GREECE
VET learner: Vasiliki Grammenou
I have finished my studies in linguistics, and I have pursued a MA in Philosophy. I have worked for almost 15 years as a teacher, but my love and passion for clothes and fashion has always been there. I became active in the field of clothing six years ago. I started by learning and practising pattern cutting in a three-year workshop, and after that, I enrolled in a VET course for two years. In 2016, I moved to Rome to pursue a master’s degree in fashion design. I stayed in Rome for a year and a half, and then I came back to Greece where I entered a competition. A few months ago, while I was sitting in a coffee shop, and I was sending out my CV, I had in my mind the ‘Hautes Grecians’ fashion competition and if it was taking place this summer. After a quick research, I decided to apply at the very last moment. Finally, I won the competition, and this is how I started my cooperation with Toi&Moi.
VET in-company trainer/mentor: Efthimia Kotoula
My professional experience as a tutor for adults in public vocational education and training started in 2016. In 2017, I started my professional experience in career counselling offering career guidance and counselling for vulnerable groups. Since then, I have met many young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers who had abruptly abandoned their education and were looking for new horizons and opportunities. During the career guidance seminars, individuals from vulnerable communities had the opportunity to be informed on how to get accepted in VET schools. They were informed that by enrolling in a VET school they would be able to earn a diploma which would facilitate job search and career development in their field of study. Fajz from Pakistan and Sadak from Afghanistan as well as many others who attend VET and vocational schools offered by the Greek Manpower Employment Organization aim to become chefs, car technicians and mechanics and other professions too.
SLOVENIA
VET learner: Patricija Fučko
My name is Patricija Fučko, a student of the secondary school for health care in Nova Gorica, and I would like to present my experience with the practical training that I went for at CIRIUS in Vipava. In Slovenian, CIRIUS stands for education, rehabilitation and training centre where children and youth with special needs receive education and training. I chose this institution, as I really enjoy working with children. There I worked as a nurse. As soon as I arrived, I felt the warmth and friendliness of both the children and the staff. And when I actually started working, I immediately knew I was doing the right thing. It is such a wonderful feeling when the children and youth welcome you with a smile, a kind word and positive energy that radiates from them. I gained a lot of experience that will serve me in my life. During my time there, I got to see life a little differently, see a part of the lives of happy and lively children who are happy, regardless of their medical state.
VET teacher: Matjaž Marušič
My name is Matjaž Marušič. I work at the centre as a teacher of practical electrotechnology classes. Since I was little, I was always watching my father work in his workshop, fixing electrical devices. I imagined how I would, one day, be an expert like my father. That wish has slowly begun to come true. I enrolled in a technical vocational school, where I took part in various projects. I gained many skills that I still use in my work. Then I continued my studies at university, which I successfully completed. After that, I began working at the hydro-power plant company Soške elektrarne, and after three years ended up at the School Centre. Here I have been carrying out a great number of projects with the students. Together, we try to gain new skills through each project. I continue to learn new things and pass them on to my successors. I hope I will remain a popular professor, who is a role model to the students, just as my father was to me.
VET in-company trainer/mentor: Tina Zgaga
In 2019, at Business Solutions d.o.o. we held an advanced two-week summer IT workshop. Participants got the opportunity to see how to work on a real project looks like and how they can apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. At the heart of our efforts is promoting a welcoming environment for young people, that encourages and empowers them to achieve their own independence, and provides them with space, an opportunity and the support needed to actively integrate into society and the labour market, which is why I also participated as a mentor in the Next Talent Hub project. We received 40 applications, which was great, and from which we selected 8 most suitable candidates. Then we divided these talents into two groups that operated as one company. They learnt about the entire process from customer requirements and preparing a quote to the production and creation of two products. Next Talent Hub is not just a workshop, but also a hub of creativity, learning and a new way of recruiting, as we employed some of the participants after the project was concluded.
GERMANY
VET learner: Julia Seeger
In my school days I often asked myself: What is the benefit of what I learn here for my life? Soon it was clear: I’m going into crafts, despite my A-levels. With my hands and their work I conjure a smile on people’s faces. I’m a pastry chef, and I make delicacies for every palate from various raw materials and ingredients. No matter whether it’s chocolates, caramel, simple cakes or elaborate tarts, decorations or showpieces, we learn how varied our food can be and what can be done with it. Behind every recipe there are physical principles and chemical reactions, the confectionery combines creativity and science. During the training we also learn how to handle raw materials and ingredients responsibly. As in every craft, in the training as a confectioner you develop skills that you can use not only at work but also in everyday life. Passion became a profession!
VET learner: Richard Tischer
See the world and discover new things. These needs aroused in me the desire to move into the world after my carpentry apprenticeship. On the top of the wish list was Ireland. The green island, with warm-hearted people and a rough climate. Rugby, traditional music, enchanting landscape. Life in Ireland is a bit different than at home. The supermarkets open every day. Houses in the country have no house numbers, the streets sometimes have no names. I worked with the traditional carpenter James Grace at Grace Design (gracedesign.ie) His name is program. Traditional wooden constructions and sculptures, partly carved with a hatchet, enchant the senses. We built a huge shelf, drawer fronts with handles made of one piece, and a classic roof truss construction. I learned an incredible amount about wood, working with classical tools and life. I am very grateful for this time and I encourage everyone to pursue their dreams.
VET in-company trainer/mentor: Thomas Franke
Since we started to offer apprenticeships, it has been possible for every trainee to go on an internship abroad. For two years now we have been organizing projects for the whole class. These projects involve the renovation of a historical rail vehicle of the respective country. The trainees have to make the plans for the work and then work together as a team. Sometimes it is also difficult to get parts and material. This was often a problem in Eritrea. Then it is interesting to observe the trainees. Some of them grow beyond themselves, from whom you might never expect it. This year we were in Greece and everyone can be proud of what we achieved. We as trainers also learn and recognize how much more potential there is in our young colleagues. Perhaps we would never have been able to recognize it without this internship.
FRANCE
VET learner: Nariné Chahbazyan
Since I arrived in France, I wanted to work in pastry cooking. I already made cakes for friends at birthday or wedding parties. But to be able to work in France in this field you need to have a diploma. After 6 months of training to improve my level in French I started to prepare a vocational training qualification, the CAP pâtisserie, at the apprentice training center. I follow courses at the training center and I also work with a pastry chef to learn the job in practice. There, I am gaining experience and practicing the techniques learned in the training center. My tutor likes to show me his job, I master more and more professional gestures. I feel like I’m learning twice as much. The pastry chef has a real know-how that he is happy to share with me. Moreover, he even talked to me about the possibility of working for him when I get my diploma. It would allow me to have even more experience before I become self-employed. Because it’s my dream!
