ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT

ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT

ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT (OVERALL STRATEGY)

D1. Our institution's international (EU and non-EU) strategy.

Our international strategy consists of a number of different factors, all of which combine to work to create the best possible outcomes for all parties involved in the projects. With regards to the election of our international partners; we target institutions that suit the professional and training requirements of our students and staff, ensuring that the all parties involved can benefit from the experience and that match ups for the partners are both advantageous and useful. We also strive towards ensuring that the institutions in which our students and teachers find themselves are of a high quality and standard. Due to the fact that the Erasmus project provides numerous opportunities in a large variety of countries, we aim to look at institutions available in every country that features in the Erasmus Charter call for proposals 2014, however we try to prioritize institutions in countries where English is spoken as our institution itself is a British project bilingual school and above all foreign languages; English takes precedence in our institution, and thus it is likely that students will already have at least a basic level of English. The main countries in which we have developed our mobility activities are Germany, (in cities such as  Berlin, Mainz, Wiesbaden and Hamburg) and Italy and United kingdom.
Before signing an agreement, a primary visit is carried out to get to know the companies from the health and electronic sector, or the European educational institution in which our students and/or staff may find themselves, also to find out about the facilities they have, the legal representatives and possible tutors. We carry out a presentation about our institution and our students, handing out written leaflets and also discs or DVDs carrying further information. The dates and the program of activities are decided, corresponding with our students’ and staff´s professional profiles and requirements. The documents associated with the mobility activites are signed in the language studied by each individual students or staff. It’s required that the future tutors of our students and staff follow the curriculum or training practices that have been set out during this time. To ensure that this is the case the tutors are required to sign and stamp all the documents.
With regards to our priorities and important objectives, we aim to create a 100% transparency of the project so that everybody involved in our institution is aware of the opportunities available, we also ensure there is no discrimination in our project, so that all students and staff are treated equally regardless of any disabilities or the backgrounds they may have. These two objectives are in place to make sure that the Erasmus project and its countless benefits are available to everybody and information is readily available if required, another one of our objectives is that all participants in this project are well looked after and that an Erasmus representative like myself is available to help with any issues the participants may have whilst away in their partner institution or whilst in our own institution. We pride ourselves in providing a high level of care and time to the participants of these mobility activities, ensuring they are well equipped before and after moving away, this includes the obtaining of grants, assistance with finding accommodation and much more. Whilst participants are away on their placements we regularly keep in touch to ensure that the treatment they are receiving is of a high standard and that they feel cared for and have everything they need.

D2.  Our institution's 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.

In order to ensure that the international projects are a success and there are no issues, our institution works tirelessly during the planning process to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Under the supervision of the coordinator of the Erasmus program and coordinator of the European section tasks are shared out between: the tutors of the students that will participate in the mobility activities for studying or training, and the representatives of the European partner institutions (schools and companies in which placements will be held). The coordinators have a special timetable in which they can organize meetings and events to ensure the completion of all tasks at hand and update information for all those involved. To maintain a high level of communication between partner institutes, we organize visits and meetings with potential partners which allow us to create the base for a strong professional relationship, in which we can openly contact each other via telephone, email or video messaging. The experience that we have cumulated since the beginning of our participation in the Erasmus project has also encouraged us to begin with new international cooperation projects outside of the Erasmus scheme, for example the Erasmus coordinator and various teachers from throughout Europe have taken part in a number of seminars in which they have shared experiences, vital information and knowledge and looked for new international partners for our institution. Our institution is open to all possible opportunities throughout the world in which we could participate, for example our French department has an international cooperation project with Ghana and we have also applied for the Leonardo Partnership with countries such as: Poland, Turkey, Romania, Germany and Ireland.

D3. The expected impact in our participation in the Programme on the modernisation  in our institution.

The Erasmus projects opens up countless opportunities for our institution to benefit and learn from our various partners throughout Europe, from these experiences and the knowledge gained, we can look to improve our own institution, combining the highest levels of education throughout Europe. The first of the priorities of the modernization agenda is to increase attainment levels, after years of successful Erasmus projects we have seen that the students returning from their partner organization have increased their level of knowledge immensely with regards to the foreign language they have been using, the country with which they have immersed themselves in and their professional skills, be it Health sector or Electricity & Electronic sector. Before the students and staff arrive to their partner institution, we ensure that our students gain credits ECTS (or the equivalent) which can be recognized by institutions throughout Europe and that despite being different in style, the level of knowledge attained is the same and that are linked to the qualifications in the European Qualifications Framework.


 The continued success of these Erasmus projects has ensured that students place more value in higher education and feel that in the future their possibilities are broader and at an international scale. In the world of work, experience is valued extremely highly, the experience gained from these mobility projects is second to none, immersing a student or teacher in a foreign environment and allowing them to improve their skills helps bridge borders between countries, making international cooperation as standard, and allows for a higher level of quality for the workforces of the European Union. A fine example of where the connection of higher education, research and business for excellence and regional development has taken place is when a number of our students have decided to stay at the institution where there placement was. Because the business for which they worked for clearly valued the skills that they provided and decided to hire them on a permanent basis. Thus strengthening the workforce of various regions by allocating the best workers to where they are needed most, thus increasing economic efficiency throughout the European Union. The Erasmus project has provided numerous students and members of staff with new opportunities and career possibilities, some that without the mobility activities may not have been able to utilize the skills that they had effectively and thus funding students with the appropriate grants has been imperative to the success of this Erasmus project.

Para consultar  el docuemnto original de la Carta Erasmus 2014-2020 consultar los enlaces:

ECHE 2014-2020

DECLARACION DE LA POLITICA ERASMUS