The project will involve Information Technology students from Monaghan Institute (MI). They will undertake a three week work placement in Holland in Jan / Feb 2015. In addition, they will participate in a language and cultural awareness programme prior to and during their placement. The project will involve 15 students from MI. They will be students on the FETAC/QQI Level 5 and Advanced Level 6 Information Technology programmes. The partner organisation is ROC Friese Poort located in Drachten, Holland. Staff members from the Information Technology departments in MI and ROC Friese Poort will be involved in the organisation of the placement; preparation of students; monitoring of the placement and evaluation. The Director of MI and Project Co-ordinator will be responsible for the overall management and administration of the project. They will be supported by relevant MI staff who have many years experience dealing with EU projects. The project addresses a number of needs, including: •The need for quality work placement, which is a requirement of the IT programme. •The need to provide students with an opportunity to learn about and experience different cultures and work practices •The need to enhance the mobility and adaptability of students . The need to raise self esteem, self confidence and motivation levels among learners •The need to develop mutually beneficial working relationships with other training institutions for staff and students •As Europe becomes more integrated, students need to be more aware of different countries, cultures and practices. While it is not possible to send all students abroad, the placement project will raise awareness throughout MI of opportunities to travel and work abroad. Overall, the project will address the needs (special or otherwise) of all learners. Many of the students at MI come from a disadvantaged background and have not been abroad before. Therefore, the project is necessary to provide them with an opportunity to travel, live and work abroad with a high level of support and guidance. The main aims of the project are to: To provide a valuable learning experience for participants, staff and the wider college community • To strengthen the European dimension to programmes of learning at MI • To enhance learners’ employability • To strengthen and add value to the qualification attained by participants • To further develop the quality of IT training provision in MI • To provide participants with a new learning experience that may encourage and support them to progress to Higher Education • To enhance learners’ skills: technical and life skills • To facilitate learners to become more outward focused and aware of the many opportunities that exists beyond their immediate environment • To raise learners’ awareness of and appreciation for different cultures and values • To encourage participants to acquire foreign language skills, and apply these in real life settings • To further develop our positive working relationship with ROC Friese Poort • To enable staff to experience different teaching, learning and IT systems • To afford participants the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while simultaneously experiencing different work practices • To enhance participants’ self-confidence and motivation as they progress beyond MI • To capture relevant learning that can be shared within the College community and with external stakeholders The project is expected to benefit the participants, the wider College community, and external stakeholders. Participants will compile relevant information re work and cultural practices in Holland, and these will be shared with staff and students. Likewise, the technical skills acquired in and insights gained from Dutch IT companies will be shared with relevant bodies, e.g. IT companies in Monaghan, local business fora, County Enterprise Board, etc. In this way, the learning from the project will be far reaching. It is expected that the project will benefit the participants in many ways both directly and indirectly. Direct benefits will include enhanced value of the qualification they receive, and enhanced employability / ability to progress to Higher Education. Indirect benefits will include increased self-confidence and motivation, which will be valuable additions for participants as they seek to advance their career. The project will also benefit the Colleges, as it will enable staff to experience other teaching systems, and allow both organisations to strengthen their relationship. It is hoped that future projects, involving other departments, will evolve from this.