Xavier Professional School: an introduction to our institution and international projects

Xavier Professional School has been working since the late 50s to teach and integrate teenagers and adults into the labour market. The different families that form our school are Medium Formative Grades in Administrative Management, Commercial Activities, Auxiliary Nurse Care Technician, Pharmacy and Parapharmacy, and Superior Formative Grades of Administration and Finances, International Trade, Dietetics and Sociocultural Animation. Year by year our school has been following the latest innovative projects to maintain the highest level to teach alumni and to train teachers. This is why, it quickly became acquainted of the Erasmus program and soon after started to participate in it. First, as a way to keep on with that hardworking spirit lead by the Javerianas, and also, to give more opportunities to our students in their future.

In this sense, Xavier Professional School considers that the Erasmus+ program helps the development of our students in their maturity and autonomy thanks to the cultural exchange that these mobilities allow. Values such as respect and tolerance are acquired, as well as skills to integrate not only in the labour market but also in society. The relevance of the Erasmus+ program is recognised worldwide, highlighting the cohesion and knowledge of the European Union among young people. In our opinion, it is the most important cultural exchange program that exists today.

Our fifteen-year experience has allowed us to participate in European projects such as K-103 and K-102; we also collaborate in K-108 in a Galician Consortium and K-202 with the Scottish company Light on the Path at the front of it. Regarding the K-102 and K-103 programs, we intend to contribute to the inclusion in society of our students, who are young people with few economic resources, and the improvement not only of their language skills, but also to change their mentality to open ones. The result of this experience enables an improvement in the teaching-learning process of our students and, being a vocational training center, enhances their employability and insertion in the working world.