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Europe is us!
Start date: Jul 1, 2014, End date: Jun 30, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The Friedrich-List-Berufskolleg in Herford, Germany offers languages, economy and computer science in its „school profile“. The European notion is strongly anchored in the general concept of our school´s policy. In many programmes, the learning of foreign languages and introducing the European background have been well established at our school. In some cases we were able to sent some students to a work placement abroad. Upon establishing the new programmes in the field of commercial/trade assistant with emphasis on foreign languages along with the simultaneous application for the general qualification for university entrance and industrial sales representative with the additional qualification for commercial EU-competence (Chamber of Commerce).We want to offer and further strengthen the implementation of existing possibilities for foreign work placement. Apart from the professional exchange during the work placement and the respective language enhancement, a cultural exchange should also take place. The students should learn how to orient themselves in an unfamiliar work environment such as work organization, proper dress code, communication and hierarchy and so on. Business as well as colloquial language skills should be expanded in all four areas (reception, production, comprehension and mediation).They should also dive into the culture and learn more about the values, norms and behavior of their host country. Overall the project was planned initially for 11 trainees in the dual traineeship with additional qualification for the commercial EU-competence and 23 pupils/students carrying out a full-time school-based vocational traineeship. The project was classified in three phases as follows: Preparation, Realization and Evaluation. The preparation took place during the normal class time. Questions concerning organization were taken up on special information days. The cultural preparation was carried out as a project or as compact seminar during school time and at the beginning of the stay abroad through our partner organization in the host country. The realization was carried out mainly by our partner(s) and the corresponding companies participating in the work placement. As project co-ordinators, we have held consultations in advance regarding the realization with our partner(s). As we were in constant contact with our partners any problems that occured could be solved. The evaluation took place at the end of their stay abroad with us at the school. We as project co-ordinators supervised and provided guidance during the project in all phases thereof. As we were involved deeply in the programme, all steps of the project were closely linked to the classes and their contents. We expected that the participants' competence would be expanded and enriched in terms of European thinking, understanding and behaviour. Moreover, we expected development in social/personal skills and a level of professional expertise along with methodical skills. Thereby promoting and encouraging international mobility beyond the traineeship and giving the young adults a better opportunity in the workforce after having completed their traineeship and finishing school here in Germany or abroad. The Friedrich-List-Berufskolleg as an institution profits greatly from the project, because this will facilitate the participation in European programmes. The professionalism of the School (Berufskolleg) will facilitate the implementation of various projects and develop the means of mobility in Europe. Our project may allow for other courses to be influenced and allow for the support of openness towards mobility within Europe. In many respects, the students profit a great deal. They are in the stage of development in the work placement where they become more self-conscious, self-dependent and self-confident. They improve their language skills. They experience Europe not from a national perspective but rather from a European point of view thereby expanding their horizons.
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