School-Company-Union: Students get in touch with local food production companies Erasmus Project

Project Title

School-Company-Union: Students get in touch with local food production companies

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Natural sciences

Project Summary

The German school was contacted by regional food production companies because they were looking for future employees in the field of food production. The companies suffer from labour shortage and are therefore also interested in cooperations with schools from other European countries. The schools in Germany, Italy and Poland on the other hand have to deal with early school drop-outs. All schools have the same educational background and therefore, decided to work together in helping students finding jobs in the field of Natural Science across Europe. We wanted to prepare students for the job market by providing help in how to behave in job interviews and how to write a CV. By working in international teams, students strengthened these skills: social skills, cultural and intercultural skills, language skills, CLIL competences, STEM competences.
Students worked with the computer-based program ChemSketch to draw chemical equations and structures. During the project students also created eBooks. So they strengthened their ICT competences and became fit for the job market but also for future studies at university.
Students got insights into food production companies (how they work; which products are produced; interviews with employees; marketing strategies) and strengthened their entrepreneurial skills.
Another part of the project was to produce food with the help of lactobacilli in Italy and Poland (the Italian school has its own cheese factory in school), in Germany with lactic acid and rennet, therefore, students enhanced their knowledge in Natural Sciences.
In Germany, all these activities are taught in a subject that was introduced especially for this project (“Life Science”). In Italy and Poland these activities are also taught interdisciplinary. The curriculums of the subjects German, English, Economics, Computer Science and Nutritional Science in all participating schools also included the contents of the project, e.g. how to write a CV/personal statement; how do food production companies work; Biochemistry; and were therefore perfect for interdisciplinary teaching.
In each project meeting there were more than 40 high-school students of all educational backgrounds and 8 teachers involved. The teachers teach Nutritional Science, Biology, Biochemistry, English, Economics, Computer Science. But all students and teachers of all participating schools were involved in the project (e.g. preparing project meetings, conducting project work etc.; approx. 1600 students and 168 teachers).

Activities were:
– one preparatory meeting and three project meetings with students
– visit to food production companies in all countries
– visit to school cheese factory in Italy
– job training (in English and mother tongue)
– eBooks about organic chemistry and biochemistry
– CLIL exercise book
– international workshops (e.g. multilingual dictionary, logo etc.)
– presentations/brochures/articles etc.
– final CD with all materials

Methodology:
– Creation of a team of teachers at each school to teach but also to monitor the project
– first project meeting was a preparatory meeting for teachers only to discuss activities, timeline and outstanding questions
– Erasmus + board/brochures/website/conference/EST database/digital monitor
– introduction of computer-based program ChemSketch
– introduction of subject “Life Science”
– introduction of interdisciplinary and bilingual teaching
– evaluation and questionnaires

Longer term benefits:
– The subject “Life Science” will remain.
– The CLIL exercise book and the eBooks will be used again by other students (also revise the exercises; add more exercises).
– Interdisciplinary teaching will be continued in all countries.
– Bilingual teaching was introduced and will be continued.
– All students of all countries will be able to use the computer programs like ChemSketch again.
– The cooperation between the food production companies and the schools will remain.
– Students know what working in a food company is like and how to make a career in such a company
– Especially female students deliver their vocational needs to companies and exchange ideas with future employees of other European countries.
– The students will have the opportunity to visit each other and to talk about foods and the current situation on the job market. This strengthens the intercultural competence of students in all participating countries. Both students and teachers have broadened their horizons and contributed to international understanding and therefore, correspond with European values.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 64905 Eur

Project Coordinator

Augusta-Bender-Schule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Zespol Szkol Centrum Ksztalcenia Rolniczego im. Michala Drzymaly w Brzostowie
• Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Stanga”