” You(th) @ work ” Erasmus Project

Project Title

” You(th) @ work “

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

The main concern of many young people in Europe was – and still is – how to find a decent job. Studies prove that the higher the diploma degree, the bigger the chance to find that suitable job. However, in many schools in Europe there are a lot of early school leavers (esl), that seem to boycott their own chances on the labour market. When we first started the project in 2014, the short term consequences of the economic crisis of 2008 were still eminent. The youth unemployment, especially in Southern Europe, was sky rocketing, while the situation in North and North West Europe, was worrying but not that dramatic. And in Eastern Europe, the situation was again completely different. The causes of this spread intrigued us and triggered our curiosity and our will to investigate this phenomenon.
This project did research into the causes of esl and youth unemployment in eight countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Hungary and Macedonia) and broadened the professional knowledge of the local and European labour market. Leading and innovating companies that play an important role in the economic reality in each region worked together with schools, students and teachers to offer qualitative mixed traineeships and workshops. Students and teachers visited different companies and CEO’s shared their knowledge on job applications, on skills and strategy and even on starting your own business. This should motivate students to get a degree, increase the need for language skills improvement and be a help to think about a strategy for the future labour market.
We worked together with esl preventing organizations and learnt how motivation of young people can be enhanced. We got to understand from the job supplying organizations how unemployment is handled. We gathered all kinds of information on all levels.
Therefore we decided that a (digital) manual with an analysis of all the problems and a suggestion of possible solutions could be of great use for the future.
The first working year, 2014 -2015, we initially got acquainted with the partners in the project and the situation in their country. A total of eight schools in eight countries throughout Europe participated and the variety of the situation in each country was dizzying!!! There was a fine mix of background of students: general, vocational, technical.
We started by making a planning for the LTT in the project and we stated a strict time table, which was an almost impossible job! A total of eight LTT in three years’ time and three transnational project meetings was like the works of Hercules to be accomplished!
Each delegation got four research questions to prepare for a LTT and did research into their own situation on esl and youth unemployment; they presented this digitally at the start of each LTT. That was enough of a challenge! All these results were gathered in a shared volume at Google drive hosted by the coordinator. A website was created (Macedonia) and a Facebook group for students and teachers in the project only was installed. The communication train started via mail.
Also in that first year, the coordinator organized the first LTT with dual traineeships (one local and one host student) in companies in the region and with the visit to the European Commission on Employment of European Commissioner Mrs. Thyssen in Brussels.
The second working year, 2015-2016, the students continued their investigation and went on further visits to companies. They participated in a job applying speed date and attended workshops (in Sweden), learnt about the new technologies and IT (in Italy). They learnt about the different contexts for employees in Europe and in the US, by means of videoconference (in France).
The third working and final year, 2016-2017, they focused on and presented a virtual or a non-virtual business of the future in a competition. They continued to explore the different kind of businesses in different countries. The students entered a video competition to advertise for a company and created a graphic novel with the help of actual apps and digital media.
Throughout the three working years, the students and teachers kept on working on the manual, did their homework to prepare the research questions and presentations and wrote a report after each LTT, respecting a deadline.
The goal was to reach a tangible proof of the improved knowledge and skills on the subject throughout Europe. The means were: communication and cooperation.
The results are: our manual, our graphic novel, our movies, our reports but more important: the unbelievable experience of and the true belief in the enormous talents of young people in Europe and the will to be part of this greater community!
We are truly grateful that the European Commission gave us the opportunity to realize this vast project, in these uncertain times, with (Euro)criticism and skepticism, but not so for our bunch of young European citizens, as we could witness for the past three years!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 321260,2 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sint-Jozef Sint-Pieter & Country: BE

Project Partners

• IES Santísima Trinidad
• lycee general techno arcisse de caumont
• IIS PACINOTTI-ARCHIMEDE
• Berufskolleg Vera Beckers
• Debreceni Református Kollégium Dóczy Gimnáziuma
• Sami Frasheri
• Kungsängsgymnasiet