The primary international activities of the Higher Vocational College were carried out through the Erasmus project in the previous period, and are now conducted under the Erasmus+ project.
In 2007, we obtained the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (2007–2014) for the first time, which allowed the exchange of lecturers and staff with other higher education institutions and universities in Europe. It also enabled students to study abroad and to complete internships in foreign institutions.
On December 6, 2013, we received a new Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (2014–2020), which allows us to continue international cooperation.
Each academic year, we apply to the National Agency for European Educational Programmes for Erasmus+ individual mobility (for students and staff) in accordance with the Erasmus+ call.
In February 2021, we were granted the ECHE (Erasmus Charter for Higher Education) for the 2021–2027 program period, during which we will continue our international cooperation.
Erasmus+ is an EU program for cooperation in the fields of education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021–2027.
A prerequisite for our participation in the program, and for ensuring its quality, is the ECHE (Erasmus Charter for Higher Education) for 2021–2027 and the Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS), which outlines the institution’s strategy for international cooperation. Both documents are available at the links below:
At IC Piramida Maribor, Higher Vocational College, within the Erasmus+ 2021–2027 project, we continue the international activities that were previously carried out under Erasmus+ 2014–2020 and the Erasmus (Lifelong Learning) programs. Every year, we apply for funding for mobility, enabling our students and staff to gain knowledge and experience in various institutions and countries.
(source: Cmepius: http://www.erasmusplus.si/).
The Erasmus+ 2014–2020 program aimed to improve the skills and employability of young people, as well as modernize education, training, and youth work. This seven-year program had a budget of €14.7 billion, enabling the EU to offer more than 5 million Europeans the opportunity to study, train, gain work experience, or carry out voluntary activities abroad (source: Cmepius: http://www.erasmusplus.si/).
A prerequisite for our participation in the program, and for ensuring its quality, was the ECHE listina (Erasmus Charter for Higher Education) for 2014–2020, which we received on December 6, 2013.
Our institution’s strategy for operating within the Erasmus+ program was documented in the Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS).
The Higher Vocational College IC Piramida collaborates with various higher education and other institutions.
We are a member of the Consortium of Higher Vocational Colleges of Slovenia for mobility for the periods 2017–2020 and 2021–2027.
In the field of international activities within Erasmus+, we cooperate through the Higher Vocational Colleges’ Community, which allows us to implement certain activities. After using our own funds for approved mobility projects, we can also obtain additional funding for mobility through the Consortium of Higher Vocational Colleges of Slovenia.
We have signed bilateral agreements with:
Bursa University, Karacebey College (Turkey)
Polytechnic Institute in Viseu (Portugal)
LEGTA Agricultural School (Auzeville – LEGTA – Lycée d’Enseignement Général et Technologique Agricole) in Toulouse (France)
College of Tourism and Ecology in Sucha Beskidzka (Poland)
EPLEPFA Agricultural and Food School (Etablissement Public Local d’Enseignement et de Formation Professionnelle Agricole) in Périgueux, Périgord (France)
College of Tourism in Iraklio, Crete (Greece)
College of Mechanics and Technology in Olaine (Olaines Mehānikas un tehnoloģijas koledža), Latvia
Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb (Croatia)
Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University (Turkey)
A) In August 2013, we signed a letter of intent for continued cooperation with the Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Kangwon National University, Korea. The memorandum was signed at the opening ceremony of the 12th International Buckwheat Symposium in Laško by Dr. Cheol Ho Park, Director of the Korean Institute, and Mag. Midhat Mulaosmanović, Director of ICP Maribor.
B) We also cooperate with several Japanese academic institutions. A notable collaboration was with Prof. Dr. Shinichi Ishida from Osaka Prefectural Engei High School. They requested a recipe for Tart buckwheat honey cookies and permission to present it with their three students at the Buckwheat Festival in their region. We personally delivered some cookie samples to the professor and students at the Laško symposium. Their goal was to showcase Slovenian food culture and buckwheat in Slovenia.
C) We have established additional contacts with Japanese institutions such as the Graduate School of Agriculture in Kyoto, the Faculty of Nutrition in Kobe, and Toyo College for Food Technology in Hyogo. We also exchanged information with representatives of Shinshu University in Ina.
D) We have had multiple collaborations with Dr. Gunilla Wieslander from the Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, Sweden, with whom we have been cooperating for many years.
E) We were invited to a visit at the Chamber of Commerce in Rome, where we also met with Prof. Dr. G. Bonafaccia from CRA_NUT (Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura), representatives of Tuscia University (who previously visited our school), and other chamber representatives.
Documented by:
Blanka Vombergar and Polonca Leskovar Mesarič
