{"id":5084,"date":"2020-01-08T16:21:31","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T14:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charleroi-metropole.be\/2020\/01\/08\/etude-charleroi-metropole\/"},"modified":"2020-01-13T13:31:04","modified_gmt":"2020-01-13T11:31:04","slug":"etude-charleroi-metropole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/etude-charleroi-metropole\/","title":{"rendered":"Studying in Charleroi Metropolitan Area: the new trend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Studies: Charleroi Metropolitan Area<\/h2>\n

And this is just the beginning, according to the Open University<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Between 12,000 and 15,000 researchers, students, teachers and trainees, etc. will be descending upon the \u2018Arts et des M\u00e9tiers\u2019 Campus, at the centre of Charleroi\u2019s Z\u00e9nobe Gramme university centre, when it is up and running in about two or three years\u2019 time. \u201cAt the moment, the sites that will be used for classes are somewhat scattered across several locations in the Charleroi Metropolitan Area. In the future, the idea is to bring them all together, or almost all of them, in the city centre, as Charleroi is one of the few European cities with over 200,000\u00a0inhabitants not to have a real \u201ccampus\u201d. The range of education on offer is getting broader and broader and is proving highly successful with people in the region<\/em>,\u201d explains Dominique Cabiaux, chief executive of the Open University, which is a higher education provider mainly based in Charleroi.<\/p>\n

The idea that it is not easy to enter higher education in Charleroi has been lingering for a long time. It is an outdated concept and the range of higher education in the region just grows and grows.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like all major agglomerations, the Charleroi Metropolitan Area is giving careful thought to the range of education it offers, whether it is initial or continual, secondary or higher, for the purposes of qualifications or vocational certificates. No university has selected Charleroi as its main base, but the city is densely populated by ULB, UCL and UMons, as well as other higher education institutions (the Condorcet provincial technical college or the Leuven in Hainaut technical college (HELHA)) and further education with a social vocation.<\/p>\n

\"Professeurs
The range of studies on offer in Charleroi is in line with market demand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Open University, in its capacity as an SCES (Collective Structure for Higher Education dedicated to lifelong learning), is a service provider to these institutions and the \u201clife blood\u201d of the region (social and economic partners as well as regional development stakeholders). It aims to remove the obstacles that often get in the way of higher education institutions setting up to address the human capital development needs in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is not to copy the educational options that already exist elsewhere, but to build together a series of courses which meet the region\u2019s needs<\/em>,\u201d explains Dominique Cabiaux. \u201cOur region is undergoing large-scale redevelopment and it is important to make sure we have the corresponding talents which are essential in performing new roles, specific to these new jobs.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Specific training: serving the local economy<\/h2>\n

The courses developed by the OU (and given by academic partners) are firstly put together according to the needs expressed by social and economic partners. It is important to look at where resources are stretched or there are shortages. To do this, the Open University identifies the unmet needs within a support committee on which representatives of the Strategic Development Committee sit, from the \u2018CATCH Unit\u2019, trade unions, employers\u2019 organisations, etc.<\/p>\n

It then maps out the programmes that already exist within the perimeter of the Charleroi Metropolitan Area and in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. \u2018Having educational institutions close to home is essential. When the distance between home and the centre of learning extends beyond 30 to 40\u00a0km, it becomes a real obstacle, as everything becomes more challenging: travel time, potential accommodation costs, etc.,<\/em>\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

The Open University is a real \u2018education incubator\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If there is no supply to match the identified demand, the Open University contacts the \u2018traditional\u2019 education providers. \u2018The ideal is to bring together several providers in order to offer real added value to the programmes on offer, by drawing on our partners\u2019 respective strengths. Our aim is to create the education that companies want to see appearing on the CV of anyone applying for a job with them,\u2019 he adds. \u2018For example, electronic energy training is now offered and is proving immensely successful. It was the subject of lengthy discussions, an initiative from the CATCH Delivery Unit, with some of the region\u2019s flagship companies such as Thales and Alstom. You might say that it perfectly matches the regional need in terms of development, a need that wasn\u2019t being met before now<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n

People in demand and specific methods<\/h2>\n

We have increased the number of domains in which we can accommodate programmes corresponding to the demand from companies or individuals. \u2018We have contributed to introducing a certificate in not-for-profit management with two universities. The region has strong ties with not-for-profit associations and the day-to-day running of them is becoming increasingly complex. This programme offers the tools for managing these new tasks and responding to the demands of the subsidising powers,<\/em>\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

\"La
The library: an iconic place for studying in Charleroi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are also seeing that the development of the Biopark in Gosselies is boosting demand for people who have undertaken higher education studies in the field of biomedicine. The OU is a provider specifically designed for setting up programmes in association with these new outlets. The courses offered by the OU in the domain of safety in the workplace and prevention of accidents are also proving hugely popular.<\/p>\n

Education adapted to people\u2019s needs<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Furthermore, the dynamism in the region and its development have helped to adapt education methods to the reality on the ground. In addition to basic training, there are many opportunities to learn via work-based learning, continual or lifelong training, or complementary training. \u2018The major challenge for the next few years, given developments in work and the gathering pace of these changes, is to see this idea of lifelong learning gain traction. This means developing more courses that allow education to be combined with working life and personal life. New learning methods are also at the heart of our discussions<\/em>,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n

A little taster of what lies ahead<\/h2>\n

Over the past few years, the range of programmes on offer has grown significantly. It is especially growing in the context of new learning environments. \u2018A centre for educational innovation is in the pipeline, which will also involve our partners in higher education. It will open up multiple possibilities for learning in higher education, such as distance learning, flipped classrooms, etc<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

By 2022, the CampusUCharleroi ought to be up and running. The aim is to gather together several current learning providers: ULB, UMons and higher education from the Province of Hainaut. This renewed dynamism will put a definitive end to the Charleroi Metropolitan Area\u2019s reputation for suffering from any type of higher education handicap. It is also important to note that the Open University is there to serve all those involved in higher education, not just the select few.<\/p>\n

\"les
Charleroi Children\u2019s University has been a big hit with the younger generation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ULB, UMons and the Open University. The project invites children aged between 6 and 12\u00a0to take part in half-day workshops, in which teachers-moderators answer any questions that have piqued their curiosity (\u2018Why does a ball bounce?\u2019 or \u2018Why is snow white?\u2019), through interactive and entertaining workshops. \u2018The project gives children a taste for learning and shows them the range of studies on offer here,\u2019 he clarified. \u2018It is one way of stamping out stereotypes which, still all too often, are obstacles for our young people. We need to debunk the myth that university is not for them<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

And for those thirsty for more, the day-long workshop \u2018When I grow up, I want to be\u2026\u2019, organised by the Hennuyer academic network, with the Open University and the Cit\u00e9 des M\u00e9tiers, allows young people in their final year of secondary school to discover many different jobs, by talking to professionals or visiting companies. These young people, who often find it difficult to choose a higher education course, gain insights into what it is really like to do a particular job and where the training comes in. This day has been a huge success for the past two years. The catalogue of studies also offers a comprehensive overview of what is available in the Charleroi Metropolitan Area.<\/p>\n

Contact:
\n<\/strong>Universit\u00e9 Ouverte de la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Wallonie-Bruxelles
\nAvenue G\u00e9n\u00e9ral Michel, 1B
\n6000 Charleroi
\n+32 (0)71 65 48 30
\ninfo@uo-fwb.be
\nhttps:\/\/www.uo-fwb.be\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9Photos\/Lou Verschueren<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Studies: Charleroi Metropolitan Area And this is just the beginning, according to the Open University. Between 12,000 and 15,000 researchers, students, teachers and trainees, etc. will be descending upon the \u2018Arts et des M\u00e9tiers\u2019 Campus, at the centre of Charleroi\u2019s Z\u00e9nobe Gramme university centre, when it is up and running in about two or three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172,410],"tags":[270,261,271,269,258,272,112,51,53,42,127,119,120],"class_list":["post-5084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-dynamism","category-education-en","tag-autres-en-9","tag-autres-en-5","tag-autres-en-10","tag-autres-en-8","tag-autres-en-3","tag-autres-en-11","tag-children","tag-international","tag-sciences","tag-startup","tag-sustainable","tag-technology","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5084"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5313,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084\/revisions\/5313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}