Learning for Life: Inclusion in Action

IUS Life is proud to be one of the seven partners of the DC VET WB project, which aims to strengthen vocational education and training (VET) systems in the Western Balkans, with social inclusion being a key focus of Work Package 3.

As part of WP 3, three representatives from each partner institution participated in a Seminar on Social Inclusion held in Helsinki, Finland in June 2024. A total of 21 teachers and school principals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Spain gained valuable insights into inclusive practices in VET systems. The seminar provided useful strategies and practical tools to enhance social inclusion within VET systems.

Inspired and motivated, the participants returned to their respective countries ready to implement what they had learned. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, three schools—Srednjoškolski centar Hadžići, Srednja poslovno-komercijalna i trgovačka škola, and Srednja ugostiteljsko-turistička škola —launched the “Learning for Life” extra-curricular activities. These activities aimed to enhance everyday life skills and civic engagement among students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Some of the hands-on activities included:

  •         Visit to a Post Office
  •         Fruit Snack Crafting
  •         Skill of Ironing and Folding Clothes
  •         Apple Day Celebration
  •         Hand-Painted Tote Bag Workshops
  •         Visits to Municipality and the Police station

By the end of February 2025, schools in four Western Balkan countries had carried out 42 good practices, with 29 coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina alone.

Toolkit Now Available

The ultimate goal of WP3 was to develop a comprehensive Toolkit that compiles all tested and refined good practices. The Toolkit was shaped through a structured four-step process:

  1. Research: Skill gap analysis via surveys and interviews.
  2. Training: Participation in the social inclusion seminar in Finland.
  3. Implementation: Testing new teaching methodologies in local VET contexts.
  4. Feedback and Finalization: Refinement based on practical outcomes and feedback.

The Toolkit, offering a detailed overview of all the practices developed during this project phase, is now available online. It serves as a valuable resource for all educators and institutions striving to make their VET systems more inclusive.

Explore the Toolkit and learn more about the DC VET WB project here: https://dcvetwb.eu/introduction/