Aihearkisto: ECVET

Nature Tourism in Finland

ECVET, kielitaito, kotikansainvälisyys, osaaminen, saapuvat opiskelijat

Tourism Activities programme has hosted the first official international study module on nature sports tourism in Jyväskylä 14 August – 8 September 2017. 

Teachers Hanna Syvälahti and Timo Lehtonen, led by Programme Manager Eeva-Liisa Hjelt, have created a 3-4 week module that integrates the incoming students into a Finnish class and immerses all participants into the possibilities of Finnish nature tourism. The incoming participants were 9 learners from SŠGT Celje High school for tourism (Slovenia) and 5 learners from BBS Wittmund (Germany).  The concept has been tested and developed in previous years, with participants from Germany, Estonia and Italy.  The programme this time included e.g. kayaking, fat biking, nature trails, Finnish food and sauna culture, a variety of summer activities as well as great events.  For the Finnish students the module has also been an excellent opportunity for Internationalisation at Home (IaH).

The module is developed based on the current teaching programme at our college with the help of the ECVET recommendation to facilitate easier validation and recognition at the sending organisations. The module is described in terms of learning outcomes (knowledge, skills and competences) and the assessment is done in a valid, reliable and transparent manner.

The expected learning outcomes of the module were:

  • to use appropriate equipment in different situations (various outdoor activities)
  • to take care of equipment (maintenance)
  • to take care of different venues (preparatory tasks, service, cleaning, maintenance)
  • to utilize sector specific language in customer service situations and guiding (English)
  • to take responsibility for guidance
  • to take care of own safety and to take care of customer safety (theory of safety plans in practical assignments)
  • to co-operate in his/her working community, to work in a team
  • to assess his/her own work and actions

The  development of the module will continue in the Winter School which will take place in March 2018, when the Ma17b class  will study nature tourism activities in completely different conditions with another group of incoming Erasmus students.

Photos courtesy of SŠGT Celje

More information:

Teachers Hanna Syvälahti (at)jao.fi and Timo Lehtonen

International Coordinator Rea Tuominen (at)jao.fi

Tourism Winter School

ECVET, kielitaito, kotikansainvälisyys, osaaminen, saapuvat opiskelijat

Who are you and where do you come from?

We are a group of six students from East Frisia in Germany. Our names are Angelina (24), Fenna (25), Nadja (27), Imke (23), Julia (23), and Deike (23).

What are you studying?

We are in the second and third year of a school for business administration with the subject tourism in Wittmund, Germany. We learn a lot about marketing, accounting and the management from companies, especially tourism companies like tourist information, bus companies or hotels.

Our school includes three work placements, each of them takes 6 months. We can collect many experiences in that time.

What have you been doing in Jyväskylä?

We were on a school for tourism and did many interesting things in Jyväskylä. The special attention was sustainability in other European countries, how to do tourism activities in bigger groups and how to act with problems while guiding a group. We did many winter sports like snowshoeing, fat biking and cross-country skiing. We were doing some sports we have not done before and we have collected great experiences.

How long have you stayed in Jyväskylä?

We were in Jyväskylä for two weeks. (11.03.-25.03.2017)

Do you think the time has been too short (why?), too long (why?)

It was a perfect time for winter tourism. The time was not too long or too short. It was very physical to do all the kinds of sports all day but in the two weeks we had the chance to do some sports two times to assure the skills.

What have you learned during your stay?

At first, we learned how to work in a group and of course the new sports. As a second aspect, we learned lots of the culture and the people in Finland. It was awesome to become friends with some classmates, to spent time with them and to be in another country.

What have been the best moments during your stay?  

The best moments were definitely the excursions to different places, the flexibility of the teachers and the program, the different kinds of sports and the people. Our class became more a class like before the trip and we are now a good team. The people we met were also great, they were so nice to us and it will be a pleasure to meet them again.

Give three tops and tips (based on your own experience) to someone who is planning to come to Jyväskylä. How should they prepare? What should they do/see/visit/experience?

  1. Visit the tower of Jyväskylä. You will have a great view of Jyväskylä and the lakes around the city.
  2. Go to an Ice-Hockey game. The spirit is incredible.
  3. If you have, the chance enjoy a finish sauna and go after it into the icy lake to cool down.
  4. On a nice clearly evening in the right time, you have to see the northern lights.

More information Timo Lehtonen and Hanna Syvälahti

Josef and Quirin from Germany

ECVET, kotikansainvälisyys, saapuvat opiskelijat

Two students from our MusicXchain partner school,  Neue Jazzschool mMchen e.v,  stayed with us for two weeks in March 2017 and answered some questions: 

Who are you and where are you from?
Josef Meixner from Germany

What are you studying?
I study Music. Main instrument is guitar.

What have you been doing in Jyväskylä?
I visited the Music Conservatory. Went to jamsessions in Poppari jazzclub. I was in a sauna and jumped into the lake.

How long have you stayed in Jyväskylä?
2 weeks. I arrived on March 12th and fly back to Germany on March 27th.

Do you think the time has been too short (why?), too long (why?)
I think 2 weeks are perfect because I have my final exams in June so it’s not good when I miss so many lessons.

What have you learned during your stay?
I learned a few songs in the jazzband workshop. In world music i learned many samba rhythm patterns. In music theory i transcripte songs. In my 2 guitar lessons i learned different ways in improvising.

What have been the best moments during your stay?
There were many good moments here in Jyväskylä. But one of my favorites was the jamsession were i played with Marian Petrescu.

Give three tops and tips (based on your own experience) to someone who is planning  to come to Jyväskylä. How should they prepare? What should they do/ see/ visit/ experience?
Buy good shoes because in winter you need shoes which don’t get wet inside. Go to a sauna and jump in a lake. You feel newborn after that. Eat typical Finish food. It’s very good.

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Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Quirin Schuhbeck and I'm from Munich (Germany)

What are you studying?
I study music, my main instrument is drums

What have you been doing in Jyväskylä?
I took part in an exchange programm for european music students.

How long have you stayed in Jyväskylä?
For two weeks

Do you think the time has been too short (why?), too long (why?)
I think two weeks are quite a good time to get to know a different school system. When it comes to forming a band and setting up a concert it surely takes a little more time to get to know the other players as well as possible.

What have you learned during your stay?
Some nice new songs with the Jazz -band-workshop, a lot about playing together especially in brasilian Samba music (world music workshop) and I have also had great lessons with Raimo the drum teacher.

What have been the best moments during your stay?
When we went to a jamsession and both got to know and play with Marian Petrescu. We visited a few fantastic concerts and the people around here are some really nice and cool guys, so spending time with them was kind of a highlight, too.

Give three tops and tips (based on your own experience) to someone who is planning to come to Jyväskylä. How should they prepare? What should they do/ see/ visit/ experience?
Go to sauna, to poppari club and climb up the the tower of Keski-suomen Luontomuseo (You have a breathtaking view over the city and surroundings of Jyväskylä)
One should also reckon with the sometimes capricious weather situation 😉 And it can get very slippery, too.

More information Markku Rinta-Pollari

More visitors from VWNotts

ECVET, globaalistuminen, henkilöstö, koulutusjärjestelmät, opiskelijaliikkuvuus, osaaminen, saapuvat opiskelijat

Jyväskylä Educational Consortium had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Andrew King (Director of Innovation and Strategy) and Ms. Kadri Saat (International Coordinator)  from our partner college in Mansfield, UK for three days between 10-12 April 2017.

The visit was short and intensive covering many areas of mutual interest including entrepreneurship education, management of the blended learning (VET & Adults), use of technology, plans for the future as well as relationships with employers (delivery and what part they play in VET) and relationship with HE and progressions for VET learners.

Kadri Saat, Pirjo Kauhanen and Andrew King

The visitors impressions were very positive and although the visit was short  we were able to indentify several areas where we can continue cooperation and learn from each other. When asked to mention three main takeaways from the meetings and discussions they had during their visit Andrew and Kadri mentioned the following:

“Firstly,  the relationship you have with the local employers: the way you nurture these, the impact to the skills and competencies from an extended on-the-job learning and how the end competency test is often completed at the workplace.

Then, how the entrepreneurship is embedded across the college and how all students are encouraged to establish and run mini companies with the support from the college.

The partnership and strong collaborative work that you do with two local universities. The new centrally based joint company to share the resource, expertise and support the progression.”

Andrew King, Jaana Virtanen and Hanna Frilander visiting the new facilites at Harju Campus.

Kadri and Andrew would like to thank everyone who participated in their visit: Pirjo Kauhanen, Anu Tokila, Maarit Kaija, Hanna Rajala,  Niina Helin, Pia Kotro,  Sinikka Luukainen, Sari Mynttinen, Mira Ahtila, Milka Niskanen, Minna Ahokas, Jaana Virtanen, Hanna Frilander & Markku Tarvainen.

More information: Rea Tuominen p.6159

http://www.wnc.ac.uk/

ECVET and entrepreneurial mindset in Wien

ECVET, kielitaito, koulutusjärjestelmät, opiskelijaliikkuvuus, osaaminen

Learners from the project partner colleges from Macedonia, Slovenia and Finland had an extraordinary opportunity to participate in the workshops for VET learners in Vienna, Austria, organised by IFTE organization.

IFTE is an Austrian association that promotes entrepreneurial attitudes of young people for their professional and entrepreneurial independence in order to create a culture of entrepreneurship. http://www.ifte.at/

The training activities during the blended learning activity  will enable students  to gain new experiences of entrepreneurial learning and  development of the students’ entrepreneurial mind. Challenges trigger brain activity and they provoke development of the essential entrepreneurial skills such as self-motivation, leadership qualities, innovative mind and competitive spirit.  The training workshops were held by IFTE’s professionals and they inspired students to work towards broadening their entrepreneurial minds and developing logical and skills of negotiation.

The Finnish participants Veera Romppainen, Milja Lahdenvesi, Saara Vänni and Taija Nuorgam from the surface treatment programme (painting and decorating) were especially impressed by how sustainability and environmental issues were always at the core of all activities and presentations no matter what the sector was in question. CSR – corporate social responsibility is a corporation’s  initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social wellbeing. The term generally applies to efforts that go beyond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups.

Participating staff (Maja, Brigitta and Mimi) discussing implementing ECVET into curriculum planning for the next and final PEEISS blended learning activity in Macedonia in May 2017.

More information  about the project http://peeiss.com