International mobility has become part of normal study and learning process in Tampere Vocational College Tredu. There are different, well-functioning variations of exchange practices in different study fields of Tredu. The mobility statistics of Tredu show constant growth in numbers and 2017-2018 some exchanges were postponed until autumn because of the lack of Eramus+ grants.The whole concept of Tredu’s international exchanges is wide as Tredu is a very large VET provider in Finland. There are many sectoral work cultures and models and various work-based development needs in the different study fields due to different student profiles and staff work situations. Tredu has 17 campus areas in the region and there are real equal opportunities for students also with fewer opportunities to make exchange abroad during the studies. Tredu also offers exchange options for newly graduated students. Student exchange flows are from 2 weeks up to 16 weeks and staff exchanges from 1 work week up to 3, including travel days. Also work-life partners are participating in international mobility actions.The aim is to realize international exchanges in all Tredu’s study fields and also make multi-professional team exchanges. Staff exchanges are an important and goal oriented way to develop sectoral and work-based training and an option to personal professional development. Tredu has started staff development actions with staff learning pathways, one option being international and cultural pathway. This is one of the strategic priorities in Tredu, and all staff members should recognize and evaluate their “international skills” during development discussions with their superiors. One very important way to realize this (competent and skillful learner) is through participation in international exchanges. Other ways to develop international aspects in Tampere region are e.g. work-life exchanges, development projects and active participation in receiving international students to Tredu. Long student exchanges (16 weeks) have been a tradition among hotel and restaurant services and they are now extending to other study fields like business and administration and technical sector. Tredu also provides vocational studies and certificates in these sectors in English language. Most student exchanges last between 4 and 10 weeks. The length and scope is decided together with sectoral needs, “traditions” and receiving partner profiles. The shortest student exchanges last 2 weeks and they are mainly completed by students with special needs and VALMA -students (preparatory training) students. These exchanges are accompanied by teachers and professional advisors from Tredu. Apprentices are also encouraged to participate in international mobility actions. International exchange periods are usually realized in the shape of work-related on-the-job learning periods in local companies abroad. Work-life visits and study periods in hosting VET schools expand the scope of the international experience. According to student interviews, international exchange periods improve students’ feeling of independence, responsibility and self-esteem. A well-planned period provides a wide understanding of European work-life, VET practices and sectoral needs for the participant. It is also possible to learn and experience skills which are not available in Finland. Quite often students are also checking possible entrepreneurship pathways and experiences during their exchange period. Tredu has a structured international mobility process that guides all the steps in the realization of a mobilty period, including Tredu’s language and cultural preparation, decision making process and relevant documents, insurance cover etc. The process is mainly carried out with online digital documentation in Wilma study register system. Every student mobility is recognized as a part of the learning process according to the ECVET principles. Informal learning during mobility is also recognized in Tredu according to the agreed common principles. Receiving partners are mainly organizations with whom Tredu has valid MoU. Tredu’s Action Plan for International Affairs is a guideline for all international cooperation and equal opportunities for participating individuals. Different study fields and Tredu's all 17 campuses; student, staff members and work-life partners; have opportunities for international exchanges. Tampere Vocational College Tredu is an active receiving and hosting partner for many partners abroad. Accumulating results of international mobilities play an important role with multi-professional cooperation and new development ideas support local economic development in Tampere region.

Unemployment is a key issue for the EU. The European Commission considers employment as the first target for the EU in 2020 (75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed). Therefore, it seem most timely and necessary for European schools to promote teaching activities and active debates on this topic in order to raise the students' awareness of the first EU target in the next five years. In national and transnational groups, this project aims, on the one hand, to examine the reasons and the effects of unemployment in both the partner regions and the EU, taking into account the multiple aspects of vulnerability in the labour market (age, sex, educational and social background, migration, labour sectors, seasonality, etc), and the role of policy-makers and economic actors as well. On the other hand, this project aims to analyse and propose measures to reach the European Union 2020 goal on both regional and European levels. Therefore, students will be asked to find out how the measures proposed by the EU and the national government bodies are being and can be implemented in the specific regions involved in the project and which new measures could be undertaken. In spite of the fact that unemployment can be different from country to country, students will deal with this topic no only from a national and regional viewpoint, but also taking into account the current labour situation in other European countries in order to draw similarities, differences and suggestions on how unemployment and social exclusion can be best overcome. Six European partners are participating in this project: Institut Lacetània in Manresa (Spain) acting as the coordinating school, the Kaufmännische Schule in Göppingen (Germany), the 3rd General Lyceum of Kavala (Greece), the Liceo Morgagni of Rome (Italy), the Lubelskie Centrum Ksztalcenia Zawodowego i Ustawicznego im. Krzysztofa Kamila Baczynskiego in Lublin (Poland), and the Balcova Ahmet Hakki Balcioglu Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi in Izmir (Turkey). All the partners in the project have been cooperating with our school in our last Comenius project, therefore contacts between the partners, working methods, professional competencies, conflict management and cooperation are well-known. All teachers who are participating in the project bring experience in the field of projects related to social and economic issues. We will wok with students between 16 and 19 years of age. We have seven single stages of work and four transnational meetings in which the results will be exchanged and evaluated, while the working phase will be developed by means of etwnning and other online resources. Using online and transnational meetings, we aim to develop the awareness of the diversity of the local, national, and international labour situation and market, as well as the awareness of Europe as a place to work and to live in. Students are also expected to develop methodical competences and to improve their language skills, critical and creative thinking skills, interpersonal skills and practical skills by acquiring research and decision-making techniques. For this reason, this project also aims to create teaching tools to support the continuous development of students' transferable skills (working with people and data) and to increase their motivation by encouraging collaboration and experience sharing. The teachers participating in the project will develop specific competences which are necessary for the successful implementation of research projects and the integration of transferable skills in students' daily activity. Moreover, the introduction of the Europe 2020 targets into the school program can be seen as an enrichment for the educational institutions by adopting methods of analysis and practical questions in normal teaching and extra-curricular activities. The project can also be considered as the consolidation and strengthening of long-term partnerships among the schools involved. Furthermore, we plan to meet social and/or economic actors of the partner region. In this way, those participating in the project will be able to gain first-hand insights on the issue of unemployment all across Europe. The information provided in these meetings will be used to elaborate the project's researches and activities.

Tredu United -project supports and extends Tampere Vocational College Tredu's equal opportunities to participate in international mobilities and thus enables induvidual study paths, development of curricula, teaching and organizational development. Project enables international cooperation possibilities equally and throughly in a very large organization. There are long-term good partnerships behind the project, but the resources for international mobilities have been varied in different study sectors, in adult/further education and in supportive and administrative services. Tampere Vocational College has a total of 20 VET-campuses in the Tampere Region and in the regional campuses there have been very limited possibilites for international mobilities and development work. The merging of Tredu in 2013 was followed by renewal and further emphasis on international activities (also through the new Tampere strategy 2013 goals). International aspects are integrated to all study sectors and the results are realized through competitive and skilled workers in the local economy. The aim of the project is to realize student mobilities (total of 74, lasting 4-8 weeks) especially on Tredu campuses and VET areas with limited previous resources for this. Project also enables teacher and staff mobilities (total of 25, lasting 3-4 days). Through these mobilities it is possible to develop work profiles and methods in administration and services and in the VET areas with less international experience. As background support there are good international partnerships with previous development projects (e.g. good mobility practices, quality management, curricula development work and ECVET pilot projects) with practical results and work methods. The project is coordinated by appointed project manager with adequate resources. He/she works in intense cooperation with Tredu's international office, VET-sectors and appointed international teachers. There are clear project management instructions and rules from the city of Tampere regulations and in EU administration to be followed. Tredu also has own project support services available. Intranet works as practical help for project information and dissemination channel as well as Tredu's director meetings, regular international staff and teacher meetings and meetings on different VET sectors. The management of Tredu support the project and its goals.The impact of the project will be seen in international cooperation that enables students' international individual study paths in different study sectors and develops organization through new aspects of staff members' work. In the background there are the city strategy of Tampere and Tampere upper secondary education's work plan for the years 2014-2017. The results of well-working mobility practices will be seen on the organizational level to promote internationally-minded Tredu and also in the regional campuses with the support for international activities and mobilities. The results on good mobility practices are also spread through the city of Tampere's other sectors like youth work, youth guarantee activities (to prevent youth unemplyment and lack of training) and general education. Tampere region is a very attractive international business, industrial and educational development centre in Finland. The region is also sectorally powerful on the European level and in the global economy. International cooperation and promotion of international learning possibilities influence directly to the local economy and development. Knowledge, skills and competence gained from the internationalization of vocational studies are directly used on the work of professionals in different sectors. The role of Tampere Vocational College Tredu is to further support and enable international competence of students and staff as well as the resources needed. This promotes economical development at national and international level also in the long run.

International mobility has become part of normal learning process during the studies and work development in Tampere Vocational College Tredu. There are many good exchange practices in different study fields in Tredu and visible moderate expansion of mobility statistics has taken place over the past few years. The whole concept of Tredu’s international exchanges is wide as Tredu is a very large VET provider in Finland. There are many sectoral work cultures, work models and various work-based development needs, many student profiles and staff work situations in the different study fields in Tredu. Therefore student exchange flows in the project have been from 2 weeks up to 16 weeks and staff exchanges from 4-5 days up to two weeks. Newly graduated students were offered the option of exchange period abroad, too. Also work-life partners were encouraged to participate in international mobility activities. Staff exchanges are an important and goal oriented way to develop sectoral and work-based training and an option to personal professional development. Tredu has started staff development actions with staff learning pathways, one option being international and cultural pathway. This has been among the strategic priorities in 2017 and all staff members should define their skills and abilities related to international work during development discussions with their superiors. One very important way to realize this (competent and skillful learner) has been through participation in international exchanges. Other ways to develop international aspects in Tampere region are e.g. work-life exchanges, development projects and active participation in receiving international students in Tredu.153 mobilities in all were realized during the project. 116 out of those were students' on-the-job-training periods and 11 students' learning periods in school environment. The project also made 26 staff mobilites possible, out of which 2 were teacher teaching periods and the remaining 24 teacher learning periods Most student exchanges lasted between 4 to 10 weeks. The length and scope of the period was decided according to the sectoral needs, “traditions” and receiving partner profiles. The long student exchanges (7 pieces, 16 weeks) have been a tradition among hotel and restaurant services and we are planning to extend them to other study fields like business and administration. Tredu also provides vocational studies and certificates on these sectors in English language.The two short, two week long exchanges were completed by adult students. In 2019, the aim is to realize also some exchanges with VALMA (preparatory training) students. These exchanges will be accompanied with teachers and professional advisors from Tredu. Adult VET learners are encouraged to participate in international mobility, too and there are options for exchanges from 2 weeks onwards. Normally, an international exchange period is a work-related on-the-job learning period in a local company abroad. But also study periods in hosting VET schools are expanding the scope of the international experience. All study fields in Tredu were encouraged to participate in the project and we succeeded in involving most fields in the project.Student mobility participants have reported that these international exchanges have increased their feeling of personal independence, responsibility and self-esteem. These well- planned periods have provided a wide comprehension of European work-life, VET practices and sectoral needs for the participants. New skills, not available on home ground, have been learned and new experiences gained. Staff mobilities have given the staff members a welcome break from everyday work thus boosting their work spirit and motivation.Tredu has a structured international mobility process that includes Tredu’s language and cultural preparation, preparation and decision making process, all relevant documents, insurance cover etc. The process is carried out mainly using online digital documentation in Wilma study register system. Every student mobility has been recognized as a part of the learning process according to the ECVET principles. Also informal learning during mobility has been recognized in Tredu according to the agreed common principles.Receiving partners are mainly organizations with whom Tredu has valid Memorandum of Understanding. These MoUs cover most of the study fields in Tredu. Tredu’s Action Plan for International Affairs was finalized in spring 2016 and it is being updated during 2019. This document is the basis for all international work and the realization of mobilities in Tredu. With it different fields of education and different campuses throughout Tampere region can be more systematically involved in international activites. Tampere Vocational College Tredu also acts as a very active receiving and hosting partner for many partners abroad. Accumulating results of international mobility is a reality throughout Tampere region.

The project Social Europe 2020: Combating Social Exclusion and Poverty in the European Union (EU) has taken as a starting point the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth regarding the fight against social exclusion and poverty. The European Commission (EC) aims to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 20 million by 2020. In order to reach this goal, the EC launched in 2010 the European Platform Against Poverty and Social Exclusion as one of seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. One of the key actions of this platform, which will remain active until 2020, is to work in partnership with civil society to support more effectively the implementation of social policy reforms. Public schools across Europe are hosting pupils from socially and economically diverse backgrounds and can be seen as key actors in promoting social cohesion and equality and combating social exclusion in their communities. Within this context, six European schools launched in 2017 an Erasmus+ project dealing with the fight against social exclusion and poverty in their own countries: the Institut Lacetània in Manresa (Spain) acting as the coordinating school, the Kaufmännische Schule in Göppingen (Germany), the 3rd General Lyceum of Kavala (Greece), the Liceo Scientifico Morgagni of Rome (Italy), the Lubelskie Centrum Kształcenia Zawodowego i Ustawicznego im. Krzysztofa Kamila Baczyńskiego in Lublin (Poland), and the Zealand Business College in Næstved (Denmark). The teachers involved in this project have extensive experience in projects related to economic and social issues. All the partners have been cooperating for several years now and a significant number of European projects have been successfully carried out in the last 10 years. In this project, our schools have promoted teaching activities and active debates in our communities in order to raise awareness of this topic. Being aligned with the Europe 2020 strategy, this project has also helped our school communities understand social exclusion and poverty and get involved in the fight against this problem by launching an open dialogue with policy makers, social agents, and people who have experienced poverty. It is true that social exclusion and poverty differ from country to country, especially from North to South. Nevertheless, students have dealt with this topic no only from a national and regional viewpoint, but also taking into account the social situation in other European countries in order to draw similarities, differences, and suggestions on how to overcome social exclusion and poverty. Students between 16 and 19 years of age have participated in this project. Each stage of the project consisted of a working phase using eTwinning and other online resources, and a transnational meeting in which the results were exchanged and evaluated. Our dissemination activities took place both inside and outside our schools, especially during the transnational meetings. As for the results of the project, the partnership has produced a number of comparative researches on how the participating countries legislate against social exclusion and poverty, giving special attention to the translation of the EU recommendations and directives into national law and practices, i.e., how the participating countries are developing their national policies according to the EU directives and goals. Special attention has been given to the role played in each country by policy makers, economic and social actors. The outcomes of the research reflect the feasibility of the EU 2020 goals and measures for the EU, focusing on different situations and particular circumstances at both national and transnational level.As for the most significant impacts of the project, students have been able to develop methodical competences and improve their language skills, critical and creative thinking skills, interpersonal skills, and practical skills by acquiring research and decision-making techniques. Teachers participating in the project has also developed specific competences necessary for the successful implementation of transnational projects and the integration of transferable skills into students' daily activity. Moreover, the introduction of the Europe 2020 targets into the school program has been an enrichment for our schools. Finally, one of the most significant impacts of this project has been the close collaboration between the schools involved in the partnership and significant social bodies and key persons in our local and regional communities dealing with issues of poverty and social exclusion. We expect, therefore, our analysis and researches to be helpful for these institutions and people, as they will be able to perceive the strengths and weaknesses of their initiatives and measures to reach the EU goals.