EUROPE-AFRICA: Educational mobility project concludes
24 countries involved to improve vocational education and training centers
(MissionNewswire) The Supporting Alliance for African Mobility (SAAM) project, an Erasmus+ pilot project financed by the European Commission, tested educational mobility of students and professionals between Africa and Europe in the field of vocational education and training, specifically in the engineering and manufacturing, hospitality, and agriculture sectors.
The project explored educational mobility and the exchange of knowledge, methodologies, and practices among vocational education and training centers in Africa and Europe with 24 countries involved. The goal was to improve knowledge, technical and pedagogical skills of the centers, staff and students.
The Salesian Family played a key role in showing that international mobilities between Africa and Europe are possible despite the challenges. For many students and teachers, SAAM represented a life-changing experience in which they discovered themselves and came back to their communities empowered and inspired. In vocational education and training centers, organizations and companies, SAAM opened doors to welcoming cultural exchange, different worldviews, international strategies and new collaborations.
Over 40 months, 36 partners took part in almost 400 mobilities, with more than 80 African staff to Europe, more than 70 European staff to Africa, 198 students in European centers and companies and more than 40 experts to Africa.
In February, the SAAM Final Conference took place where partners engaged in debates about enhancing student and staff skills, assessed the impact on general school management, proposed specific guidelines for comprehensive reporting on SAAM’s and dissemination actions. Further, the “How to be a SAAM Leader?” toolkit provided an an international strategy.
As a pilot project, SAAM proved that vocational education and training can create an ecosystem where each area of the society, such as schools, centers, NGOs, international networks, embassies, and European Union agencies, can collaborate to achieve a common goal based on concrete socio-economic demands.
A Salesian said, “Don Bosco International and Don Bosco Tech Africa, together with their partners, will continue to advocate toward policymakers to shape future mobility initiatives that are able to build equal partnerships, highlighting how mobility programs are key tools to promote dialogue and peace beyond borders through humanity and understanding.”
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – Europe-Africa – The SAAM journey has come to a successful end
