Culture and work in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Culture and work in Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Summary
During the period of the implementation our project “Culture and work in Europe” we developed an important aspect of school task: prepare students for life. The project subject matter offered our student a broader vision of the world of work in other countries of the European community and a deeper knowledge of different cultures, a new work and life context if they decide to move to another country.
In occasion of mobilities students and teachers took part in a unique community sharing and understanding cultural characteristics and foreign customs (food, music, tradition, work habits, places).
– Context/background of project:
cooperation between countries with such a different background both from the cultural point of view and from the economic point of view can only represent an added value for the project. Italy is among the most industrialized countries and has a cultural history of all respect, but has suffered serious damage from the economic crisis of recent years, especially in the southern regions and especially in the area of Taranto, which also suffers a severe form of environmental pollution. Germany, on the other hand, is a country with a solid economy and a school system that enjoys the support of industry, above all in technical and professional education. Slovakia, with a growing economy, but still uncertain, and finally Croatia, which still has strong areas of poverty and unemployment.
– Objectives of your project;
improve the level of skills and key skills, with particular attention to the labor market and to a strengthened cooperation between the world of education and training and the world of work; fostering the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between the institutions of the Program countries and partner countries; improve language teaching and learning and promote the broad linguistic diversity of the EU and intercultural awareness.
1. Career
Students and teachers were able to acquire knowledge of academic and political requirements.
Students and teachers saw the work situation in their own and in the partner school countries. They had new contacts with people from other countries. They also saw what kind of work is desired abroad.
2. Language
All communications were in English so that students were motivated to learn more about English, because the English language is an indispensable precondition for obtaining work experience abroad.
At the end of the project, students were able to continue communication via social networks in English.
3. Social field:
Social understanding of cultural characteristics and foreign customs. Our teachers and students met foreign cultures, e.g. food, music, tradition, work habits and places. They had the possibility to eliminate stereotypes about people and foreign countries.
4. ICT
In the ICT sector, participants joined several workshops in project meetings, such as workshops for Web 2.0 tools, workshops for creating online quizzes and film production. After these workshops the participants used the new knowledge acquired during the project even after finishing it.
The partecipating students reached the most important goals planned during the application:
– Their foreign language skills increased (oral communication with foreign people, presentations in English, student chats, online vote, online surveys)
– Their ICT competence improved (they made presetations, videos, used online interfaces…)
– Their self-confidence rose, they became braver in social situations thanks to the positive experiences they had in this opened international partnership that helped in overcoming the language barriers
– their knowledge of cultural characteristic and foreign customs increased, so they have the possibility to eliminate stereotypes about people and foreign countries.
– They knew more about the labour market and the close connection between the world of education and training and the world of work.
– Number and profile of the participants;
the participants are four schools of different order, all equally motivated to offer their students a wider vision of the working world in Europe, both in view of their future work mobility, and to prepare for the reception those who live in an economically stronger country. The teachers are also motivated by the desire to learn about different school systems to import into the curricula of their schools the good practices with which they will come into contact.
The project subject matter was developed through different kind of activities and students took part in it with pleasure and enthusiasm:
– Presentations about each country, school and local traditions
– A logo competition to create and choose the logo of the project
– The creation of an “Erasmus corner” in each school to expose photos and material about activities and partner countries
– Interviews , exhibition of photos and presentations about work in the past and at present
– Presentations about history and celebration of Worker’s Day in Europe
– Survey among students about jobs/occupations they liked
– Presentations and a drawing context about craftsmanship, agriculture
– Presentations and photo exposition about raw materials and factories
– Discussions and interviews about unemployment, immigration and intolerance
– Creation of variuos materials about the touristic opportunities of each country
– Personal ideas about work in the future and how current works could evolve in years to come.
During the mobilities activities were based on the most important goals planned:
– Visits of the school and introduction to the school system of the host country
– Visits to know the local historical and cultural values in every country
– Visits to the artisan and industrial companies operating in each country
– ICT activities
– Sharing of the project activities done between the mobilities
– Short training activities for the development of the project
– Through the planned activities the German, Croatian, Slovakian and Italian institutions were able to compare each other’s cultures and aspects of the world of work, to know the good practices in use in other countries of the European Community and make them become an integral part of their curricula.

Project Website

https://sites.google.com/s/196osRLysxXDdYjINCn7aXSN0bxRvcoJF/p/1wrwOsuXW4YywYhrmg5ZXqcgB4f6XttNE/edit?authuser=2&fbclid=IwAR23-MfTqu61xhkaE7-5RtERkiZwsf2zY5CoZGLLFJpKcEoHSwcRayJ7dGg&pli=1

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 76511,61 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Comprensivo Giovanni XXIII & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Stredna priemyselna skola, Bzinska 11, Nove Mesto nad Vahom
• Berufskolleg Rheydt-Mülfort für Wirtschaft und Verwaltung
• Osnovna skola Julija Kempfa Pozega