"Our project ""Beruflichkeit Bleibt (im) Zentrum (unserer) Schulischen Leistungsfähigkeit (BBZ SL)"" (translation: Vocational Identity at the Centre of our Academic Achievement"") described the core of our successful (German) dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System. We don't (have to) hide from the purely academic (general) education system. Rather, we emphasize our vocational background. Because our core value is our vocational identity it makes us very strong in offering useful qualifications for our students that suit the demands of our labour market. We also allow our staff a deep insight into other European VET systems. We were planning two kinds of activities that reflect on the topics chosen: related to topic 1. Teach and Learn Foreign Languages:Sending out language teachers to the places, where the language is spoken. Mainly we are planning to send our modern language teachers to official European training courses. But we also wanted to offer opportunities to teach at our partner schools.related to topic 2. Innovative Curricula / pedagogical Methods / Development of Teaching Courses and related to topic 3. Institutions and / or Methods to Enhance Quality (incl. School Development): In essence we want to offer our participants ""Teaching Observations"" or ""Job-Shadowings"" at our partner schools and if possible even teach at our partner colleges (if possible, concerning the language). We wanted to learn from our partners what other / new processes we could take home and adapt. But we were also interested in finding and adapting new structures and maybe even introduce new training courses. By doing so, we used the skills of our participants to fullfill our guidelines:""Our VISON is: We are THE authority of competence in our region and enable qualifications for life and work. Our MISSION is: We shape an education that transports key competences for an ever-changing working life. That means: We demand from our students to work on their competences and also promote our students adequately and individually.""Well-trained staff are motivated to teach (very well) and also motivate their students to partake in our European projects. Therefore, we promote the will to be mobile in working life, since our students may need to move to places with more opportunities after their successful training. Last but not least, we at BBZ Schleswig are highly interested in becoming a European school (http://www.europaschulen-sh.de/)."

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.

"Our project ""BERUFLICHE BILDUNG AUS DER REGION FÜR EIN FUNKTIONIERENDES EUROPA"" (translation: Vocational Training (and Training) from the region for a functioning Europe) describes the core of our successful (German) dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System. We don't (have to) hide from the purely academic (general) education system. Rather, we emphasize our vocational background. Because our core value is our vocational identity it makes us very strong in offering useful qualifications for our students that suit the demands of our labour market. We also allow our staff a deep insight into other European VET systems. We are planning two kinds of activities that reflect on the topics chosen: related to topic 1. Teach and Learn Foreign Languages:Sending out language teachers to the places, where the language is spoken. Mainly we are planning to send our modern language teachers to official European training courses. But we also want to offer opportunities to teach at our partner schools.related to topic 2. Innovative Curricula / pedagogical Methods / Development of Teaching Courses and related to topic 3. Institutions and / or Methods to Enhance Quality (incl. School Development): In essence we want to offer our participants ""Teaching Observations"" or ""Job-Shadowings"" at our partner schools and if possible even teach at our partner colleges (if possible, concerning the language). We want to learn from our partners what other / new processes we could take home and adapt. But we are also interested in finding and adapting new structures and maybe even introduce new training courses. By doing so, we use the skills of our participants to fullfill our guidelines:""Our VISON is: We are THE authority of competence in our region and enable qualifications for life and work. Our MISSION is: We shape an education that transports key competences for an ever-changing working life. That means: We demand from our students to work on their competences and also promote our students adequately and individually.""Well-trained staff are motivated to teach (very well) and also motivate their students to partake in our European projects. Therefore, we promote the will to be mobile in working life, since our students may need to move to places with more opportunities after their successful training. Last but not least, we at BBZ Schleswig are highly interested in becoming a European school (http://www.europaschulen-sh.de/)."

This project is part of the ongoing development by Merthyr Tydfil College to provide enhanced and enriched educational and social development opportunities for the people of Merthyr Tydfil and its surrounding areas. Recognizing that many barriers exist to employment and social enhancement within the South Wales valleys area, the college is sustaining a proactive approach to ensuring that as many of its student cohort as possible are able to experience a wider opportunity for personal, social, financial and career improvement. We place great emphasis on improving the confidence and desire of our students to be unrestrained by self and locally-imposed barriers to their ambitions. Our aim is to encourage the personal mobility of students throughout Europe as a means of improving their life opportunities and enriching social integration. Utilizing the previous Leonardo da Vinci funding opportunities in past years to great effect, we are now hopeful of achieving similar success with the Erasmus+ programme. This bid was for Key Action 1 Mobility of Individual, applying for participant numbers of IVT AND TRADES: •48 Level 3 Business Studies students;•48 Level 3 Information Technology students;•24 Level 3 Childcare students;•20 Level 2 Engineering students; •20 Level 2 Motor Vehicle students;•24 Level 2 Hairdressing students;•24 Level 2 Beauty students;•24 Level 3 Travel and Tourism students;•20 Level 1 Construction students; and•20 Level 2 Construction students.The overarching objective of this bid was to provide a coherent platform for participants to experience work placement in Germany, linguistic development, cultural awareness and improved motivation and self esteem. The experience has the benefit of being able to fulfill major requirements of the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate qualification that the participants are working towards and thus provides for formal qualification accreditation of many of the mobility action requirements. The AIM of the project was to offer two-week practical work experience in Germany. The visits involved structured and accredited work experience with German companies to help the students prepare for the UK and European labour markets. The project idea complies with Ldv Mobility National Priorities 2015 for both:1. Applications which primarily target participants who are facing particular difficulties in the labour market and2. Applications which work primarily with apprentices and which can evidence labour market/sectoral need for their support.The mobilities took place between November 2015 and June 2017.NEEDS ADDRESSED:1. The target group lacks professional experience in European training institutions and employers for the work placement.2. The students´ poor linguistic proficiency in German was improved, as the project fostered the learning of German (general and sector-related terminology).3. The students have never benefited from such a bespoke foreign experience, so the project allowed acquiring intercultural competences.OUTCOMES:1. New networks with businesses overseas.2. Potential to develop new projects in the future.3. Acquisition of new theoretical and practical competences in Business studies and Information Technology Studies to document in the EUROPASS MOBILITY DOCUMENT and CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE received.4. Enhancing employability prospects in the UK and European labour market.5. Improvement of the students´ linguistic and intercultural competences.6. Attainment of wider key skills at the appropriate levels in:•Working with others, •Problem solving and•Improving own Learning and Performance.7. General improvement in awareness of a European perspective on education and employability.8. Accreditation of vocational units through assessment of real tasks undertaken in the work placements.9. Accreditation of language skills, work experience, Essential Skills and other components of the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification such as Wales, Europe and the world, also the Individual Investigation component.