The project "Expanding Vocational Horizons for Apprentices and Teaching Staff" will enable students from the sector of Childcare and Hospitality and Catering to participate in two-week work placements in a childcare centre in the UK or in hotels and restaurants in Spain and France respectively. Members of the college management team and teaching staff will participate in structured study visits to Iceland or Finland, teacher training courses in the UK or Ireland and in job-shadowing in colleges in the UK, France and Sweden. The main objective of this project is to build on the sound foundation of successful EU projects that our college has carried out in the area of hospitality and catering and childcare that focused primarily on the use of the English language as a lingua franca in cooking workshops or in work placements in nursery schools. The project is important for the college, staff and student development in that it - increases the interest in European languages other than English at the colleges in the area of vocational education, especially in hospitality and catering - provides childcare students with the opportunity to practise and improve their English in the UK - expands the network of contacts to other EU colleges that promotes the European dimension in the college and its curricula - places a strong focus on the professional development of the college management team, language and subject tutors in that they gain experience through structured study visits, job shadowing and training courses in their respective subjects - motivates teachers and other college departments that are not yet active in EU projects to support the EU Project Management Team in organising and carrying out projects inside and outside the classroom Three students from an A-level course with a vocational qualification in childcare and education (Berufliches Gymnasium) will complete a two-week work placement in a childcare centre in Leeds which will be organised by Leeds City College. These childcare students have already attained a sound knowledge of the core curriculum and will combine theory and practise in a new environment. Two apprentices from the department of hospitality and catering will complete a two-week work placement in a hotel or restaurant in France that will be organised by our partner college in Le Havre. Four apprentices from the department of hospitality and catering will complete a two-week work placement in a hotel or restaurant in Sevilla, Spain. Hotel and restaurant trainees already have basic vocational competences in their specific areas of the hospitality and catering sector. Depending on the department in which they spend their placement, the trainees will be able to expand their existing professional competences in the following areas: reception duties; serving food and beverages; serving guests in the restaurant; advising guests and providing recommendations. Both groups of learners will have the opportunity to improve, adapt or attain knowledge, attitudes and skills in each of the following areas: - reflect upon vocational training/working conditions of early learning practitioners or hotel/restaurant staff in another country - gain insight into the professional mentality of practitioners and hotel/restaurant staff in another country - re-evaluate their own opinions about the relevance of the European Union on a personal and vocational level - learn to adapt to a new hierarchy in the hosting childcare centre in the UK or hotel/restaurant in Spain or France - expand their knowledge of methodology and pedagogics in early learning in the UK or of hotel and restaurant management in Spain or France - act as ambassadors for Germany and the German language. Seventeen members of KKBKHA staff including the college principals, some heads of departments and teaching staff will participate in structured study visits to Finland or Iceland, job shadowing visits to France, the UK and Sweden or teacher training courses in the UK and Ireland. Best-practice examples of curriculum development and college management will be disseminated to heads of department on return. Participants comprising English teachers and other curriculum staff on teacher training courses in Ireland and the UK will acquire new knowledge and improve their professional skills so that are able to carry out their teaching in a better, more informed way. The main long-term benefit of the project is that there will be increased support for EU projects at the KKBKHA from students, trainees and teaching staff. Our existing network of European contacts will grow and the European dimension will be incorporated in a long-term way into the curricula of the various departments. The EU Project Management Team will profit from increased support from teaching staff in all departments of the college to whom tasks such as the initiation and organisation of new projects can be delegated.