The Berlin Police applies for funding for a project entitled "Have a European start! – Work practice for career beginners in the uniformed police service of the Berlin Police“. The funding application will be made under the ERASMUS+ Programme 2015: „VET learner and staff mobility”. The project will include 6 mobilities, each of 3-4 weeks duration (including travel days) for 2 - 4 officers of the Berlin Police to European partner institutions (Greater Manchester Police, Tallinn Police, National Police of the Netherlands, Bucharest Police, Warsaw Metropolitan Police and the Police School, Lithuania). Participation is restricted to newly qualified officers, who have very recently completed the basic training programme of the Berlin Police. It was not possible to include a mobility within the training programme, due to the heavy curriculum. Background Information: The project is part of the measures to internationalise the Berlin Police and has the following aims: - increased multi-national competence and cultural diversity within the authority - improvement and internationalisation of police training, leading to an increase in the attractiveness of the authority as an employer - expansion of the European networks concerning police co-operation and the option of further project partnerships. Further aims of the project are to optimise police work in a cosmopolitan city such as Berlin, by increasing the competence of the staff and leading to an improved perception of the police at regional, national and international level. Goals: - improve the participants´ professional, social, intercultural and language abilities leading to improved professional opportunities and promotion prospects within the Berlin Police - improve the quality of training through the transfer of knowledge gained within the Berlin Police - awareness of the participants of the European dimension of their duties and responsibilities in a cosmopolitan city such as Berlin - establish networks for future cooperation, for the participants in their daily duties and responsibilities and for the Berlin Police in European police and project work - increase the attractiveness of the Berlin Police as an employer by making possible working visits in foreign countries. Itinerary: Six mobilities of 3 to 4 weeks duration, to uniformed police units of the partner institutions and with the following content: - introductory phase to gain knowledge of the host country, the legal systems and the structure of the host police force - 2 - 3 week-periods of "Job-Shadowing": The participants take part in all police measures and gain insight into the work process and concept, in accordance with previously agreed training plans. - 3 – 4 team days for all participants in order to visit other units which are not included in the training plans - cultural activities, including non-work related cultural activities (city tour, leisure activities). Pre- and post-mobility measures to include: - initial visit of the project coordinator to the host partner, finalisation of training plan(s) - preparation seminar - Power Point and presentation techniques, if required - post-visit participants‘ meeting - presentation of results at various units and for senior management - preparation and publication of a Mobility report Aspirations / Evaluation The Berlin Police aspires to increased competence and motivation on the part of the participants. These will lead to better career opportunities and increased promotion prospects and, for the authority, will serve the purpose of further internationalisation. Evaluation takes place during and after each of the 6 mobilities in the form of auditing, discussions and feedback. Publication of the results will be made internally and externally by presentations, reports, recruitment measures and publication via the internet. Long-term goals: The Berlin Police proposes to integrate officers in the basic police service into European projects, in order to increase their general and specialist competence, to strengthen the principle of „life-long learning“, to establish personal and professional networks and to use these to increase the European dimension of police work.