourism: Santander-Somo Creating our own ICT resources for teaching Spanish (part II) PLANNING Practical information, logistics and getting to know the surroundings Travelling day Coffee break Coffee break 11:30 2nd Session 12:00 Travelling day Non-formal education tools Travelling day Lunch Lunch 13:30 3rd Session 15:30 Travelling day Sharing non-formal educational resources for teaching Spanish Travelling day Coffee break Coffee break 17:00 4th Session 17:30 Participants welcome Games and dynamics to improve the learning process Room Presentation of Evaluation 19:00 distribution the evaluation system Dinner Dinner Dinner 20:00 Soirée 21:30 Rest 23:00 back to INDEX Coffee break Coffee break Visit: Comillas Foundation, teaching reference centre in Spain Walk and rest Return and evaluation Daily evaluation Dinner Games for introducing ourselves Sharing time Sharing time Rest Rest Rest 5 Coffee break Touristic Resources: leisure activities by the coast. Coffee break Shared resources presentation Return and evaluation Dinner Dinner Evaluation Sharing time Rest Rest Sharing time Sharing time Dinner Rest PLANNING Breakfast 8:30 7 day 8 day 9 day 10 day 11 day 12 day Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Visit: Dairy vocational training in centre in Cayón. Connecting with the labor market Discovering the historical and cultural heritage. Visit: El Castillo Caves Strategies for commerce & tourism development: The Pasiegan Valleys Commonwealth example Internship opportunities and experiences in Europe for our students: Erasmus Plus Farewell Coffee break Coffee break Coffee break Coffee break Return Visit: Nestlé factory Manufacturing products and internationally marketing Learning Spanish with non-formal workshops International representation of local seals of quality Lunch Lunch 1st Session 9:30 Visit: Gaudi’s “Capricho” and Sobrellano Palace in Comillas Coffee break 11:30 Coffee break 2nd Session 12:00 Cultural visit in Comillas: Modernist route and cinema route Lunch Travelling day Travelling day Lunch Entrepreneurship Knowing the reality: Spanish society current challenges Coffee break Coffee break Marketing rural products internationally Networking: Creating future projects (part II) Visits: Museum Torre Don Borja and Inquisition Museum Visit: Local products manufacturing and processing Walk and rest Return and daily evaluation Daily evaluation Daily evaluation Dinner Dinner Dinner Open space Initiatives and proposals presentation Daily evaluation Activity review and evaluation Dinner Dinner Sharing Time Cinema forum Sharing time Rest Rest Rest Lunch Lunch 13:30 3rd Session 15:30 Visit: Santillana del Mar’s historical site Coffee break Coffee break 17:00 4th Session 17:30 Evaluation 19:00 Dinner 20:00 Soirée 21:30 Rest 23:00 back to INDEX 6 Coffee break Sharing time Networking: Creating future projects (part I) Travelling day Travelling day Coffee break Farewell Party and certificates distribution Rest Rest Travelling day Travelling day PROJECT SUMMARY back to INDEX 7 PROJECT SUMMARY Day 1 and 12 Days 2, 4, 6 and 11 First and last day will be intended for travelling. On the arrival day, we will collect participants from train and bus stations and airports in Santander, so as to facilitate the arrival to our centre. The same will be done on the leaving day. These classes will be given at the training room. There are four kinds of classes: · Workshops given by a teacher of Spanish. · Participative classes, in which participants share their experience and knowledge. · Group work where projects and future collaborations will be designed. · Those in which an expert comes and shares his/ her experience. Days 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 back to INDEX These classes will be given outside the training room. We will visit different projects and initiatives to learn directly from their examples. 8 VISITS back to INDEX 9 VISITS Day 3 Pontifical University and Comillas Foundation We will visit this XIX historical building, which, currently, combines the historical and cultural heritage of those times with the modernity of a University of national prestige. Also right there, we find the Comillas Foundation central office, which is an international reference centre for teaching Spanish. back to INDEX 10 VISITS Day 5 Opening doors to the international tourism Cantabria is very different from the usual international image of Spain, an area still to be discovered, and a great historical and cultural treasure. Santander, apart from being the most populated city of our Region, it is also a very attractive maritime city, full of charm. This day we will explore this relationship, specially the entrance of international tourism from the city to the rural areas. Visit to the maritime area: Beaches and the main maritime transportations The first stop will be at the travel centre Brittany Ferries. Then, we will get to know Santander’s bay and its beaches on a boat trip. Santander’s Maritime Museum The Cantabrian Maritime Museum is dedicated to the promotion of the maritime heritage of the Bay. Its resources, one of the most important and complex of the country, allow having a global approach to the marine biodiversity and a perspective of the diverse ways of relationships of human beings with it, through centuries and from different points of view. back to INDEX 11 VISITS Day 7 Comillas and Santillana del Mar Comillas is one of Cantabria’s more emblematic villages. Specially interesting from a cultural and historical point of view. Some of the most important modernist buildings of Cantabria can be found there, like the Sobrellano Palace and its chapel-mausoleum, the Pontifical University and, of course, “El Capricho” by the famous Catalan architect Gaudi. Santillana del Mar is a great example of an excellent preservation of historical heritage and one of the biggest spotlights of the cultural activity in Cantabria. There we can find a remarkable Historic Monumental site and several museums of great interest, in terms of cultural heritage, like the Torre Don Borja (Contemporary Art) or the Inquisition Museum. back to INDEX 12 VISITS Day 8 Production of local products and international commerce Visit the vocational training studies of dairy products and the Nestlé factory Two of the main institutions, which encourage the regional development, are the vocational study centre of dairy products and the Nestlé factory. We will get to know their facilities and the key aspects of the school, as well as its job opportunities. Growing organic blueberries in the Pasiegan Valleys: “LA PIZPIRETA” There is a small exploitation (one hectare), where, with love and good deeds, different varieties of wild fruits are grown (Blueberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries and blackberries). All of them are grown organically, keeping in this way, all its flavour and natural properties. Artisan products production in the Pasiegan Valleys, sobaos and quesadas: “JOSELIN” Pasiegan Valleys are known for their high quality raw materials, derived from family farming and agriculture. Sobaos and quesadas (handmade baked products) Joselín are a good example of how to exploit this quality in order to keep on producing, with artisan recipes, the traditional desserts of the area. back to INDEX 13 VISITS Day 9 Cultural heritage and educational resources Visit to the Castillo Caves in Puente Viesgo By the river Pas, where it passes through Puente Viesgo, we find the Castillo Mountain. It hosts inside four caves with prehistoric art, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, in 2008. The most remarkable one is called El Castillo, whose vestibule was excavated at the beginning of the XX century, writing the “first page” of Prehistory in Spain, and the “first chapter” in Europe. back to INDEX 14 VISITS Day 10 Local stores specialized in Cantabrian products sale Esperanza Market and more In Santander’s city centre we will visit different models of distribution of Cantabrian local products. A remarkable place is the Esperanza Market and other small local stores dedicated to quality products. back to INDEX 15 MAP back to INDEX 16 MAP Maritime area (pag. 11) 1 1 to Oviedo (2 h.) Comillas (pags. 10, 12) 2 3 4 2 4 Santillana del Mar (pag. 12) 5 3 Puente Viesgo (pag. 14) 4 Pasiegan Valleys (pag 13) 5 back to INDEX 17 to Bilbao (1 h.) PROJECT STAGES back to INDEX 18 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP Request collaboration 1 Deadline to send us the application form is the 15th of January. In order to be able to work together, we need to know that you are interested, that you can meet the demanded requirements and that you agree with the working conditions. In the application form, you will have to fill in your contact details and answer other questions, which will help us to draft the project, so that, ultimately, you can submit it to your national agency. In this manner, we will be able to work jointly and meet the deadline of the first round of Erasmus + 2016. Application form back to INDEX 19 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP 2 We will send you the project for you to check it out Applications will be accepted by strict order of arrival, provided that they meet the minimum requirements. From Permacultura Cantabria, we commit ourselves to answer applications, within a week after it was sent. If your organization is accepted, we will write the erasmus + application, send you all the necessary documents and reports already filled out, so that you can check them out. Thus, we simplify, largely, the work of filling out all the necessary documentation. back to INDEX 20 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP Submitting the project online 3 The last step is to submit the project in the online form of the Erasmus + application. This is your responsibility, but It will be very simple because we will send you the written project and you only have to fill in the different questions of the form and click “submit”. Still, it is important to check that all signed and stamped documents are attached, that all data are correct and, especially, to do it all before midday, the 1st of February (official deadline). We suggest not leaving it for the last day, in case any problem arises. back to INDEX 21 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP 4 Waiting for the answer of your national agency National agencies normally take the decision of approval or denial within 2 months. Thus, we would know if we succeeded, the latest, in the midst of April. Whatever the answer would be, it is very important, that you inform us as soon as possible, so as to keep on organizing. We will keep in contact, if we don’t hear from you by the end of April, we will write you asking for any news. back to INDEX 22 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP Start preparing the activity 5 In case the project is approved (Congratulations!), we will need to start with the organization of the project. If all the due dates are respected and nothing strange interferes, by the midst of June, your National Agency should have deposited you, the 80% of the grant awarded. Once your organization receives this amount you have to make a transfer to our entity, so that we can start with the staff recruitment and the preparation of the activity. The amount you should deposit in our account is the 79% of the total amount received. For instance: If we apply for a 15 people project and we are awarded with 30.445€, in June you would receive the 80% of that amount, that is 24.356€. Of these 24.356€ you have to transfer the 79% to Permacultura Cantabria, that is 19.278€. The rest, the 21%, will be the amount that you have at your disposal for the travel expenses and the preparation of the activity. Thus, neither your agency, nor ours, will have to advance any money and we won’t run any risk. Distribution Example: 1st payment 80% 2nd payment 20% (Around June) (2 months after justifying) Awarded 19.316 € 4.829 € For the sending organization 5.708 € 4.829 € 37% of the total For Permacultura Cantabria 13.608 € 0€ 63% of the total TOTAL 19.316 € 4.829 € 24.145 € 24.145 € back to INDEX 23 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP 6 Coordination to arrange applications and other activity preparations At the beginning of the academic year (September 2016), your organization should start with the participant’s selection process. The group must have one person in charge, a coordinator, who will manage the necessary documentation and stay in close contact with the Spanish organizer. Our organization will facilitate all the necessary information: location, emergency telephone numbers, how to get there, what to bring, the programme of activities and any other relevant information necessary to carry out the activity successfully. back to INDEX 24 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP Carrying out the activity 7 We will make sure that the activity is carried out successfully and, ultimately, provide participation certificates and diplomas. Your coordinator has just the single task of writing a small evaluation every evening (15 minutes). Thus, when we finish the activity, you will have all the necessary documentation to elaborate the final report appropriately. back to INDEX 25 PROJECT STAGES STEP BY STEP Elaborating the final report 8 Finally, and in order to close the project, it is necessary to write a simple report and submit it to your national agency. If the coordinator did his job during the activity, it will be very easy. Sometimes, some organizations have assigned a certain percentage of the budget for pocket money, but only gave it to participants after they had written a little memory of their experience, when the activity was over. Anyhow, your organization is responsible to close the process. Once it is done, the National Agency will deposit you the final amount, which will be entirely for your organization. back to INDEX 26 PRACTICAL INFORMATION back to INDEX 27 PRACTICAL INFORMATION HOW TO GET THERE Cantabria is located in the north of Spain. You can reach here by: Plane: there are 3 airports (by order of proximity): We will help the sending organization with the travel arrangements, sending detailed information, with enough time before the activity starts. Permacultura Cantabria will be in charge of the travels from the airport, bus and train stations to the · Santander: It is the best choice and the most close to the location of our activity. Ryanair is operating from several countries, at low fares, with Santander as destination. If a cheap flight is not found, you can also consider flying to Bilbao or Madrid. · Bilbao: It is one-hour drive from Santander. There is a good bus connection, leaving every hour from Bilbao bus station to Santander bus station. · Madrid: Madrid is the capital city of Spain and it has the one of its principal airports. From Madrid you can arrive to Santander by bus or train. Bus: either from Bilbao or from Madrid, here you have the website of the bus company which covers this itinerary: www.alsa.es Train: from Madrid you could also get to Santander by train: www.renfe.com back to INDEX 28 accommodation, both in the arrival and leaving days. This service will be coordinated and will follow an established schedule, which must be respected. In case that participants couldn’t reach this schedule, they should get to the activity facilities by their own means. VARIOUS DETAILS ACCOMMODATION Accommodation will take place in one of the available hostels of the organization. We attach some images of the most usual places where we carry our activities out. All facilities have bunker bedrooms, activity rooms, Wi-Fi, bathrooms and hot water showers. They are also in compliance with the national regulations about public accommodation. In the case that someone has special needs, allergies or any other relevant information that should be taken into account so as to organize or adapt the activity and its infrastructures, he or she should notify it in the application form. back to INDEX 29 back to INDEX Urb. Bautizan, N4, Bajo B, La Helguera, Penagos, Cantabria, Spain tfn.: 0034 636 231 390 permaculturacantabria@gmail.com back to INDEX