visitor

since may 16, 2006

Nature and expertise of the organisations involved in the partnership

The different organisations involved are mainly institutions working in the field of Adult Education and Long life Learning.

Germany: The VOLKSHOCHSCHULE OLCHING
(coordinating organisation)

Is an Adult Education Centre which has been founded over 50 years ago. Our VHS is widely known in our region and enjoys an excellent reputation.
Last year approximately 9,700 adults participated in different courses in our school. Considering the fact that the population rate in Olching is about 22,300 inhabitants, our school can be proud of its success. In 2004 we had 10 % more learners than in 2003.
The learners´age ranges from 16 to 80.
The school proposes a range of approximately 980 courses per year covering different fields of subjects like Art, Computer, Culture, Health, Job Promotional Training, Languages, Philosophy, Psychology, Politic, etc… .
The Volkshochschule offers courses which take place once or twice a week conducted in the morning, the afternoon or the evening and courses at the weekends (e.g. computer and intensive language courses, seminars,…).
About 200 high qualified tutors are teaching at our school.
The school administration consists of four persons.
The school committee(board) consists of four persons, too.
This term (six months) our school organised 85 language courses in 14 different languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Greek, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Check, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic).
Our school proposes also special German training courses for immigrants and people coming from EU-countries and from all over the world as well as German for illiterate persons.
The most important challenge for our school is to promote long life learning and to support Adult learners by increasing their competence for better jobs or to find a job again.
Special courses are organized for women looking for jobs or to actualise the women´s knowledge after a work break because of pregnancy and children education.
As in fact approximately 1/3 of the participants are older than 50, we have to intensify our programme for this special group in senior education.

Italy: Rete CTP di Padova (CTPs Padua network)

is a local partnership of 9 CTPs in Padua province with also a special section working in a State’s Prison.
CTP stays for Territorial Centers of Permanent Adult Education. These are the new public schools for basic adult education started in 1997 substituting those “evening courses” organized for people seeking elementary-middle school diploma.
CTPs offer a large variety of courses for adults people (learners´age range from 15 to 80):
- Annual courses to get middle school diploma for foreigners and Italians as well
- Italian language for foreign people at different levels, CILS diploma included
- Foreign languages at different levels (English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Arab, Chinese)
- ICT and ECDL
- lots of other short courses ranging from art to music, literary, local history, healt, botany, etc.
This year approximately 7000 adults participate in different courses in the CTPs of the Padua province. About 10% are attending courses to get middle school diploma (the majority are foreigners), about 20% are foreigners attending courses for social and linguistic integration, about 70% are students attending other kind of courses to improve former basic skills or just as a cultural enrichment. (5% of the students attending these short courses are foreigners and 2 over 3 are women).

Spain: ESCUELA OFICIAL DE IDIOMAS DE OVIEDO (ASTURIAS)

The school runs on government funds and is part of the so-called state schools. The school has over 3000 students studying one or more of the four languages we offer: English, French, German and Italian. Language learning is an essential part of our educational system and a growing number of professionals and university students are complimenting their CVs by acquiring the Certificates that the school emits, the only certificates which are officially recognised in Spain. We have seen a growing need to open our doors to Europe not only to learn languages but to learn culture, customs and new ideas.
Most of the teachers are at the school on a permanent basis as we are Civil Servants. We have all studied philology and some have some kind of knowledge of the use of ITC. We have very little knowledge about International Projects but we are very willing to learn and to work together

Spain: CEPA FRANCESC DE BORJA MOLL (MALLORCA)

Is an Adult Education Centre which has been founded in 1990. Last year, approximately 680 adults participated in different courses in our school. The learners’ age ranges from 16 to 70. The school offers over than 20 courses per year covering different fields of subjects like, Computer, foreign languages as English, languages for immigrants like Spanish or Catalan, Basic Education for Adult People, Secondary education for Adult People, health, Graphic Arts, etc. The school offers courses that take place from twice a week to every week day conducted in the morning, the afternoon and the evening. Most of courses last nine months, but there are also two months, and four months courses. Most of the 22 teachers are at the school on a permanent basis as we are Civil Servants. We have different studies to be able to offer the wide range of studies offered in the school. The school committee consists on four people. We haven’t participated in an International Project before, but we would like to learn and to work together with other schools.