Strode College is a highly successful tertiary college with large numbers of 16-18 year old students on both academic and vocational courses as well as additional programmes that serve the wider needs of the local community and improve the employability of young people in the Mendip District of Somerset.The College has a strong tradition of contacts with countries all over the world and has been able to establish several long-lasting international partnerships. Many Strode students have participated in valuable visits abroad to complement their studies and enhance their educational experience. It has, however, long been the aim of the College to develop a thriving European partnership through the Erasmus+ programme with a clear and purposeful curriculum focus and the promise of a strong relationship to support students over multiple years. The approval given by Plymouth University for the delivery of a new Foundation Degree in Management as an extension of the flourishing Higher Education offer at Strode College provided this opportunity given that high level analysis of the European context to business and evaluation of management in an international context are critical elements of the new programme. Nonetheless, the key to bringing these objectives to realisation was to identify the most suitable partner with a matching desire to construct a substantial and mutually beneficial project. The purpose of the project, as set out in this application for Erasmus+ funding, is to provide students on vocational programmes at Strode College with similarly life-changing opportunities to build their skills base, consolidate their understanding in terms of their course and develop a full appreciation of the working environment in another European Union country. We wish to offer our students the prospect of interacting and engaging on a consistent basis with young Parisians and the capacity to grow both personally and professionally through exposure to the true context of the workplace and commercial activity in the French capital.A group of students from CFA AGEFA PME Ile de France visited Strode College in November 2015 as a precursor to this new initiative and the College has every intention of welcoming another group this year. This continuation of our partnership work is strongly supported by the business associations and companies involved in last year’s successes. The two-week project in Somerset would once again be scheduled towards the end of November, with the visit of our own students to France taking place just a few weeks ahead in October, so creating a natural connection between the two work-based programmes, facilitating close communication between the respective groups of students and establishing a coherent and coordinated learning experience. Indeed, the bilateral arrangement proposed for each autumn of the 24-month project would be tied together with intervening possibilities for staff teaching on the identified programmes to spend a short period of time in the other country to ensure their own professional development.It is envisaged that 20 students will take part in each mobility visit with two accompanying staff to assist their delivery of the project objectives and monitor their performance. With respect to Strode College these are the expected numbers of students in the second year of the FdA Management programme and the arrangements in Paris will be such that those having selected either the Business or Public Sector pathways will be adequately catered for. Students will work in groups on an investigation of the local and regional economy that will involve focused visits to companies, contributions from local experts and a short work placement in an appropriate setting.The experiences engaged in during this two-week programme will have a disproportionate impact on the learning of the students involved and their capacity to perform at the highest level in their studies. The knowledge and skills they will obtain from the visit will also help them to develop significantly as individuals.The longer term benefits of the project will, however, not only be for the students and their careers, but also for the employers of the region, who will have a renewed source of qualified and competent potential employees, and for the College as it seeks to increase its reputation as a modern outward-looking institution and the best place in Somerset for young people to prepare their future lives.