The ‘Enhancing the Quality of Vocational Training by International Cooperation’ (EQVIC) project of Hiiumaa Vocational School proceeds from the main tasks set in the school’s development plan and the Action Plan 2014 approved by the school council and considers the goals of the ERASMUS+ programme and the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020. The main tasks of Hiiumaa Vocational School that this project will help carry out are as follows: training competitive skilled workers capable of development; and supporting the personal and professional development of learners and the school’s staff. The goals of the project are: to improve the quality of vocational education; to link the competencies acquired in vocational training better with the world of work; and to continue to pursue international cooperation and establish new cooperation relationships. The project is aimed at 70-80 students and specialists from Hiiumaa Vocational School; in total, 20 students and 3 specialists will participate. Study mobility traineeships will take place as follows from August 2014 to April 2015: - for 6 wooden and stone building restoration students in Great Yarmouth, England, in August 2014 and April 2015; - for 8 landscaping students in the St Victor district of Braga, Portugal, in September 2014 and April 2015; - for 2 recent small business graduates in Bagn, Norway, in September 2014; - for 2 recent floristics graduates in Netherlands, Middelburg, in April 2015; - for 2 floristics students in Braga, Portugal, - for construction programme leading teacher in Great Yarmouth, England, in August 2015; and - for traineeship coordinators and leading teachers of the gardening programme in Braga, Portugal, in April 2015. Participants will be selected and both linguistically and culturally prepared in Hiiumaa Vocational School before they go abroad. The project partners in England, Portugal, Norway and Netherlands will assess the study output achieved by the participants during study mobility in cooperation with Hiiumaa Vocational School, which will document and validate the assessments according to the school’s curricula and professional standards. Study mobility and its results will be published on the website of Hiiumaa Vocational School, in social media, on Kadi Radio and in the local newspaper Hiiu Leht as well as on the websites and in the local newspapers of the receiving partners. The activities that will be carried out to achieve the goals comply with the priorities of the ERASMUS+ programme, as: evaluation and recognition methods aimed at the achievement of educational outputs will be introduced in cooperation with the receiving organisations in study mobility; the international cooperation with companies in the specialties of the restoration of wood and stone buildings, landscape building programme that started in 2012 will continue and new connections will be established to link the florist and small business speciality in the business services programme with the world of work. The expected results of the EQVIC project comply with the specific goals set for study mobility, as: they help students of restoration, landscaping, floristics, small business to acquire specialist knowledge, skills and attitudes for their professional and personal development and the ability to compete better on the labour market; they allow students to implement the knowledge they have acquired when working in other European countries; the participants have better foreign language skills; the quality and attractiveness of vocational education improves; and the mobility of vocational students and specialists increases. The project is being managed by Development and Training Manager at Hiiumaa Vocational School. The management methodology proceeds from the principles of comprehensive quality management: everyone who participates in the project is actively involved in the achievement of goals, and project activities are aimed at long-term success. The more distant goal of the project is to establish lasting relationships with partners in European countries for the development of all seven programmes at Hiiumaa Vocational School, i.e. primarily for the implementation of the ECVET system and linking vocational training and the world of work to each other more effectively. These goals comply with the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020, where Measure 1.4. ‘Establishment and Support of Forms of Cooperation Supporting the Implementation of Study Approach’ states, among other things, that "in addition to local cooperation, the involvement of international experience and expertise at all levels of education is essential for Estonia." Successful implementation of the project, incl. the introduction of ECVET elements in study mobility; improvement in the quality of vocational training and expanding international cooperation will benefit the entire organisation and the Hiiumaa community.