Forum of Vocational Excellence
We started on Tuesday the 26th of September by visiting the Forum of Vocational Excellence in Amsterdam, where we received information about CoVE’s, shared experiences, and got a chance to meet each other in real life, some of us for the first time.
The main goal of the Forum is to bring the people involved in the CoVE’s together, to share their knowledge, lessons learned and best practices with each other, so no one has to reinvent the wheel. CoVE’s are joined forces to co-create solutions that do exactly what is needed: offering good quality education and training, in line with society’s needs, and offering additional services like applied research, innovation of professions and sharing context rich learning environments that are used for initial and continuous education and training alike.
After the Forum, Noorderpoort, coordinator of the project, had arranged a bus. Together, the partners traveled to Groningen, to continue the adventure on Wednesday.
Project kick-off
On the morning of Wednesday 27 September, the project truly kicked off. Minke Kloppenburg, initiator of the Care about IT project, started the day by welcoming everyone to Noorderpoort and expressing her joy that the start of the project was now truly happening. Getting the driest material of the day out of the way, we then dove into administration, registration and finances, but not before Geert Nanne Bruining gave a brief introduction about Noorderpoort and Groningen. Moi! (hello in Gronings)
However, these days were not only meant for getting acquainted with the material. They were also about getting to know each other. We firmly believe that cooperation is improved if you invest in getting to know the partners you work with. Working with 15 partner organisations from four countries, we had a lot of getting to know to do. With it being a beautiful, sunny day, we took the chance to do so outdoors. Lisette te Hennepe (Katapult) helped us dive into each other's personal lives and interests. Afterward, the partners explored steps 1-4 of WP2. In between we enjoyed a nice outdoor lunch and the day ended with a delicious dinner provided by Noorderpoort students in Lokaal 050.
On the second day of the Kick-off, we continued going through all the work packages and what we need to do to complete all tasks successfully. First steps were taken, and agreements were made. After two productive days, we're looking forward to a successful four-year collaboration.
Testimonials
“Last week’s meeting was a very good experience. I think meeting the project partners in person definitely makes cooperation smoother and more efficient. We had some very interesting discussions. One important outcome was, that we need to define the terms we use and try and find a common understanding what we all mean by health technology and issues related to it, and what differences and also what similarities there are between the participating countries and regions. I now have a much clearer understanding about the project. I like that we have formulated clear tasks, deliverables and milestones, as that makes it a lot easier to work for the project and make sure that we achieve our goals.”
Sanna Paloposki, City of Turku
Country Captain Finland
“The Kick off meeting of last week was an important occasion to meet all partners "in real life": to build a good cooperation it is important to have time to know each other and share our experiences and know-how from a personal point of view as well. A kick off meeting is a key moment of team building. The round table about the project highlights the details of next steps to be taken and gives partners the opportunity to discuss practical aspects of upcoming activities. This CoVE is a complex project with many different challenges, but I am sure that the whole team is motivated to tackle them. Each partner has a lot to bring to this project and together we will work well to contribute to the evolution of the digital health ecosystem both in our countries and at European level.”
Irene Miretti, Apro Formazione
Country Captain Italy
“The Kick-off was enlightening, connecting and an advance toward a beautiful outcome. It was nice to meet almost all of the partners and to hear a little bit of their personal live (by teambuilding games) and to hear about what they can bring into the project the CoVE is an opportunity to make a change in the lives of our students, but also a in the professional life of the healthcare and IT-professional. It's a joy to be part of it.”
Jessica Knopper, Noorderpoort
Progam Manager & Country Captain Netherlands
