Events

The thematic contact seminar is aimed at teachers, trainers, Erasmus+ coordinators and other staff from VET schools and training providers. The seminar explores how VET can respond to changing skills needs and how Erasmus+ can support this process through European cooperation.

The seminar will focus on the guiding question: How can VET schools and businesses work together to respond to the specific skills needs of their regions?

Bad Gastein and the wider Pongau region will serve as a case region, allowing participants to explore different regional economic realities and their implications for vocational education and training. Examples from tourism and mountain infrastructure, industrial production and technology, and the digital sector will provide insights into how businesses and VET providers respond to skills shortages, technological change and emerging skills needs.

The seminar will focus on three dimensions:

• Changing Labour Market
  How are skills needs changing and what does this mean for VET?
• Regional VET Ecosystems
  How do VET schools, businesses and other regional actors cooperate to address skills needs?
• Future Skills through European Cooperation
  How can Erasmus+ support mobility, the exchange of practices and cooperation between VET and the world of work?

Through company and school visits, practical examples, peer exchange and structured networking, participants will compare regional challenges, identify common needs and connect with potential European partners for future KA1 mobility activities and KA2 small scale partnerships. 

The seminar is open to experienced beneficiaries in Erasmus+ mobility projects (KA1). Previous experience with KA2 is not required, as the seminar will place a particular focus on Small-scale Partnerships (KA210-VET) as an accessible way for VET schools to develop European cooperation beyond mobility projects. 

The seminar takes place in Bad Gastein, a mountain town with a unique character. Once a glamorous spa resort attracting visitors from all over Europe, it is still known for its distinctive Belle Époque architecture and historic atmosphere. Though no longer the glamorous destination it once was, the town retains a unique charm and atmosphere that provide an ideal setting for exchange, networking and the development of new Erasmus+ partnerships and project ideas. 

By the end of the seminar, participants are expected to:

• have gained new insights into regional labour market and skills challenges and different approaches to cooperation between VET schools and businesses;
• have established new European contacts and potential partnerships based on shared skills challenges and areas of interest;
• have identified opportunities for Erasmus+ KA1 mobility activities and KA2 Small-scale Partnerships (KA210-VET);
• have developed initial ideas for joint European activities and projects addressing future skills and changing labour market needs;
• have strengthened their understanding of how Erasmus+ and European cooperation can support regional VET development and the skills development of iVET learners.

The seminar is aimed at teachers, trainers, Erasmus+ coordinators and other staff from VET schools and training providers with experience in Erasmus+ KA1 mobility projects. Participants should be interested in strengthening the European dimension of their organisation, finding new partners for future mobility activities and exploring opportunities for further European cooperation.

Previous experience with KA2 is not required. Participants should be interested in Small-scale Partnerships (KA210-VET) as an accessible next step beyond mobility and be motivated to develop new contacts and initial project ideas with European partners.