Network Members

Viladecans’ 360º approach to education underpins the idea of an Educational Innovation Network that involves different public and private representatives in a city-wide project. Anybody educates, anywhere at any time. It is understood that learning happens within and out of schools’ walls, and also physically and, increasingly, from and with virtual digital tools.

This education conception makes everybody co-responsible in the teaching-learning process. Bridges between potentially education agents, formal and non-formal, promote collaborative efforts and have a multiplying impact.

With this in view, all ON BOARD partners engaged members from different stakeholders’ groups to participate in the international gatherings, their local planning meetings and in pilot innovative projects.

Teachers and headmasters were obviously the first ones, but other followed: local businesses and the university, entities of all kinds, families, the students themselves… they turned to have a high potential and interest in connecting with each other to improve students’ interest, skills and capacities from a “real world” standpoint and beyond the formal curricula.

One of the key lessons from the ON BOARD transfer experience is that the -too often- limited competences on education in the municipal level is not an obstacle for leading bold and innovative policies in the city.

Indeed, curricula, pupils’ ratios, and territorial organisation is usually decided from the higher regional and national levels. However, ON BOARD partners, have proven that the leading role of the City Government in the development of the Educational Innovation Network and education policies helps formulate strategies that can have a very high impact in educational improvement and success in the city.

Local authorities who want to place education high on the policy agenda may want to ensure they can build effective links between the Education Department and other municipal departments and agents. For example, it is of major relevance that the Education Department, the Youth Department and the Economic and Entrepreneurship Services closely work together to ensure the match between the job offer of local companies, and the skills required, in particular in STEM-related professions that are constantly evolving.