You are here

Reasons for forming partnerships

20 April, 2016 - 16:59

The three interviewees are clearly in harmony regarding the reasons at the origin of forming the partnerships analysed. There is a common purpose taken to be the fundamental motivation for each of the organizations involved, this being an increase in the region’s human capital. According to the interviewee from CMM, “there is a clear will on the part of CMM to give special prominence to the area of entrepreneurship, contributing to raising the awareness of young people, to the region’s benefit (…). The target population is concentrated in the schools”. In the view of this organization, quality education allows new horizons to be opened up, with the final objective being that young people become responsible, entrepreneurial adults who return to the district to give of their best.

For the coordinator of the EMPRE programme (Tagusvalley), “partnering with entities that pursue the same objectives (…) and improving the region’s economic and business situation, stimulating the number of entrepreneurs in the medium/long term and innovation”. The partners share common goals–“development of personal skills, the pupil’s personal development and preparation for future job markets”.

Also on the motives for forming partnerships, the head of AEVH mentions“accessing the experience and support for the logistics the project involves – human resources, financial support and transport”. The head goes on to highlight “the opening of doors provided by the partners allows the school to participate in other forums”. In this way, the partners share common aims –“all want to provide pupils with educational experiences that are varied, meaningful and of quality – quality of education is a goal for all the partners”.

On analyzing some documents from the organizations studied, we see a description of some of these objectives/motives in forming partnerships to promote entrepreneurship education (Table 5.4).

Table 5.4 Documentary analysis: Reasons for partnerships

Article on the CMM Activity Plan of 2008

“…the Local Authority Executive will continue to pay special attention to school-age children, as was the case in previous years, supplying a set of essential services and support for their personal and academic enhancement.”

Educational Charter of Mação–Mação Local Authority (CMM):

- “… the school, as the centre of educational policies, must build its autonomy with regard to the surrounding community, its potential and problems, relying on a new attitude in Local, Regional and Central Administration that will allow a better response to the challenges of change.”

-“(…) Mação Local Authority intends to attain a major objective: “to promote quality education in all its schools, providing children and young people in Mação Council with identical or better opportunities than those offered in urban areas.”

- “Being considered a strategic sector for the Local Authority’s development, Education, … , so that our children have training and development facilities which can prepare them to face the future with sufficient skills on which to base the success we all desire for each one of them in particular and for the Council area in general.”

- “AEVH will be provided with a set of equipment and services able to add quality to educational/training tasks at all levels of education (…). Besides providing this equipment and services, CMM will supply a transport network which will allow, in addition to transport to schools, a set of extra-curricular activities, in this way broadening educational horizons.”

Educational Project of AEVH 2009-2011

“The school, in assuming its prominent position in EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP, will develop practices towards COMPLETE EDUCATION OF THE HUMAN BEING and will adopt strategies that allow … contributions to highlighting the role of the school in its environment, by forming partnerships with different entities”

Objectives: “To provide, in collaboration with educational partners, formal and informal teaching/learning situations that stimulate the expression of interests and aptitudes in the various domains of training.”

“… the problems were identified: …lack of parental involvement in school life…”.

Curricular Project of AEVH 2010-2013

“…this new school orientation assumes it will develop a close relationship between its integral parts and the surrounding environment…”

“…there is an absolute necessity for correct articulation of the curricular orientations issued nationally with the real situation of the school’s environment.”

“…in this Curricular Project, the following goals are defined as priorities: (1) promoting strategies that contribute to a better relationship between the family and the school/parental involvement; (2) establishing greater school/community interaction; and (3) forming partnerships with various institutions in the areas of safety, health and culture.”

“The interests of families and the community should also be reflected in that curriculum…”

 

The interviews confirm the alignment of all partners regarding a socially relevant objective, valued by all those involved – successful integrated development and the educational success of the region’s children and young people. In particular, the head of AEVH stated in his interview that“all (the partners) want to provide pupils with educational experiences that are varied, meaningful and of quality – quality in education is a goal for all the partners”. These organizations pursue certain common objectives, assuming that as a group they achieve what would not be possible individually 1.

Concerning recognition, by all partners, of a common purpose behind establishing the partnership, the evidence obtained in this case study confirms what is stated in the literature 2, 3, 4.

In the three interviews, there is evidence of recognition of the School’s authority as an institution responsible for leading the educational process, and particularly in the field of entrepreneurship. The agreement by CMM and Tagusvalley, in recognizing their role as partners of AEVH, is not surprising, and considering the literature quoted 5, since this is a school within these institutions’ area of influence, their willingness to cooperate could even be expected.

In the interview, the head of AEVH also mentions the need for resources to promote entrepreneurship education, which the school does not possess and therefore needs to obtain outside, pointing to the synergies between organizations as a motivation/advantage of the partnerships formed. Indeed, the need to get hold of resources from community institutions to develop educational projects at school is an aspect highlighted in the literature 6, 7.

It can also be seen from the documentary analysis that CMM refers to the dimension of the resources in at least one of the documents analysed and its willingness to provide them for educational and school use. Although the documents originating in AEVH do not refer specifically to the need for those resources, they strongly underline the intention to form and strengthen partnerships with entities in the surrounding area, recognizing the authority/influence they have or could have locally and in the educational process, particularly parents and families.

Table 5.4 confirms that all the organizations involved in the partnership clearly identify in the respective documents a socially relevant objective for the medium/long term, which is valued by all partners: the successful integrated development of the district’s children and young people. Forming partnerships with other local organizations with a view to that medium and long-term objective is evident in the documents originating in AEVH. That objective is accepted as the purpose of establishing the partnerships analysed, and is common to all those involved.