Eco Byte Sustainable Food Choices

Erasmus KA2 – Small Scale Partnership Project

Project Overview:

The Eco-Byte project was developed in response to common challenges identified by the three partner VET schools in Ireland, Spain (Mallorca) and France. All partners work with students who often experience low motivation, limited international exposure and difficulties in connecting theoretical learning with real-life contexts. At the same time, sustainability and food systems are increasingly relevant topics, but are often addressed in an abstract way in VET curricula.
The partners identified a shared need to make sustainability tangible and meaningful through hands-on, experience-based learning linked to the local food sector. Another key need was to strengthen the European dimension of vocational education by allowing teachers and students to compare different territorial realities (island, rural and coastal contexts) and understand sustainability as a shared European challenge. Finally, the schools wished to build stronger, long-term cooperation links that could go beyond a single short project and open the door to future mobility initiatives.
The main objective of ‘Sustainable Food Choices - Eco-Byte’ project was to place sustainability and food education at the centre of VET learning through concrete, shared experiences in the three partner countries. A key objective was the creation and use of an ecological sustainable garden in each partner education institution as a common pedagogical axis, allowing students to work on sustainability, food production, teamwork and responsibility in a tangible and long-term way.
The project also aimed to connect teachers to real local food-production contexts through visits to a wide range of small and medium-sized food-sector businesses, enabling them to understand how sustainability is applied in practice. Strengthening cooperation between the three partner schools was another core objective, not only to exchange practices but to build trust and continuity. From the outset, the partners wished to enhance the partnerships established and explore whether this cooperation could evolve into a longer term student mobility projects for future cooperation, an objective that gained strength as the project progressed.

What was achieved as a result of the project:

The project delivered strong tangible and intangible results across all partner institutions. A key concrete outcome was the creation or consolidation of a sustainable food gardens in each partner college, as a shared element across the three countries and embedded into teaching and learning. These gardens function as long-term pedagogical tools for experiential sustainability VET education.
Another major result was the structured engagement with local artisan food producers. In Ireland, teachers engaged with oyster and cheese producers; in France, with cheese and organic horticulture producers; and in Mallorca, with organic farmers and wine producers. These visits were fully integrated into learning activities, reflection and curriculum development. Teachers developed a deeper understanding of sustainable food production and local economies, enabling the creation of enhanced curricular activities for students.
Organisational cooperation between the three VET partners was significantly strengthened, increasing awareness of Erasmus+ for staff and students.

Read the EcoByte - Project Leaflet Here

Partners

France - Lycée JB Le Taillandier- St Aubin

Mallorca - IES Felanitx

Ireland - Sligo College of FET