The project “Qualitative internship - step towards successful career“ designed for students and vocational teachers of Alytus vocational training centre and the people organising educational process. Within this project we were striving to cover the widest possible range of training programmes applied at Alytus vocational training centre, so the project had even thirteen host partners in five countries. All partners were vocational schools or institutions closely associated with vocational training, the part of them has Erasmus + mobility charters. This project provided the first teaching visit, during which aerography training sessions were implemented for students and vocational teachers of Alytus vocational training centre.The aims of the project:- to mprove students' technological knowledge and skills, to enhance the competitiveness of future professionals in the labour market introducing the quality of services, working innovations, the requirements of qualifications as well as national features applied in the other EU countries;- to improve students' social and general competences: intercultural communication, the skills of socialisation, teamwork and a foreign language;- to develop students' ability to assess their own competences and integrate themselves into the international labour market;- to create opportunities for vocational teachers to develop their professional, technological competences, to take over the best educational practices and adapt them in their work;- to provide the possibility for each teacher to self evaluate their professional activities, to plan professional development, to try new teaching (learning) methods creatively and new technological equipment;- to create opportunities for vocational teachers to improve their skills sharing the samples of the best practices with colleagues of other foreign countries.The students, who participated in the project, had common aspects: to acquire new competences, to improve the professional foreign language skills, to train during the practice to use modern equipment and technology, to acquire the possibility to adapt to changing labour market needs.With this project we strived that students would have the opportunity to improve their professional skills while working with the latest technology and equipment. During the internships, they worked in Spanish, Polish, French, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian and Slovenian vocational schools and businesses and used the most modern equipment and deepen their professional competences, got acquainted with the highest requirements of work culture and health and safety, the history of a host country, culture and traditions, developed their linguistic skills and professional motivation. The outcomes, achieved during the part of the students international mobility, were validated and recognised using ECVET, which provided the transparency of vocational training, mutual trust and mobility in the space of vocational training.Teachers got acquainted with the curriculum of foreign vocational training, training programmes and qualification requirements for employees, analysed the practical organization of the work process in companies. By participating in the activities of partner‘s organization they improved their professional and social competences, took over the best educational practices and adapted them to their work.For each participant, who successfully completed the internship in the foreign partner‘s organization, the Europass Mobility Documents were issued, which reflects the acquired new skills during the internship. Host organizations also provided them with their institutional certificates which confirmed the internship, implemented abroad, and acquired competences.During the project and after it the information about the project and its results were published on the website of Alytus vocational training centre. Dissemination conference was arranged in order to disseminate the results of the project participants – projects participants, Alytus vocational training centre community members and employers' representatives were invited into the conference. Article about implemented project was prepared and published in Alytus region newspaper. Also TV reportage about Erasmus+ carried out activities in Alytus vocational training centre was broadcasted on Alytus region TV. This project participants also shared their experience and impressions about implemented mobility activities.The project and its results reached the following target groups:- school‘s students and teachers;- educational institutions and community of Alytus region;- employers' organizations.

Project contextGiżycko District in Poland and Alytus City in Lithuania wished to solve one of the most important joint educational problems i.e. low achievements in basic skills. The way to improve the quality of education was to implement more effective teaching methods.Project objectivesThe main objective of this project was and still is to solve the issue of low achievements among students from schools in the area of Gizycko Poviat and Alytus City. Immediate objectives:1.Skills of using more effective teaching methods in the environment rich in technology acquisition among 100 teachers.2.Popularization of adapting these strategies in other schools.3.Content reinforcement of educational units concerned with teachers development.The participants100 teachers, 10 employees of the Centre for Education Development in Gizycko and Counseling and the Education Centre in Alytus and 2 people representing local authority took part in the project.Description of actions1. Creating a website used for illustrating the actions, describing the results and presenting the outcomes of intellectual work.2. A course in Gizycko conducted by a Polish expert on the application of more effective teaching methods and a presentation of schools in Gizycko.3. A similar course in Alytus conducted by Lithuanian experts- teachers of the Lithuanian partner schools - followed by a presentation of how schools work in Alytus.4. Teachers' own work – conducting lessons and recording one of them, creating an open educational resource by the Polish-Lithuanian team and posting the results on the website.5. A course – an analysis of the outcomes created and formulating conclusions for future school work and recommendations for changes in educational strategies in partner local authority. 6. Modifications in the selected by teachers recorded lessons and chosen educational resources – with the aim of presenting them at a final conference.7. Popularization of the project results at the final conference, in which other teachers from partner local authorities participated. The result were also sent to other schools in Poland and Lithuania. Description of the results 1. The result specified in the co-financing agreement168 people involved in international learning / teaching / training activities - Short training programs for employees within 840 days 2. Other results specified in the application for co-financing1) Acquiring (deepening) the ability of using the most effective teaching strategies by 100 teachers working in the six partner schools .2) Raise the training skills of 10 people from educational institutions. 3) Improving the skills of the headmasters in the organization of teacher training. 4) Modernized development plan for six schools. 5) Modernization plan / strategy for the development of education in partner units of local government.6) Informing 1 teacher about the most effective teaching strategies 7) Digital integration (cooperation) in teaching, training and working with young people in schools. 8) Increase the didactic and pedagogical skills of the people participating in the project (110 people). Project impacts and potential long-term benefitsThe example of teachers and schools participating in the project in the context of competition between schools encourages other teachers and schools to work independently on the quality of education. Working for this cause, strengthened during the project in the abilities of organizing courses, are the educational institutions of local government - the District Educational Development Center in Gizycko and the Alytus Center for Pedagogical and Psychological Aid. These institutions offer similar training for other teachers without applying for EU support. The rise in the quality of education in the schools in the district of Giżycko and Alytus City will increase the student achievement reflected by the results of the examinations, observed by the project promoters and by means of the website being communicated to other interested parties.

The main objectives of the project are: to develop favourable conditions for youth to get engaged into the educational activities and labor market, to provide a stimulating environment to participate in the activities matching their needs, to develop and promote an enterpreneurial and labor market skills through the apprenticeship as one of the skilled work force training forms. Based on the experience analysis of apprenticeship developement in the European Union countries, particularly in Estonia, Poland and Lithuania; during the project implementation the metodology to reintroduce the unemployed, out of education and not involved in training youth into the learning process would be developed. The project will be quided by an important document – Council Declaration on the the European Alliance for Apprenticeships- spreading the key message that high quality apprenticeships are effective instruments to improve sustainable transitions from school to work, notably by fostering skills that are relevant to the labour market and improving skill matches. As evidenced by the experience of some countries, youth unemployment rate is significantly lower where the apprenticeship schemes, work- based learning schemes, are succesfully implemented and enabling youth from the very beginning of their studies to work and learn gaining practical professional skills. This has a very positive impact on the youth employment and social inclusion and coherence of labor market supply and demand.Aims and objectives of the Project:1. Analyze the best EU practices when reducing social exclusion through effective vocational training; in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland particularly.2. Investigate the peculiarities of apprenticeship, as a form of vocational training, in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. 3. Develop methodology for social inclusion, training and integration into labor market through the apprenticeship as a vocational training organization form for unemployed, out of education and not involved in training youth.Outcomes during the project implementation:1. Best practice from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland case study in reducing social exclusion through effective train.2. Analysis of apprenticeship, as a method of training, in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. 3. Methodology for social inclusion, training and integration into the labour market unemployed, out of education and not involved in training youth when using apprenticeship as means for organising vocational training. 4. Updated training programs. 5. Number of pupils participated in methodology testing. 6. Number of trained project participants.The project partners are Powiatowy Zespol Obslugi Szkol i Placowek Oswiatowych (Poland) and ITT Group (Estonia).

In the mobility project “ The synergy of competences and experience in Europe” of Alytus vocational training centre in 2015 Erasmus + (KA1 - Individual mobility for learning purposes, mobility of students and staff in vocational training) are participating 5 equivalent Lithuanian and 5 the other EU countries vocational training institutions. Sending partners (consortium members): Alytus vocational training centre, Kaunas food industry and trade training centre, Panevezys trade and service business school, Kaunas vocational training centre of social services and constructing business and Simnas agricultural school. Receiving partners: Giustavo Flobero vocational school (France), Wisamar (Germany), IES Las Indias vocational school (Spain), WinNova vocational training centre (Finland), The operating organisation of schools and educational institutions in Gizycko district (Poland).Project participants – IVT group of 80 students of initial vocational education training studying according to the programmes of an assistant manager for the trading companies (20 students), secretary (4 students), waiter and bartender (12 students), cook (12 students), confectioner (6 students), hotel employee (12 students), hairdresser (4 students), social nurse (10 students) . The duration of visits - 2 weeks. Also - VETPRO group of 20 vocational teachers working according to an assistant manager (4 teachers) a secretary (1 teacher), a waiter and bartender (3 teachers), a cook (3 teachers), a confectioner (3 teachers), a hotel employee (3 teachers), a hairdresser (1 teacher), a social nurse (2 teachers) training programmes. The duration of visits - 1 week.The aims of the project for students’ mobility :- improve students' technological knowledge and skills, to enhance the competitiveness of future professionals, acquainting them with the provided quality of services of the other EU countries;- teach students to work safely and efficiently with modern equipment, innovative and smart technologies;- improve students' social and general competencies: intercultural communication, socialization, team work and foreign language skills;- develop the international mobility of students, their ability to assess their competencies and integrate them into the international labour market.The students who are involved in the project have common aspects: the acquisition of new skills, to improve professional foreign language skills, learn how to practically use modern equipment and technology, to acquire skills needed to adapt to the changing labour market.The aim of the project for staff mobility:- to understand the training methods of foreign educational institutions, to improve professional competencies, creatively explore teaching (learning) methods and new technological equipment, to take over the best educational practices and apply them in their educational institutions;- to get acquinted with application of module teaching and apprenticeship in European countries- to evaluate their professional activities, to plan their professional development , creatively efor vocational teachers to develop personal initiative, to improve their skills in the dissemination of good practice with Lithuanian and foreign countries’ colleagues.We will seek in the project that the students have the opportunity to improve their professional skills while working with the latest technology and equipment. During the placement, they will work with the most modern equipment of German, Spanish, Polish, French and Finnish vocational schools, deepen their professional competences, get acquainted with the high work culture, health and safety requirements, the host country's history, culture, traditions and develop their linguistic skills and professional motivation .Vocational teachers during the internships realise these needs: to improve their professional qualifications; will be acquainted to the innovations of foreign countries, modern technologies due to the EU requirements; to share experiences with their colleagues, to take over the best practices of vocational training; convey knowledge to their students, so that the prospective employee could adapt to the needs of the modern labour market both in Lithuania and the EU countries.Implementing the project’s activities for the dissemination the information about the activities of the project and its results will reach these target groups: Lithuanian students and teachers of schools’ consortium , the academic community of schools, the society, the members of receiving organisations and business companies. The experience and international cooperation will encourage further partnership with other EU countries as well.