Strengthening International Collaboration: ELE_VET School Visits in Armenia and Azerbaijan

Introduction

As part of the Erasmus+ ELE_VET (Enhanced Learning Experiences for Vocational Education and Training) project, key international partners from Italy and Portugal conducted site visits in Azerbaijan and Armenia in June 2025. These visits marked a significant milestone in the project’s development, enabling hands-on engagement with VET institutions, local stakeholders, and future beneficiaries of the program. The goal: to align the project’s vision with the real needs and capacities of local VET systems and communities.

The Main Subject

In Azerbaijan: Exploring the VET Landscape in Baku

Thanks to the strong collaboration under the ELE_VET project, representatives from EGInA (Italy) and INSIGNARE (Portugal) visited several VET schools in Baku, where they held productive meetings with national VET providers and educational experts. These discussions focused on the upcoming training pathway for teachers, potential international mobility opportunities, and the organization of Hackathons that will engage students in project-based learning.

The visits served to:

Assess the institutional capacities and infrastructure of local schools.
Engage local decision-makers and align efforts with national education strategies.
Raise awareness about the upcoming blended training, job-shadowing, and hackathon phases of the ELE_VET program.

These meetings laid the groundwork for building a stronger, internationally connected VET ecosystem in Azerbaijan.

In Armenia: Focus Groups and Field Insights

Following the Azerbaijan mission, the delegation continued its journey to Yerevan, Armenia, where active focus group discussions were held at the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center (CEPFA). The sessions were attended by:

Youth Opportunities Club NGO (YOC),
EGInA (Italy) and INSIGNARE (Portugal),
Teachers and administrators from Kasakh R. Gevorgyan Secondary School No. 1 and Yerevan State Vocational College No. 1. and Kapan State Medical College,

The discussions focused on the core objectives of the ELE_VET project:

Enhancing digital literacy among VET teachers
Integrating innovative, student-centered teaching methodologies
Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets within VET education

Participants explored how the training can be adapted to local realities, how schools can best prepare students for international collaboration, and how to integrate digital and entrepreneurial content into everyday curricula.

Notably, the European partners had previously visited these educational institutions to understand their strengths and developmental needs, ensuring a customized and relevant approach for each local context.

Summary

These bilateral visits were not just about observation—they marked a transition from planning to active engagement and co-creation. By meeting with educators, observing classrooms, and listening to local concerns and suggestions, the ELE_VET partners were able to validate and refine the project’s curriculum and training strategies.

The visits also served as a platform to introduce upcoming activities, including:

The Teacher Training Program starting in early 2026
The National Hackathons where students will compete in developing digital and entrepreneurial solutions
Opportunities for international mobility, including job-shadowing in Italy and Portugal and participation in the Social Hackathon Umbria

Results

The site visits in Armenia and Azerbaijan resulted in:

Stronger institutional ties and clearer understanding of school needs
Selection of local schools and NGOs ready to implement ELE_VET activities
Engagement of more than 20 educators and decision-makers in strategic discussions
Collection of valuable input for the finalization of training materials and methodology

These outcomes reaffirm the core mission of ELE_VET: to empower VET teachers and students with future-ready skills and build bridges across Europe and its neighboring countries through education and collaboration.