Background and Objectives of the Project:This Erasmus project is the first application done by the business department of our school.Our main intention is to provide our students with a contemporary, job-related training opportunity in an English-speaking country at an accredited institution. Located in the heart of the City of London, with its international, financial and economic markets and institutions as well as its excellent cultural and commercial opportunities, the ECBM is able to offer an ideal location for students who wish to experience, explore and learn about British, European and international business and culture.The Professional Development Programme (PDP) meets the demands of our students, the curriculum for apprentices in the wholesale and foreign trade business and the expectations of the firms. The participants will acquire job-related, intercultural and linguistic competences that will improve their chances on the international labour market.The involved training companies appreciate especially the intense study programme with an oral presentation, a written exam and an executive summary. Successful students will be awarded with a Certificate of the German British Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK London).Number and Profile of Participants:20 apprentices from mainly medium-sized wholesale companies will take part in the project. They will between 17 and 20 years old and will just have finished the second year of their vocational training when the project starts. Some of them have already been abroad on school exchange programmes with their former schools, but none of them has ever had to the chance to join a work-related project.Organization:1. Preparation stage: We will match the course topics with the curriculum of the wholesalers in close consultation with Sarah Iles at the ECBM and set up and sign a Memoranda of Understanding, inform the involved companies, select the participants in a responsible way, organize and book flights and transfer to the airport, take out insurance policies, and prepare the students thoroughly for their stay in London. 2. Main activity: During the project, the ECBM is responsible for the transfer from and to the airport, the arrangements with host families, the course programme, the excursions and the evaluation of the teaching units.3. Follow-up: The apprentices will have to evaluate the whole project, do presentations to inform their classmates and future participants, write an article about their experiences for the "Jahresbericht" and the local newspaperThe main objectives of the programme are to deepen business knowledge, improve professional skills on an international basis and enhance language competence to encourage lifelong learning and mobility.According to the IHK in Germany, companies will have to intensify their international activities in the fields of procurement and logistics. This is only possible when employees get the chance to develop further occupational competences. Language skills in the international trade language English as well as the knowledge of country-specific economic structures will be an advantage in economic competition. The involved teachers will benefit from a close cooperation and exchange of ideas on a European level and the insight into the world trade centre London. These experiences and findings will enter the regular lessens at our school.The ECBM project is supposed to be a further component of the internationalisation strategy of our school. We will use the provided funds in a responsible way (as we have already done in our projects Brigit-compass and Yeast) to obtain the largest possible benefit for our apprentices. It is our aim to develop a lasting, most intensive and regular cooperation with the ECBM in London. The Project shall be open to 20 motivated apprentices each year.