About fifty people participate this week at the University of Vigo in the first project meeting in Europe Ibero4Jobs. The initiative brings together specialists from universities and organizations in Colombia, Mexico, Portugal and Spain with the objective of improving the integration processes between the academic and business spheres, creating bridges between them that promote the employability of students.
Launched in May 2023, the project has participation from the European side of the University of Vigo, the Ronsel Foundation and the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal). In the Ibero-American part of Colombia there are the University of Caldas, the Autonomous University of Manizales, the Chamber of Commerce of Manizales for Caldas and the Luker Foundation; e from Mexico to the Autonomous University of Nayarit to the Technological University of Nayarit. It is financed with around 775,000 euros under the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and coordinated by the University of Caldas. The purpose of the initiative is “to improve the employability of the students of the partner universities, strengthen the current capacities of the participating institutions and transfer knowledge that allows them to develop their own connection strategies with the business sector.”
To achieve this objective, Ibero4Jobs is committed to improving the integration processes between academia and the business and production sector through the transfer of methodologies and best practices from European universities to Latin American higher education institutions. Thus, it starts from the premise that “European universities have successful models in theoretical and practical training that facilitate the transition from learning to employment and respond to the skills and needs demanded by the labor market, favoring the employability of youth.” In this context, the participating partners consider that “working together is essential so that the actions, efforts and capacities of both parties impact the sustainable development of the regions and reduce the gaps in performance of new people.”
Knowing good practices
The first Study and Immersion Week of the project started this Monday and Tuesday at the Ourense campus, at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, and will continue to the next weekend at the Vigo campus. Showing her satisfaction for completing this activity, the coordinator of Ibero4Jobs at the University of Vigo, a professor at the aforementioned faculty Maribel Doval, explains that the objectives of this meeting are to deepen the knowledge of good practices on the subject of the project through “active dialogue and work cooperative and participatory between European and Latin American partners.” Likewise, programming focuses on perfecting the skills of Ibero-American teachers in relation to these practices, “equipping them to develop and prototype solutions for their respective universities and organizations, influenced by European paradigms in the field.”
The work sessions around projects are complemented this week by holding different workshops with entities, such as Feuga, and visits of interest, such as the Business Confederation and the Deputation of Ourense or the Nautilus observatory, near Vigo. Members also have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the faculties, schools and research work of UVigo and different companies. The participating delegations of Ibero4Jobs will continue to work this week at the headquarters of another European partner of this initiative, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal).
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