Nordplus Junior "Transmobility" 2017-2020.

Nordplus Junior's transport and logistics project Transmobility 2017-2020 is coming to an end.

The project has been led over three years by:

South Savo Vovational College, Mikkeli, Finland.

Nordic vocational schools as partners:

Syddansk Ehrvervskole, Odense, Denmark.

Samarbeidsforum for Opplaringsvirksomheter Innen Transport, Oslo, Norway.

Björknäsgymnasiet, Boden, Sweden, Oslo, Norway

Kaunas Technical Vocational Education Centre, Lithuania

Together with our school, 6 partners. The project was a continuation of the good cooperation that had already been going on since 2009, with VIKK as a new partner. Teachers and students of our truck driver curriculum were willing to go along in order to develop a network of cooperation on transport and logistics, to broaden horizons.

Each school had to bring one company from this field. The aim was to link learning and real working life.  The participants were teachers, students and company representatives. However, the focus was more on the students.

Plans included:

•     meetings of vocational teachers and coordinators in each participating school.
•     2-week internships/training sessions for the students in the local company and school.

Each school offered a topic that could be practised and experienced in that school and in the nearby enterprises.

The themes were:

Denmark: forklift training, customer service, working environment&safety.

Norway: robotics, IT and hi-tech automation in warehousing.

Finland: cargo security, traffic security at winter time (simulator training, snow chains etc).

Estonia: maintenance service, technical service

Lithuania: Preparation of cargo for delivery

Sweden: Temperature controlled cargo, ADR, safety on road (cancelled)

Fortunately, we were able to carry out most of the events planned for the project before the COVID rules.

The teachers/coordinators and students of the Transmobility project were in Vana-Võvid in spring 2019.

All in all, our school participated and attended the workshops:

• 9 students in the truck driving specialisation.
• 5 teachers from the truck driving specialisation.

What we learned:

• Each country and school is unique and provides an eye-opening experience.
• Each country, each school and each country has a different experience and a unique perspective. Teachers and students in vocational education and training in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and Estonia, despite differences in living standards, were able to see similar challenges, the interconnectedness between learning and practice. They visited companies.
• We learnt how difficult it is for vocational teachers to find time away from school.
• We gained experience in organising international events, and expanded our network.

Thank you to our colleagues from the partner countries.