The EXCEED Project had a successful two-day kickoff meeting on November 9-10. It brought together partners, key stakeholders, experts, and contributors in vocational excellence. The inaugural session, graced by esteemed figures including Prof. Massimiliano Mazzanti, Director of the Department of Economy and Management, Delegate of the Rector, University of Ferrara, Anna Barbieri, Team Leader for Apprenticeships and Erasmus+ bij European Commission, who spoke on “The role of the Centers of Vocational Excellence in the EC strategies”, and Francesca Bergamini, representing Emilia Romagna Region, all set a profound tone for the initiative. This gathering aimed to foster collaboration, innovation, and a collective commitment to shaping the future of vocational education.
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Presentations and discussions during the first day delved into critical aspects of the project such as the state of the art of Implementation (Centoform, WP leaders), Policy Board activity plan and next steps (ARTER), and Quality Monitoring and evaluation (INPRO). Participants both on-site and online had the chance to offer their insights on the workshops presented: “International Observatory on AM: methodology and development plan” led by WP2 leaders University of Oulu and ‘Exceed: co-design of the Dissemination strategy”, led by WP5 leader ATHENA RC.
𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮: Day 2 commenced with hybrid ice-breaking activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere conducive to collaboration. Then CIS (WP3) led the workshop on “Curricula joint design principles – Contextualisation and justification of the target groups”, where all partners including ATHENA RC (on-site) and HELMEPA (online), briefly presented their country’s VET education system and their justification for choosing the selected target groups. Then COVE Partners in groups discussed insightful ideas for curricula design (competences/assessment and evaluation/pedagogy/methodology) for EQF4 and EQF5 levels, setting the foundations in designing curricula in AM tailored to the diverse needs of our target groups. The final engaging presentation and discussion was on the EXCEED Social Impact Assessment Methodology, led by UNIMORE as part of WP1. This session provided a comprehensive insight into the methodological framework designed to evaluate the social impact of the project.
The two-day meeting laid the foundation for a strategic roadmap and concluded by affirming and demonstrating partners’ commitment to excellence in every phase.
