City of Terrassa – A city that guides

Title

City of Terrassa - A city that guides

Project

City of Terrassa - A city that guides

Project funded by

Mainly by the City Council of Terrassa, but it also receives funds from other entities such as the Diputació de Barcelona (Barcelona Provincial city council) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan regional government) for specific activities/projects.

Promoter name and country

Ajuntament de Terrassa (Terrassa City Council)- Spain

Partner(s) name and country (if applicable)

Other actors from the territory with the ones the city council cooperates or coordinates in relation of guidance and lifelong training: Primary and secondary Schools (private and public), Universities, Barcelona provincial council, Catalan regional government, Business associations (Chamber of Commerce, PIMEC), labour unions.

Type of provider

public

Area of implementation

urban
local

Context and motivation of the project - legislative background/obligations, institutional policy, institutional structures

The transitions in education (specifically from compulsory to post-compulsory education) have become a key process in the development of educational and career itineraries for all the people, particularly to young people with risk of abandonment. The relationships that exist between school and the job market, primary and secondary education, or academic and professional training are no longer bound by the same rules that for decades made for a certain social stability. Demographic changes must also be taken into consideration, as well as changes in the family structure, new consumer trends and so on, which have caused a profound transformation in one generation. In addition, social policy in general, and education, employment and youth policies in particular have also changed, and ever more importance has been given to the local level as the best sphere of intervention. In this context and as a response to this situation the city council, from its different areas (Education, Youth, Economic Development, social services, gender equity policies, universities) provides a wide range of guidance and training services/programmes to support citizens on their education and career transitions. These services are in line with the strategies of the Pla de mandat 2015-2019 (City Strategic Plan), specifically with Priority 1 (to boost the economic activity in order to reduce the unemployment and to facilitate the creation of quality and stable jobs) and Priority 2 (to guarantee the quality of life, the social justice and the social welfare for all). The Terrassa City Council has created and participates in the Terrassa Vocational Education Council, which constitutes the coordination space with other stakeholders of the territory. In the council the importance of the guidance is enhanced and the creation of a coordination board on guidance is promoted. Moreover, the City Council has the “Dispositiu Local d’Inserció” (A local device for school to work transition) as a structure for working in a network among the different municipal services and other city actors addressed to the young people (16-19 years old) that haven’t obtained the certificate of secondary compulsory education (ESO) and that are willing to define their own education and career itinerary.

Aims of the project

In line with the strategies of the Pla de mandat 2015-2019 (City Strategic Plan), specifically with priorities 1 and 2, the objectives of the guidance initiatives are under the following sub-priorities: + Priority 1 (to boost the economic activity in order to reduce the unemployment and to facilitate the creation of quality and stable jobs

To develop personalised programmes, to enterprises and to unemployed people, to help the people to design their personal plan for the labour integration.

+ Under Priority 2-to guarantee the quality of life, the social justice and the social welfare for all:

To promote a quality education for all to decrease the school failure and the early school leaving
To boost an integrated Vocational Training to enhance education-work transition, from the Vocational Training Council.

Moreover, the working axes of the Terrassa’s Vocational Training Council plan for 2017 states that it will facilitate the lifelong and life-wide guidance.

Target group

students
ESL
parents
Guidance practitioners
Teachers

Description of the target group

The guidance services and resources that the city council and other actors provide are addressed to a wide range of the citizens throughout all their educational and professional life phases. But specifically they are addressed towards (in brackets the guidance action/s- the numeric is related with the activities of the section below):

1.1 Young people of 4^th of ESO (4rt course of Secondary compulsory education) from 15 to 17 years old- particularly those with a risk of leaving school early. (Tutoria d’acompanyament-Support mentoring)

1.2 Young people and families (Personalised guidance point)

1.3 Young students of compulsory and post-compulsory education (Guidance days on vocational training)

1.4 Young people from 15-21 years old without the secondary compulsory education degree (Tutoring of PFIs- training and inclusion programme)

1.5 Families of ESO students, tutors and guidance councillors (Maleta de las famílias– the family suitcase)

1.6. Young and adults studying at municipal adult schools willing to access to VET or continuing education (Full de Ruta– Road Map)

2.1 Young students of ESO and their families (Xerrades d’orientació- Guidance talks)

2.2 Primary and secondary students with special difficulties (Espai Orientació- Guidance space)

2.3 All the students of Terrassa public schools (Punt d’informació als patis– Information points at the school)

2.4. Young people (16-21 years old) that do not study nor work (Projecte en trajecte– En route project) .

3.1 Young people under the Youth Guarantee programme and the Integral programme and people over 30 years project (Youth Guarantee, +30).

3.2 All the citizens (Disposititu d’orientació i inserció als barris– Guidance and Insertion device in the districts).

4.1 All the citizens that want to have access to university ( Information and guidance to access university)

5.1. Women unemployed or they are searching a new job (need reorientation) (Accompaniment on the guidance process)

Staff (selection, evaluation, training, promotion)

Staff from the Services of the Terrassa City council from the areas of Education, Youth, Economic Development and Social Services- guidance councillors and other personnel of the city council that periodically participate in training courses to update and innovate. (Courses that the Barcelona provincial council and other institutions organise annually). Staff from the other actors that provide guidance services (teachers, business associations,..).

Methodological approach, activities implemented

The most relevant guidance actions/activities are the following (in brackets the actors that collaborate with the city council on the provision of the action, the numeric is related with the previous section on the target group):

From the Education municipal service:

1.1 Tutoria d’acompanyament (also link to the Best practice data base of Guiding cities) – Support mentoring, being a Young person after secondary school- (coordination among the services of education, youth and economic development and the secondary education schools)

1.2 Punt Personalitzat d’orientació– Personalised guidance point

1.3 Jornades d’Orientació CFGM i Superior– Guidance days on vocational training (Vocational Training Council)

1.4 Tutories PFIs – Tutoring of PFIs- training and inclusion programme (Teachers)

Projecte Maleta de les Famílies – The suitcase of the families project (Diputació de Barcelona and secondary education schools)
Projecte Full de Ruta– The Road map project (Municipal adult schools and Diputació de Barcelona)

From the Youth municipal service:

2.1 Xerrades d’orientació al territori– Guidance talks

2.2 Espai Orientació– Guidance Space

2.3 Punt informació als patis- Information points at the school

2.4 Iniciativa En trajecte– En route project

2.5 Garantia juvenil– Youth Guarantee

From the Promotion development municipal service:

3.1 Programs for the employment ( Integrate programme ,over+30,…). (Regional government and enterprises)

3.2 Dispositiu Local d’Inserció” (A local device for school to work transition) (in coordination with all the municipal services)

Municipal service of universities.
- Informació i orientació accés universitats– Information and guidance to access university (Universities)

The municipal area on gender policies- labour insertion service

5.1 Acompanyament en el procés d’orientació– Accompaniment on the guidance process

Results and impact - data of program internal/ external evaluation, beneficiary satisfaction, the impact of the didactical practices at individual and institutional level

The overall evaluation of the diverse guidance initiatives thus far has been very positive. Every municipal service has their own quantitative evaluation process of the services provided and there is a commitment to share this processes.

For evaluation purposes the Local device for school to work transition is used to improve the guidance services provided by the city council.

Conclusions, lessons learned

Currently the city council is under the advanced process of elaborating a map of guidance actors, services and resources of all the territory. This process has created a coordination space among the different municipal departments and it will implicate the stakeholders of the city. Moreover, this map process has helped the city council to put in order the diverse services provided and therefore to identify the ways to improve them and to cover the needs of the diverse target groups.

Directions of further development/ Transferability, replicability

The aim is to continue working with the initiatives that have a success, such as the ones about education transitions “Tutories d’acompanyament” and “En trajecte”, and to be able to add specific actions when needed for smaller target groups who require special attention. There is strong commitment from the various municipal services, the Terrassa’s Vocational Training Council and the group of the secondary schools involved on these projects. The increase of the implication of the families is another key aspect to further develop, following the projects currently developing.

Justification as best practice

The Terrassa City Council has been providing for a long time a wide range of guidance services and resources that cover the most of all the target groups that needed.

Type of ESL (early school leaving) practice