Update June 2022:
Ukraine Crisis
We would like to express our horror at the events in Ukraine and our support for the Ukrainian people in their fight for a free and democratic future.
Erasmus+ and the UK
We are extremely disappointed at the decision of the UK government to leave the Erasmus+ Programme. We are committed to continuing to deliver high quality and unique educational experiences with our host partners until the end of 2022, which will be the end of our current contract. We hope that the means to continue these skills exchanges & training opportunities will emerge in the near future.
Update Course Information: NET & STEM (see below)
All NET (Nature Exchange and Professional Training) & STEM (Traditional Skills and Materials Exchange) Courses 2022 . If you are interested in any of the courses please email an expression of interest to libby@archnetwork.org and seona@archnetwork.org. We will only ask for applications when we have confirmation of dates for any particular course.
NET & STEM are funded by Erasmus+ and supported by the UK National Agency, ECORYS.
Course List for 2022 for information (all these courses were postponed in 2020)
Dates can change by 1 or 2 days in either direction because of availability of flights.
NET 6 & STEM Courses 2022
August & September 2022
FINLAND (TAMK Tampere University of Applied Sciences) (30th August to 6th September 2022) Forestry in Finland: education, practice and conservation. (1 space available)
*NEW DATES* ROMANIA Fundatia ADEPT (8th to 15th September 2022) (2 spaces available) Linking rich biodiversity with traditional skills & rural development in Transylvania Apply now to visit the award winning ADEPT organisation – conserving natural and cultural heritage through rural development and nature friendly, small scale farming.
NORWAY (Evenstad University) (Dates to be confirmed) Human, Wildlife, Predator, Forestry Management (2 spaces available)
We are working with other hosts to confirm details & identify firm dates to hold courses including the Netherlands, Galicia (Spain), Slovenia (traditional wood working & sustainable wood uses). We will post courses up as soon as we have concrete details.
Application Information
Consortium: both the NET and STEM programmes are run through consortiums of Scottish cultural heritage, nature conservation and community organisations. You can find out which organisations are part of the NET and STEM consortium in the project section of this website. Each of the consortium partners promotes the courses through their own internal networks and via this website. Please ensure that you have the permission of your line manager before applying for a NET or STEM course.
*Please Note* Nature Scot staff have an internal HR process. Please contact us to express an interest in any of the courses but you must also complete the internal Nature Scot process before you submit a full application.
Application Form: we ask all participants to fill in an application form which asks why you want to take part, how it fits with you and your organisations training needs, and how you would plan to report on the learning and share it with your networks in Scotland.
Preparation Meeting: we ask all participants to attend a preparation meeting to make sure that all the course requirements and logistics are clear, to introduce examples of best practice in reporting and dissemination and for the group to meet each other before they travel. Post Covid all preparation meetings are online.
Reporting & Dissemination: one of the strengths of the NET programme has been the range and quality of reporting from the courses. There is no set format for the reporting and we encourage participants to think of the best ways to communicate key messages to their own audiences and networks. All reports are shared via this website and you can view the reports from 2019 and use the search function to retrieve reports from previous years. Previous participants have used written reports, blogs, flims, GIS Storymaps, policy recommendations for Scotland, visual and audio diaries.
The reports from 2019 are very useful in helping you to decide which programme is going to be most relevant to you. There are a range of individual reports and films, as well as a summary report of NET 5 in 2019. Visit the Reports section of the website.
What the grant covers:
Training costs and fees: to the host organisation
Accommodation: During the study visit. It does not cover any expenses incurred prior to the visit commencing or at the end of the visit. (E.g. staying in a hotel before departure or being collected from a designated collection point.)
The NET programme visits some of the most beautiful and rural areas of Europe. Please be aware that there may be shared accommodation, usually twin room, during the visits.
Food: The Grant covers the main meals, or equivalent packed lunches etc., for the group throughout the study visit. This will vary from country to country but the basics will always be covered.
Travel: Travel during the study visit is covered by the grant. It does not include any travel expenses incurred by the participant prior to being collected from the meeting point or at the end of the study visit after leaving the rest of the group. If a participant wants to pursue activities outwith the group, in their free time, then they must pay for any travel expenses incurred themselves.
There is a small grant available to cover exceptional costs for those traveling from the Islands
Who can go on these courses?
These opportunities are open to ‘Adult Education Staff’ of participating consortium members – that is – those who have a role in disseminating information, skills or informal training to colleagues, staff, in their own or other organisations or to the public.
Do I need to take annual leave to go on these trips?
Please have a conversation with your line manager about this as individual situations will vary.
Insurance
Participants must purchase their own European Travel Insurance for the duration of the study visit.
Visas
We will publish any information on acquiring visas if these are required for particular courses.