Pathways to employment in Spain and the UK Erasmus Project

Project Title

Pathways to employment in Spain and the UK

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

The collaboration between the two schools is a partnership which aims to support young people into employment by developing a work related curriculum. Pupils in both the UK and Spain will trial tailor made modern language content units which have been designed with businesses to meet the needs of employers working in the service sector. There are currently opportunities for young people to assume roles within the service industries in both countries but businesses have suggested that their language knowledge does not meet their needs. The project will allow for substantial staff collaboration and upskill modern language staff in the target language as well as permit greater education
business links to be established. As pupils understand the relevance of the taught unit to their future employability prospects, they will become more engaged in their learning and this will have a resultant impact on pupil achievement in a number of basic skill areas. The project is a motivational tool but also a vehicle for a longer term sustainable development in terms of business partnership and curriculum enrichment.
During the project, we have achieved;
• exchange of good practice- via schools, businesses being constantly updated and consulted, staff good practice shared
• observation of work related learning modules ( work placement/experience/ employer forum engagement )
• Liaison with EURES to better understand worker mobility opportunities
• research into EURES an organisation which helps students to gain the skills/tools to access employment opportunities across Europe.
• proposition of new work related learning module for MFL based on Anglo/Spanish collaboration involving liaison with employers and world host trainers
• Development and trial of module and its application by pupils in partner country- student mobility and application of skills acquired in school, in a work place context
• refinement of teaching materials to ensure that the content being taught is fit for purpose
• unit to be developed about how to apply for a job in another country – how to present a CV, letter of application, where to look for jobs, preparing for interview
• trail of unit content by pupils in partner country
• evaluation by pupils, teachers, employer representatives.
We have achieved all the goals we had exposed in our bid, even we got much more than expected. The project has been very succesful in the UK and it has been shown as an example for all the schools and teachers in County Durham area. All the local authorities from the British Council were present at St John´s School when we came to them lin April,18 and well known artists attended that meeting and helped to the difusion of the project.
The political leaders of the North East of England were also present and our project was shown not only in newspapers but also in the British TV.
The Spanish Ambassador from London came up to Bishop Auckland with the Education Counselor and met all of us at St John´s School . This news was a surprise because it has been the first time the Ambassador supports this kind of project and he let us know.
The project has been also shown at the Spanish Embassy in London.We got lots of evidence about all these matters.
It has been qualified as an outstanding project in the UK and Brian Stobie from the British Council and Europe Direct in Durham has been following it specially.
After this meeting our students made a CPD explaining what they had been doing till that moment and the differences they had found in the way of looking for a job in both countries, which are lots and not also refering to the language,but also to the matters which are giving more importance in both countries.
Links:
https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/stories/st-johns-secondary-school-and-sixth-form-college
https://screenshots.firefox.com/kbEIVY3ORX1AFJHC/www.facebook.com
They worked with the Auckland Trust and then with Kynren ( An Epic Tale of England)
As for their coming to Spain, we were lucky and our students passed mock interviews and had talks about how to look for a job in two outstanding enterprises PULL&BEAR (Inditex Group, in their headquarters in Narón) and Trisón (Technological part of Inditex) in their headquarters in Bergondo.
We created a link because of geographical reasons with the English Way to Santiago de Compostela, and that is why we went to Santiago to visit the Cathedral and we visited over there the beginning of the English Way not far from their school in Bishop Auckland, Finchale Abbey.Journalists interested in this connection wrote about it.
We have appeared in Trison and Inditex internal Newsletters and the Press has interviewed us several times. The visit of the Ambassador was also shown on the British TV.
Oleiros Council, which our Spanish school belongs to, offered us a reception and our Project appeared in the Council newsletter and newspaper. We were interviewed and they have volunteered to collaborate more closely this year because they have seen the Project as a jewel every school should try to get and they see us as the example and target to be followed.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 48560 Eur

Project Coordinator

Colegio Hijas de Cristo Rey & Country: ES

Project Partners

• St. John’s Secondary School and Sixth Form College, A Catholic Academy, Bishop Auckland