Over € 1.3 million European funding enables mentoring of school-to-university transition activities
OUI Project “Everywhere from here” started last January, thanks to funding allocated under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), an Italian tool that uses Next Generation Europe funds to make Italy more equitable, sustainable and inclusive.
As part of this project, the University of Catania is carrying out 271 Active Orientation in School-University Transition courses with the involvement of school and university professors, in order to consolidate skills expendable in university and labour market.
More than 1.3 million euros assigned by the Italian Ministry of University and Research enabled the involvement of 5,000 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades of 33 high schools in southeastern Sicily.
The first two project phases consisted of 7-hour common core modules delivered in high schools, by University of Catania’s Communication Area office, aimed at giving students the opportunity to learn about the higher education context, learn about the various opportunities for personal growth in building a sustainable and inclusive society, and acquire soft skills useful for learning and working.
The first general part, common to all students, was an occasion to inform them about international opportunities offered by the University of Catania, with a specific focus on EUNICE European University. Afterwards, practical educational experiences and workshops were delivered to students specifically based on their interests and attitudes.
Regarding the third phase, workshops were held in schools or university teaching, research and service facilities. Students had the opportunity to experience active, participatory and laboratory training oriented to the scientific method, particularly in the fields of economics, law and social policy, humanities, medicine and health, science and technical sciences, as well as in interdisciplinary subject areas on the enhancement of basic skills for access to university education; on knowledge of artistic, cultural and environmental heritage and related experimentation in technology, organization and management; and on expressiveness, communication and performing arts at the University Theater Center.
The first workshops activated are “Analysis of Gait, Running and Explosive Force in Sport” by Prof. Giuseppe Musumeci at the Laboratory of Clinical Kinesiology in the Biological Tower of the University, and “3D-Eco: Realize in 3D printing your eco-sustainable object” by Prof. Gianluca Cicala at the Technological Pole in the Department of Engineering.
