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The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Center for Teacher Education (KPCEN) in Toruń in cooperation with the Union of European Federalists in Łódź organized a short study trip to Croatia (30/03 - 4/04/2019) under the slogan Developing key competences for students in Croatia. The trip was attended by representatives of Local Government Units, directors and teachers of schools, kindergartens and educational institutions from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Province along with teacher consultants from KPCEN in Toruń.

The purpose of the trip was to get to know the organization of the education system in Croatia, the role and place of the teacher and headmaster in the Croatian school, to learn and use inspiring methods and forms of work - mainly in the area of developing key competences, and, last but not least, to establish interesting projects of cooperation and exchange experiences.

Our several-day stay began with a visit to the Ministry of Science and Education in Zagreb, the capital of the country. Vlado Prskalo, the minister's representative, presented to us the Croatian education system, while Vesna Hrvoj-Sic, head of the VET system promotion department, discussed the functioning quality assurance system in the area of vocational education and training (VET). The presentation of Tamara Hudolin from the Adult Education Agency allowed the participants to learn the principles of teacher training in Croatia.

Next, we visited two secondary schools. At the Culinary School in Opatija, we got acquainted with the organization of vocational education. This school puts emphasis on the practical learning of the profession, and its graduates constitute the majority of the staff of local hotels and restaurants. In Croatia\'s oldest upper-secondary school in Rijeka – High School no. 1, which was established in 1627, we were presented with the ways to develop key competences among pupils –such as projects and the new national program School for life.

On the last day of our stay in Croatia we visited the kindergarten Dječji vrtić Katarina Frankopan and the elementary school Osnovna škola Fran Krsto Frankopan in the city of Krk. We had the opportunity to observe the classes and to exchange views and experiences with the headmasters and teachingstaff of the visitedinstitutions. We talked about the professional development of Croatian teachers, their career advancement and status. It was also an opportunity to launch interesting cooperation projects.What aroused major interest among the participants of the visit was the arrangement of the educational space in the kindergarten and the entrepreneurship of the primary school reflected in the fact of obtaining oil from their own olive grove; the income from this venture constitutes a significant constibution to the budget of the institution.

Thanks to the trip, we also learned about the cultural and tourist values of Croatia. On the way to Krk we had the opportunity to admire the beauty of Vienna.The Hofburg Palace, St. Stephen\'s Cathedral and interesting sites in the city center made a huge impression on us. In Zagreb, we visited the old town, the Naïve Art Museum and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Traveling between the schools, we raved about the beautiful landscapes and vegetation typical of this region. We also visited the Museum of Tourism in Opatija and the Maritime Museum in Rijeka. In Jurandvor we visited the church of Saint Lucia, famous for the monument of Baška discovered in the 19th century - the stone block with a text written in Glagolitic, an Old Slavonic language. Admiring the beautiful mountain scenery, riding the Baščanska valley and stopping for a moment over the bay in the town of Baška, we reached the small town of Vrbnik. The unique old town of Vrbnik fascinated us with its magical ambiance, narrowest streets, old houses that hide amazing legends and remains of medieval city walls. In its collection Vrbnik has several well-preserved documents written in Glagolitic, preserved in the unique library of the Vitezic family.

The exchange of experiences has given us the opportunity to look at the everyday life of Croatian schools. During this visit we had the chance to touch, feel and even taste Croatian history, culture and customs. Undoubtedly, what added to the value of the visit was the fact that many acquaintances had been made with our foreign colleagues and also among us- the participants of the visit.

During the trip Marzenna Wierzbicka, Wiesława Kuban and Justyna Kopczyńska, teacher consultants from KPCEN in Toruń, prepared and conducted thematic workshops during which we talked about the competences of teachers and the possibilities of developing key competences among students in our Polish schools and kindergartens. Interesting workshop exercises and the entire stay in Croatia gave the participants the opportunity to improve all key competences.

The headof KPCEN in Toruń, Sławomir Żebrowski and the team of the organizers of thestudytrip - Marzenna Wierzbicka, Wiesława Kuban, Justyna Kopczyńska and Małgorzata Kaczmarek - thankall theparticipants for theircommitment, openness in contacts, goodambianceand smiles on theirfaces. We alsothank Lidia Solarek, the manager of the English-speakingsection of the Wojciechowski UEF in Łódź for thepreparation of the visit, and Jolanta Čar (Navitas Travel) for performing the difficult role of a guide and interpreter.