University College Birmingham is an experienced promoter of mobility projects and plans to send a group of further education to six different destinations across Europe. By using existing and in some cases new partnerships we are able to offer suitable placements to our students who are studying a range of level 3 vocational subjects in specialist areas to include Travel & Tourism, Sport, Hair, Beauty, Food, Hospitality and Health & Social Care. A project team will be established to include the project coordinator who will oversee the day to day running of the project and will work with a team of destination mentors as well as finance assistant, marketing experts and language coordinator. The aim is to give students the opportunity to improve employability skills in order to increase their chances of securing employment in a highly skilled and qualified work force. The opportunity will also assist with building on other skills such as confidence and communication as well as living independently. The plan is to send 80 students on a 3 week work placement in Portugal, Cyprus, Denmark and three different regions in France. Students are aged between 17 yrs old to 19 yrs old and are from a range of backgrounds with the majority being female. Quite a high percentage of students are from underprivileged backgrounds and this is the perfect platform for them to develop and experience an opportunity that may not be available to them through other avenues. The placement opportunity is open to all Further Education students who are invited to apply in the form of a CV and accompanying letter. Students will go through the interview process and if successful will be offered a place on the project. Students will then attend weekly sessions with destination mentors in order to build a rapport with peers and accompanying mentors. Weekly sessions will involve team building activities, fact finding, social events and many other topics. Students will also have to attend weekly language lessons which will consider the vocational settings that the students will be working. Students will be provided with information through this preparation period about the placement and what is expected etc. Students will be accompanied by an experienced mentor who where possible will have knowledge of the vocational area that the student will be placed. Mentors will assess and monitor student progress whilst visiting students on placement and will offer full support and guidance. A full itinerary will be planned in advance so that students have a detailed daily account of activities. Students will work 5 days out of 7 and will attend cultural visits on other days. Students will also meet with mentors at the end of each day to evaluate events. Students will also be required to attend a one to one tutorial with the accompanying mentors where targets will be checked and set. Students will be placed in a range of different settings to include travel &tourism students working as holiday reps, kiddies reps, entertainers or hotel reception. Sport students will work in Water Parks as lifeguards or in hotel leisure centres as gym instructors . Hair students will work in hair salons, hotels or college commercial salons working with their own columns. Beauty students will work in Hair & Beauty salons or 4* Spa hotels performing treatments on clients or product training in some of the Spa's. Chefs will work in large hotel kitchens or small family run restaurants of which some are Michelin star. They will work on all areas of the kitchen including prep, cooking and the passe. Baker students will work in small bakeries and patisseries making specialist breads and chocolates. Hospitaility will work in large hotels mainly front of house in busy tourist resorts. Health & social care students will work in schools, nurseries and creches working with babies and children upto the age of 6yrs. Students will have to attend an evaluation session and meet with the projcet team in order to evaluate all aspects of the project. These meetings will be recorded and put onto DVD's and will be disseminated to all parties concerned including host partners. The marketing team will meet with some of the students and will complete a write up on the students experience which will be displayed on the college Website and face book. Information will also be used to promote the project in the college prospectus and during open days. The project coordinator will be in communication either by email or skype with all host partners on a regular basis in order to ensure as much preparation as possible is completed in advance of the actual placement period commencing. The project coordinator will book all flights, accommodation and ground handling arrangements in advance and where possible in conjunction with host partners. The project coordinator will meet with host partners if any opportunity arises and will organise preparatory visits to any new destinations.