The Employment Guarantee- A European Challenge! Erasmus Project

Project Title

The Employment Guarantee- A European Challenge!

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: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Inclusion – equity; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

The Employment Guarantee – a European Challenge is a partnership between four schools – Sweden: Sandagymnasium, Huskvarna, Scotland: Trinity Academy, Edinburgh, Germany: Kooperative Gesamtschule Waldschule, Schwanewede and The Netherlands: Gymnasium Beekvliet, Sint-Michielsgestel.

Across Europe schools are focused upon the primary objective of assisting pupils to perform to the best of their ability, irrespective of social background or disability. Our project has aimed to promote and address issues which affect all school age pupils with a specific focus on improving the oft problematic transition between school and work and allowing the pupils to see, in an international context, how these barriers can be broken down and that by doing so pupils’ motivation and likelihood of positive destinations post school will increase.

By providing the pupils with the essential key skills such as improved ICT, additional languages and the methodology to heighten their attainment levels, we have furnished them with some tools they will need in the future to seize opportunities when they arise. They have also learnt how to actively seek out new opportunities at companies which recruit young people in each of the participating areas, e.g. Husqvarna, Standard Life, OHB and Phillips.

10-30 pupils from each country, aged 14-19, have been involved in the programme. Each nation has held one international meeting which involved visits to sites of industry, business and universities. Four businesses and one university in each country have been targeted. Business mentors on spot have engaged in the pupils’ learning. We aimed to challenge the pupils into looking out with the normal employers in their area and consider a more adventurous approach- looking to Europe for inspiration, which we have succeeded in doing. One of the final products has been a regional fair, in each country, where the participants have given lectures and displayed the material produced such website and brochure of the companies; thus given the participants the possibility to show entrepreneurship and initiative and has ensured a wide spreading of their knowledge to other pupils. A joint web site where method, programme and results are shown has been produced and is incorporated at each school’s own web page. eTwinning has been used as a tool during the work process as means of communication and displaying ongoing work and success. In this project we also aimed to produce a model of sustainability- setting up a framework of employers and businesses who will provide work experience opportunities, in-house training and will act as coaches to our pupils. This project involved exploring the use of tracker model in Scotland through collaboration with Skills Development Scotland, which tracks pupils in ways as to ensure they are in positive destinations even after they have left school. There are similar systems in the partner countries but not as advanced and formalized so the intention was to explore possible development opportunities of a similar robust model. This is a work which will continue after the completion of this project and will be further investigated in coming projects.

The project was launched in September 2015 and the official opening event was held in Germany in December 2015. Learning/teaching/training meetings have been realized in Sweden in February 2016, in The Netherlands November 2016 and in Scotland January 2017. Each school has been in charge of key areas or strands; Sweden – ICT. Scotland has experience of meeting the needs of the less able. Germany – project management and The Netherlands shared their experience of how to raise attainment.

As the aim has been to fully utilise the pupil voice, another very important component in our project has been to motivate and enthuse young people. There has been considerable emphasis on the pupils themselves leading their learning using active learning approaches. Our partners in business and industry have played key roles in heightening awareness of the skills necessary to succeed in the world of work thus pinpointing out key factors in the transition between school and work, encouraging further studies to ensure a good basis for employability but also shown the possibilities to grow and learn within the companies. Each participant pupil has received a Europass to show their active participation and qualifications.

Through these transnational cooperations and visits we have enhanced the pupils’ linguistic and digital competences but also fostered a greater understanding for cultural diversity. Through home hosting and social activities the pupils have grown a greater understanding of themselves and each other. Another success criteria was the development of the individual schools’ activities when it comes to motivational work, expanded use of ICT, contact with third parties to strengthen the education as being connected to reality and the wish to proceed the international collaboration.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 84615 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sandagymnasiet Jönköpings kommun & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Trinity Academy
• Gymnasium Beekvliet
• Kooperative Gesamtschule Waldschule Schwanewede