BENEFIT 1
Digital Skills and Pedagogical Benefits
The college is the only FET college in Ireland equipped with an industry standard iWall. The purpose of this iWall is to promote physical activity and entertainment through games. It is a large-screen digital device that reacts to body movement and hosts a series of iWall games that are themed with fitness, movement, balance and any other physical activity. This iWall is a fun and versatile exergaming product that is designed to be inclusive and suitable for players of all ages. CSE Entertainment are the manufacturers of this iWall, based in Kajaani, Finland. As part of the Level 6 Games Design course students completed a yearly project in designing interactive games which were pitched to CSE as viable products. These students have completed placement in CSE Entertainment in Finland developing these games.
Enhanced Digital Design and Animation courses by integrating workflows and software tools observed at partner VET centres in Finland and the Netherlands. An upgrade of technical equipment in the college took place by benchmarking against technologies used in Finnish and Dutch VET centres visited during mobilities. Due to knowledge gained from student mobilities and job shadowing, in September 2023, the college invested in two digital suites of Cintiqs for digital animation workflows. The college also decided based on mobilities to Finland and the Netherlands to introduce digital art and animation skills to students by supplying all ‘Animation Drawing Students’ a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet in September 2024, and to add the QQI modules Computer Illustrated Graphics 5N1929 to the Level 5 award in Animation.
Teachers from the college have completed job shadowing mobilities in Utrecht, Helsinki, Germany, and Malta. These mobilities in VET hosting partners share best practice and new pedagogies which can have the power to enhance and transform our VET provision. On the 12th of March 2025 teachers from across the ETB including Ballyfermot Road met in Cathal Brugha street to share best practices in integrating ‘Teaching Learning and Assessment’. At this event teachers from the college shared practices attained while on their respective job shadowing mobilities.
In October 2023, an Early Learning & Care (ELC) teacher undertook a job shadowing mobility hosted by Mistral Società Cooperativa Sociale Onlus in the historic city of Brescia, Italy. This experience significantly deepened the teacher’s understanding of alternative pedagogical approaches, particularly the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf methodologies. It also offered valuable exposure to innovative teaching practices and sustainability-focused strategies within early childhood education.
Upon returning, the teacher delivered a series of lunchtime seminars to share best-practice highlights with colleagues in the ELC department. The insights gained in Italy have directly influenced enhancements to the learning environment used by ELC students (Room 15, Main Building), contributing to more engaging and developmentally responsive spaces.
In February 2025, under the Erasmus+ programme, City of Dublin FET College, Ballyfermot Road, Southwest Campus proudly partnered with the renowned higher education institution Popakademie in Mannheim, Germany to participate in the prestigious International Band & Business Camp (IBBC) in Hammelburg. This dynamic group mobility brought together students from the college’s Music Performance, Music Production, and Media Production Management courses for an unforgettable international collaboration.
Hosted at the esteemed Bavarian Music Academy, the camp united emerging artists from Ireland, the UK, the USA, Germany, and the Netherlands. Over the course of the programme, students engaged in an intensive and immersive experience, guided by expert international mentors. They composed, produced, and rehearsed original music, culminating in a high-energy live performance before an enthusiastic audience.
The event showcased not only the remarkable talent of FET Ballyfermot Road students but also the transformative power of cross-cultural creative exchange. Building on this success, the college is committed to further expanding opportunities in performance and music through future Erasmus+ initiatives.
Traineeships are 48-week programmes developed in collaboration with industry experts to address critical skills shortages in the Irish economy. They offer learners the opportunity to retrain in a completely new field or upskill in their current area. Each traineeship includes a 12-week work placement, which may be scheduled as a continuous block or spread throughout the year. At the college, traineeships are delivered at QQI Levels 5 and 6. Since January 2024, participants have also benefited from international work placements through the Erasmus+ programme. Traineeships that have successfully incorporated Erasmus+ mobilities include Applied Politics and Leadership, Logistics and Distribution, and Advanced Skills for Visual Effects, Video and Animation Postproduction.
BENEFIT 2
Sustainability Benefits
Strengthen the college’s Ecology/Sustainability Initiative through adoption of EU best practices shared during Erasmus+ placements, building on the success of the 2024 Colleges’ Climate Justice event.
Enhance biodiversity features within college’s Arts Block by adapting meadow concepts from mobilities, contributing to the second biodiversity meadow project. Students integrated biodiversity awareness into the curriculum in May 2023 via a student-led branding projects, expanding on the INHABIT Biodiversity Garden model developed by Digital Media students.
Integrate biodiversity awareness into the curriculum via student-led branding projects, expanding on the INHABIT Biodiversity Garden model developed by Digital Media students.
The embedding of Sustainable Development Goals across courses with inspiration from alumni projects like the co-authored “We Have a Dream” book focused on Sustainable Development Goals by a Digital Media graduate in 2021.
Students on short term and group mobilities have incorporated sustainability-focused approaches while on mobility examples of which include using bicycles as sustainable transport in Utrecht and Germany as well as recycling and reusing items like drinks containers while on mobility. Cultural awareness on international environmental approaches has raised awareness of the importance of green spaces which are essential for pollination and environmental balance but also assist in education as calm spaces for reflection and awareness.
BENEFIT 3
Entrepreneurial Benefits
The colleges’ annual entrepreneurial bootcamp is a 12 module sprint that moves participants from idea generation through market validation, prototyping and investor-style pitching, turning raw concepts into credible business plans. Invited experts from Finland comprising of teachers and entrepreneurs, along with Finnish students exchanging tools and perspectives that foster intercultural agility and lifelong partnerships.
Sustainability is embedded from day one – environmental and social responsibility are woven through every activity, ensuring ventures are future-proof as well as profitable.
The week culminates in a high-stakes final pitch to a “Shark Tank” finale of international judges. This gives students hard-won, real-world skills they can apply immediately to impress investors, employers and peers.
BENEFIT 4
Cultural Benefits
Enhanced intercultural awareness and deeper understanding of European values through cross-border learning activities, fostering respect for diversity and inclusion in the college’s learning environment.
Development of a sense of European citizenship, as participants learn to navigate social norms and community life abroad, supporting the college’s aim to encourage active citizenship and social-justice engagement.
Cultural immersion experiences such as the Journalism student’s placement in Portugal has enabled participants to integrate into local media cultures, adopt new storytelling techniques, and enrich the colleges’ course curricula with real-world case studies.
Establishment of transnational professional networks and partnerships, enabling the college to co-develop joint projects, guest lectures and workshops with European VET providers (Invited Experts – Entrepreneur Bootcamp and eRacing SL Dublin).
BENEFIT 5
Language Benefits
Improvement in foreign-language proficiency through full immersion in the host country’s language environment, reinforced by daily professional tasks in both academic and work settings.
Structured language support via the Erasmus+ Online Language Support (OLS) platform, enabling participants to assess, practice and improve their language skills before and during mobilities.
Acquisition of sector-specific terminology and communicative competence in vocational contexts (e.g. technical jargon in digital media or business negotiations), enhancing teaching and learning quality at the college.
Enhanced confidence and intercultural communication skills for both students and teachers, facilitating more effective collaboration, networking and instructional delivery in multilingual environments.
