The project entitled “" Steps towards increased professional competence and European environmental principles furniture industry"” is going to unfold for two years. Its aim is to train students in accordance to the new professional standards in the work market and the European regulations in the furniture industry field. The project is expected to increase their chances of employment and improve their career prospects in the domain as well as facilitate gaining relevant work experience.The beneficiaries of the project are 28, 11-grade students, qualifying as furniture and interior design technicians who are in basic professional training at “Toma N. Socolescu” Technical College Ploiesti.The project meets the students’ need to carry out their practical training in a real work environment, organized according to European standards. They are offered the opportunity to train in modern workshops, use eco-friendly materials and computer- assisted furniture design, with minimal manufacturing costs as an alternative to the school workshops with antiquated equipment that is not suited to present requirements or economical agents that do not comply with the new environment management system regulations and do not have highly qualified specialists. The transnational partnership consists of:“Toma N. Socolescu” Technical College Ploiesti - beneficiary-Carpinteria Los Tres Juanes from Granada- Spain and MIG IRMAOS GOMES Barcelos-Portugal- host organizations- MEP Europrojects Granada, Spain and Amigos de Mobilidade Barcelos, Portugalia – intermediary organisations.Project objectives:O1- to develop, improve and accomplish the students ’professional skills and knowledge for better integration in the work market, by gaining work experience in an European work environment connected to their training field. O2- to improve personal, communication and cooperation skills in work relationships, broaden their cultural horizon in order to become more flexible, mobile, more competitive and realize the importance of lifelong learning.O3- to form partnerships that may facilitate the contact with the European work market and increase the relevance of school teaching and learning to the professional and technological realities in the furniture industry.The mobility will take place in two stages, the former in January 2016 in Spain and the latter in January 2017 in Portugal.The project would offer solutions for carrying out the practical training of the students in firms equipped with the latest technologies that use eco-friendly materials and solutions and put students in contact with highly-trained specialists who use computer assisted methods in furniture design and manufacturing. It would also permit the adjustment of the school curriculum to the actual demands in the work market, making practical training more appealing and efficient and better adjusted to the students’ level and needs. This way, the students will be better prepared to make the transition from school to the work place. Moreover, they will develop working skills, values and attitudes that may help them attain higher qualification levels. Real work experience will give students a better idea about their career opportunities and motivate them to develop their social, linguistic, and cultural skills.Immediate results:1. The 28 students will acquire professional skills in their training field.2. They will improve their language and cultural skills as well as their team working skills in an international work environment.3. The students will develop entrepreneurial skills.4. The students will receive the Europass Mobility Certificate which improves the students’ prospects of employment in the international work market.5. 2 DVD-s containing examples of good practice, with footage from the students’ training stages will be recorded in Spain and Portugal. The DVD-s will be used by teachers during classes.6. Worksheets will be collected during the training stage.7. Photographs will be taken during the training stage and they will be displayed in the school in order to disseminate the project.8. A booklet “Environmental Management in Furniture Manufacturing” will be written.9. Long term partnership agreements will be concluded among the partners involved in the project. 10. ECVET will be used with a view to the international recognition of qualifications obtained in vocational training.11. Students will find it easier to find employment or set up their own businesses in the furniture industry after they have completed their training. 12. The prestige of the school will improve and the students’ learning motivation will increase at the prospect of participating in professional training stages abroad.