Improvement of students in vocational training – future access to the labour market in neighbouring EU-countries with the help of student exchanges of three commercial partner schools in Italy, France and Germany Erasmus Project

Project Title

Improvement of students in vocational training – future access to the labour market in neighbouring EU-countries with the help of student exchanges of three commercial partner schools in Italy, France and Germany

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: Recognition, transparency, certification; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

Viewed in the context of different levels of youth unemployment among European countries, it is necessary to provide transparency in acknowledging educational certificates and qualifications for students in order to increase career prospects on national labour markets. The main aim of the project is to provide the participating students with the essential knowledge about the manifold vocational training systems and conditions on the labour market. The EU core countries Italy, France and Germany serve as an example. At the same time, the aim is to improve the foreign language and intercultural competences required for successful job mobility in other EU countries.
A total of 45 pupils from the three vocational partner schools I.I.S.S. Amerigo Vespucci in Gallipoli, Campus La Salle in St. Etienne and Berufskolleg Südstadt in Cologne from the upper secondary level with a focus on (foreign) trade took part in the project. The pupils had previous knowledge n one or both of the partner languages. The project was embedded into the weekly teaching organisation at the coordinating vocational college in Cologne as a European course in the area of differentiation, and integrated into the ongoing foreign language teaching at the two partner schools. After a preparatory meeting of 5 (mainly responsible) teachers, the pupils worked continuously on the project over the entire duration on the basis of three learning situations for vocational training and labour market access in Italy, France and Germany. The learning situations were developed and tested in continuous cooperation and exchange by the participating teachers of the partner schools. Three one-week exchange meetings in Cologne, St. Etienne and Gallipoli took place after completing the the individual learning situations. At the end of the meetings, business leaders, trade councils and external mobility experts held consultations with a view to future professional EU mobility. Communication between meetings was via e-mail, and the results of the work were also posted on the eTwinning portal.
A digital end product is an up-to-date mobility guide for job starters abroad in the EU, which answers important questions in the three national languages as well as in English. The guide incorporates the survey results of local career choice and labour market experts. The learning situations are to be included in the European curricula of the partner schools. The successful cooperation and participation in this Erasmus+ project was confirmed to the pupils by a trinational certificate specially developed by the partner schools.
Whether the intended goals were achieved could be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the work results and a feedback questionnaire developed by the teachers. At the end of the project, the pupils completed the feedback form as part of the final evaluation. The anonymously completed student feedback forms were statistically evaluated using software. The cooperation will be continued in the coming school year at the partner schools in the form of internship exchanges. Internally, all pupils will be able to use the guide in the run-up to EU mobility and all teachers of the partner schools will be able to use the learning situations, including all working materials, in future lessons, externally via the websites of the partner schools. The project and its results can be used for a possible follow-up project, the EU Mobility Scout Training. Project content and results will be published in the European networks of the partner schools, at the Erasmus+ project results platform as well as in national journals.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 48033 Eur

Project Coordinator

Berufskolleg Südstadt & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Istituto di istruzione secondaria di secondo grado “Amerigo Vespucci”
• Association Educative La Salle St Louis Ste Barbe (de l’Ensemble Scolaire St Louis Ste Barbe)