The funding received within the framework of the project was used to finance stays abroad for a total of 444 individuals in vocational training and 73 vocational training specialists.286 apprentices completed a 2 to 24 week internship specifically suited to their profession, individual level of training, knowledge and skills at a company active in their professional field. IFA organized internships in small groups during spring, summer and fall of 2018. Participation was open for apprentices from every profession and industry from all over Austria. The applicants were selected based on their technical, linguistic and personal skills. IFA organized the travel, stay abroad, internship, accommodation and insurance for the participants as well as accompanying language courses. IFA prepared the apprentices and companies organizationally, culturally and linguistically for the stays and ensured that the internships were recognized as part of the apprenticeship training in accordance with the Vocational Training Act (BAG).Given that a majority of the apprentices were minors, the apprentice groups were accompanied by an IFA-counsellor during the first week abroad. The counsellors helped the apprentices get settled in the host country and visited all the participating companies to ensure that the content and processes fulfilled the objectives. Contact persons at the receiving institution and IFA were available to support the participants throughout their entire stay abroad.158 students from vocational schools and colleges also completed an internship relevant to their professional field that was suitable for their training and level of knowledge. The internships were organized in close cooperation with the sending schools in order to ensure they were recognized as part of the compulsory internship. Most student internships took place in the summer of 2018. The duration of the internship ranged between 2 weeks and 9 months. The content of the internships were defined in terms of the occupational and training profiles and curricula as well as the individual skills of the participants and were specified before the internship in a learning agreement between IFA, the participants and the sending and receiving institutions together with the learning objectives that were to be achieved during the internship.Furthermore, within the framework of the project, 73 training officers from companies and vocational schools as well as vocational training experts participated in 1 week-long workshop to exchange their experiences in order to learn about VET systems in other countries, compare them with the Austrian system and exchange ideas amongst each other and with colleagues from abroad. The goal was to promote the quality, innovation and the European idea in vocational education and training through cross-border exchanges. The participants were multipliers and could share their experiences in companies, schools and throughout Austria and thus contribute to a Europeanisation of the Austrian VET system.While abroad, the participants acquired technical, linguistic, social, intercultural and personal skills and expanded their personal and professional horizons. An internship abroad contributes to the strengthening of important key skills such as teamwork, personal responsibility, flexibility and much more. Experiences abroad promote career opportunities and ensure the future career of the participants and thus the competitiveness of Austrian companies. International exchange increases the overall quality of the Austrian VET.IFA is a non-profit association that has been organizing internships abroad since 1995 for apprentices, professionals and training officers. Since 1995, IFA has helped more than 7.500 people take part in an EU-funded stay abroad. As the applicant and co-ordinating institution, IFA was therefore responsible for ensuring the quality and proper organization of the project.IFA works with a network of experienced partners in the target countries with whom partnership agreements (Memoranda of Understanding) defining the conditions and quality criteria already exist. IFA has been successfully working together with most of the partner institutions for many years. Throughout the entire stay abroad, there was always someone from the receiving institution, the host company or IFA at the participants’ side to supervise their progress and ensure the quality of the internship. After completing the internship, all the participants received a “Personal Transcript” outlining the activities completed and knowledge and skills acquired with confirmation from the receiving institution and host company.All internships were recognized as part of the vocational training in Austria.

The funding received within the framework of the project was used to finance stays abroad for a total of 417 individuals in vocational training and 69 vocational training specialists. 316 apprentices completed a 2 to 52 week internship specifically suited to their profession, individual level of training, knowledge and skills in a company abroad active in their professional field. 17 apprentices and students absolved a long-term mobility of duration of more than three months as part of the ErasmusPro initiative.IFA organized internships in small groups between September 2018 and August 2019. Participation was open for apprentices from all professions and industries from all over Austria. The applicants were selected based on their technical, linguistic and personal skills. IFA organized the travel, internship, accommodation and insurance for the participants as well as accompanying language courses. IFA also prepared the apprentices and companies with respect to organisational, cultural and linguistic aspects for the stays and ensured that the internships were recognized as part of the apprenticeship training in accordance with the Vocational Training Act (BAG). Given that a many of the apprentices were minors, the apprentice groups were accompanied by an IFA tutor during the first week abroad. The tutors helped the apprentices to get settled in the host country and visited all the participating companies to ensure that the content and processes fulfilled the objectives. Contact persons at thereceiving institution and IFA were available to support the participants throughout their entire stay abroad.101 students from full-time vocational schools and colleges also completed an internship relevant to their professional field that was suitable for their training and level of knowledge. The internships were organized in close cooperation with the sending schools in order to ensure they were recognized as part of the compulsory internship. Most student internships took place in the summer of 2019. The duration of the internship ranged between 2 weeks and 5 months. The content of the internships were defined in terms of the occupational and training profiles and curricula as well as the individual skills of the participants and were specified before the internship in a learning agreement between IFA, the participants and the sending and receiving institutions together with the learning objectives that were to be achieved during theinternship.Within the framework of this project 69 experts in the field of VET staff from companies and vocational schools as well as vocational training experts participated in mobilities to exchange their experiences in order to learn about VET systems in other countries, compare them with the Austrian system and exchange ideas amongst each other and with colleagues from abroad. The goal was to promote the quality, innovation and the European idea in vocational education and training through cross-border exchanges. The participants were multipliers and could share their experiences in companies, part-time and full-time vocational schools and throughout Austria and thus contribute to a Europeanisation of the Austrian VET system.During their mobilities participants acquired technical, linguistic, social, intercultural and personal skills and expanded theirpersonal and professional horizons. Work placements abroad contribute to the strengthening of important key skills such as teamwork ability, personal responsibility, flexibility and much more. Experiences abroad promote career opportunities and ensure the future career of the participants and thus the competitiveness of Austrian companies. International exchange increases the overall quality of the Austrian VET.IFA is a non-profit association that has been organizing internships abroad since 1995 for apprentices, professionals and training officers. Since 1995, IFA has helped more than 9.500 people take part in an EU-funded stay abroad. As the applicant and co-ordinating institution, IFA was therefore responsible for ensuring the quality and proper organization of the project. IFA works with a network of experienced partners in the target countries with whom partnership agreements (Memoranda of Understanding) defining the conditions and quality criteria already exist. IFA has been successfully working together with most of the partner institutions for many years. Throughout the entire stay abroad, mentors from the receiving institution, the host company or IFA supported the participants to supervise their progress and ensure the quality of the internship. After completing the internship, all the participants received a “Personal Transcript” outlining the activities completed and knowledge and skills acquired with confirmation from the receiving institution and host company. All internships were recognized as part of the vocational training in Austria.

"The project ""Comparison and inovation of study branch Technician Gunsmith on international level"" was based on cooperation of both institutions. The main plans of institutions were focused on increase of practical skills and their qualification of presented study branch Technician Gunsmith. Four scholarships were prepared for forty students and 8 accompanying persons. The participants were the students of Technician Gunsmith. The accompanying persons supported the students in their work (they will support students in language and practical skills) and they solved unexpected situation. They controled the program of the scholarship and wrote some notes about the course. The students were chosen according to selected criteria. The students were informed about the program, organization and they signed all necessary agreement. They participated of language preparation (technical language, practice of English) and practical preparation. They were also informed about the safety at work.The main ideas of the project were:1) improve of practical training of Technician Gunsmith according to international cooperation;2) development of practical training and education;3) the possibility of approach to new method, techniques and technologies used for guns production;4) application of innovative method from Austria into our study plan.The students had to produce a gun stock and a trigger system. The students improved their practical skills. They were evaluated according to the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (EVCET) and Europass Mobility. The students could use these certificates when they will apply for a job. Our school used them as evaluate material. They also improved their knowledge when they visited traditional gunsmith company. The project was operated according to previously experiences.The school will apply new technique of production of gun stock and trigger guard in practical training. Our students are more qualified for Czech zbrojovka, a.s. Final, this project motivated the students in their study of present study branch and it also caused the increase of a new students od presented study branch."

During the two years of the duration of this project twenty students have been sent to the Technical school in Uhersky Brod (Czech Republic) and twenty students have been sent to the UTC (University Technical College) in Scarborough (Great Britain).In both institutes they participated in the educational process which consists of practical and theoretical elements.In Uhersky Bord they dealt with tasks in the field of weapon technology. The adapting and the assembling of a hunting knife and the completion of a hunting rifle with a wooden stock were the visible things introduced to learn about the needed techniques.In Scarborough the students were confronted with the basic manufacturing processes like smithing, welding or forging. Since the school aims to provide their young fellows with knowledge in computer science, our guys could benefit from these issues. It was amazing to see how they built robotic systems and tried to decipher the code of an encoded message. I guess for all of them it was the first time they heard about the famous British pioneer of computer science, his name is Alan Turing.The students who were a part of this project improved their language skills, especially their English skills grew since they lived in and with their Britisch host families. They also got an idea of the economical and industrial circumstances of their host country by visiting companies and talking to employees.They made new friends. They worked together with them, the students of the host schools helped them to achieve good results. They showed them around and spent free time together. And they organised trips at the weekend, one of the many highlights was the visit of an ice hockey match in Uhersky Brod.The contact between the schools has been fastened. We exchange informations using digital platforms.We also met in reality. A delegation of Uhersky Brod visited the HTL Ferlach on the Infoday in January 2020, where we talked about the future cooperation. The deputy principal of Scarborough was in Carinthia in winter time - we went skiing and talked about the cooperation. We met in this summer after the border was newly opend after the Corona lockdown.Unfortunately we could not make it happen that English students can visit Ferlach for a second time. The Czech school could not send students since their application was not accepted.At the end we are very satisfied with the outcome of this project. Fourty students were sent to another school, They increased their knowledge in their professional field as well as their language and social skills.

"“3C – Creation, Communication, Collaboration” youth exchange project is intended for young people of 19-29 years of age, that has theoretical and practical experience in the field of design. The project will be held in September of 2015 in one of the most beautiful places of Lithuania – Nida, where 24 participants together with leaders from four countries – Italy, Austria, Poland and Lithuania will create, communicate and collaborate in an international team to realize the main goals of the project. The most important of them is to creatively manually solve global problems and reduce youth unemployment by the means of collaboration and communication.Creation. Each participant of this project is at least to some extent connected with creation and has experience in realizing art projects. But organizers of this project seek to bring quick freehand sketching and manual project realization back to the sphere of design and realize creative ideas by using computer software not as intensive as in the ordinary way.During the project, participants will form three international teams that will solve proposed creative tasks. The process will be enriched with various other activities, where the engaged teams will be mixed together so everyone could have an opportunity to communicate with members of the other teams. One of these activities are the outgoing trips called “Handmade”. The regions of unique nature and rich traditions around Nida will become a site of search for “handmade” examples, starting from architecture details to handcrafted decorations, jewellery and even the traditional smoked fish. During these trips spontaneous ""Erasmus+"" programme presentations to the local inhabitants will be made. The exceptional natural environment, waters of the Baltic sea, Curonian bay and the abundance of dunes are perfect factors to aid the activity and vitalize the research process. “Handmade” creativity in all the aspects of life.Communication. A lot of artists are natural introverts, so open communication and active teamwork can be a real challenge. During the project, participants will communicate on a broad variety of topics and in different situations, including clearing out the aspects of creative project in professional terms, discussing its social and cultural effects and searching for the best means of expression (some tasks will be done as a homework using electronic means of communication). Non-formal communication will be developed during activities like cooking and food preparation in the “Kitchen” restaurant. Every evening different international team will be chosen to prepare a traditional meal of selected country or region. Participants from different countries are chosen intentionally to promote communication and creativity.Collaboration. One of the most important goals for the project organizers is to induce the reduction of youth unemployment. Similar tendencies are clearly visible in all the European countries – clients are searching for eminent artists and highly experienced designers while innovative works and ideas of young designers are sold very poorly. For these reasons during the project young artists will have an opportunity to directly collaborate and communicate with clients and representatives of the industrial companies, make a quick, intense and concentrated research to analyse the main points of the given task in very time-efficient manner and then, finally, make design proposals, realize and properly present the project to the audience. Direct designer and industry representative (client) communication is thought to be one of the main factors to improve employment and help at least part of the participants to find their workplace.Creative works, developed during the “3C” project, claim to assist the solving of global social problems, while the developed skills and competences will empower young creators to find jobs more easily, be competitive on the market and gratify the society with creative solutions."