Parties involved Berufliche Schulen Altötting is a vocational school providing initial training in Bavaria. Two technical colleges and one commercial school are affiliated. Berufliche Schulen Altötting teach students both in technical (construction, chemistry, electronics, metal works, mechatronics, body care, hotel and catering departments) as well as in commercial fields of training. About 100 teachers work at this school and teach approximately 2,500 students in part-time and block release courses. Our project partner, the company Work Placements UK ltd. is a medium-sized company with one permanently employed member of staff and 10 freelance workers who only work for the company if required. Work Placements UK Ltd. carries out the 3-day English course and organizes work placements as well as accommodation with host families. We have successfully carried out three Leonardo da Vinci projects together with this organization. Target groups The project “Flexibilisation of apprentices for the international employment market” gives all our students – regardless of their field of training – the possibility of taking part in a 3-week stay abroad. During this time the trainees serve a 2-week work placement in their respective fields of training as well as a language course. In their spare time they can choose from different free time activities. Foreign languages are in high demand because many of the companies which are located in our area work internationally. English as the lingua franca is particularly important. A certified internship abroad enables the participants to distinguish themselves from competitors and improves their chances on the employment market considerably. Project execution The trip will be organized by the team in charge of organizing trips abroad. They are responsible for all organizational tasks concerning the trip (e.g. booking flights, covering insurances, etc.). They are also in charge of communicating with the partner organisation abroad. This team will choose the participants as well as prepare them for the trip in two preparatory meetings. The British partner organization looks after suitable work placements and host families and organizes the English course. The public funds and the participants’ contribution will also be administered by this team. Targets Targets we would like to achieve due to our school’s understanding of quality: • improving the professional competence of our students and teachers • increasing the personal speaking skills of our students as well as our teachers • changing the perspective for both - students and teachers • increasing the professional mobility of the participants on the European employment market • certified internships to improve job security as well as potential mobilities • obtaining an overview of working procedures, working techniques and working conditions in a foreign country Monitoring and evaluation Every week the participants will receive a feedback questionnaire for self-evaluation and to record their learning progress. The accompanying teachers visit the participants at their company placements to get information about their learning progress and to intervene if necessary. After two weeks and at the end of the project teachers and the British companies will be evaluated by means of questionnaires. Using questionnaires the placement companies evaluate their interns as well. On project level the mobility project will be evaluated by the participating teachers of Berufliche Schulen Altötting and their British team partners in team meetings at the end of the second and the third week. Impact The participants‘ English skills will improve; their self-confidence in general (dealing with different situations in a foreign language) as well as with regard to their own linguistic skills will increase, their willingness to communicate with callers / guests from abroad will also improve. Some of the participants might consider working abroad after finishing their training. As a result the participants will be more open-minded. Benefits Our internationalization strategy is supposed to make our school more attractive for training companies; in addition we would like to stand out against other schools. Our region will also profit if our future employees are able to act open-minded on a global market. Dissemination The participants prepare power point presentations and posters in English which will be published at our school through monitors and on billboards as well as on our website. The participants will make presentations about their experiences for their classmates. An article about the placement in Great Britain will be published in the regional press (Alt-Neuöttinger Anzeiger), in our school magazine and on our website. The participants will present their power point presentations /posters when they receive their mobility certificates and Europasses at a special ceremony. Their German training companies are invited to take part.