In order to improve staff competencies and to enhance quality development on an institutional level, we have to be prepared to take part in various ongoing national and EU projects. The reasons for applying for innovative training opportunities are manifold. First and foremost, we experience an increased need to refresh teaching techniques and tools in order to provide our students with the knowledge and skills they need to enter the European labour market. Also, the majority of our teachers graduated with a completely different educational background and their teaching methods and technological skills do not meet the requirements of the 21st century classroom. Furthermore, we believe that developing interdisciplinary competencies is inevitable in a school which is open to Europe. The mobility activities highlighted in the present project were to prepare our staff to meet that need. Number and profile of participants: 2 employees took part in the mobility project who • are open to courses organised abroad • have a working knowledge of the language of the chosen country • are ready to transmit European values to students and staff • are ready to incorporate the acquired best practice into their instructional strategies Description of activities: • course in intercultural project management • course in the development of teachers’ digital skills and the efficient use of ICT tools and teaching materials in education The theme of one of the courses in connection with our mobility was methodological questions of how to teach Russian as a foreign language. The role of this course is of great importance as Hungarian teachers who teach Russian usually have to restart teaching the language after 20 or even 25 years of not having been able to either teach or speak it. The professors at Daugavpils University have long had considerable experience in carrying out research into the methodology of teaching Russian and in transmitting their invaluable knowledge. The course dealt with the most important questions of methodology and the participants were given an incredible number of teaching materials, which teachers do not have access to in Hungary, to be used in their everyday teaching. The theme of the other course was: managing projects – cultural exchange in Europe. The participants were given an insight into - better understanding between cultures - transmitting values - imparting theoretical knowledge – what is a good application for a scholarship like? - opportunities for applications - working out projects Learning outcomes The greatest benefit of such courses abroad is, undoubtedly, personal encounters and the pooling of expertise. The planned mobility projects made it possible for the participants to study different educational systems, to exchange ideas with fellow professionals and thus gain a deeper insight into the school contexts and living conditions of various countries in Europe. The national minorities of Baja are famous for their peaceful coexistence and the students in our school also come from different ethnic backgrounds (German, Croatian, Serbian, Romany). Such European training opportunities could serve as perfect illustrations of how citizens from different nations can cooperate, in other words, how European dimensions are represented in mainstream education. These European organisations could set examples of how to manage our own institution according to modern European standards. Furthermore, the cultural events offered by these projects explored aspects which are completely different from the impressions that a visiting tourist can get. These experiences promoted cooperation and mobility between educational and training institutions thus making quality instruction available for everyone. The mobility activities described in the present project helped reach the objectives identified in the school’s strategic development plan and, as a result, they ensured the sustainability of innovation in education. Potential long-term benefits include the possibility of making the school a regional reference institution. The competencies acquired or improved by the participants enabled them to provide other schools with assistance in updating their own educational programmes and the teachers in preparing for their qualifying exams. This would strengthen ties between institutions, which, in turn, would promote closer cooperation in the region. We believe that the most outstanding result of the project is that a project based on the mutual work of five countries was planned and worked out by the end of the course. Our school will be the coordinating institution with Noémi Páli being coordinator. During the 2017 scholarships application period this project will be handed in in a form of application.