The importance of internationalisation in vocational education and training from a VET school management perspective

Internationalisation is an important focus in Meka. In this VET/HVET school, they work on this aspect in different ways. On the one hand, they try to reinforce the level of internationalisation of their teachers and students through language courses. In addition, they work on Internationalisation at home thanks to the visits of students from other countries. At the same time, they have participated in different KA2 projects. In short, they are strengthening their internationalisation strategy thanks to the participation of teachers and students in these projects. Likewise, the main strength of their centre in this field are mobilities.

In the words of Jose Mari Beristain, “in our school internationalisation is an activity we’ve been carrying out for years, since 1990 to be exact, it is an initiative that is fully integrated into our philosophy”. The director of Meka only mentions positive things on this subject, he especially highlights “the possibility of seeing other realities” through internationalisation. Jose Mari has already spent 30 years as a teacher, 10 of them as director, and he tells us that he has not had any negative experiences regarding this area. In fact, he has personally experienced internationalisation through mobilities on a couple of occasions. “It’s the perfect chance to see the reality in other countries. Many times you have a concept or an idea of a country and experiencing an Erasmus mobility, for better or for worse, shows you the actual reality“, says José Mari. He also points out the importance of being able to see how they work technically in those countries and this “allows you to see where you stand in the areas you are familiar with”.

As for the risks, José Mari’s greatest fear is that mobility “becomes an end-of-year trip“. In his words, “we teachers have to organise ourselves and be clear about the real objective. We also must convey this to the students“. A mobility is “a unique opportunity to experience and enjoy, but also to learn and bring back what we have learned“.

Another problem he mentions is the willingness of the teaching staff to take on projects. Projects “are very important but we have to encourage teachers, often, we face a language problem,” says Jose Mari. “Many people are against it because we don’t have the hours to carry out the projects, in the end it is a job that is done on behalf of the centre, without actual hours (and unremunerated) and that requires initiative and sacrifice“, continues the director of Meka. In José Mari’s opinion, “in our work we are very lucky, the things we do also serve us in a personal level, you have the opportunity to see other points of view. But unfortunately, we don’t all think the same way“.

José Marí’s philosophy is transmitted to the school and that is why he is clear when he says that Meka is “a model in internationalisation“. “The name of our school is an example of good practice. Historically, it has been a school with a lot of strength in this field. We have very much internalised that our students do their internships abroad, for example,” he says, comparing it to other schools.

However, it is clear to him that more resources are needed for management. In the end, it is a job that requires a lot of time and dedication and he speaks of the need for more hours for the teaching staff to manage internationalisation in the school.

To conclude, José Mari comments on the fundamental characteristic to ensure the success of internationalisation: willingness. “The desire to know one’s surroundings is fundamental. We have a very industrialised country and that leads us to internationalisation, to know the environment”. In his words, “our teachers have a passion to know what is happening in other places, to learn and to come back to the school to apply what they have seen and learnt“.