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.

This project will target learners from three vocational areas within Leicester College: - Construction - Hospitality & Catering - Travel & Tourism We have identified lead staff within each vocational area, who will recruit, support and prepare their learners to undertake an international mobility placement in Spain or Portugal. This project builds on the success of our previous mobility projects, where we have seen significant impact on our learners, staff and course delivery as a direct result of participation in the mobility. The Mobility project will provide the learners with on-the-job work experience, in a placement that is releavant to their vocational course of study. The skills that learner acquire during their work placement will be transferred back to Leicester college, and we will use the ECVET framework to validate specific units of the learners’ vocational qualification. In addition to gaining sector specific work experience, the learners will have the opportunity to develop their soft skills, such as team working, cross cultural communication and self assurance, in a structured and supportive setting. Each learner will have a line manager at their host organisation and will also be joined by a College tutor, who will act as an Accompanying Person, providing an additional layer of pastoral support to learners. The project will recruit a total of 370 learners, which is a significant upscale of our mobility activity, meaning we can offer opportunities to a much wider range of learners within the College. Our learners are typically aged between 17-19, and many face economic and social barriers. For the majority of learners, this will be their first opportunity to work and and travel abroad, and we have designed our recruitment, preparation and support models to reflect this. We will send 24 flows of learners, in groups of 10-20, to placements in Spain and Portugal over a 24 month period. The project gives us an opportunity to consolidate existing relationships with current host partners and expand our work by developing new partnerships. This will be the first time we are sending learners to Portugal. We have ensured that a process of due diligence has been followed when engaging new partners. We are also enlisting the support of a UK partner, REY Europe, who will support some of the central coordination functions, the project set up and the logistical arrangements. The placements will last for 2-4 weeks, depending on the vocational area and the profile of learners. We consider this timeframe to berealistic and attainable for each group to gain valuable work experience, allowing a sufficient period for learners to adjust to life in a new country as well gain a meaningful experience with the host organisations that will enable them to achieve their specific learning outcomes. Each learner will complete a range of tasks within their work placement that are related to their vocational course of study. Our course tutors have selected specific units of their vocational course that can be achieved within the context of the work placement, avoiding the need for classroom duplication on their return. The learning outcomes for each unit will be detailed in an individual learning agreement for each participant, which will also include guidance on how learning should be recorded and evidenced whilst the learner is on placement. The ECVET framework will be used to support this process, with all roles and responsibilities for the host organisation detailed within a memorandum of understanding. The course tutor will meet with each of the host organisations during the first week of the mobility to discuss this process and clarify roles and responsibilities. The mobility will also provide an opportunity for soft skills development, and learners will be supported to set goals and reflect on their learning in this area. We have seen positive impact on the learners that have been involved in our mobility programming to date, and we hope to build on this through this project. The mobility will provide an opportunity for personal and professional development, and we expect this to impact on our learners by increasing their job readiness and broadening their perspective and aspirations. They will gain sector specific work experience and a new perspective on labour market opportunities. We hope this will motivate, engage and inspire our learners to complete their course of study and progress to further education and/or employment. It is a staff development opportunity for those tutors involved, and it enables us as a College to enhance our course offering, making our courses more attractive to prospective learners and widening the scope of our curriculum. It contributes to the College's wider internationalisation strategy, to bring new perspectives and engage in new partnerships within our work. We will engage new international partners and strengthen our international networks.

CONTEXT & OBJECTIVES Twin wish to carry out the Erasmus+ project because it will provide unique vocational development and career progression opportunities for our learners working towards Level 3 qualifications in Digital Media and Leadership & Management. The ERASMUS+ project will provide long-term Mobility Placements lasting for 3 months within the hospitality sector in Spain, Portugal and Ireland. The content and length of the Mobility Placements has been designed to meet the career development aims of our Level 3 learners in these sectors, the majority of whom will have completed a Level 2 qualification and have some experience in entry level roles but are looking to move into more senior and better paid roles within their chosen field. The ERASMUS+ project will also deliver the following complementary objectives that support the overall aim of enhancing the employability of our Level 3 learners within the target sectors: SUPPORTING CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DEVELOPMENT: In addition to developing their vocational and workplace skills, Mobility Placements offer a transformational life experience for our learners, many of whom will have had limited opportunities to travel abroad and may not have had the experience of living and working in another country. Learners placed in Spain and Portugal will benefit from supported language development in these placements. ENHANCING OUR VOCATIONAL PROVISION: Integration of Mobility Placements within our vocational courses will enhance our provision for the target sectors. In particular, working with employers in Spain, Portugal and Ireland will help to introduce European dimensions within the curricula of the courses linked to Mobility Placements and will broaden the perspectives of both tutors and learners. DEVELOPING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS: Twin already has excellent links with local and regional employers and the work undertaken in developing this application has already enabled us to establish partnerships with employers within the hospitality industry in Spain, Portugal and Ireland. LEARNERS Project learners will be VET learners currently undertaking, or having recently completed, Level 3 vocational qualifications related to the hospitality sector and the specific courses where we propose to offer mobility opportunities to learners are: - ILM Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management - City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Principles of Website Creation and Optimisation ACTIVITIES The core activities that the ERASMUS+ project will deliver will be 105 mobility work placements within the hospitality sector in Spain, Portugal and Ireland. The 105 placements will be split with 48 travelling to Spain, 12 to Portugal and 45 to Ireland. The project will work with 36 Host Employers, which will facilitate effective matching of mobility work placement opportunities with the learning aims and career development aspirations of our learners. In addition to providing work experience for the learners, Host Employers will contribute to other key functions, including recruitment and selection, preparation and post placement support. METHODOLOGY The methodologies adopted by the ERASMUS+ project will focus on working in partnership with Host Employers in the destination countries that have the experience, expertise, organisational capacity and range of business activities that will support our learners in developing experience-acquired skills for their vocational area by working alongside established professionals in their chosen field. Working with such a broad range of Host Employers will mean that no two placements will be exactly the same but they have been designed to both enable learners to put the skills learned during their VET courses into practice and to take on additional responsibility and adapt to more senior roles within the workplace. RESULTS AND IMPACT The project will deliver major impacts for the learners in terms of job outcomes and career development. We expect that 73% will enter employment within 3 months of completing their mobility and, of those, 81% will sustain employment for at least 6 months. We also expect the project to benefit the labour market mobility of learners and expect at least 11% to take up jobs in other EU countries. The project will build the capacity of partners to participate in transnational activities in general and the Erasmus+ programme in particular. Furthermore, over the medium to long term, evaluation and dissemination functions will engage with VET providers and enterprises within the target sectors more widely across the EU and thus offer potential to inform developments in VET provision at the European level.

CONTEXT & OBJECTIVES Twin wish to carry out the European Mobility for Career Development (EMCD) project because it will provide unique vocational development and career progression opportunities for our learners working towards Level 3 qualifications in Digital Media, Leadership & Management and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). The EMCD project will provide long-term Mobility Placements lasting for 3-months within the hospitality and education sectors in Spain and Ireland. The content and length of the Mobility Placements has been designed to meet the career development aims of our Level 3 learners in these sectors, the majority of whom will have completed a Level 2 qualification and have some experience in entry level roles but are looking to move into more senior and better paid roles within their chosen field. The EMCD project will also deliver the following complementary objectives that support the overall aim of enhancing the employability of our Level 3 learners within the target sectors: SUPPORTING CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DEVELOPMENT: In addition to developing their vocational and workplace skills, Mobility Placements will offer a transformational life experience for our learners, many of whom will have had limited opportunities to travel abroad and certainly will not have lived and worked in another country. ENHANCING OUR VOCATIONAL PROVISION: Integration of Mobility Placements within our vocational courses will enhance our provision for the target sectors. In particular, working with employers in Spain and Ireland will help to introduce European dimensions within the curricula of the courses linked to Mobility Placements and will broaden the perspectives of both tutors and learners. DEVELOPING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS: Twin already has excellent links with local and regional employers and the work undertaken in developing this application has already enabled us to establish partnerships with employers within the target sectors in Spain and Ireland. PARTICIPANTS Project participants will be VET learners currently undertaking or having recently completed Level 3 vocational qualifications related to the hospitality and language teaching sectors and the specific courses where we propose to offer mobility opportunities to learners are: - ILM Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management - City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Principles of Website Creation and Optimisation - LRN Level 3 Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) ACTIVITIES The core activities that the EMCD project will deliver will be 90 mobility work placements within the hospitality and language teaching sectors in Spain and Ireland. We intend to deliver the 90 mobilities in the 3 groups of 30, with each group being broken down as follows: 14 Leadership and Management (8 to Spain, 6 to Ireland), 8 Digital Media to Spain and 8 TEFL to Spain. The project will work with 27 Host Employers, which will facilitate effective matching of mobility work placement opportunities with the learning aims and career development aspirations of our participants. In addition to providing work experience for the participants, Host Employers will contribute to other key functions, including recruitment and selection, preparation and post placement support. METHODOLOGY The methodologies adopted by the EMCD project will focus on working in partnership with Host Employers in the destination countries that have the experience, expertise, organisational capacity and range of business activities that will support our learners in developing experience-acquired skills for their vocational area by working alongside established professionals in their chosen field. Working in different sectors and with such a broad range of Host Employers will mean that no two mobilities will be exactly the same but they have been designed to both enable participants to put the skills learned during their VET courses into practice and take on additional responsibility and adapt to more senior roles within the workplace. RESULTS AND IMPACT The project will deliver major impacts for the participants in terms of job outcomes and career development. We expect that 73% (66 of 90) will enter employment within 3 months of completing their mobility and, of those, 91% (60 of the 66 moving into work) will sustain employment for at least 6 months. We also expect the project to benefit the labour market mobility of participants and expect at least 11% (10 of 90) to take up jobs in other EU countries. The project will also build the capacity of partners to participate in transnational activities in general and the Erasmus+ programme in particular. Furthermore, over the medium to long term, evaluation and dissemination functions will engage with VET providers and enterprises within the target sectors more widely across the EU and thus offer potential to inform developments in VET provision at the European level.

In total 241 VET learners took part in a 4-week mobility placement in Spain. Learners drawn from East Sussex College, West Kent and Mid Kent colleges, were mostly aged 17 – 20, with a fairly even gender balance. In line with the VESI 2 objectives the project succeeded in helping a large number of students with fewer opportunities. This has been reflected in their feedback rather than learning outcomes or movement into work as this has yet to be collated. The feedback indicates that in the first instance this was an opportunity that these students would not have had without Erasmus +.The project anticipated UK learners developing their employability skills, acquiring additional technical and soft skills, and developing their linguistic ability through involvement in this mobility project. We anticipated that this experience, whilst also demonstrating important employment experience on CVs, would also aid employability outcomes for our learners. This will be considered within our Evaluation Strategy. The project aimed to provide a motivational experience for our learners by offering them an opportunity to attend a mobility placement with an employer in the Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, and Business Admin sectors. The project provided linguistic support and cultural orientation as part of its preparatory training. Support and guidance was also made available to students through workplace supervisors and buddies, and our receiving host partner, 3SI, provided additional support to all learners during their period of mobility. The project aimed to address the needs of all its learners and the creation of Individual Learning Plans were used to guide the expectations of each work mobility placement. This document alongside the Europass tools were central to ensuring that the overall aims and objectives of our learners were met. The project evaluated the data collected post each mobility, verifying the experience of our learners, employers, and those of our consortia partners. The results of this work fed into our mobility timetable and helped ensure that quality development ran throughout project delivery with learning points worked into operational plans. Use of the Europass framework ensured that skills acquisition of learners could be adequately captured.Nearly all students agreed that one of the greatest benefits of the programme has been their development of soft skills. This has mainly been derived from the independence that the students gained through the programme. For many this was the first time that they have been away from home. It meant having to organise themselves to go to work, to be on time and to facilitate all the other elements of their lives at the same time. Many stated, in their feedback, that this was difficult at first but that they had grown in confidence and now felt that better able to face the world of work. Another objective of the programme was to build greater self-esteem and confidence amongst those most disadvantaged. Staff report that emotional resilience and the will to study improved for those that took part in the project. They also report that students improved their technical abilities as a result of the work placements. One student commented, 'It was good to put into practice what we learnt in the classroom although it was not as I had imagined or been taught'. This illustrates that technical skills theory does not translate precisely to practical application.It is anticipated that involvement in this VET mobility project will lead to increased transnational working across our partnership consortia, to find new partners with European colleges building even stronger links with both the UK and EU economy(s).