This project was developed in response to the growing challenge of youth unemployment in the UK. We planned to address this by enhancing the project participants' employability and providing them with experience and insight in the European labour market through a structured international work experience placement.Our project recruited young people who were undertaking a Level 3 NVQ in Professional Cookery and provide an enhanced capacity building opportunity for these young people who are hoping to embark on a career in the sector. We recognised the value of investing in young people training to enter the hospitality sector, as this has been identified as a growth area and therefore through supporting young people to better equip themselves for a career in the sector, we hope to contribute to the reduction of youth unemployment in the UK.The participants for this project were young people (17-23 yr olds) studying for their Professional Cookery NVQ. Their NVQ equipped them with the technical skills and theoretical knowledge that they needed for a career in the sector. To enhance their qualification, and put them in the best position for gaining employment in the sector upon completion of their course, they also needed to gain sector specific practical work experience, increase their soft skills and develop their language competences.108 participants were recruited over a 24 month period from 3 vocational colleges in the UK, who worked together as a consortium. Participants will travel in small groups to undertake a 6 week placement in a range of relevant host companies based in Seville, Spain.The majority of participants had not undertaken an overseas work placement before. Therefore 6 weeks was deemed a realistic and attainable timeframe for the group. It was sufficient time for the participants to adjust to work and life in a foreign country, meaningfully gain from the experience and achieve a set of individual learning objectives in a structured and supportive environment. Participants were joined by an accompanying person from each college.During their placement, participants worked in kitchens completing food preparation, cooking and completion corresponded to the mandatory units of their NVQ, covering topics such as food hygiene & safety and cooking new dishes. They learnt how to work in a fast-paced, pressurised environment and how to work effectively in a team. At the start of the placement, project staff supported participants to agree a set of Learning Outcomes for the mobility which reflected the course units that related to the specific tasks that the participants completed during their placement. Participants received pre-departure and in-country training to prepare them for the mobility and had regular and structured supervision during the placement, to provide pastoral support and ensure they made progress towards their Learning Outcomes and developed their personal objectives. REY Europe formed a consortium with the sending partners to design, deliver, evaluate and disseminate the project. With an ever increasing range of vocational opportunities offered to young people, it was hoped that this project would give participating colleges a competitive edge, making their course more attractive to future applicants. It provided an opportunity for colleges to learn about different approaches to work placements and objective setting. It enabled them to diversify their course and methods of teaching and learn through international cooperation to enhance their existing course offer.The immediate impact of the Mobility, for participants was to gain a practical insight into 'real' work in Professional Cookery, with a clear set of tasks and guidance. The longer term impact was for participants to secure meaningful employment in the sector. As well as developing professional skills in the kitchen, learners benefitted from an intercultural experience, increased language competency and personal development. This has strengthened their position in the labour market and their workplace readiness and instilled in them a broader perspective and international outlook when seeking employment.The project has positively impacted on the Sending partners by enabling them to provide a rounded NVQ experience for their learners. Partners have had the opportunity to develop longer term relationships with the host organisations in Spain and they are now more aware of EU programmes and the benefits of participation.College staff have developed their teaching competencies and understanding of different approaches to work experience placements. They have a clearer idea of the needs of employers located within the catering sector, on a national and European level.The host organisations have learnt new management techniques for working on EU programmes and develop their understanding of NVQ model of study and the teaching methods of Professional Cookery in the UK.