Background: The City of Nuremberg is well-known for international trade fairs and very popular among tourists from all over the world. This fact leads to the need for retail staff being able to serve and advise international customers. In order to support these needs, the Vocational School 6 of the City of Nuremberg has developed the project “Work Experience for Retailers”- a 16-day work stay for our trainees in the retail business in Eastbourne/GB. The project aims at enhancing the intercultural awareness of our traninees as well as their intercultural communication skills to advise international customers in an open-minded and self-confident manner. Objectives: Some of the participants in the project might enhance their careers by working abroad inside Europe as well as overseas. In order to reach this objective our trainees are offered the possibility to improve their English language skills in terms of communicating in the working context and to enhance their intercultural awareness by serving English speaking customers, talking with colleagues in the British retail companies as well as by staying at a host family. Target group: - 33 trainees from the Nuremberg retail industry who work in one of the following sectors: food, drugs & cosmetics, DIY/gardening, fashion/textile, household goods, sports/leisure, petrol station. - Since the second flow: 2 trainees who work as specialists in the photo and media retail business. Activities: During their 16 days work experience in Eastbourne/GB our trainees both work for different British retailers and stay at host families while the following activities have been planned for them: - doing sales talks with English speaking customers - cooperating with English speaking colleagues/suppliers - enhancing technical terms that describe typical processes in the retail industry - dealing with a foreign currency at the checkout - being aware of the British business etiquette and manners (e.g. being on time, behaving politely, greeting customers) - comparing typical working processes between British and German retailers (e.g. product range and presentation, legal framework, working hours, apprenticeship) - finding out about different British retailers and their distinctive features - learning to adapt in different cultures in terms of business and private life - exploring London’s business world and cultural life by joining an organized weekend trip as well as an excursion to Brighton - preparing a presentation about the retail company - workshops provided by the Vocational School 6 with the following contents: 1. Carrying out Erasmus+ (e.g. signing contracts, talking about financial terms) 2. Language preparation (e.g. business correspondence, sales talk, small talk) 3. Task-related preparation (e.g. discussing Twin’s preparation pack, booking flights) 4. Cultural preparation (e.g. importance of Great Britain, contacting host families, etiquette and manners of behaviour) 5. Final organization (e.g. handing out important addresses) 6. Evaluation (e.g. giving feedback, filling in questionnaires, having discussions) Results/Outcomes: Feedback from both flows show progresses in terms of the following aspects: - improved command of English in terms of speaking (e.g. sales talks) and terminology (e.g. terms to describe business processes in the retail industry) - enhanced intercultural awareness when serving foreign customers and by adapting to different cultures leading to a higher level of tolerance as well as cosmopolitanism - increased self-empowerment and self-esteem while talking to foreign customers due to higher awareness of different cultural backgrounds - enhanced employability and improved career prospects on the regional, European or international labour market - having/acquiring a European identity - better understanding for the economy as well as for challenges in the retail trade Long-term value: The Vocational School 6 of the City of Nuremberg aims at contributing positively to the future careers of our participants in the mobility project. This may be a good basis for a successful access to the national and European labour market.