The inter-regional Work In Progress (W.I.P.) project performed between May 2016 and February 2017 provided the mobility for 131 students of the 4th and 5th year from four Sicilian Professional Institutes and three Institutes from Veneto. Among these, 18 non-EU participants.Three fifth of the participants came from the addresses of Maintenance and Technical Assistance and Industrial and Craft Productions, and two fifths from the different services sectors (hospitality, commercial, health and social and dental technician services), professional profiles that were identified by the project as functional to the development of the production and service sectors in the territories of origin.Some socio-cultural aspects of the original contexts represented challenges for the project: conquering the fear of the families of sending their children abroad, as more than half of the participants had never been abroad, and two-thirds of the remaining had only a school trip experience ; Affirming outside the credibility of the School ; Raising professional education from a reputation of inferiority respect to other educational systems. The project aimed at:- combining classroom training with practical experience (alternating between school and work) in good companies.-fostering the orientation of young people through business experience;- making learning outcomes more transparent through certification tools.Learning outcomes concerned the growth of professional knowledge and skills, and the development of key competences and transversal competences: foreign language communication, self-improvement, self-learning, problem solving, group work, and skills related to a civic sense and to cultural awareness. In particular, these skills were considered useful to develop the value system of work and individual engagement in this target of participants, and to improve personal conditions for an access to the world of work.Mobility took place in Spain, the United Kingdom, France and the Czech Republic; It lasted for 5 weeks - a language enhancement and socio-cultural inclusion took place during the first week and the following 4 weeks were based on a full-time job experience. In Italy the internships were preceded by preparatory language and pedagogical activities (courses with mother tongue teacher in addition to OLS).Pre-departure preparation has greatly contributed to the success of individual experiences, calibrating the expectations . Mobility was achieved through a synergy collaborationbetween teachers and schools, host institutions and companies, where each participant and his own experience occupied a central place. The final satisfaction of the participants for the internship was high, and it indicated in the motivations the company's coherence to the profile, the ability to carry out new professional learnings, the availability of the company mentor, the opportunity to experience a working context with an average company level -organization.Business experiences have been organized by applying ECVET procedures that have allowed the validation and the recognition of both Alternation school - work and Specific Credit Assignment.All participants received certifications that enhance their portfolio, in particular the Certificate of Competence and the Europass Mobility Document.The project has helped to improve collaboration both within the consortium and with the foreign partnership; To bring closer or to strengthen the world of training with the world of work; To open up schools to Europe: schools have promoted language certifications and have competed with other projects (regional or national ones) aiming to achieve mobility abroad.

The project, Modern Europe - Digital Competency for Young Europeans (ME-DCYE) brings together 4 schools from Wales (Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan), Finland (Nilsiän yhtenäiskoulu), Belgium (Kogeka 5) and Spain (Institut Vidreres) to work collaboratively to achieve the ultimate goal of improving digital skill teaching and learning in our schools. The 4 partner schools will consist of a group of carefully chosen learners who represent a mixture of gender and socio-economic backgrounds; a project coordinator in each school and a team of support staf and subject specialists. The project will be overseen by a lead coordinator (Wales). The main objectives include:To provide opportunities to further digital skills in line with the EDCF requirements.To empower learners to tackle the demands for ICT-skills head-on.To develop use of participatory approaches and ICT-based methodologies.To ensure that disadvantaged groups of learners are at the forefront of skill development.To strengthen understanding in our learners of the social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity that exists between European neighbour states. To further the understanding in the participants of the European project and the EU values and foster a better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications in Europe and beyond.Description of activities:The activities which will take place in this project include, amongst others, working with local businesses in the field of modern technology such as IoT; visits to local technology and cultural tourist attractions; experience of other school settings; use of new technologies in the classroom such as 3D printers and robotics and production of audio-visual materials using new technologies. Methodology used:Activities which take place will be done so in a participatory approach. Learners will be encouraged to challenge themselves to achieve new and exciting outcomes via digital technologies. All activities will involve a mixture of learners from each partner school in order to foster international collaboration and cultural exchanges.Results and impact envisaged: The potential longer term benefits of the project for the participants are numerous and include, amongst others, an increase in quality ICT/digital skill provision; links with European partner schools for further collaboration and support; a greater understanding of the digital skills required for future employability and a deeper cultural awareness and appreciation in its participants. The project will also provide a task bank of resources and outcomes.The project's aims are closely aligned with the priorities set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2019. By supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences this project aims to foster digital problem solving, language skill development and international collaboration in all participants. This will lead to greater future employability, competitiveness, critical thinking, and socio-educational and personal development through participatory approaches and ICT-based methodologies. The project will also develop partnerships between learning institutions and local businesses in the field of ICT. This will in turn help improve the quality of teaching and learning in the partner institutions. The project will address a key horizontal priority in providing innovative practices in a digital era. Importance will be placed on supporting teachers and learners to use digital technologies in creative, collaborative and efficient ways. This aim also meets the requirements of the digital frameworks in place or in the construction phase in each partner country.The project will also aim to involve the wider school communities of staff, learners, parents, governors and the local press. This will be achieved through staff CPD, learner and parent assemblies, social media posting and inviting local press to document the project and its outcomes. This project places great importance on the support provided to all learners, with particular attention given to those with fewer opportunities or access to digital technologies. Learner participants will be chosen carefully to ensure learners that fall into this category have equal opportunities and are able to experience the project and its outcomes. The project will also address the gender gap in use of digital technologies and will ensure equal numbers of both female and male participants.This project aims to address social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. The project will help raise awareness of the importance of the European project and its core values; will promote skills development and critical thinking and will foster intercultural dialogue involving teachers and learners. Participants will also experience the languages spoken in host countries through taster sessions and hosting events (accommodation) and will work collaboratively to produce materials in the languages spoken by all participants.

The project was realized by a consortium whose sending members are 6 technical and vocational education institutes located in Veneto, in the provinces of Rovigo, Padua, Vicenza and Verona.The 129 learners who took part into it were mostly at the end of the fourth year of upper secondary school and some graduates.In the Northeast economic context where the internationalization process undertaken by many companies has enabled a crisis survival, companies competing in world markets require workers who besides being able to master foreign languages have also acquired multi- cultural skills allowing them to interact with international partners.Therefore the project aimed at developing the skills needed to enter an internationalized company; indeed, the Learning Outcomes (LO) covered the scope of both key and soft skills (self-learning, initiative, cultural awareness, autonomy, sense of responsibility and adaptability, ability to deal with and solve problems, build up constructive relationships, work in groups) related to the vocational skills of the students’ course of studies. The course of study involved were those focused on the economic sector and its interrelated services: Administration Finance and Marketing, Corporate IT Systems, Tourism, but also Business and Social Care Services.Corporate Social Responsibility was the main focus of the project; that is the new perception of the impact of business behaviors at an economic, social and environmental level. A growing number of Venetian companies, most concerned with the challenges of the future, are adhering to CSR; this project, alongside the school opening to Europe and the world, aimed at giving students the opportunity to improve their knowledge through lectures made by consortium partners and field visits to companies that work ethically according to the principles of CSR.The 5 week mobility, accomplished in UK, IE, ES, FR, DE, included a full time internship of 4 weeks following a first week of language training and cultural introduction to the foreign work environment that completed the Linguistic and pedagogical training phase carried out in Italy.The internship abroad has been designed as a Learning Unit accredited as ‘Alternanza scuola-Lavoro. It has been outlined according to ECVET procedures so as to be accepted and validated through the assignment of specific credits by each sending school.Participants were given the required certificates, including the Certificate of Competence and the Europass Mobility. These are certifications that enhance the individual portfolio and, possibly, employability.The project was carried out according to a plan that included a schedule, steps and actions; all deadlines have been met and results constantly monitored.The final feedback, carried out on the various subjects/stakeholders involved, shown a high degree of satisfaction.The project, as expected, has improved language skills, which constitute a resource that can be immediately spent in school, but also later on in future studies and job; It has provided knowledge and developed professional skills; it has increased participants’ self-esteem, awareness and autonomy, but above all, it has widened their cultural horizons and increased their European citizenship awareness.The project has also strengthened the consortium with regard to non-sending partners who shared with schools the interest in spreading the knowledge and importance of CSR, reinforcing the cooperation between the world of education and the world of work.

The project ” All for a greener Europe” is based on mutual interest of the participants towards a more environmentally conscious life and is devoted to work on topics related to nature, green tourism and eco tourism. It is composed of seven countries Abergele-Conwy (Wales), Istanbul(Turkey), Bremen(Germany), Bydgoszcz (Poland), Gran Canary (Spain), Karlskrona (Sweden), Horjul (Slovenia), La Spezia (Italy). All of the participating countries are aware of the dramatic situation caused by Global warming and are aware of the fact that transportation, travelling and tourism are also contributors to the greenhouse effect.Our main goal is to analyse current trends in tourism and promote future trends which are inter-twinned with culture, traditions environment and heritage. By involving international cooperation, we will compare cultural and eco-tourism with standard tourism and solve tourism related problems finding new creative methods and techniques.The main issues are to provide students and teachers with a deeper understanding of responsible tourism and to widen their knowledge in subjects connected to culture, history, traditions, gastronomy, environmental protection, English language and ICT whilst integrating students who come from different cultural backgroundsThe project promotes a development away from typical consumer oriented tourism towards tourism that focuses on cultural and environmental encounters and requires more responsibility from the key figures in tourism: tourists and specialists in tourism alike.Completing the project tasks and activities (visiting each other‘s countries, making mini–tour guides and itineraries, creating presentations and booklets etc.) will prepare our students to become open-minded, culture-conscious citizens and skilled travellers, who are consciously protecting the value of their touristic environment.International cooperation - common methods based on cooperative learning - will let us build a group and will promote collaboration. The project will put schools into cooperation with local, national and international institutions and organisations and it will encourage cross-curricular approaches. In order to get the partners to work towards a common purpose, staff will interact effectively with each other, creating international teams and sharing experiences whilst providing a unique opportunity for partners to input their own expertise and learn from each other.The project will have both intangible results (new content learned by the participants, improved learning in relevant subject areas, new skills acquired )and tangible results (concrete products). We will use the outcomes as a measure of the extent to which the project has contributed to the learning experiences of those involved and the quality of education on offer in the schools participating. The partnership will have a positive impact on the participating institutions by building a community consisting of teachers and students who have a strong commitment to and a sense of ownership of the project. By creating and carrying out several creative dissemination techniques and activities, it will also enable a wider community (stakeholders, parents, school authorities, hotels )to benefit from our partnership in the long run.

In the years until 2020, the EU youth generation will diminish from 90 to 81 million. This will have a profound impact on education, the economy and society in the future. Technological changes will be even more pervasive and global competition will increase, not least the competition for talented people. Thus, there is an urgent need to strengthen policies to make EU ready for this competition and to give young Europeans opportunities to learn and to develop their capacities. There is a need to improve mobility both in quantity and quality at the EU level, and consequently a strong concern on the part of EU institutions to reach this goal. The overall percentage of young people which actually engages in transnational mobility activities remains low and compares unfavourably with higher education. Nevertheless, it appears with clarity that this training component is largely underdeveloped compared with other subjects in the VET-curricula. Some main barriers must be addressed if learning mobility is to be extended. The project seeks to address the above-mentioned needs and intends to respond to the Erasmus + priorities by setting the aim to improve the quality and quantity of mobility experiences adopting an integrated approach that involves both students and VET teaching staff. SKILLS + will be articulated into 2 different phases: during preliminary phase, 52 teachers will have an experience abroad and theyll jointly define with peers the contents of work placement, and the formalisation of MoU setting out the general framework of cooperation and networking between the partner institutions as well as establishing a climate of mutual trust. The second core phase of the project will be focused on the mobility experiences of 185 students from nine schools located in Vicenza its province, one located in Padua and in Verona. Learners will stay abroad for a period of 4 weeks of high quality work placement and 2 days of preparation/induction provided by partner abroad. The project proposal intends to foster KSC, of young learners in line with training needs of the local and global labour market. The multi- sectorial project is aimed at students who are completing the course of study and has the purpose to develop professional and soft skills, to improve the learning of foreign language and intercultural awareness. The schools involved encompass a range of professional pathways: Tourism\Catering, Administration, Finance and Marketing, International Relations and Trade, Agriculture and Food Industry,ICT, Mechanics\Mechatronics\ Electronics, Transport and Logistics, Social Services and Healthcare. These sectors can be recognized as key drivers of the EU economic recovery in supporting growth and employment also for labour markets entrants. The partnership brings together 29 partners from ten different countries (IT, DE, NL, SLO,IE,UK,FI,DK,ES, FR) and is constructed with a view into achieving the highest synergies among the different partners. The methodological framework of the project builds on existing methods and practices which are already in use in the partners’ countries or developed in other EU-funded projects (VQTS matrix, ECMO, TRIF, etc.) where CPV and other partner organisations are involved. In designing and implementing the mobility schemes the project will built on the assumption that modern work processes involve many similar tasks despite national differences in the manners of offering and organising training. The project proposal will be implemented through following stages: BEFORE MOBILITY mainly focused on preparation of participants, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOBILITY ACTIVITIES and FOLLOW UP/DISSEMINATION activities. The project intends to have a significant impact on public and private key actors of the partners’ countries and the respective national, regional, local. The project contributes to enhance partners’ national VET systems through:- the promotion of internationalisation and mobility strategies, linked with the quality assurance systems for placements, monitoring contents and recognition of skills acquired abroad;- the improvement of the quality in VET also significantly contributing to the further development of the competence of staff organising mobility as well as teachers, trainers and tutors involved. The EU added value of the project is, furthermore, the support provided to the implementation of common EU tools and methods for mobility quality assurance. for the implementation of an effective ECVET system for comparability and portability of VET qualifications in full compliance with EQF principles. Young beneficiaries who will participate in SKILLS + will have the motivation to act as mobility promoters, being natural and approachable ambassadors as they are able to speak the same language and use social media to share their experiences with friends who are not directly affiliated to mobility programmes.