The first international meeting of the members of the Quality Networks took place from 29 November to 1 December 2022 in the Artotéka Gallery in Bratislava. 22 participants came from 4 countries – Slovakia, Austria, Italy and Portugal. Among the participants were not only QUANTUM project partners, but also members of the individual Quality Networks and other stakeholders important for the field of quality improvement in VET. From Slovakia, 6 people participated, 4 of them representing the Slovak Quality Network.
The presentations from the first day were dedicated to the implementation of the Quality Network in Slovakia and Portugal. From Slovakia, the invitation was accepted by Mrs. Jancíková, Director of the United School Púchov, and Mrs. Košt’álová, psychologist of the Gymnasium in Dubnica nad Váhom. They presented their experience with the peer review method. Our participants spent the afternoon at the Private Secondary School of Automotive – Dual Academy, where they were introduced to the 1st supra-company training center, dual education, and quality assurance at the international level.
During the second day, presentations were dedicated to Quality Networks in Austria and Italy. One of the interesting facts is that the Salzburg Chamber of Commerce (project partner) is addressing pre-primary education within its Quality Network, as it is a burning topic in the region.
In the afternoon we went to school again. This time we literally introduced our international colleagues to a piece of our region and traditions – the Secondary School of Wine and Wine in Modra. This school was interesting not only for its focus, on orchards and vineyards, which we had the opportunity to see. But the current process of creating the Self-Evaluation Report, which is currently underway at the school.
The final day of our meeting was devoted to the preparation of the next steps toward the sustainability of the important outcomes of the QUANTUM project. The active work in small groups also brought the possibility of creating a European Quality Network, which was met with more than a positive response.
The 3 days of mutual learning, inspiration, and ideas to improve the Quality Networks brought a clear idea of the possibility of sustainability and further direction of the project outputs, even after the end of the project in May 2023. We are confident that the Quality Networks will continue to expand, activate and continuously move forward.
We will see you soonest on 4 May 2023 in Vienna at the International Conference, where you can learn more about the European Quality Network.
