FORAVE – ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA A EDUCAÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA DO VALE DO AVE is a vocational/technical private school located in Vila Nova de Famalicão, one of the most industrialized councils of the Ave Valley, in the North of Portugal.
Established in 1990, FORAVE aims to prepare qualified citizens for active life and adult students trying to improve or acquire skills to answer to the demands of the market in the areas of Company Management, Industrial Maintenance, Electronics and Automation, Polymer Industry, Mechatronics, and ICT. FORAVE has also the certification as a Centre of Technological Excellence, in the areas of Industry and ICT.
Inserted in a highly industrialized region, with a secondary sector activity well above the national average, FORAVE is recognized for the alignment of its educational project with the industrial characteristics of the territory, regarding the 4 major economic clusters in the areas of Automobile, Agro-food, Textile and Metalworking. The great connection established between FORAVE and the companies has contributed to the development of training courses, increasingly fitted to the needs of the companies.
FORAVE´s team and staff are composed of teachers, trainers, and experts from different fields related to vocational education and training with extensive experience in these fields. FORAVE has cooperated, since its creation, with other schools, higher education institutions, and local companies to promote the exchange of best practices among teachers and to provide students with work placements in their area of expertise.
FORAVE has been involved, as a coordinator or as a partner, in several European projects since 2003. In addition, FORAVE also hosts students and teachers from European partners to have their WBL, traineeships, or job-shadowing periods in local companies.
FORAVE is also a founding member, and board member, of INNOTECS, an international organisation for deans and directors of Technical schools, mainly focused on vocational educational training level and high school level.