Context 1st EPAL Ymittou is a vocational upper secondary school which offers the following five sectors: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, automobile engineering, informatics and business management. The school has participated in activities which are related with the subject of the current project such as health education, cultural and environmental programmes, a program in intercultural education as well as a Comenius programme. In the school of the future issues such as the quality and efficiency of education, the promotion of equality, social cohesion and active social participation by offering equal opportunities to all students, are expected to play a significant role. Teachers are therefore expected to undertake a role of major importance. In this context the main needs identified in our school were the following: • adoption of innovative teaching methods which offer general as well as specialized knowledge, which cultivate and develop the professional, cognitive and horizontal abilities of our students (metacognitive skills - “learn how to learn”, social skills, digital skills, business initiatives, etc.). • management of the intercultural element in the class and cultivation of the attribute of the European citizen. Goals All goals originally set in the European Development Plan were fully met. More specifically, the in-service training programs: • Cultivated and developed the participants’ practical skills in new educational methods and teaching techniques. • Introduced the trainees in innovative teaching proposals of different subjects, thus enhancing the cross-curricular and interdisciplinary elements of the Syllabus. • Offered the possibility to collaborate with colleagues of different European nationalities in order to exchange views and teaching practices in both a short and a longer prospective. • Improved the participants’ communication skills in a foreign language. • Enhanced the intercultural consciousness of the trainees as well as the attribute of the European citizen. • Trained the participants in the use of ICT as tools for developing creativity and critical thinking. • Developed the ability of collaborating in an international level for the management of European programmes. Paticipants’ profile A total of six teachers participated in the programmes. All teachers held a permanent position in the school unit and possessed a positive attitude for co-operation and team work in order to exchange views and establish a network for future collaborations. The teachers aimed at enhancing their intercultural consciousness and the attribute of the European citizen, at receiving training in the use of ICT as tools for development of creativity and critical thinking and finally at developing their self-confidence in alternative teaching techniques. Training Programmes -Moodle in action: how to integrate moodle in the classroom” (6-12/03/2016) – Kairos London, UK - “Managing Diversity – teaching mixed ability classes” (28/03 – 01/04/2016) – ITC Prague, Czech Republic - “CLIL. – Content Language Integrated Learning” (18-22/04/2016) – ITC Prague, Czech Republic A multitude of training methods were employed such as: - On line use of an e-learning platform – use of I.C.T. - Experiential workshops - Brainstorming - Case study analysis - Role playing - Project Method - Guided visit in a local school - Attendance of several teaching modules in a local school Results and impact The attendance of the three training programs gave rise to the following results and impact: - For the school unit: experience in the management of a European programme, experience in transnational co-operation and networking with teachers of foreign countries, realization and management of the intercultural attribute, development of the identity of a European citizen. - For the teachers: acquisition of new knowledge in issues related with innovation in education and the more effective management of the intercultural element in the class. - For the students: support of the students for the acquisition of basic skills and abilities, encouragement and motivation of student participation in the educational activities in order to become active members of their school community and professional group. - For the community: upgrading of the educational level of the community via the effective student integration, the increasing acceptance of dissimilarity and securing social cohesion. Long-term benefits The benefits mainly pertained to: - enhancement of the intercultural consciousness and in-class management of the intercultural element. - development of the attribute of the European citizen and of the possibility to establish international collaborations. - cultivation of digital and metacognitive skills. - cultivation of the ability to communicate and argue in a foreign language. - introduction to the use of innovative methods for teaching both general and specialized subjects and to interdisciplinarity.