The project aims to train teachers in the use and design of units of learning outcomes according to ECVET principles, and in the related assessment of the learning outcomes achieved during stages in local companies. According to ECVET recommendation a unit of learning outcomes is “ a component of a qualification, consisting of a coherent set of knowledge , skills and competence, that can be assessed and validated”. Needs analysis Here are some of the needs the project would like to meet 1) Struggling in school and failing classes is one of the main reasons teens drop out and are likely to increase the number of NEET. This is very often due to a lack of motivation . In many European countries the problem is tackled by fostering workplace training . 2) VET providers do not have the necessary tools to develop qualifications based on ECVET principles, although this is required by the National Qualification Framework in each EU country 3) Although the difficulty in recognizing units of learning outcomes achieved abroad is widespread in EU countries due to the lack of common agreed rules , in Italy, the task is even more difficult because vocational qualifications are not based on units of learning outcomes. Therefore there is no established competence in recognizing learning outcomes acquired in workplace trainings or projects abroad. Objectives 1 ) Helping schools get acquainted with units of learning outcomes according to ECVET methodology; 2) identifying units of learning outcomes in workplace stages in cooperation with company trainers; 3 ) developing procedures for continuous assessment. The process of continuous assessment has been used, for example, in the French project MEN-ECVET . In this project the learning outcomes achieved by trainees in their mandatory stages have been coninuously assessed by the company trainers according to a well-defined set of learning outcomes. The project will partly refer to MEN-ECVET but it will properly be linked with the Italian context. 4) Fostering the acquisition of interprofessional competences and the implementation of competence based teaching and learning, which is emphasised in the German concept of “Handlungskompetenz” ( action competence) 5)Strengthening links between educational institutions and companies 6) Establishing fruitful cooperation between Italian and foreign partner schools to lay the groundwork for future mobility projects for students Who the project is addressed to The project is addressed to teachers who are actively involved in the organization of students internships in companies Participants will be chosen with the partner schools and will be supported with training activities. They will include online English courses and a deeper knowledge of the cultural and social aspects of the participating countries. Teachers will be guided in the construction of units of learning outcomes and there will also be training courses on the use of ECVET tool kit. The courses will be taken by ADi experts and trainers Methodologies: The objectives will be pursued by studying the toolkit ECVET tools and the documents produced by the previous pilot projects. There will be workshops for the construction of units of learning outcomes and observation periods abroad will be arranged. We will use online tools such as social networks and sites devoted to the project issues and international conferences will be organized. Expected results The expected results can be summarized as follows: 1)fostering teachers to design units of learning outcomes; 2) disseminating these strategies and methods in the schools and networks of schools involved; 3) helping teachers become expert in ECVET tools; 4) supporting more and more teachers to experiment innovative approaches for connecting formal and informal learning outcomes; 5) improving teachers’ skills in a foreign language. 6) strengthening the links between schools and local businesses 7) Establishing fruitful cooperation between Italian and foreign partner schools to lay the groundwork for future mobility projects for students on the basis of joint units of learning outcomes The activities abroad The main acitivity will be staff training to support the development of VET staff in the form of a job observation of one week abroad. The mobility will take place in technical and vocational schools where units of learning outcomes are in use, the aim is to develop good practices and lay the groundwork for future cooperations.