On June 8th, a gala was held in Warsaw to present awards and diplomas to schools recognized in the second edition of the “Highest Quality Vocational School” competition. The ceremony gathered over 150 representatives of vocational schools, education boards, governing bodies, and other institutions involved in ensuring quality in vocational education. The competition organizer, the Cooperation Fund Foundation, in conjunction with the Masovian Local Government Teacher Training Center, the Masovian Education Superintendent, and the Education Development Center, selected 15 finalists from 104 submitted examples of good practice. They received statuettes and the title of “Highest Quality Vocational School.”
The main prizes, in the form of laptops, were awarded to:
The Food and Catering School Complex in Warsaw for the “Polish Cuisine in Masovia” internship, which involved organizing an annual culinary competition for schools across the country. The entire school community, graduates of the “Komorska School,” employers, chefs, and master waiters and pastry chefs, are involved in the implementation of the tasks. The Małopolska Hospitality School Complex in Myślenice for the Tytus Travel School Travel Agency internship, which allows students to learn about working in the tourism industry, organizing fairs, events, children’s activities, leisure activities, guiding and guiding trips. The school travel agency aims to introduce students to their professional future and assist them in choosing their future careers.
The Szczepan Humbert Mechanical School Complex No. 1 in Krakow for the internship: “An Initiative and Entrepreneurial Young Mechanic from ZSM No. 1.” “Bike Room at the Mechanics’ 1” is a free bicycle repair station. The bike room is a place where students can get help from the school and, thanks to the available tools, take care of their own bikes. During the project, bicycle mechanic training courses are organized for students of ZSM No. 1, who will then provide service to Krakow residents.
Honorable Mentions in the competition were awarded to: Cyprian Kamil Norwid Secondary School in Świdnik for the internship at the Gastro Travel Świdnik 2016 Provincial Tourism and Gastronomy Fair, and the General Władysław Anders Secondary School Complex and the 3rd General Secondary School in Chełm for the internship at the Impuls School Entrepreneurship Club.
A special award from the Cooperation Fund Foundation for equal opportunities in access to vocational education was awarded to the Tadeusz Kościuszko Secondary School Complex No. 8 in Koszalin for the internship “Working with Students with Special Needs.”
The Education Development Center also presented its statuettes.
The Gala was held under the patronage of the Minister of National Education, and one of the awards was donated by Tabor Dębica Sp. z o. o.
“Supporting vocational education has been one of the main pillars of the Cooperation Fund Foundation’s activities since its inception, so we know how important and necessary it is to recognize those vocational schools that are active and focused on providing high-quality education,” said Jacek Ostrowski, a member of the Management Board of the Cooperation Fund Foundation, the competition organizer.
“The idea of the competition is to present vocational education in a positive light as an attractive educational path. Participating schools set an example of how to leverage their environment, teachers’ creativity, and students’ enthusiasm to best prepare them for the job market, not only in terms of high-quality and current professional skills, but also in terms of attitudes and key competencies valued by employers,” summarized Agnieszka Luck, Head of the Educational Projects Department at FFW, where the idea for the competition originated over a year and a half ago.
The aim of the second edition of the competition was to collect and promote examples of good practices in quality assurance in vocational schools. A good practice was defined as “a proven, exemplary initiative, often challenging existing perceptions of certain issues, aimed at solving a problem (or part of it), demonstrating a high degree of effectiveness, as well as a degree of innovation and simplicity.”
These practices could address various areas of quality assurance: school development, teaching methods, educational and career guidance and counseling, meeting individual student needs, developing key competencies, collaboration with the school environment – including employers – and internal school evaluation/assessment. The criteria assessed included effectiveness, originality and innovation, comprehensiveness of the solution, partner involvement, and the feasibility of implementing the submitted practice by other schools or institutions.
Competition website:
www.najlepszazawodowa.pl
Competition organizer:
Cooperation Fund Foundation – www.cofund.org.pl
Co-organizers:
Masovian Local Government Teacher Training Center – www.centrum.mscdn.pl
Masovian Education Superintendent – www.kuratorium.waw.pl
Education Development Center – www.ore.edu.pl
2017 edition partner:
Tabor Dębica Sp. z o.o. – www.tabor-debica.pl
Gala patron:
Minister of National Education – www.men.gov.pl
