ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT

School Centre Srečko Kosovel Sežana is a small institution. It has two units: a secondary school with around 400 students and higher vocational college with approximately 100 students. Both units together have around 55 staff members. We have been charter holders for tertiary education since 2009 and the secondary school was awarded the VET charter in 2018.

The new (2018-2023) Development Plan of the School Centre Srečko Kosovel Sežana, Higher Vocational College, is based on current pedagogical documents, the SWOT analysis, the measures and guidelines to prepare documents for the ECHE evaluation, NAKVIS evaluation (Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for higher education), current European educational activities, needs of students and staff for modernisation and internationalisation of the school. It was updated in September 2018 with a new

VISON: To constantly raise, in cooperation with all stakeholders, the quality and reputation of the vocational college and ensure the development of the profession in Slovenia and globally, and a redefined

MISSION: To increase international cooperation and internationalization of studies, with an emphasis on integrating Erasmus activities into its work (EPS). To enable students to participate in study exchanges and visit the professional institutions and events at home and abroad which are relevant for our internationalisation strategy. It is focused on the improvement of both specific, but very different higher vocational programmes: Photography and Design of materials – stone.

PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF THE SCHOOL (Long-term orientations and goals for the period 2018-2023) are:

1. To increase enrolment and access for highly motivated students.
2. To increase the participation of all stakeholders in education and joint projects.
3. To increase the internationalization of studies and school.
4. To increase the percentage of graduates and their transition to further study.
5. To introduce advanced training and specialization programmes.
6. To monitor and assist graduates in entering the job market.

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Specific goals:

To strengthen international cooperation and internationalization of the school, tapping into the existing partnerships and achievements in the implementation of Erasmus international mobility programmes;

To constantly update the strategies for integrating Erasmus activities into the work of the school and an annual update of the International Mobility Action Plan.

Only experienced staff led by experienced management can prepare students in accordance with the needs of European markets. Accordingly, our teachers require training to acquire foreign language and professional competences. They are keen on attending training and educational activities and are already very fluent in foreign languages (especially English, Italian, German, Czech and, of course, Croatian and Serbian). We would like to strengthen our cooperation with European higher vocational colleges and institutions, which started about 10 years ago when we launched our extensive international project programme. We plan to organize job-shadowing, workshops, study visits and working stays for teachers. They will form an experienced team ready to prepare new curricula, including new teaching methods and tools, in the European Union and beyond. We want to be prepared for foreign incoming teachers and students with lessons performed in the English language.

We would like to offer at least 20% of our students the possibility to get practical experience abroad. Our next goal is to increase the number of students in the mobility for study programme. We have only a few inter-institutional agreements in place, but they all involve reliable partners and we believe that we will be able to continue our cooperation as well as establish new collaborations abroad. We aim to find new partners, reliable and highly motivated expert institutions, but we believe that it is equally or even more important to continue the cooperation with our existing, reliable partners. We think that real structural changes can be achieved as a result of long-lasting partnerships.

We would really like to host international students. We have already hosted many staff members from partner institutions and enterprises, but we still have not hosted students. At the moment, our main efforts are invested into gaining a student residence building close to the school to host Slovene and Erasmus students together.

We think that every international connection brings added value both to students and staff by offering a different perspective, new cooperation, synergy and innovative solutions.