The project „EU competence for retail, office and bank“ is the continuation of Constantin Vanotti School’s programme started in 2012. The programme offers our vocational students the chance to improve their everyday language and business communication as well as their professional and intercultural knowledge. An integral part of this programme is student participation in a 3-week course that combines language instruction and vocational internship in the UK. The first main objective of this programme is to offer international vocational training and education to those students who plan to pursue employment in retail, industry, office and bank sectors. The second main objective is to put the academic curriculum into effect. This includes the school’s English-language pilot project for all vocational classes as well as each participating student’s preparation for the KMK certificate. This programme is especially committed to providing students working in retail with the opportunity to profit from an internship abroad. Constantin Vanotti School (CVS) in Ueberlingen, Germany, would like to offer 20 participants the chance to absolve this 3-week internship in the Sussex Downs College (SDC) in Eastbourne, United Kingdom. The first week will include a language class gauged to the individual level of each student followed by 2 weeks of vocational training and work experience in local company. CVS plans to take great care in preparing the participants for their 3-week project, including instruction classes on language, culture, intercultural awareness and business communication prior to the course itself. CVS implements learning agreements. CVS and SDC will also sign a “Letter of Intent” in which both parties mutually accept their respective academic criteria. People in charge of this project at CVS:Ms.Czerwoniak ( exchange representative)and Mr. Wunder (deputy headmaster). Our partner, SDC, is responsible for planning and carrying out the one week language course, providing host families and organising the students’ placement in local companies during the two weeks of vocational internship. People responsible on behalf of SDC: Mark Allen (International Manager) and Jannine Howe (head of academic programme). Feb 2015, Feb 2016: Contact and inform interested trainees March 2015: Apply for Erasmus + programme (24 months) March 2015, March 2016: information event for trainees and trainee teachers in companies: procedures, selection criteria June-July 2015, 2016: Receive and review applications from aspiring participants; sign contracts with chosen participants Sept 2015, 2016: Prepare participants: organise travel, insurance, resolve details pertaining to programme participation Oct 2015-Jan 2016, Oct 2016- Jan 2017: Instruct participants in language, culture, intercultural awareness, business communication Jan 2016, 2017: Perform and evaluate internet-based placement tests for language courses Feb 2016, 2017: departure; language courses at Sussex Downs College; internships at local companies in Eastbourne; return March 2016, 2017: Follow up: complete Erasmus+ report; feedback on behalf of students and training companies; deliver reports to fellow students and to companies/trainee teachers (general information, details about families, language course, college, internship); interview for local newspaper; articles CVS homepage and yearbook July 2016 and 2017: Present certificates (Europass mobility, entry of program participation in leaving certificate) in formal ceremony The project intends to increase the students’ linguistic assurance and correctness when dealing with English-speaking customers or when otherwise engaged in international business communication. Participants will also speak more confidently and are certain to improve oral performance in tests requires to obtain KMK certification. The skills necessary for the completion of the KMK certificate will be taught at CVS then implemented and improved through the language course at SDC, through daily communication with host families and through the 2 week vocational internship. CVS also emphasises the intercultural aspect of the programme. CVS aims to implement this kind of project in each coming academic year. CVS could thereby offer a multitude of its students the opportunity to realise the advantages of the European Economic Area as well as the chance to understand the necessity of language learning and to experience the complexity of cultural differences. The Erasmus + project is important to our school firstly because it can help put one of our key principles into action: “we forge connections far and wide“ and secondly it gives our school a local advantage and helps achieve the goals set by our specific profile- language and internationalisation. Finally, the EU competence our participants acquire will serve the companies that train and employ our students and will ultimately support the development of the Lake Constance Economic Area.