Earlier this week, staff from Public Open University Čakovec travelled to Austria to take part in a two-day partner meeting of the Erasmus+ project MC Chef – Microcredential Kitchen Basics for Gastronomy. Held during the project’s final phase, the meeting focused on presenting the results achieved so far, reviewing the piloting of the educational programme and agreeing on the activities to be completed before the project ends later this year.
The MC Chef project has developed a curriculum for acquiring basic culinary skills, a multilingual online learning platform and a practical component that combine self-directed learning, hands-on work and assessment of the learning outcomes achieved. Particular attention has been given to applying micro-credentials in gastronomy, promoting sustainable practices and aligning education with labour market needs.
Final assessment of pilot workshops and presentation of results
The first day of the meeting took place at the Grissemann Training Centre in Zams, where representatives of the partner organisations observed the final assessment of culinary pilot workshops attended by learners from Austria and Spain. This gave the partners first-hand insight into how the developed educational programme works in practice, while also enabling them to compare the approaches, experiences and results of learners who took part in the pilot workshops in Austria with those of learners who participated in the pilot workshops in Croatia.
The piloting results were also presented to stakeholders from employment, tourism, education and business. Attendees included representatives of the regional employment service, the Tyrol Tourist Board, the private sector and other organisations interested in education and employment in gastronomy. Their participation was particularly important because one of the project’s objectives is to align the developed programme with the actual needs of the hospitality sector, employers and prospective learners. The exchange with stakeholders gave the partners additional insight into how the programme and its results could be used after the project’s official completion.
Agreeing on final project activities
The second day of the partner meeting took place at the premises of the project coordinator, KAOS Bildungsservice gGmbH. Key topics included project management, a review of activities completed to date, the presentation of piloting results, dissemination of project results and the tasks to be completed during the project’s final months. The partners jointly reviewed progress across individual project areas and agreed on responsibilities and deadlines for the final activities.
The partners also discussed the final dissemination activities and how the project results would be presented to professional audiences and the wider public. A shared priority is to ensure that the developed content remains accessible and usable after the project ends and can be used by adult education providers, vocational education and training institutions, trainers, learners and other interested users.
A representative of the Austrian National Agency also attended the meeting and, following the working sessions, shared her observations on the implementation to date. Her feedback was very positive and constructive and provided the partners with further guidance on completing the remaining activities to a high standard. A dedicated part of the discussion focused on Croatia’s micro-credential system, in which the National Agency representative expressed considerable interest.
Exchange of experiences and opportunities for future cooperation
Throughout the two-day programme, representatives of POU Čakovec exchanged knowledge and experience with organisations and experts working in education, employment, tourism, social inclusion and professional competence development. Discussions covered shared interests, the challenges faced by education providers, learners and employers, and opportunities to develop new project initiatives.
Topics relating to micro-credentials, flexible forms of learning and aligning educational programmes with employer needs attracted particular interest. These discussions confirm the importance of international projects not only for developing concrete educational content, but also for building long-term partnerships, exchanging good practice and opening up new opportunities for cooperation.
More information about the project, its activities and the educational content developed is available on the official MC Chef project website.
Follow the website and social media channels of Public Open University Čakovec to stay informed about the final activities, the publication of educational content and the results of the MC Chef project.
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