<< Background >>Secondary school for catering and tourism Maribor has been active in the field of European projects for a long time. Nevertheless, it continuously refines its knowledge both in the field of applications for projects and in the field of gastronomy and tourism. The acquisition of new skills and the transfer of good practices is the main purpose of the projects on which it participates since it wants to enable students and teachers to personal and career development at the highest level which can doubtlessly be achieved by mobility. Since international cooperation is primarily intended for students who come from a socially weaker environment, this kind of experience also contributes to the social inclusion of students who, without this program, would not have had the opportunity to learn about the international environment and other cultures.This time we sent 18 pupils from the field of gastronomy and tourism to acquire new knowledge, and above all, the sense of work and life in a different cultural environment. In spite of the fact that work practice was carried out in countries (Austria and Croatia), which are very close to us, we are quite different in culture and cuisine. Students have been practising working practice at the premises of partner organizations or with companies recommended by partner organizations. Knowledge gained by pupils on exchange or practice will enable them to enter the labour market more easily, and they certainly impressed their peers at school to go for an exchange as well. Within the project, we also sent 6 teachers and professional staff to exchange. Through the so-called job shadowing in Portugal, Serbia and Austria, they learned about the learning environment, methods of work and examples of good practices that can be implemented in the home environment, including the inclusion of students with fewer opportunities. The participants have acquired knowledge in the field of gastronomy, tourism and hosting, and gained insight into the operation of learning hotels and other catering establishments. The acquired knowledge will be put into the curriculum by teachers, thus spreading knowledge among colleagues and transferring it to pupils. In addition, they gained insight and knowledge on how to include students with fewer opportunities in the school system (students with special needs, deficits in individual learning areas). This aspect of involvement in European projects is particularly valuable to us, as there are not many programs in this field in Slovenia, while teachers and professional staff report that they would need more knowledge with which to cope with the challenges which arise when working with such target groups.All participants gained knowledge, ideas, international acquaintances through the project and created a stimulating environment for further cooperation and implementation of joint activities on (European) projects. All participants gained knowledge, ideas, international acquaintances through the project and created a stimulating environment for further cooperation and implementation of joint activities on (European) projects. In addition to professional skills, different competencies have also been increased to participants, such as: - intercultural competence and the recognition and recognition of the cultural wealth of the inhabitants of the EU and other countries - acquiring new ICT knowledge that is essential for professional growth (online learning, learning about various applications that promote team work)- inclusion and care for young people with fewer opportunities (providing additional motivation to students, recognizing their problems either in the family or outside, additional support through professional services of the school, positive discrimination of those facing any problems)- the importance of learning, which was transmitted among the participants in a formal way, and in their free time informal or casual way that contributed to new knowledge and forged friendships that are maintained even after mobility.<< Objectives >>500 students attend the Secondary school for catering and tourism Maribor (SŠGT MB), 50 teaching staff, 2 social workers and administrative and technical staff are employed. Every year there are more students who belong to the category of young people with fewer opportunities and those who need additional professional help.SŠGT MB faces several challenges and, of course, opportunities, which are also reflected in the Slovenian labour market. Catering and tourism is a steadily growing industry, and the lack of quality and qualified staff is increasing over the years. At the school, we are therefore faced with many pressures from the economic sector to obtain quality staff, but at the same time we are all fighting together to ensure that the staff stays in Slovenia and does not go abroad. Also, on the part of future students, mainly due to the covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions suffered by the gastronomic and tourism sector, there is less and less interest and demand for education for the professions that this sector needs.This is a challenge for the entire region, as well as our country and countries further south and east of us. Another challenge that we feel more strongly than ever is the competition in the field of public and private education. All too many schools are under pressure in the area of ensuring a sufficient number of students, additional promotion of our work and much more is required, which does not actually belong directly to the profession of a school teacher, but due to new circumstances, the need has arisen to deal with the role of marketing and therefore we need to make the school, the program and the teachers attractive, in order to present in an innovative way the knowledge that the students acquire during their schooling and thereby ensure a suitable annual enrolment. The new role of students in the school system should also not be neglected. Because of the new technologies and media, young people have been gripped by a general passivity and inactivity, which was further exacerbated by the pandemic and the distance education they were forced into. In addition to all that, it is necessary to invest additional time in motivating young people and find a direction for the fulfilment of their life and also social goals. In recent years, the number of students with special needs has grown, which requires additional work and dedication. And last but not least, the last challenge is to prevent burnout and demotivation of teaching staff. We addressed all of the above by involving students and teachers in the European project – we see the first step in solving the challenges we are facing in offering added value thanks to such programs and presenting it as such to both students and staff.The long-term plan of SŠGT MB is multifaceted in view of the challenges listed above, and in the future we also want to integrate into the international environment by participating in various European projects, through which we find that practically the entire gastronomic and tourism sector, starting with schools, is involved in the European area with similar challenges:- acquisition of quality educational staff with rich international experience, integration and transfer of good practices to our environment,- sharing the knowledge of educational staff with young people in such a way as to establish appropriate values among young students,- establishment of an international environment in the form of personnel exchange and enrichment of knowledge and experience for both students and teachers,- the inclusion of young people who come from underprivileged backgrounds, with long-term unemployed parents or families with the aim of social integration and integration into the labour market.All these goals require a qualified staff, which does not only include teachers or pedagogical competences, but lifelong learning competences. The process is long-term, includes regular training, coordination and cooperation between professional services and teachers.Every student is important and crucial both for himself to fulfil his life goals and tasks, for his loved ones, for the school, the environment where he lives, the country and, last but not least, for the EU. Rich past experiences in the field of exchange of good practices, mobility of students and teachers have shown the need for a correspondingly stronger international cooperation, which is difficult to implement without such school projects. We are aware that the listed competencies are not listed in the school curriculum as a priority, but EU programs with additional educational programs allow us to focus on this increasingly important aspect of education as well. We perceive that schools have also taken on the task of empowering students who come from a socially weaker environment and that we are the institution that must take care of their inclusion if we want to use their potential and place them on the labour market.What is even more worrying is that SŠGT MB is aware that there will be even more students with special needs in the future, mainly due to external social factors such as unemployment, mental distress of parents, financial obstacles, etc. At SŠGT MB, we are facing these challenges and we are trying to overcome them with our joint efforts as best as possible for the benefit of the students in such a way that they devote themselves even more to their future employment and to place at the center of their efforts the mentality that they too can be the best in their field. In the second largest city, which still has a relatively high unemployment rate, we are dealing with this in a way that focuses even more on the education of professions that are in short supply and thus fights against youth unemployment.Students often come from a social environment where unemployment has become the norm, which affects young people, their motivation and perception of the value of work. That's why we try to direct them to areas that are creative and provide good employment and personal growth. We are aware that achieving this goal is challenging, that it is a process that requires almost individual work with students who come from such backgrounds, but particularly with the help of European projects we can make a significant difference. Students need constant motivation, confirmation of their knowledge and skills, which goes beyond school assessment. Only in this way can we inculcate in them the mentality that employment is a value, that it fulfils the individual and enables him to achieve other personal goals.The most common challenge we face is that young people are not ready to work on Sundays, holidays and work free days, which is a necessity in hospitality and tourism. Regardless of the high needs in the professions, later on the vast majority prefer to retrain, which is a great loss considering the knowledge they possess, and as a result the quality in the sector declines. This is an additional motive to motivate more young people for a career in the hospitality and tourism industry, to show them the competitive advantages of the profession through international cooperation, and as a result to ensure at the national level enough quality personnel who will alternate working even in shifts and on days that are now unwanted for work.The goals and purpose of the project have also been included in the school's strategy and development plan, as they represent an excellent foundation and starting point for the key values that we want to pass on to the students, while at the same time motivating them to increase enrolment on the one hand and persistence in the profession on the other:- to acquire high-quality and interesting projects within the school program, which will be even more oriented towards the final goal, i.e. the provision of greater knowledge or students' competences,- the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in these learning processes with a focus on encouraging education, motivation, activity and thus subsequent employment - increasing the exchange of knowledge, experience and practices of both students and teachers in the EU environment.<< Implementation >>SŠGT MB carried out all planned student and staff mobility within the project. The implementation of the mobility itself did not take place according to the originally set timeline, as the epidemiological situation due to COVID-19 at home and around the world did not allow it.So it happened that we were forced to cancel the planned mobility several times or postpone them to a later date and as a result also asked for an extension of the project. All the students initially selected for the individual mobilities could not attend them, as some of them had already completed their education at our school before the mobilities.We also had problems with the initially selected teachers for staff mobility training, as we were forced to find replacements due to ordered quarantines and confirmed employee infections.Before the mobilities, we held several meetings at the school to promote the project. Interested students prepared a letter of motivation and a CV, on the basis of which we selected the participants. This aspect seems extremely important to us, as it requires the students to consider why they should participate in this type of project, and through their motivational letters, the students also gave us a deeper insight into their medium-term expectations and plans.We promoted the project on the school's website and the school's social networks (FB and IG). Posts related to the project, especially on social networks, received exceptional responses from followers, who first and foremost welcomed the possibility of international exchanges and gaining experience. This kind of response shows us that followers understand why we are involved in the project and what the key goal of the project is.As part of the project, we carried out three student and employee mobilities. We visited a school and a school hotel in Belgrade and Portugal, as well as a company in Austria. For the students who participated in the project, this was the first such experience.The mobilities were aimed at areas that are interesting and attractive to students. All the participants also recognized the added value of mobility in terms of acquiring new skills, which can also mean added value on the labour market. This aspect is very important to us from the point of view of motivating students and maintaining educated personnel in the professions for which the students were educated.In addition of the presentation of the local environment, the students also learned about the upcoming trends in the field of hospitality and tourism in each host country during the exchanges. Despite the practically extremely similar cultural environment, the differences in the gastronomic-tourism sector are large. Therefore, we welcome the opportunity provided by the project for students to perceive differences themselves and use them as their competitive advantage in the further education process. We believe that this is a great added value of the project.We included students and employees in mobility in the following order:Portugal – November and December 2021 (postponed twice),Serbia – November and December 2021,Austria - March - April 2022 (postponed twice).During the one-month mobility, the students participated in the following activities:- presentation and entry into the labour market abroad (How to present yourself abroad, how to present your skills, competences... How to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU...),- trends in catering and tourism (It is necessary to follow the trends and recognize new things. Guests are those who want to try many things, especially with a correct and appropriate presentation.),- the hospitality industry as an economic industry and, as a result, tourism growth (Employing young people in the hospitality and tourism sector has its advantages. Tourism and economic growth is what ensures higher wages and better working conditions. As long as a young person grows while working, it is important for him to keep his job. Lifelong learning is key to keep both employees and guests satisfied. This is a trend we will conquer during mobility.)- multimedia (Today, it is necessary to present even the smallest thing well, to promote it also on social networks. In short, with the help of multimedia, make it interesting for the masses. This starts with the waiter, because with the right approach and various promoters, such as today's bloggers and the like, we can achieve a very large effect in a short time.).Each host organization has its own strengths and knowledge in the field of hospitality and tourism, even in involving young people with fewer opportunities. The teachers summarized this knowledge and, of course, spread their experience and knowledge in the host countries as well.Serbia was a new partner in this project, but they did their part perfectly. The Portuguese are an experienced partner in the field of training and education, as Portugal is also a recognized tourist country with tourist products known all over the worldAustria is our northern neighbour, which leads the way both in terms of investments in tourism and hospitality, and in the field of promotion.With all partners, we paid particular attention to the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. As part of staff mobility activities, we carried out mobilities focused on the following areas:- trends in education (new needs for knowledge are among young people, young people are also interested in different, non-traditional matters in the field of catering and tourism, so we will focus only on these with the aim of attracting young people with fewer opportunities to field, they find a subject that particularly appeals to them and that they would like to focus on even more in the future.)- teaching through online platforms (New teaching methods are always coming into the curriculum and therefore it is necessary to include the internet in lessons.)- new trends in catering and tourism (Both catering and tourism are constantly changing. Mobility is also to recognize trends in other countries, progress, development and directions.)- the problem of the profession of waiter and how to find and identify the right staff (The profession of waiter is in short supply in all participating countries. Namely, it is necessary to work on holidays, weekends, etc., so it is much more difficult to keep a good waiter than in the past. Therefore, young people are especially needed with fewer opportunities to direct where the opportunity is.- flight of personnel abroad due to better conditions (The reality is that young people are looking for an opportunity to earn better. Unfortunately, the Balkans is one of the regions in the world where the brain drain is among the highest, and according to statistics, Slovenia does not differ significantly. There is also a large flight from the Mediterranean countries to the north. A different, but still similar problem to that in Slovenia, is also encountered in Austria, where fewer and fewer young people choose these professions.)- practice already in the curriculum at future employers and not at school (The school system is different in all partner countries. We compared it during the project and we will try to transfer good practices to our school environment within the framework of the adopted regulations, although it would make sense to refresh the area and align it also on a systemic level with the needs of the labour market and trends that appear in hospitality and tourism.),- innovative kitchens, modern trends in education (molecular cuisine, connection of hotel and wellness, etc.).- congress tourism, wellness tourism and new opportunities in connection with the local environment (innovations in the field of education are also related to new approaches and needs of consumers or guests.)<< Results >>The results can be summarized in two categories:- acquired knowledge and skills of students and professional staff,- the social aspect of inclusion in mobility, whereby we point out that it is mostly about students who come from a socially weaker environment.As we wrote in more detail in the previous assessment, the students and teachers acquired new skills and knowledge during the mobility, they became familiar with examples of good practices that can be transferred to our environment in a certain form. From the point of view of practical experience for students, the project is important because of the increase in self-esteem, since it concerns students who come from socially weak backgrounds and are therefore often overlooked, and at the same time do not have the opportunity to learn about the world and other cultures within the framework of family activities. The students' experiences, which we define as the most important result of the project, are divided into professional and social experiences. Regarding the profession, we found that our students meet the high knowledge and skills criteria of the partner countries, which means confirmation of our curriculum. Because of this, it was also easier for them to integrate into the new work environment, as they drew their self-confidence from the knowledge they possess. At the same time, students recognized the importance of knowledge of various foreign languages, which are not considered important in the context of regular schooling. Therefore, from the point of view of recognizing the importance of formal education, the project contributed to raising the value of the school's curriculum in the students' perception, while at the same time we developed their social skills for integration into the new work and cultural environment.The teachers got to know the trends in catering and tourism in each partner country, and at the same time got to know the education system in more detail. We define these kinds of experiences as important, because they begin to evaluate their work from a different perspective and once again recognize the importance of their mission. The project also made it possible to establish new social ties between teachers and students, which otherwise would not have formed in a normal school environment, but are all the more important due to the social status of the students. We also recognize the opportunities that cooperation between partners in the project brings for further cooperation that goes beyond the project. At the professional level, ties are established, which can also be used in other challenges that we face in our teaching work. Transferring the good practices that the teachers learned before the project is one way of implementing the results into our curriculum, but on the other hand, the door is always open to teachers for another expert opinion. From the point of view of the development of skills in the hospitality and tourism sector, such acquaintances and connections are always welcome and we consider them to be the most important result of the project from the point of view of professional teaching staff.The participants in the project showed a high level of satisfaction with the exchanges. All the partner organizations were hospitable, at the end of the mobility the students also got offers for holiday work and later employment, which we do not encourage from the point of view of brain drain at the school, but nevertheless we evaluate the offers as added value for the students, who in this way improve their self-image and are slowly realizing their worth on the labour market.The implemented mobilities were presented at the Student Community of SŠGT MB, as a result of which the interest in participating in mobilities among students increased significantly. We estimate that about 80% of all students attending our school are interested in mobility. We also consider the increase in interest in doing practical work abroad to be an important result of the project, as students build their international experience through this, and also recognize the advantages of our educational system compared to abroad.