1st EPAL is a full time vocational upper secondary school, is located at Karditsa city in central Greece. The shcool comprises a wide range of departments: Mechanical, Electrical, Vehicle, Structural Engineering, Electronic, Computing Systems & Networks
The school has 43 teachers and 281 students, all of them from middle and lower class families. The students come from disadvantaged areas and faces problems of social and economic exclusion. In fact, a fierce crisis has affected the industrial and agricultural sectors which represented the traditional core of the local economy and the effort to develop alternative sectors such as agri-tourism, crafts and still has to produce relevant effects. In order to contrast the negative aspects of a disadvantaged area, the 1st EPAL has engaged itself in the effort to improve its learning environment through technological educational instruments and innovative experiences.
The school offers to its students a 3rd & 4th level of EQF system certification after their graduation
The school has build strong relations with local authorities, associations, trade unions, social networks, collaborates with them to develop students’ skills, attitudes and competencies by connecting theory and practice, the world of school and the world of work.
Our School is a vibrant and fruitful institution, with many activities and always open to innovative ideas. Moreover our school participates in exta-curricular projects. We are an institution that operates inside the society, senses its problems and advantages and tries to prepare its students in the best way for their adult life. In last three years our school is addressed to the direction of new teaching approaches integration and the use of innovative management approaches in order to provide to its students a more motivated school environment aiming to reduction of the school drop out phenomenon. Acting as partner or as coordinator in E.U. projects we trying to transfer or to integrate good practices from other E.U. countries by developing and maintaining communication and collaboration channels between partners. Moreover through our participation in mobility projects we trying to pass to our students one more motive in order to make them more active in school life participation.Mr. Ntouvlis has a main degree in mathematics. He is a public maths teacher in secondary school and has over 15 years teaching experience in ICT in both private and public sector. He uses ICT tools to support teaching and learning methods and has more than 5 years experience in European Project Management. He is a holder of a MSc in Programs & Projects Administration & Management. He has also teaching experience in adult training in the themes of mathematics and ICT. He is an expert in adult’s education planning in private organizations. He has been employed in key positions for submission and implementation of European educational/training projects and he has been involved as research associate in many European projects within the frame of LL projects. He is also a certified (by the Ministry of Education) education multiplier in secondary schools, in the theme of usage of interactive systems in education and a certified teacher in the usage of ICT in mathematics. Nowdays he is working in Directorate of secondary Education of Karditsa prefecture as P.M. for a three years Erasmus+/KA2/Regions project while he is involved as an expert in a TOI LDV project in Regional Directorate of Education.
Giannakoudi Aikaterini
Ms Giannakoudi has a main Degree in English Language and Literature, as well as a Master’s Degree in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. She also speaks Italian, French and German. She has knowledge of ICT, certified by the Greek Ministry of Education. She has been a public school English teacher for the past twelve years, with prior experience also in the private sector (i.e. foreign language private schools). She has been involved in adult education training while working for the Institute of Vocational Education of Karditsa (a public post-secondary education institute) as an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) teacher. At present, she is also engaged in supplementary work as a freelance translator.
Sokratis Pappas:
Mr. Pappas has a main Degree (diploma) in mechanical engineering, he also holds a master degree in pedagogical sciences .Also, he is a teacher in a public vocational school and has over 17 years experience. Furthermore he is sub-director in the school, he is teaching and he is responsible of the “rules” and policies implementation of students behaviour in school enviroment. His central role as syndicalist of the teachers union, is appropriate in order to disseminate the aims and the results of the project through the union’s communication channels.