My Generation at Work in Gdansk: Pedagogical innovation and institutional openness

Together with the local URBACT expert, articles were written in preparation for this event, about how to support teachers and pupils in their life long learning cycle. The concluded, that its the transitions which are important and need some kind of mentoring, which should come to young persons from all the adults, but most of all from teachers and parents. Both of these at certain points in time need vocational training advice from authentic specialists.
This session, which was attended by specjalists, professors and regional dignitaries, was organized with 15 young persons, who actively took part in the discussions and often summarized the results of the small working groups. It was led by a research worker from the Research Institute on the Market Economy (Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową).
The teachers group is now launched into an experimental training in alternative educational methods, as well as putting together, perhaps more than one, Erasmus+ project in the coming future. It also wants to contribute to the reform of teacher training in Gdańsk, where the My Generation @ Work project has manager to reserve ressources for experimental training for teachers from september.
At the same time the previous education department in the city hall has become the social development department, with a total openness to innovation and improving the results of education in Gdańsk and most of all it's relationship with employers.

Using local competences:

One of the Gdańsk technical schools, Zespół Szkół Łączności (ZSŁ) organized a areopag of young persons, where the main aim was to help young persons evaluate the value and reasons for studying or going to work. Several young employers explained their varied positions, going from an "all work" approach to the need for studying. In the debate it became clear, that in the area of ICT educational institutions are sometimes a little slow and late in changing and more progress can be made by working and eventually studying at the same time.
The pauses in this all day conference allowed a group of volunteers to discuss with the employers and school staff.
The Urbact expert took the initiative of organizing an ad hoc meeting of this group within the My Generation @ Work project, to see what could be worked out by school leavers, teachers and employers together. This idea was to see what could be done for this school in particular and for the educational system in Gdańsk as a whole.
The working group of around 10 persons (4 pupils, 3 city workers, 2 experts and 1 employer) came to the conclusions, that:
- the link between employers and schools should be much stronger,
- more information should circulate,
- teachers need to know employers and have time to visit them
- pupils should be able to do real life size projects, participate in work experience, which is well prepared and has a real added value
- teachers have to be rewarded for initiatives taken in school, which are out of the ordinary and which encourage and make possible a closer relationship between schools and employers.
This workshop was also organized with the participation of the Research Institute on the Market Economy (Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową). The school has decided to develop real project work within its walls, and the ICT cluster will propose meetings on how to improve training sessions with its members…

Vocational advisors:

The Gdańsk My Generation@ Work project has organized a series of meetings of profesionnal advisors, from the unemployment office, schools, and specialized institutions. The participants have worked on the similitudes and differences in their work and came to important conclusion concerning the need for transitional advice, throughout the whole of a persons career. The starting point should be the early school approach, where the identification of children's competences and aptitudes is seen as very important, allowing more advanced techniques to be used at a later stage.
Given the resources the city possesses it does not seem possible to have enough vocational advisors to go round, so in some way the existing ones, should work in a network, in order to suport teachers and other persons who have a "mentoring" position in regards to young persons.