Passport to the European Labour Market Erasmus Project

Project Title

Passport to the European Labour Market

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal)

Project Summary

This Erasmus+ Project was initiated to address the disturbing situation for youth on the European job market, with the unemployment rates in Europe and in the participating countries from 23% in Turkey to 10% in Norway. Youth unemployment is a huge problem, not solved by this project only, but nevertheless important to face. The main aim has been to facilitate the young students’ way from education to work.

Many students in our schools are somewhat disadvantaged, descending from poorer families, some are slow learners and some are refugees. So there are economical, social, pedagogical and geographical obstacles. The target group has been students in upper secondary vocational schools. We chose to involve them in our project as participants, both in activities at home and in the project meetings. Therefor it has been important to find tools of rising their self-esteem. Not all our students could join the international meetings, but we conducted various workshops in home country/school. Each partner brought at least 15 students (age 15 to 24) and 6 teachers to the 3 meetings abroad. In addition a lot of “local” students and teachers were involved when their school was hosting a meeting.

During a period of 19 months we conducted 5 meetings, 1 for the coordinators to prepare the details of the project and 4 including students and teachers where we collaborated in several workshops, had lecturers visiting from governmental and private organizations to educate us on the topic chosen; to search for jobs, to write applications and CV, to promote one selves and conduct an interview. At home the partner schools did various local projects, giving seminars and courses to relevant classes / groups.

On the meetings the local schools arranged various guided tours so that guests could learn more about the country/ city they were visiting. For some it was surprising to see the similarities between the schools and everyday life, for some there were strange differences. But still, doing practical stuff together like walking, sharing a meal, watching a cultural event or a historic building together, gives a feeling of togetherness that is not digitally accessible! The wonders of the Cappadocia landscape in Turkey, the bustling Brussels in Belgium, the furious volcano Etna in Italy and the fjords and waterfalls in Norway gave marvelous frames to our work.

During these workshops and at home, we made various products, our own logo and examples of good applications, CV, job interviews and documents on netiquettes. But most important was the process of making these products, to guide the students’ development when learning to promote themselves, when preparing for an interview a.s.o. Originally we planned to create and print a leaflet, but for practical and environmental reasons, we decided to upload relevant products on our website. We made a shared Google instead of a leaflet because it is more elaborate. That will make our products easier accessible to new teachers and students, and Belgium are responsible for the website as a platform for all our outcomes.

In the applications we wrote that “the students will have to use ICT and English for work on the project products and communication would also add to the the greater chance of their future employ-ability!” This proved important for several students in the project. The general ICT –skills were fairly poor, and to many students speaking English was difficult. Taking part in this project have motivated many of them to improve their language skills. Hopefully both students and teachers involved recognized the importance of knowing at least one “world” language to be able to cooperate with fellow citizens in the world.

If we now ask our students what was the nicest about joining the project, most of them would probably answer; meeting peoples and making friends! In the long run, that is the most important thing to do, to secure friendship and peace between people.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 102684 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fusa vidaregåande skule & Country: NO

Project Partners

• Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Leonardo da Vinci
• Centrum Leren en Werken
• Evliya Celebi Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi