Internationalization Seminar @ Fagskolen Rogaland

We hosted our first Internationalisation Seminar for Norwegian Hvet Colleges on 16-17 September 2024, bringing together experts and educators to promote quality, development, and cooperation within higher vocational education.

Over two days, participants engaged with national and international guest speakers, who shared their insights and experiences in internationalisation. The event featured dynamic panel discussions and practical workshops, fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration.

A key takeaway was the importance of strengthening networks among institutions, ensuring that internationalisation remains a driving force in enhancing vocational education. Our keynote speakers:

Else Kathrine Nesmoen, Head of Department for Higher VET, HK-dir 

Professor Marte W. Solheim, Vice-Rector for Innovation and Society, UiS

Maxine Semple, Associate Director for Global Engagement, Niagara College, Canada

Boudewijn Grievink, Program Manager Internationalisation, Katapult, Netherlands 

Rui Baltazar, International Coordinator, Eagle Intuition, Portugal  

Hege Fjeld, Senior Advisor, International Coordinator, Fagskulen Vestland  

Thank you to all who contributed to this inspiring and productive seminar! 🌍✨

Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Canada

Project name: Green education empowering communities

Acronym: FARE Green

Project duration: This is a 3 year project (YEAR 1: 01 September 2024 to 31 August 2025)

Project funded by: NORA (North Atlantic Cooperation) Link: https://nora.fo/?_l=en

Partners:

- Fagskolen Rogaland, Stavanger (coordinator)

- Fagskulen Vestland (FV), Bergen: https://www.fagskulen.no/

- Center for Lifelong Learning (MSS), Reykjanesbær: https://www.mss.is/

- Niagara College (NC), Niagara: https://www.niagaracollege.ca/

- Go Local, Tórshavn: https://golocal.fo/

- EMZ, Reykjanesbær

The project targets small Nordic towns, particularly coastal areas, addressing challenges like population decline and economic limitations. It promotes responsible tourism practices that preserve cultural and natural heritage while creating opportunities by leveraging local skills and resources.

Collaboration between Nordic communities fosters knowledge exchange, addressing shared challenges and supporting sustainable regional growth.

The specialized vocational training programs under development are designed to meet the specific needs of local industries and communities, ensuring relevant skills and knowledge. Small-scale tourism projects are developed to be locally managed, sustainable, and culturally respectful, often involving community-based experiences.

Project priorities:

1. Development of tailored VET learning programs

2. Focus on small-scale tourism initiatives

3. Target small Nordic communities

4. Contribute towards enhancement of sustainability in tourism

5. Strengthening local economies

6. Improve integration across Nordic regions

Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Greenland 

Project name: Nordic green shift in education

Acronym: GREEN FING

Project duration: September 2023 to August 2025

Project funded by: Nordplus: https://www.nordplusonline.org/

Partners: Vinnuháskúlin (Faroe Islands), Greenland School of Raw materials (Greenland), and the Comprehensive College in Akureyri (Iceland)

In this new initiative - "Nordic Green Shift in Education", we understand the term "green shift in teaching" to refer typically to a shift in educational practices and approaches that prioritize environmental sustainability and ecological awareness. It involves integrating sustainability principles and environmental education into the curriculum and teaching methods. 

The green shift in teaching emphasizes the importance of ecological literacy and encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and their role in creating a more sustainable future. 

Our main objectives are firstly, to create an innovative quality network for educators primarily in the provision of VET within green growth, climate change and sustainable development. Secondly, we wish to produce a "Green Shift Teaching Handbook" which offers practical "green shift teaching" modules for teaching and learning pedagogies and methodologies, from multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches. 

As our FING partnership started over 10 years ago, we will use the acronym GREEN FING for this new project.

Poland/ Norway

Project name: Empowering Youth Vocational Skills for Automated Metal Industry – adjusting vocational education to demands of metal machining industry of the future 

Acronym: skills4ami

Project duration: January 2022 to August 2023

Project funded by: EEA Grants

Project partners: Radom Chamber of Commerce (Poland) and EduExpert (Poland)

Funding was allocated for institutional cooperation for the improvement of quality and relevance of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and vocational continuing education. 

The aim of the project was to develop and create a modern educational platform supporting youth in choosing a career related to the technical industry. The platform is rooted in current VET programs (including dual education), also complementing them in terms of specific competence gaps indicated by practical vocational teachers and entrepreneurs.

Project page: https://skills4ami.eu/

Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Greenland 

Acronym: FING

Duration of project activities within this partnership: 2012-2022

Project funded by: NORA (https://nora.fo/?_l=en)  and Nordplus (https://www.nordplusonline.org/)

Project partners: Akureyri Comprehensive College: https://www.vma.is/is; Vinnuháskúlin Center of Maritime Studies and Engineering: https://vh.fo/ and Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum: https://www.kti.gl/kl/

Some of our partnership activities: 

Train the trainers: 3 crane and lifting TTT, 2 mock audit trials in crane facilities, drone handling and license exam, courses within HSE for the offshore industry

Some of our seminars/webinars: “Thriving schools in small coastal communities: different solutions” (Iceland), “Training and education in oil and gas for the Arctic region” (Greenland), “Moving green energies: alternatives” (the Faroes) and “Practical applications of drones in remote areas” (Norway).

This partnership was established in 2012 and aimed to create an innovative network within vocational education and training while taking into account environmental and safety issues.

The overall aim of this project involving educational providers from the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Norway was to place partners on an equal level of competitiveness in the international market when it comes to their capacity to offer training and education in related specialized areas.