"The 2nd Evening Vocational Lyceum of Piraeus (2 ESP EPAL PEIRAIA) in an effort to provide its students with skills and competencies to meet the professional requirements of modern labor market, designed the mobility project called ""Traineeship in Europe"". Our aim was to improve our educational services and build a European identity for our students. The program consisted of two mobilities: one for Ship Navigation Officers (Commercial Marine) and one for Pharmacist Assistants. Both lead to a traineeship in organizations with broad experience in Vocational Training. Ten students and two accompanying teachers from the Ship Navigation Officers sector attended a fortnight maritime training seminar, lead by the Naval Institute ""Leone Acciaiuoli"", located in Ortona, Italy.The main goal of this training program was, using new teaching methods, to give the students of the Naval Sector the opportunity to practice new skills and knowledge, using up-to-date equipment, in a prominent European Educational Organisation. This high quality traineeship in their field of studies, enhanced the students’ spirit of cooperation in a European environment, and improved their language skills, to have yet another asset to meet the requirements of maritime professions.Furthermore, the cooperation with the Italian Naval Institute may be used in the future as a guide for similar projects and partnerships with other educational organisations.The second mobility is for ten Pharmacy Assistants students and two accompanying teachers, who, using the MAD for Europe organization services visited for two weeks Madrid, Spain, for training and practices in pharmacies and pharmaceutical laboratories. Acquisition of better professional skills is crucial for these students, in order to reduce exclusion from the job market, and to gain better employment opportunities, since the majority of them comes from low income families. The mobility’s goal was again to offer students an opportunity for personal and professional development, for acquisition of multiple experience, knowledge and know-how, in order to broaden their horizons in the professional arena.The program’s particular objective for our students, was gaining professional and educational experience in another European country. They improved their theoretical background, acquired new skills, competences and expertise. They compared different approaches and practices in their field, in another European country, and therefore they have now an insight as to what inter-cultural education means. Furthermore they improved their Pharmacy Technician English vocabulary, and communicated with people of a different culture.The selection of the hosting partner was made with great care and according to quality criteria, taking into consideration experience in conducting similar training projects, and providing internships in workplaces.The selection of participants was made in a transparent manner with absolutely clear criteria.The hosting organisations assessed the students, and granted them with certificates (Europass mobility), monitoring their activities and their progress. This certification can be used to prove their qualification to any future employer.The project’s outcomes used to improve the quality of the educational services offered by the 2nd EPAL of Piraeus and are still spread widely, via multiple dissemination activities and events, within the school community and in a broader local, national and international level. These events emphasized the Erasmus+ decisive contribution and funding, and the role of the National Agency (IKY) and the European Union.."

Our school aims to establish a solid cooperation with European Vocational organizations. This will raise the image of our School, promote staff competence, improve students' learning, help students to understand and come closer to a European multicultural environment and improve students' employability. As stated in school's development plan one of the main goals is the encouragement of all educators to be involved in European mobility programmes. Furthermore, taking part in such programme will give students a great opportunity to develop their personality, self-esteem, competence and skills. The participants are educators and students. The management administration of our school, having in mind the need for further personal and professional development of the educators, staff and students of the school, has decided that 2 members of the administration, 10 educators and 39 students should take advantage of the benefits that Erasmus+ Programme offers. The participants will be students attending a catering course in Culinary Arts, computer engineering and students attending Apply Arts. The students of the Catering department, during their second year in school, they must undergo a practical training in hotel and catering establishments for 20 weeks, a prerequisite for obtaining their school certificate. The same applies to the students of the Computer engineering and Apply Arts. On their 3rd year, they have to undergo a practical training of 180 hours. All teaching and administration staff have work experience within their fields. Especially, the instructors of the Hotel and Catering department work closely with the industry since, during the training program of the students (20 weeks training period), which is compulsory work experience, the educators inspect and evaluate their students. The educators and the students of the Hotel and Catering have participated in similar projects and the results were very beneficial and enjoyable to all. This mobility project consists of three main activities: Activity A1 Flow 1: 13 students from the Hotel and Catering department will attend a two week period training in hotels and restaurants in Riga Latvia, in the area of service and cooking. Our analytical curriculum includes International Cuisine, so this exercise will be part of it. Flow 2 : 13 students from the Computer and network department will attend 2 weeks working placements(internship) in computer business in Madrid, Spain. Our analytical curriculum includes a practical training, so this will be part of it. Flow 3 :13 students from the Apply Arts department will attend 2 weeks working placements(internship) in computer business in Viborg, Denmark . Flow 4 : 4 students from Civil Engineering and Architecture department will attend 2 weeks working placements in drywall and insulation issues Activity A2 Flow1 : 4 teachers from Civil Engineering and Architecture and Carpentry - Furniture Design department. The training is about drywall and insulation issues . Note that the program will be operated parallel with two other technical schools from Cyprus (B Technical School Limassol and Paphos Technical School) and in total students sixteen (16 ) and(14) teachers will be meet at Thessaloniki. Our Institution will carry out the management of the project, as explained in section F of this application. Our school will work closely with our partners in order to set up the learning agreements, concerning the procedures that both partners will follow and set up the standards for meeting the desired learning outcomes of the project. Furthermore, in cooperation with our partner organizations . As it is previously mentioned, one of the main objectives of this project for our school is to establish a solid cooperation with European Institutions in the field of VET. Upon meeting the objectives of this project an important result would be the improvement of qualification of teaching personnel as well as the establishment of processes regarding validation of experience gained during learning (for students) and teaching (for educators) periods in another country. Students, by improving their language skills, will improve their learning performance; upgrading students’ awareness of the European Union values and European Mobility projects will eventually upgrade the students' inter-cultural awareness and finally increase their self-esteem and employability. Educators and administration staff would, in the future, support the promotion of such mobility actions; upgrading their competences in teaching and training. All the above aim, at the end of day, to assist students to accomplish their smooth induction in the professional and social life, their competition for a place in the Tertiary Educational Institutions in Cyprus or abroad, their share in the lifelong Education and training, so as to be able to view and implement innovations in a fast changing world.

"Our school aims to establish a solid cooperation with European Vocational organizations aiming at: Rise the image of our School, improve communication among staff and between students and staff Promote staff competence, improve students' learning, help students to understand and come closer to a European multicultural internationalized environment, and improve students' employability through practical training in a European dimension . The participants were educators of the school and students. The participants were students from the catering and computer engineering department. All of our students during their second year in school, they must undergo practical training in business establishments of their subjects for 180 hours, a pre-require for obtaining their school diplomas. This mobility helped them acquire this pre-require certificate. This mobility project consists of two main activities: Activity 1:Flow 2,3,4: 10 students from the computer engineering department, 6 students with special needs from the catering department and also 10 students from the catering department accompanied by their teachers, attended 2 weeks working placements (internship) in business in Spain and UK. Our analytical curriculum includes a practical training ,so this was part of it. The students achieved high quality practical experience, knowledge, skills and got familiar with new technology in industry. All these further enhanced students' employment prospects. Activity 2:Flow 1,2: Two groups of 2 educators attended a course seminar regarding, how to increase their proficiency in using technology in the classroom, especially to learn how to effectively use e-learning platforms (Moodle) in order to run on line courses. Also teachers will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to create and implement their own e-learning platform. Another group of 2 educators, attended a course seminar titled, ""Encouraging Creative Thinking"". As it is previously mentioned, one of the main objectives of this project was to establish a solid cooperation with European Institutions in the field of VET and this objective was met successfully. Another important achievement of the project was the improvement of qualification of teaching personnel as well as the establishment of processes regarding validation of experience gained during the learning periods (for students) and teaching (for educators) in another country. Students improved their skills in language and learning performance; upgraded students’ awareness of the European Union values and European Mobility projects eventually upgraded students' inter cultural awareness and increased their self-esteem.The communication with their peers from different cultures developed their inter cultural skills.Their abilities towards thinking, understanding and developing positive reactions to differences were also improved It broke stereotyped ideas prevent our students from their prejudices and builded tolerance and cultural wealth.The students shared their own life stories with others so that this helped their personal development. The students were motivated released their individual potentials and to raised team spirit.The economically and socially limited students had their own benefit. The students raised their self -confidence by the help of activities and enhanced innovation in education.The students achieved a better counseling and work insertion, as well as professional initiation for job seekers.Another objective is the exploitation of the practical training to achieve an excellent performance in order to enter the current labor market. This mobility open their horizons concerning future employment opportunities in other European Countries. In conclusion the students achieved high quality practical experience, knowledge, skills and get familiar with the new technology in industry. All these further enhanced students' employment prospects.Regarding the main objectives in relation with activity 1 (Staff training):Teachers were trained to develop students' creative and critical thinking.Provided teachers with practical ideas for how they can incorporate technology into their existing lessons.Familiarized teachers with current Internet trends and how they can be applied in the creation of an e-lesson.Allowed teachers to create their own controlled test courses on the Moodle platform.Provided teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to create and implement their own e-learning platform.Provided teachers with resources with which they can augment their e-learning content.Allowed teachers to share ideas and cultural differences with other nationalities from the EU. Educators in the future would support the promotion of such mobility actions; upgrading their competences in teaching and training would be another great value and finally they would try to implement different systems, strategies and policies in education."

"HOWL (Hospitality at Work with Languages) is an exchange of good practices with the aim of supporting the learning of foreign languages. More in detail, the partnership intends to focus on the learning of a second language (i.e English or German) in the vocational training courses in the HORECA (Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism) sector that also include some forms of work-based learning as a distinctive part. Very often the training organizations are aware that the knowledge of a second language is fundamental for a good working insertion in this field but at the same time, the students are not really aware of that as they tend to underestimate the importance of foreign languages and they lack this competence. This gap is particularly clear when they participate in mobility projects and, if filled, the students would benefit more from these experiences and maximize the results. The partner organizations come from Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Poland: all of them are either sending or receiving organizations in mobility projects and want to provide their training in a way which is more and more linked with the labour market needs, thus raising the employability of their students. The teaching methods of foreign languages will be examined starting form the partners' experiences: two of the organizations (UK and Germany) are also involved in activities supporting the language learning of young people going to their countries for mobility projects or to work in the HORECA sector. The ""success factors"" will be identified, as well as the needs of the companies and the trainers. During the first year of the project the partnership will exchange and analyse their methods and tools according to indicators agreed during the first transnational meeting: in accordance with the priorities set by the European Union to raise the competencies provided by VET organizations and their trainers, a learning activity (""Short Term staff Training Event) will be organized. The event will take place in Derry (United Kingdom/Northern Ireland) and last 5 working days; the host organization is The North West Academy and trainers from all the partner organizations will be involved. They will mainly be foreign languages trainers but also trainers involved in work-based learning in order to combine language and work. Therefore, the main aims of the project are on the one hand the exchange of good practices and on the other hand, starting from the findings, also the building of a future project of ""development of innovation"", developing tools and methodology that can be transferred to other contexts and course of the partners."

"<< Background >>Art and culture are central factors of socialisation, instruments of access to the world and the basis for the acquisition of key competencies. Cultural education promotes tolerance, broadens the view of the world, invites reflection and differentiated discourse, and is an essential cement for a united European society. We live in turbulent times, the migration crisis, advancing digitalisation and the COVID19 pandemic create a lot of uncertainty - especially among people affected by obstacles such as educational distance, long-time unemployment, language barriers or economic obstacles. Challenges of our time can only be solved together, and this requires cohesion and a common cultural understanding of a colorful, diverse, common Europe. But when it comes to European culture, to understanding that everyone is an important part of Europe, especially the group of young adults with restrictions face some difficulties. They perceive culture as something abstract and elitist that does not touch their own life reality, and they do not feel interested in participating in cultural events. Therefore, it would be important to shorten the distance between this group of people and European culture, to show them that culture can be fun and that they can shape culture easily on their own. A cultural education that guides these people would be of high importance.But at the moment, educational measures for adults are limited in most cases to concrete ""on the job"" applicable skills or to the acquisition of language. In the field of cultural education, there are not freely accessible and digitally available materials for adults, according to the preliminary research for the project. Therefore, the project CisU provides awareness raising and cultural education for a large target group (adult learners with diverse restrictions). The project supports people in developing their abilities to participate in and contribute to society. Culture should not be (mis)understood as something abstract and elitist, but is part of the common identity to which all people in Europe belong and which should be shared and shaped by everyone. We want to show these people that culture is not the preserve of a particular group of people, but that everyone can easily contribute to European culture, we want to show them that CULTURE IS YOU.<< Objectives >>The OVERALL GOAL of this project is to foster cultural awareness and understanding among young adults with restrictions (low level of qualifications, long-time unemployment, economic obstacles, migrant background, etc.). We want to contribute to making culture more accessible for this group of people and to integrate them better into society.Providing basic cultural education for all people in a society has positive effects on the whole society as well as on the individuals. People who are trained in this way are better integrated into society, gain easier access to culture, gain self-confidence, but also access to the labour market or opportunities for career advancement are increased. For the society as a whole, it is expected that this project will have a positive impact on integration efforts, help to reduce polarisation and division and contribute to building a European sense of community.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of this project are:- Bringing European culture closer to people with disabilities and letting them actively experience and shape culture- Providing adult educators with a teaching concept and materials regarding cultural education they can directly use in their trainings- Raising awareness of the importance of culture- Supporting the acceptance and understanding of cultures of different European countries- Preventing exclusion through the inclusion of young adults with different restrictions in a cultural Europe- Supporting cultural institutions by opening up for a new target group<< Implementation >>ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY: To create materials tailored to the target group of young adult learners that face different restrictions and educators who are training these learners in cultural education, it is crucial to involve them in all activities of the project. In PR1 we will create a DIDACTICAL CONCEPT and a CURRICULUM as basis for the learning materials, the videos and the game that are developed within the other results. To assess the special needs of our target groups and ensure a high practical relevance of these results, we conduct INTERVIEWS with at least 3 adult educators and 3 adult learners per partner organisation regarding the contents and methodology that should be included in the materials.The results of PR2 are LEARNING MATERIALS and VIDEOS that contribute to the further development of the cultural competences and the raising of interest in cultural activities of adult learners with restrictions. To ensure a high potential of use and attractiveness of these materials and videos, we organise a PILOT TESTING with our target groups (trainers with their young adult learners) in each partner organisation.In PR3 we develop a HAPTIC BOARD GAME and INSTRUCTIONS for this game. This game will also be PILOT TESTED by the target groups when we organise the testing for the learning materials and videos because our aim is to make it as userfriendly and fun as possible.PR4 contains the creation of a WORKSHOP CONCEPT that can be directly used by trainers in their educational programmes. Furthermore, we compile a GUIDE for adult educators on how to use all the developed materials and tools in the most effective way. To ensure again a high practical relevance, there will be at least two TRAINERS per partner organisation that USE THE MATERIALS and tools WITHIN THEIR COURSES and give feedback on the quality and impact of the results. In addition, we organise an INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE EVENT where adult educators that have tested our materials can exchange their experience and build new networks. This event will be held online via an appropriate communication tool and is part of this project result.MULTIPLIER EVENTS:To disseminate the results of this project as widely as possible, each partner organisation will organise a Multiplier Event with the involvement of key stakeholders.<< Results >>In the project CisU, we realise the following four project results:PR1 – Development of a DIDACTIC CONCEPT and a CURRICULUM for the learning materials and videos (PR2) as well as the board game (PR3): We create a concept and curriculum based on the latest didactical and methodological findings to be able to develop user-friendly learning materials, videos and the game. These outputs include the contents of the following results, but, what is of the same importance, they also show HOW these contents can be taught in the best way to the target group.PR2 – Development of LEARNING MATERIALS and LEARNING VIDEOS to bring our target group closer to European culture: We create learning materials and videos that contain information about culture in general, about different cultural fields and about how the learners can participate in cultural events. But we do not only give them information on these topics, but we create interactive contents where they can learn by doing and trying new things out. The goal is to show them that culture can be fun and to raise their interest in participating in further cultural programmes.PR3 – Creation of a HAPTIC BOARD GAME: We create a board game that can be played in educational contexts, but also in private context. It should bring them closer to culture in a playful and fun way and make the players experiencing and enjoying culture. To ensure a smooth gameplay, we also develop game instructions that are visually appealing and easy to understand.PR4 – Development of a WORKSHOP CONCEPT and a TRAINERS’ GUIDE: To give trainers an idea on how they can include our developed materials into their teaching, we develop a workshop concept for an online as well as for an offline course. In addition, we compile a guide that explains how the developed materials and tools are interrelated and how they can be used in order to exploit their full potential. The CisU project will have the following impacts and long-term benefits on all geographical levels: - adult learners get access to cultural education, get into social dialogue, understand European culture better and thus get better included into society - adult learners become more motivated to participate at further educational programmes - adult educators know how they can train their adult learners in cultural education - awareness of diverse target groups for the importance of being part of European cultureThe OPEN SOURCE ACCESS to all project results will be guaranteed for at least 5 years after project end. Our aimed impact is to bring young adults with disabilities closer to European culture, to support them in shaping culture by themselves and thus to contribute to a better inclusion of these people into society."