ECO NET in Romania

When the project ECO NET comes to an end in the first half of 2005, it can be said without exaggeration that it has been a success in every respect: the Romanian training firms network is recognised by the government, the central office ROCT (www.roct.ro) has been institutionalised, and in April 2005 there were 299 training firms registered at 58 schools in 44 towns. The training firms concept has been integrated into the country's curricula, the ROCT offices have been fitted out with modern equipment with Austrian support, and the ten pilot schools have business management centres. At the beginning of June, 23 facilitators will have completed their training and a comprehensive teachers' handbook compiled by Romanian training firms coordinators with the guidance of the ECO NET expert Johannes Lindner is waiting to be published. Romanian ECO NET training firms have already taken part in four international fairs in this year alone: March 2005: Freistadt and Prague, April 2005: Csongrad and Zagreb. On each occasion, the Romanian training firms were able to take awards home with them.

We only hope that the trainings firms manager Professor Geta Boe will obtain approval for the assistant's posts which she needs in her central office, because the coordination of such a large network is only possible in this way. The k-education project office Bucharest would like to take this opportunity to thank the VET Department in the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research for its support, and the ten ECO NET pilot schools in Arad, Baia Mare, Braila, Cluj, Jasi, Pitesti, Sibiu, Tirgu Mures, Timisoara and Turnu Severin for their unique cooperation and hospitality, and promises to support the activities of the Romanian training firms network as far as it is able to also after the 30th June 2005.