The territorial delegate of Education and Sport of the Junta de Andalucía in Almería, Antonio Jiménez, accompanied by the head of the Planning and Schooling Service, Maribel Fernández, has visited the Institute of Secondary Education (IES) “Martín Ramos” in Albox, one of the seven centres in the province that will have an Applied Technology Classroom (AtecA Classroom).
This is an initiative of the Regional Ministry that is a boost for technological and didactic innovation in Vocational Training, contributing to the high level of training of VET teachers and the provision of technical equipment. In addition,” said the delegate, “thanks to the economic endowment of 55,059 euros per classroom and the collaboration of companies, some of which are well known such as HP, Digitales, Vodafone, Huawei and Telefónica, it will be possible to incorporate the latest technologies in the training of future Vocational Training technicians”.
For Jiménez “we are looking at multifunctional spaces, adapted to the current changing reality and to the use of active methodologies of technological design, flexible and reconfigurable spaces that are at the service of the different methodologies”.
The delegate Antonio Jiménez highlighted as an objective of the Regional Ministry of Education and Sport “the updating, improvement and adaptation to the needs of the labour market of Vocational Training, in order to offer society a more competitive and versatile training, so, to carry out this task, it must integrate the concepts of research and innovation to the fullest extent”.
The creation of applied technology classrooms in Vocational Training is one of the strategic actions of the Regional Ministry for the modernisation of the current Vocational Training system, with the incorporation of digitalisation, innovation and entrepreneurship. These classrooms are assigned a set of resources “which are distributed within the framework of territorial cooperation for training, economic and social growth and employability”, Jiménez emphasised.
The AtecA Classrooms are workspaces where actions aimed at the development of classroom networks, active and collaborative learning, learning between inter-centre teams, shared challenges, sustainability in the classroom, the development of meeting systems with mixed reality (MR) or virtual reality (VR) and the development of connectivity between teams will be put into practice.
AtecA in Martín García Ramos Secondary School
The AtecA Classroom of the IES “Martín García Ramos” in Albox, will be aimed at all the training cycles that are taught in the centre, from basic vocational training to higher education, covering the largest number of professional families.
The director of the Institute, Encarnación Castillo, affirms that this Classroom “will improve the connection between the educational centre and the different productive sectors, as well as fostering coordination between educational courses, thus promoting teamwork”.
In addition, the delegate stressed that “these classrooms will make it possible to work in coordination with companies from different sectors to carry out projects that put into practice solutions that bring about a real improvement in industry, establishing collaborations between schools and SMEs and, especially, with micro-SMEs, enabling the transfer of knowledge”.
Ana Dolores Pedrosa, councillor of the Albox Town Council, has also expressed herself in this line, pointing out that “in this way, young people are connected with their professional future and are offered the possibility of staying in their municipality enjoying current resources, adapted to an ever-changing reality”.
For her part, the project coordinator, Laura Conesa, explained that the space will be divided into four main areas: “Espacio Comparte”, “Espacio Investigación”, “Espacio diseño” and “Espacio Fabricación”. In the first of these, communication and exhibition skills will be developed, creating a conference room focused on the connection and interaction with companies, with AtecA classrooms from other centres and offering a relaxed space that encourages imagination and creativity.
The “Research Space” will be dedicated to the processes of enquiry, research, discovery and development. Here, teachers can promote project-based learning and research to enhance students’ critical thinking skills. The “Design Space” is aimed at the creation, editing, design and evaluation of projects and the “Fabrication Space” will be dedicated to the design and manufacture of prototypes using 3D technology.
In addition, the centre has also had its project approved to have an Entrepreneurship Classroom, selected for its track record and commitment to entrepreneurship. These classrooms are the place of reference in the promotion and dynamism of the entrepreneurial culture in the educational centre and the coverage of all the experiences in the entrepreneurial field launched by the students of Vocational Training and graduates.
The Delegate for Education and Sport thanked the entire teaching staff of this institute for their involvement in the projects developed by the centre, which only benefit the students.
