The internationalisation of the Italian CONFAP network

What do the Italian national football team and the CONFAP network have in common?

According to Don Massimiliano Sabbadini, CONFAP President, much more than you can imagine!

It was Don Massimiliano himself who welcomed the participants to the workshop held on 28th June concerning the internationalisation of the CONFAP network. Don Massimiliano opened the event with these words: “Speaking of internationalisation, it’s impossible not to make a football comparison in these days of European football championships. CONFAP is similar to the Italian national football team: it is made up of elements from different teams and each entity has its own characteristics, but some challenges must be addressed as a whole team in order to reach a greater good”.

The event represents one of the national workshops that the Italian partners should organise in the framework of the TOVET project. The event was addressed to the members of the CONFAP network (one of the main VET umbrella organisations in Italy) with the final aim of:

• Supporting the development/reinforcement of an internationalisation strategy among CONFAP members
• Encouraging CONFAP members to work together at European level

The event focused on the theme of excellence and innovation in VET and it has as main speakers Mr Luca Pirozzi, Policy Officer of the European Commission and expert in the field of VET, and Mr Risto Virkkunnen, Coordinator of the international activities of Kainuu Vocational College (Finland).

In his speech, Mr Pirozzi gave his vision on the future of VET in Europe, outlining the role that the Erasmus+ programme could play. Mr Pirozzi explained how international mobility is conceived in the new Key Action 1, with particular focus to Erasmus Accreditation System, ErasmusPro, Participation in Skills Competitions and the extension of digital training opportunities. Moreover, he outlined that the Commission will invest heavily over the next 7 years in funding the so-called Professional Centers of Excellence (COVEs) to foster innovation and the development of new skills in cooperation with companies, chambers of commerce, higher education institutions, research institutes.

During the second presentation, Mr Risto Virkkunnen proudly presented the history of the European Pathway network: a network of 7 Finnish schools. During the presentation the participants received practical advices and examples about how to promote international activities together with other VET organisations.

In the second part of the event CONFAP members conducted a brainstorming session to discuss the topics debated during the morning. It’s only the first step for the VET organisations represented in CONFAP to work together at European level.