"In 2015, the Käthe Kollwitz School applied for mobilities for Learners (A), as well as professionals (B and C) in vocational training.A) LearnersIn 2015, the Leonardo-Project “Diversity and Identity“, organized by the Käthe Kollwitz School, offers 17 students, attending a professional training to become qualified educators, the chance for a professional training abroad.The professional college for qualifying educators is a branch of the Käthe Kollwitz School and consists of a specified intercultural class with 24 students. The teachings in this class include topics such as migration, foreignness, intercultural learning, children’s bilingual-/ multi-language acquisition, inclusion, developmental theories and identity. Educational issues are discussed with regard to professional, social, political, and ethical matters, as well as practical work experiences and methods of pedagogical implementation. The intercultural class follows a specific intercultural curriculum, which can be linked to various aspects of the project, i.e. diversity and identity.The project is included in the students’ second year of professional training; the participants do a six-week placement in various institutions, such as kindergarten, preschool, elementary and comprehensive school, including afternoon care.The project offers the students a variety of learning experiences and tracks diverse learning objects, for example getting to know work areas and concepts in the educational field, comparing national / local educational curricula, finding out about language acquisition concepts and teaching methods, developing professional manners, experiencing pedagogical approaches, taking part in daily working routines. The project is experienced-based and focuses on individual learning by doing, including reflections and evaluations. Thus, students will be able to gain competences in various areas such as foreign language acquisition, intercultural skills, capacity to act professionally, expansion of personal and social abilities. In addition, participants broaden their competences related to communication, self-reflection, biographical awareness, and critical thinking.Participants are prepared (counseling, application procedure, intercultural training) and supervised (teacher visits, Lo-Net, partners) by the intercultural team at the Käthe Kollwitz School in cooperation with the partners. Participants also reflect on their learning experiences during reflection days, conferences and via reports. Throughout the project students are supported in teamwork and individually.Evaluation of the project happens on a regular basis within the intercultural team and with the partners. It is presented to the public via presentations, local newspaper articles as well as the website (http://www.kks-marburg.de/index.php/internationales/sozialpaedagogische-auslandspraktika.html). Europass and a school certificate are established.Our partners in Sweden, Finland, Spain, France and Latvia have been working with us for many years now. We were able to gain new partners in Ireland in 2014.B) and C) Professionals: ""Development of intercultural competences for youth in Germany and Romania"" (DICC)"" and ""Vocational Training and Education for Principal""Professionals, including the principal of the Käthe Kollwitz Schule, will be travelling to Sweden and Romania in order to foster professional development, teaching methods, and organisational development, as well as cultural exchange. Each project has its own project plan and the project coordinators are responsible for the coordination of the project with the partners to ensure the realisation of the project activities and contents according to the fixed goals. This will be done in team work, and the realisation of the learning agreements is viewed as a joint task. Being abroad, the participants will, for example visit vocational schools, practical placements / companies relevant for professional learning, foster exchange and communication, and visit classes. Experiences and results will be disseminated into relevant meetings inside and outside of the Käthe Kolwitz school community; based on reflections and evaluations with the partners and in retrospect within the teams, experiences and results will also be transfered into the actual teaching sessions and school community of the Käthe Kollwitz Schule."

The Childcare and Education department of Eskilstuna Municipality in Sweden, has the ambition to continuously develop and improve the quality of teaching, improve the results and give the pupils a good foundation in order for them to succeed with future education and work. The department has a lot of experience with international projects and we know that we can learn very much from our colleagues in Europe. The international dimension is important and helps us compare, reflect and learn from each other so that we can develop methods to improve the quality of teaching. The Municipality has a need to prepare the pupils for a global labor market, encourage and inspire them to learn foreign languages and to offer the pupils contact with pupils in other parts of the world. International projects are important tools in this work and also contribute to an increased tolerance and acceptance of other people and cultures. This is very important since our municipalilty has received a large number of refugees and has a long history of having a population with a mixed cultural background. In this project, the consortium consisted at first of eight primary / secondary schools together with the Childcare and Education department as the coordinator. In the end, the schools Gökstensskolan, Hammargärdets skola, Fröslundaskolan, Stålforsskolan, Skiftingehus and Djurgårdsskolan (4-9) participated in the activities. Based on the above mentioned issues and considering that international contacts and projects are excellent tools in this work, the consortium had the following objectives in this project: • Enable international contacts for head teachers, teachers and pupils • Increase the number of schools which have international projects and collaboration – Currently several of the primary / secondary schools are involved in international projects, but there are also many that are not. It is also important to maintain the interest for internationalization at the schools where projects already exist, especially where management is new. • Increase the language competence and the interest in foreign languages, for head teachers, teachers and pupils. One of the activities in the project consisted of five head teachers attending a course on Erasmus+ project management in Rome,Italy, to learn about the programme and how it can contribute to the quality of work and international collaboration for staff and pupils. The other activity consisted of job shadowing in Birmingham, UK, for a total of nine head teachers and deputy head teachers. The job shadowing was part of a collaboration with Birmingham Catholic Primary Partnership, which has been our partner organisation for a very long time. We can conclude that the participants of this project now see the importance of international collaboration and how it can lead to positive experiences and learning for head teachers, staff and pupils. After taking the course, most of the head teachers felt that they had good knowledge of Erasmus+, saw the benefits of the programme and had learnt how to manage a project. One of the schools now has new Erasmus+ KA2 project (2020) and two other schools have recently completed their KA2 projects and are thinking of new ones. Besides the strategic partnerships, the head teachers are also very interested in having KA1 projects, including the activities job shadowing and attending courses.Through the job shadowing activity in Birmingham, the participants got a deepened interest in international collaboration and they can see the benefits of visiting a colleague in a different country. They learned a lot about the school system in England and they were able to bring home many good ideas. Many of the participants mentioned that they have learnt about the role of the head teacher when it comes to knowledge development, how time is spent by the head teacher, how collegial tutoring can work, what expectations there are of the pupils when it comes to learning and developing knowledge etc. The participants shared information about their job shadowing experience with their staff and as a result several teachers are now interested in participating in such an activity. Both the course and the job shadowing activity have contributed to the participants’ developing their language skills, which makes future collaboration and maintaining contact easier. In conclusion, the activities have made the schools interested in starting and continuing international projects and collaboration, and some have already started. These projects are expected to lead to increased language ability among head teachers, teachers and pupils, to increased tolerance and understanding of different cultures and to make the pupils prepared for an international labour market.

Background and objectivesThe Childcare and Education department (BUF) of Eskilstuna Municipality, Sweden, and its upper secondary schools have the ambition to constantly develop and improve education. Within vocational programs, there is a desire to make the programs more attractive, as Eskilstuna has a great need for qualified labor in the vocational fields. The municipality is struggling with youth unemployment, and it is important that youth complete their education at upper secondary school to be able to get a job and / or continue their studies at university. As the labor market becomes increasingly global, young people also need good language skills. Furthermore, Eskilstuna is a multicultural town. The consortium has a need to constantly work to increase tolerance and understanding for other people and cultures. During 2018-2021, the Childcare and Education department in Eskilstuna had a consortium project within Erasmus + KA1 VET, with internships and job shadowing activities. The consortium consisted of the upper secondary schools Rekarnegymnasiet, Rinmangymnasiet, S: t Eskils gymnasium and BUF's administration office which was the coordinator. Based on the needs of the municipality (above) , the consortium had the following objectives:1. Make vocational education more attractive by offering internships abroad for students2. Internships would lead to great personal development of the students, which in turn would motivate them to complete their education, make them better equipped for the labor market and make it easier for them to get a job.3. Increase the language skills of the students4. Increase students' tolerance and understanding of other people and cultures5. For the teachers doing job shadowing activities: See new influences in pedagogy and didactics, be able to discuss syllabi and lesson content with colleagues in another country to develop the program, improve their language skills and develop international cooperation.ActivitiesThe activities consisted of internships abroad for 64 students from the vocational programs Hotel / Tourism, Hairdresser, Childcare, Healthcare, Restaurant , Business / Administration, Vehicles / Transport and the introductory programs IM / Construction / Vehicles. The students did internships for 2-5 weeks at our partner organizations in Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Malta and the UK. In addition, three teachers from the Vehicle / Transport program participated in job shadowing activities in France. Originally our plan was to have many more students and teachers participate, but due to the Corona situation and Brexit, among other things, it did not work out.ResultsOne of our objectives was to make vocational education more attractive. Because so many factors are involved when choosing an upper secondary program, it is difficult to say how much the internships abroad affect the choice, especially during a pandemic when nobody could travel. When comparing the numbers of 2018 with those of 2021, we see that there is no difference. Both years, 37% of the students started a vocational program and 61% started a college preparatory one. The students developed greatly on a personal level. In the evaluations, they expressed that they had gained self-confidence, courage and problem-solving ability, as well as developed their sense of responsibility and their ability to adapt to new situations. All of these abilities play a major role in completing studies and being better prepared for the labor market, having a greater opportunity to get a job and daring to take the step of looking for work elsewhere if necessary.A majority of the students also developed their language skills and thought that they had become more fluent in English. During their internship abroad, the students experienced a different culture and met people from a different background. An overwhelming majority of students expressed that they had become more tolerant of other people's values and behavior and had become better at collaborating with people from another culture.The teachers who job-shadowed colleagues in France learned a lot about what the French vocational training in vehicles / transport was like. They could compare the programs and observe how the subjects were taught. They got ideas about how they could develop their own teaching. The teachers also visited companies where students did their internships and got an insight into how internships were organized. The teachers' language skills improved and they also learned a lot about French culture. During the school year, the collaboration developed so that teachers and students from the French school came here for job shadowing and internships.During this project period, the vocational programs have expanded their international contacts overall. Collaboration regarding internships, job shadowing and teaching have begun, which is promising for our future projects.

Internationalization is very important for the Municipality of Eskilstuna in Sweden, and its schools. For many years we have sent students abroad for vocational training with very good results. Our cooperation with our partners around Europe has developed and deepened in a positive way. In 2014 the Childcare and Education department in Eskilstuna started up an Erasmus+ VET project together with the local upper secondary schools St Eskils gymnasium, Rekarnegymnasiet and Rinmangymnasiet. The consortium’s project “Learning for life – Vocational training abroad” went on for two years and made it possible for 68 students to do vocational training in Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Luxemburg and Malta. The students participating in this project attended vocational programs within the fields of Restaurant, Trade/ administration, Childcare, Nursing/ health care, Hairdressing/Beauty care, Hotel/ Tourism and introductory vocational programs. The objectives of this project were several, both professional and personal ones. Firstly we expected the students to increase their knowledge within their program and field. The students got training abroad at different companies / organizations such as, for example, restaurants, hotels, hairdresser salons, retail stores, tourist attraction sites, schools and an organization within the field of health care. The placements lasted from two to five weeks and the students performed tasks corresponding in large to the objectives in the Swedish national curriculum. A clear majority of the students felt that they learned a lot within their field and saw new techniques and ways of doing things. We also predicted that the students would increase their language ability, which almost all of them stated that they did. They felt that they got better at speaking, and also that they became more relaxed and brave about communicating with others in a foreign language (mostly English, but a few students used German and French). They also claimed that it became much easier for them to understand the spoken foreign language as well. Our third goal was for the students to develop on a personal level by getting a better intercultural understanding and an increased self-confidence. After the training abroad, a large majority of the students claimed that they now have an increased tolerance towards other people’s behavior and values, and also that they find it easier to cooperate with people from a different culture and background. All of the students claimed that have noticed an increase in their self-confidence and that they feel more comfortable facing and adapting to new situations and also solving problems. For many of them the training made them feel more capable of finishing their studies and getting jobs. Dropping out of school is a problem in Eskilstuna and if this can motivate the young people to stay in school and finish their education then that is worth a lot. Our final goal was for the students to become more inclined and willing to move if need be to find jobs elsewhere if they can’t find it locally. Unemployment among young people is very high in Eskilstuna and it is sometimes necessary for young people to go to where the jobs are in order to get work experience. An increase in self-confidence, bravery and the ability to adapt to new situations are in themselves important factors that contribute to an increased mobility. After the training a large majority of the students have stated that they are even willing to work in a different country now. So we are very hopeful that this will increase their mobility, and that other young people will be inspired to do the same.In conclusion, we are very pleased with our project and our results. And so are our students who participated. Our intention is to continue this work together with our partners so that more and more students are able to participate in the future and receive all the benefits that one can get from doing training abroad,

Internationalization is very important for the municipality of Eskilstuna, Sweden, and its schools. For many years we have sent students abroad for vocational training with very good results and our intention is to continue this work in 2016-2018 so that more students are able to participate. The consortium, which consists of the Childcare and Education department and the schools Rekarnegymnasiet, Rinmangymnasiet and St Eskils gymnasium, currently has an Erasmus+ KA1 VET project which will end in June, 2016. We intend to continue the collaboration that we have with our partners from that project and also add some new ones. The number of participating students in our new project will be increased from 72 to 104 and they are in vocational programs within the fields of Restaurant, Trade and administration, Building, Mechanics, Childcare, Nursing and health care, Hairdressing and Hotel /Tourism. These students will do vocational training at our partner organizations in Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Luxemburg and Malta for 2-5 weeks. Furthermore, five teachers from the programs Hairdressing and Hotel/Tourism will do job shadowing in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The municipality of Eskilstuna, like many other municipalities in Sweden, struggles with a decreasing number of students applying for vocational programs, a high number of students who do not finish their education, high youth unemployment and also increasing problems of racism and hostility towards immigrants. The consortium needs to offer high quality vocational programs, prevent drop-outs and also increase the knowledge of languages and trade related subjects among the students. Moreover, the students’ personal development is important in terms of self-confidence, intercultural understanding and tolerance of others. Vocational training abroad and the international dimension that it offers, can contribute a lot in these areas and lead to a better future for many people. Vocational training abroad gives the students experiences out of the ordinary and makes the vocational programs more interesting and appealing. It gives the students more knowledge within the field, they get to experience different kinds of techniques and ways of doing things and also different ways of thinking. The job shadowing in the Hairdressing and Hotel/Tourism programs will add positive aspects to the programs, with new ideas and also a collaborative project between the different schools including the vocational subjects and English. This international dimension will be positive for the students and increase their knowledge in these subjects. The vocational training leads to great personal development for the students in terms of self-confidence, the ability to communicate in a different language (especially English), having more faith in their abilities and a greater courage. Being able to spend time in a foreign country without one’s family is a big step to take and contributes a lot to the students’ self-confidence and the feeling of having had the courage and succeeded. It can inspire students who are at risk of not completing their education to actually find the strength to do so. Vocational training abroad can also make it easier for student to find employment . In combination with a greater self-confidence and better knowledge of the field, the increased knowledge of foreign languages can make the students more employable. These students will be important in a job market which is becoming more and more global. We believe that these students can inspire others to find the courage and perhaps look for employment elsewhere, since unemployment is very high in Eskilstuna. During the training abroad the students get to experience a different culture than their own. They meet people of different backgrounds, and get a better understanding for intercultural differences. Since they have to speak a foreign language, they will better understand the difficulties that this can mean when somebody is trying to make him- or herself understood in a language that is not his or her own. We hope for positive effects of dissemination when students share their experiences with friends or classmates, and that this will create a better understanding for, and acceptance of, newly arrived asylum seeking students and other immigrants. This is very important to prevent segregation and racism.