Workshop moderators
Anne-Mari Behm has 10 years of experience as head of internationalisation projects at Samiedu Vocational College. Previously, she has worked 12 y as a lecturer in tourism and in nature services. She has also worked in project manager in several educational technology projects. Her key areas of expertise are internationalisation in VET, online teaching and interactive platforms, digital teaching methods. She was a member of the Finnish National Agency for Education, Erasmus+ panel of experts for 6 years. | |
Ben Bruyndonckx is currently seconded by the Department of Work and Social Economy of the Flemish Community to Connectief. This is a foundation, bringing together all educational networks in Flanders and supporting actions that lead to a smooth transition of VET learners students to the labour market. Ben is responsible for the coordination of a Flemish network of VET Schools, working on VET internationalization and organizing short term work placement mobilities for VET-students and staff via Erasmus+ within a project framework, provided by Connectief. Ben functions as the SPOC for and brooker between the Flemish and international partners of the various mobility activities. He used to work as a Pedagogical Counselor in SYNTRA Flanders focusing mainly on apprenticeship projects. |
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Federico Tubiello: Project manager - International Research and Development Degree in Philosophy of Communication. He is currently European Project Manager at Apro Formazione, where he is in charge of project writing (Erasmus+, ESF, Interreg, CERV), project management and contact person for international networks. He is one of the three coordinators of the Tourism Thematic Team. Passionate about gastronomy, arts and cultures. |
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Georgios Zisimos is currently the Head of Policy Advice and EU programming Unit in ETF (European Training Foundation). He is a senior expert on EU Education Training Policies with a long international experience. He was appointed member of the Cabinet of the EU Commissioner for Education and Culture in the European Commission. He has been member in scientific committees on curriculum reform and literacy. He has taught Technology in public schools in England and Cyprus. He was elected Secretary General of the Cypriot Secondary Teacher's Union. He is the author of various publications in education and training. He is often a speaker in international conferences. @GZisimos |
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Heini Pennanen, MBA works as a digital coordinator in secondary level education. She has the expertise of a qualified vocational teacher in business. Heini specializes in training teachers to leverage innovative and learning-enhancing digital learning tools and methods. The latest she has been training teachers in online-pedagogy, creating immersive, visual and virtual learning environments, and the use of artificial intelligence in education. She has led several national projects and participated in international EU projects, the latest in the innovative VR4VET project, which creates virtual reality environments for customer service rehearsals. | |
Jamie de Vré is the project leader of the VR4VET project on behalf of ROCvA-F, the largest vocational education and training institution in the Netherlands. With extensive experience as a teacher, trainer, I-coach, and in international collaborations, Jamie has been dedicated to educational innovations and new technologies for many years. Currently, his focus lies on XR (Extended Reality) and Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, Jamie promotes open educational resources within vocational education. Together with his team, he develops these open educational materials in co-creation with teachers, students, and industry partners. Jamie is actively involved in the implementation of VR and other technologies in education. For the VR4VET project, Jamie connects VR and AI both within his institution and at a national level, aiming to transform and modernize education through advanced technologies and collaborative efforts. |
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Javier Serrano Castilla holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Granada and an MBA from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid. Since 2004, he has been a Business Administration teacher at a Vocational Training School, carrying out his teaching activities at IES La Zafra in Motril (Granada, Andalusia). He combines this role with his position as the Andalusia Coordinator at the FPEmpresa Association of Spain, where he works to establish networks between vocational training centers, companies, and institutions. |
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Karolina Ganowska, a 35-year-old Polish girl, living in Italy for over a decade. Since 2016, she’s been happily working at Uniser, facilitating international mobilities for learners and staff. Karolina is passionate about travel, fashion, face fitness, and detective podcasts, adding vibrancy and curiosity to both her professional and personal life. | |
Laura Koponen is a multidisciplinary pocket rocket from Jyväskylä, Finland. She is currently working as a Project Specialist in the Digital Services department of Gradia Educational Consortium. Before that, she worked for several years as a vocational teacher at Gradia, and she also has years of experience as an entrepreneur in her own business. As a Project Specialist, her role is to participate as a digital expert in various national and international projects, such as XR and AI projects. Her main tasks also include creating new learning environments enabled by digitalisation and helping Gradia employees to improve their digital skills and training them in the use of ICT. Laura enjoys giving something creative and inspiring to others to help them improve their pedagogy etc! In the VR4VET project, among others, she acts as a group leader and trainer and has been involved in the development of pedagogically functional and gamified scenarios for the VR learning environment. |
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Margherita Trestini: Capacity Building and Innovation Expert in African ecosystem. Project Management and Communication of EC funded research and innovation projects Consolidated knowledge of European research programmes and proposals' writing in the ICT, social innovation, renewable energy, and smart logistics Dissemination, communication, community engagement and capacity building programs for Horizon 2020 R&D projects fostering EU-Africa collaboration DIGILOGIC Programme Design, Stakeholder engagement and Promotion of VTE projects in Nigeria Collaboration with local and international donors to develop vocational training programmes for vulnerable groups with a focus on youth and women empowerment. |
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Mari Kontturi has 20+ y experience in internationalisation of VET. She works as Manager of International Affairs at Luovi Vocational College in Finland, the largest special needs education provider in Finland and she has a qualification for teaching, too. She is active in national and international networks e.g., EFVET and she is one of the coordinators of Efvet Internationalisation and Learning MobilityThematic Team. Her key areas of expertise are internationalisation in VET, internationalisation strategies, project management, staff professional development and Peer Review. | |
Marjolein Labruijere, Jette Thonissen and Hester Zeeman are working at the National Agency in the Netherlands. Where Jette has experience as a teacher in German and currently as programme manager, Hester has experience as an international coordinator in both higher education and VET. Marjolein has worked as a travel, leisure and hospitality-teacher in VET. In this way they complement each other in their current roles. They are part of a dynamic team who are a knowledge partner for all VET schools in the Netherlands on: professionalising teachers through internationalisation, Internationalisation at Home, mobility and bilingual education. |
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Martin Huizinga: A selfmade specialist in work placement, internship and apprenticeship with a broad experience in the international playing field and also n=know as the oldest wizkid in Europe | |
Norbert Ruepert has been involved in internationalisation of VET for more than 25 years both in the capacity as head of international office of ROC Midden Nederland, one of the largest colleges of vocational education and training in the Netherlands, and as representative in international networks such as EfVET, Radix and NAVE2. As a winner of the Leonardo Quality Award in 2008 he is a recognized project leader of many international projects in Leonardo, Erasmus Plus and other international programmes also outside of Europe. As head of the international office of ROC MN he has been responsible for the developments of internationalisation at the college focusing on curriculum development, virtual exchanges, global citizenship and capacity building of teaching staff. He is also responsible for excellence programmes at the college aiming at ambitious students ands staff. |
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Oscar Prat van Thiel has been active in the field of vocational Education since 2016, participating and then directing Education Plus, the main vocational education summit and trade fair in China supported by the German Federal Government, Land education authorities of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria and the China Vocational Education Association. Upon his return to Brussels from China, Oscar was asked to preside over the World Skills Development Alliance, made up of VET providers, schools, private sector in China and with priority mission to connect Chinese and European VET providers optimising opporturnities and funding resources from both China and Europe. Oscar now acts as Co-Team Leader of EfVET Going Global Thematic Team. |
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Pelin Ünlü has a master’s degree in European Gouvernance at Sciences Po Grenoble and she completed an English-medium bachelor’s degree in International Relations before. She participated in an Erasmus mobility experience in Spain. Regarding the KA2 Erasmus+ projects, she has been working as a project manager at SEPR since 2022. She is trilingual in Turkish, English and French, and also has an intermediate level of Spanish. |
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Roberta Richiero has been working in Vocational Education and Training for 22 years managing starting from planning the training activities and then managing Erasmus projects both KA1 and KA2. Her responsibilities include writing of proposals, coordinating the projects and reporting as well as assisting students, and contributing to the internationalization strategies of ENGIM. Her strong points are the relationships with the wide European and local networks she built over the years and her hard-working attitude. In the EFVET system she’s part of the Tourism Thematic Team leading one of its main tasks, the sustainability contest. Her background is in languages, tourism and labour market policies. Ms. Roberta Richiero has been working in Vocational Education and Training for 22 years managing starting from planning the training activities and then managing Erasmus projects both KA1 and KA2. Her responsibilities include writing of proposals, coordinating the projects and reporting as well as assisting students, and contributing to the internationalization strategies of ENGIM. Her strong points are the relationships with the wide European and local networks she built over the years and her hard-working attitude. In the EFVET system she’s part of the Tourism Thematic Team leading one of its main tasks, the sustainability contest. Her background is in languages, tourism and labour market policies. |
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Rowena Vece is currently working as a learning and project designer within the project design office of FMTS Experience. After a bachelor’s degree in foreign Languages and cultures, she is now specializing in Lifelong Learning at the University of Bologna where she studied career guidance and transition psychology. She also works as a language teacher and trainer, being accredited by Cambridge English Language Assessment since 2019. Her skills ranges from macro-designing training interventions funded by EU grants (especially the Erasmus program) to needs assessment for the definition of training programs. She contributes to the design and facilitation of learning modules for students and teachers; creation and testing of monitoring and evaluation tools; research and reporting; contact with participants; networking, etc. | |
Sergio Lagarde: Coordinator of the Mundus action in Africa: - Supervision of Mundus projects in Africa - Drafting capacity building projects for Africa - Management of the technical team and project managers - Definition and implementation of Mundus' action strategy in Africa - Seeking synergies and new opportunities - Mobilization of resources and exploration of new financing avenues. Previously Programme Coordinator for Global Leadership Adventure w | |
Silvina Campise: Originally from Córdoba (Argentina), she’s been thriving in Spain for over 7 years. With a background in communication and social psychology, she’s made waves at Uniser, leading the Spanish team and now forging strategic partnerships along the Mediterranean coast. This cheerful Cordobesa is not just all work, she’s also a fervent open water swimmer and nature enthusiast, always up for a hiking adventure. | |
Simona Puddu: Sociologist, for almost 15 years she has been working in the field of continuous and professional training as a project designer and coordinator. She has been working in several EU programmes such as LLP, Life, Erasmus+, ESF+, Agrip. At FMTS she coordinates the work of the EU project office, supervising project design and implementation of pilot projects (such as Overstep - A joint alliance to develop a mobility scheme and share best practices between African and European VET systems). She is in charge of representing the group in in EFVET and EVBB networks, and in EAFA communities on Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and on Green and Digital Transition. |
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Sirje Hassinen: Expert of International Affairs has already worked in Omnia's Project Services department for 18 years as a coordinator and project manager of many international projects. Her responsibilities include a wide variety of international relationships, hosting study visits, different events and conferences, and working on transnational projects and global networks incl. Japan. Her Ph.D. in Linguistics is about Estonian-Finnish bilingualism. She writes resumes and articles as well as gives lectures about multilingual and multicultural development as an external expert. As a language teacher, she has a lot of experience on different education levels as a teacher of first, second, and foreign languages. Internationalization describes both her personal and work life. Her ambition to connect with new people from different cultures and develop meta-skills in an international environment is made possible through her daily work on international affairs. |
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Sylvia Liuti: since 1997 she is one of the three owners of FORMA.Azione srl, a private company that operates as a consulting company in applying for public funds, mainly addressing the education and training sector as well as being an accredited training centre that specifically accesses ESF funds. To her professional expertise in Quality Assurance system which she brings to the company she also grown in a specific work area, focused on gender equality in the labour market, in the workplace and in the education, training and labour market chain, thanks to the Executive Master for “Gender Equality Experts in Labour Market Policies”, successfully attended in 2001-2002. Her vision of the future is based on putting VET, Adult Learning and the Lifelong Learning approach, at the core of the Italian and EU. | |
Tiny Wezenberg: Co-coordinator International Affairs at Landstede. She coordinates mobility-programs and recently joined the Tourism Thematic Team of EfVET as a coordinator. She has worked in vocational education since 2002 and before that 20 years in the International Banking Industry. She has completed a bachelor degree in Economics and still teaches several subjects in different areas, besides doing coordinating activities. | |
Valentina Chanina: EfVET Secretary General for many years she has been involved in European projects and tenders. She specialised in vocational education and training, adult education, relationship with European Commission and European Parliament, networking, and coordination of transnational partnerships. Responsible of supporting in the management of European projects, as well as for the development and promotion of national and European dissemination strategies for European projects and financial management of the projects. She has developed significant technical skills and the ability to manage projects and bring together diverse, talented teams to achieve organisational goals. She is familiar with EU Institutions and policies and has more than 20 years of experience in preparing handling project especially with the Erasmus+ programme, as well as conducting research, analysis task and formal reporting. Initiator of many formal and informal education activities for different groups. She has good experience in the elaboration and monitoring of dissemination and exploitation plans and strategies, as well as in the organisation of project events, workshops, and activities. |
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Violaine Roggeri: Lawyer interested in social rights working for now 15 years to contribute to the dream of making EU a safe and healthy place to work. Running awareness raising campaigns and a strong believer of the future is in the hands of generation Z and next ones. |