Abstract:

In this communication we will present the contents and objectives of the METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE TO TURNING THE CLASSROOM INTO A PART OF A COMPANY: FROM A CLASSROOM TO A RESEARCH LAB "BEING A PART OF IT", developed within the framework of the Erasmus Plus Programme project "TECHVETLAB: A SOLUTION FOR POSTCOVID-19 LABORAL MARKET THROUGH A TECHNICAL TRAINING OF VET STUDENTS WITH OBSTACLES".

This guide, addressed to VET teachers and technology companies, defines the BEING A PART OF IT (BPI) methodology, a working method devised by experts linked to the entities involved in the project. This methodology is an innovative evolution of Project Based Learning. Through this method, a VET educational centre and a technological company establish a collaboration agreement that allows a VET classroom to become a department of the company. The objectives and work plan is proposed by the company, while the work of the students in the classroom is supervised by the teacher. The classroom becomes an active, virtual, part in the research and development department of the company. The classroom as a whole is integrated into the planning and responsibilities of the company through networking, behaving as a whole as an appendix of the company thanks to modern digital methods and tools.

This guide provides a manual with all the guidelines, virtual networking routines and digital tools necessary for the VET teacher to establish a curriculum in coordination with the technology company. The aim is helping students to develop the competences and skills required by a technology company.

The main objective of this methodological guide is to generate learning processes that make it possible to alleviate the deficit of training in the working environment in current VET education. We intend that the student learns to work in a team with the rest of the classmates, to assume responsibilities and initiatives that lead to results, to present progress reports, to learn the manufacturing and work processes of the companies. In short, to know what it means to work in a technology company.

Acknowledgements:
This work has been funded by the Erasmus + program within the 2021-1-ES01-KA220-VET-000029545 project, Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE)

Keywords:

VET, technology companies, critical thinking.