CONTEXT Brentford FC is a professional football club based in Brentford, in the London Borough of Hounslow. The club's Academy programme is committed to scouting and developing young players who will potentially reach professional status. However, regardless of the level of success achieved in football, Apprentices receive advice and education that provide a solid platform from which they can move forward and make sound decisions in life. The framework for this education is the Advanced Apprentice in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme, a unique sporting vocational qualification for young people with the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport by competing on the world stage or securing a professional contract. OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this project was to enhance and improve the vocational training and development of Apprentices at Brentford FC. Working with host partner Centro Desportivo Squash de Vilamoura (Browns) in Portugal, the project also aimed to provide greater exit and progression opportunities for Apprentices upon completion of the AASE programme. The project had 3 overarching strategic objectives: 1) Facilitating the transfer of European training methods, development environments, techniques and philosophies into both the Brentford FC AASE programme and Apprentices. 2) Exposing the Apprentices to the European opportunities in both sport and other careers so these can be explored and more readily understood, accepted and pursued in the future. 3) Embedding LLP principles into the training and development programme and working cultures in order to equip Apprentices with the aptitude and skills to pursue employment, either within sport or outside of it, throughout their career. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS Participants were the 20 Apprentices undertaking the Brentford FC AASE programme in the 2015/2016 football season (i.e. the 2014 and 2015 cohorts). These Apprentices were selected primarily on the basis of their football ability and therefore incorporated a wide range of academic abilities, socioeconomic circumstances and ethnic backgrounds. PROJECT ACTIVITIES The majority of the project activities took place at the facilities of the host partner, Browns, including: - Regular training sessions to address the defined sports performance targets. - Games versus high quality Portugese youth teams. - Daily feedback and evaluation sessions to confirm goal setting/reflection. Browns has outstanding links at a local, regional and national level which enabled Brentford FC to enhance the project activities of participants. For example: - Access to SC Olhanense and Portimonense SC. - A visit to the Algarve Football Association. - Observation of a live top flight (Liga Zon Sagres) fixture. METHODOLGY Brentford FC used the principles of the European Quality Charter for Mobility to set goals and define tasks for the key elements of the project. For example: 1) INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE: production of clear and accessible resources for participants, parents/guardians and staff. 2) LEARNING PLAN: clearly defining the project objectives and participant specific aims, and the role of each partner in achieving them. 3) PERSONALISATION: pre-visit assessment of participants' desired learning outcomes. 4) PREPARATION: a structured preparation programme tailored to individual needs. 5) LANGUAGE: provision of informal language training. 6) LOGISTICS: a formal agreement signed by sending and receiving organisations outlining practical and logistical responsibilities. 7) MENTORING: provision of suitably qualified accompanying staff to facilitate achievement of individual goals and ensure integration. 8) RECOGNITION: institutional recognition of individual learning outcomes. 9) EVALUATION: comprehensive and objective evaluation of all aspects of the project. 10) RESPONSIBILITIES: agreement by sending and receiving organisations on their roles and responsibilities in the successful delivery of the project, formalised in writing via a Service Level Agreement and individual participant Learning Agreements. IMPACTS The impacts on participants included: - Evidence of progression against recognised vocational qualifications. - Development of life skills and experience that can be utilised throughout participants' education and careers. - Enhanced cultural and linguistic skills, facilitating openness to new opportunities both in the UK and Europe. - Improved knowledge and understanding of the European opportunities in sport and other careers. The impacts on Brentford FC included: - Enhancement of the AASE programme both in terms of improved technical sporting quality of Apprentices and coaches, and also student achievement rates. - Implementation of best practice across Brentford FC AASE programme. - Improved exit and progression opportunities for Apprentices, both within sport and outside of it, and in the UK and Europe.