LEARN & EARN Erasmus Project

Project Title

LEARN & EARN

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: Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

The project LEARN & EARN aimed to carry out transnational activities in order to find solutions to face the current youth unemployment crisis.There are many reasons behind this crisis: lack of specific skills, lack of ambition, a school curriculum neglecting employability and entrepreneurial education in favor of more traditional education system.Young people in this time of economical tense situation in Europe wonder how their lives in the future will look like and ask themselves questions such as “How can I prepare best to meet my future challenges” “What skills will I need?” “How can I create my own job?” This project helped students to find an answer to these questions and to enhance their employability, through a training course on career guidance strategies and entrepreneurship addressed to 16-18 pupils.
Part of the students of the partner schools come from a disadvantaged social and cultural environment, some live in areas with a high rate of unemployment or are with migrant backgrounds; all this inhibit them from obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for their future employability.
So the main project objectives were:
provide guidance to help students explore their education and career options
improve their knowledge of the labor market and employers need
build and develop the 21st century skills
improve their entrepreneurship mindset letting them to be more creative and self-confident and to improve their attractiveness for employers
encourage innovative business start-ups and learn how to do a business plan
improve ITC and foreign languages skills and let feel them part of Europe.
In order to achieve these aims, a training program on career guidance and entrepreneurship held by international experts in the participating schools was offered to students to develop their capacity to obtain and/or create work. The training program, including lessons, workshops, visits at companies and interviews to entrepreneurs, was held during the LTTAs in the various countries.
The workshops were based on the interaction between experts and students. Students’ involvement was enhanced by encouraging them to ask questions, explore new ideas, be innovative and creative and have fun at the same time. They worked in international groups using cooperation skills such as sharing, discussing their interests and comparing their opinions. They were encouraged to widely use ITC through: web searches, use of softwares, applications, e-platforms, DropBox and Google Drive to share files.
The visits to the companies gave them a deeper insight into the working conditions in Europe and the opportunity to compare the behavioural patterns  expected in a place of work in their own and other countries.
The interviews with entrepreneurs were planned in a dynamic way and fostered good relationships between students and entrepreneurs. In such a way we could not just show the theoretical work involved in starting a business but also discover the qualities of businessmen and the secret of their success.
All this contributed to widen students’ horizons as they had the opportunity to have an insight into other cultures, be prepared for their future lives in a European context focusing on the labour market, on the entrepreneurship opportunities in their own and other countries. Moreover they had the chance to improve their communication skills in the English language and understand the value to be part of Europe.

After each training course, students worked on the preparation of the final result, an e-Book containing the following items:
Career Guidance in UE
How to write an outstanding Europass CV
Dos & Dont’s in a job interview
How to set up a business
Skills necessary to become a successful entrepreneur
Business Plan- A Step-by-Step Guide
Business glossary
Students also produced 4 Business plans for their startups that have been included in the e-Book as samples.
The e-Book is a very useful resource tool for the dissemination, a simple and easy guide that can be embedded in the curriculum of the schools. All the material produced is on line on each school website and on the project website. Pictures and comments about the project have been posted on Facebook and Instagram and the results have been published on E-twinning and on the Erasmus+ Platform. Moreover, the future memory of the project will be available in our Erasmus+ corners in the hall of each school where all information about the project: photos, posters, as well as the link to the project website will be visible.

Project Website

http://alanborg794.wixsite.com/learnandearn

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 104927,9 Eur

Project Coordinator

ITIS “S. CANNIZZARO” & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Alternative Learning Programme
• Kaufmännisches Berufskolleg Oberberg
• Seminário Diocesano de Leiria – Colégio de S. Miguel
• FURNESS ACADEMIES TRUST