Between September 2019 and November 2021, various employees from Esplora Interactive Science Centre had the opportunity to participate in various training sessions hosted in four European countries: Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain. With a total of 24 training mobilities, a diverse number of employees coming from different teams within Esplora engaged in improving 21st Century Skills in the fields of adult education, non-formal education, and Science Communication. Such skills include critical thinking, decision making, problem solving and emotional intelligence. These competences are crucial for today’s human resources as employees should be more adaptable and flexible in our ever-changing workforce, and therefore improve their capacity to work across cultures, and be able to take on leadership roles. Apart from these 21st Century Skills, these training events pursued knowledge in new teaching tools and learning techniques, as well as the planning of teaching and learning events.
The first mobility took place at Experimentarium in Copenhagen, Denmark, 8 Esplora members attended the 2019 Ecsite Conference; Pushing Boundaries. This conference encompassed professional development, with an intense mix of intellectual stimulation, purposeful and creative sessions, business opportunities, and unparalleled networking. Participants from within Esplora were selected from different teams, namely public relations, science communication, operations, and education. From this experience the most mentioned key learning points were new methods of learning, such as game-based learning and tinkering and the sharing of best practices in terms of challenges. Even though Esplora is one of the newest members in the sector, it was evident that it has made significant contributions to other foreign centres.
The second training mobility focused on outdoor learning. This was hosted in Prague, Czech Republic in September 2019. 6 employees coming from different teams within Esplora gained new knowledge in new ways of learning, mostly focusing on outdoor environments. Through various teamwork and practical training activities which involved limited resources, participants developed interactive lesson plans on various subjects. Through these practical activities participants became more skilled in interdisciplinary content such as ‘learning by doing’ combined with ‘reflection upon action’. Participants were able to learn how to capture children’s curiosity and creativity using real world-settings through sensory awareness and experience-based learning. Among the interactive activities, there was a visit to a local primary school and a treasure hunt, through which participants became well cultured in local customs, learning conditions and traditions of the local community. These activities were a remarkable opportunity to socialize and get to know the rest of the course members coming from Belgium, Czech Republic and Australia. Discussions were an integral part of the training and given that this training was also done with other educators from the mentioned countries, this enriched the content involving cross-cultural perspective, where one was able to understand the different issues and contexts that all participants came from.
The third training experience took place at the Citta’ Della Scienzia in Naples, Italy, in October 2019. This training entitled ‘Principles of Science Communication: from early years to adult education’ was intended for 4 members forming part of the Senior Executives and Directors within Esplora. They had the opportunity to look at how other people and teams work, learn about the roles and duties of different employees and departments, communication and marketing strategies, audience development, operations, and observe how Science Centres operate in terms of adult education activities and events.
The last mobility forming part of this project took place at Cosmo Caixa, Barcelona, Spain in November 2021. 6 staff members had the opportunity to experience how another European Science Centre operates, their daily routines and encountered challenges. Participants came from all different departments from within Esplora which enhanced the overall experience and served as a teambuilding exercise in itself. Participants were also given the chance to know about STEM-related events organized by the centre, and audience development.
Through these four mobilities, 24 Esplora staff members obtained invaluable skills and competences, to further enhance the capacity building in relation to visitor experience and learning events. By having participants from various departments within Esplora, namely science communication, marketing, operations and content development among others, this project left a greater impact on all of Esplora. Through train-the-trainer sessions held after every mobility experience, we ensured that these practices and competences are shared among all Esplora staff members.
