On March 3rd, we celebrated in the facilities of Distrito Digital, in the magnificent Crystal Hall and in CIDA facilities, the first RetODS Innovation Day with students who come from Higher Level of VET degrees in the Valencian Community.
The event was organized by the Center for Advanced Digital Innovation FOR VET (CIDA) under the auspices of the General Directorate of VET, on which we depend. The day was opened thanking the entity Sociedad de Proyectos Temáticos de la Comunitat Valenciana for allowing us to use their facilities and the facilities to contact companies belonging to that entity. Also the assistance of the General Manager of Innovation and European Programs, Carmen Navarro, who explained the programs that education goverment facilitates for the centers of our Community to develop their entrepreneurship programs (Empren program), improvement of educational quality (Qualitas program), methodological innovation (Innovatec program) and accreditation of competences (Acredita program).
And indispensable were the companies, that were a representation of innovative companies in the technology and digital sector, located in the digital district that have been the promoters, drivers and facilitators of the challenges that the students had to solve:
- Aire Networks, national telecommunications operator.
- Teralco Group, digital transformation in companies.
- Accenture, consulting and innovative solutions for companies.
- Mediapro, leading company in the audiovisual sector.
- Minsait by Indra, information technology digital transformation consulting firm.
- Verne Tecnology Group, telecommunications services provider.
- Barrabés, company promoting innovation program in tourism.
- Tilúa, assistive home automation.
The aim of this day was to promote entrepreneurial vocations in the students of FP and that students give innovative solutions to the challenges and problems posed by companies, working in record time and collaboratively in teams, between people from different backgrounds that had never met before. A real challenge that they solved in a magnificent way, giving a lesson to their teachers and facilitators who work with them in the classrooms. They changed their educational environment and faced for the first time a professional environment, accompanied by professionals from a different sector than their own who, on the other hand, facilitated and helped them in the resolution of this task.
Our role, as an Administration, is to contribute to spread objectives that improve people’s lives and to establish alliances to achieve them. On this occasion, the objectives that were being worked on the following
Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda
The companies presented the students with four different challenges related to the Objectives:
1 – How to improve teacher training in underdeveloped countries? How to solve the problem of difficult access to technology and the Internet?
How could you demystify that the STEAM world is made for them? How could you highlight the attractiveness of STEAM professions (science, technology, art, engineering, mathematics) in VET to increase the number of women in them?
How to improve people’s safety when traveling in individual mobility vehicles?
Audiovisual media for everyone: How to make audiovisual content 100% accessible?
VET students demonstrated that, with quality education, it is possible to improve health and wellbeing, gender equality and the reduction of inequalities and, through the use of affordable and non-polluting energies, apply them to industry and innovation to develop decent jobs and economic growth.
The companies were able to discover the enormous talent of the VET students. They gave in a short period of time, just for one day, innovative, creative, ingenious and sustainable answers. At the same time they showed their social commitment and social skills, something so necessary to perform a profession.
The participating centers were:
- IES José Antonio Cavanilles of Alicante, with students of the CFGS of Telecommunications and Computer Systems.
- CIPFP Batoi de Alcoi, with the CFGS of Social Integration.
- IES La Torreta de Elda, with the CFGS in Automation and Industrial Robotics.
- IES Severo Ochoa de Elche, with the CFGS in Web Applications Development and the CFGS in Marketing and Advertising.
- IES Maciá Abela, in Crevillente, with the CFGS in Physical Conditioning.
- IES San Vicente del Raspeig with the CFGS in Network Computer Systems Administration.
- IES Salvador Gadea de Aldaia with the CFGS of Styling and Hairdressing Management.
CIDA Advisors who have been in the work rooms have proven that it is possible to establish partnerships to achieve shared objectives between business and vocational training. This was demonstrated by the results obtained with the excellent work done by all of them who gave as solutions:
- Online platforms to improve teacher training in underdeveloped countries and to improve infrastructure and technology.
- Facilitate access to technology training for women with workshops, seminars and scholarships to use technologies and technological resources showing testimonies of successful women in the STEAM world.
- Create and design apps for safe, more efficient and faster individual mobility vehicles with advanced, sensory and environmentally friendly technology that move in smart cities.
- Design and commercialize tactile devices and voice assistants for people with disabilities and facilitate their daily lives.
These are the solutions that emerged as products created by the students and that the jury valued for each of the rooms.
Finally, the companies promoting the event proceeded to give the prizes to the winners as a token of the excellent work done, surrounded by the smiles of satisfaction of all attendees.
A great job that we will repeat in future editions expanding the number of participants, both educationally and professionally, to show the enormous talent found in our vocational education training.
