Project background We are a public vocational school for commercial trainees (1633 students) located in Straubing/Lower Bavaria, 2 Berufsfachschulen are affiliated. We promote our students and emphasize the theoretical mediation of learning contents and the students’ linguistic, professional and personal development. Our school intends to provide optimal conditions for doing so and to develop itself further in regard of quality management and internationalization. Aims The regional training companies are increasingly operating on a global basis. More and more students think about joining internationally operating companies or working abroad. We would like to offer them opportunities to increase their competences and working techniques. The mobility “work experience in Europe II”, implemented with the European College of Business and Management (ECBM) London, contributes to this. Number/profile of the participants 40 participants in various commercial apprenticeships with secondary school certificate or higher education entrance qualification; Activities This mobility is offered in 2 flows (autumn 2015 and16). Each of our students can apply regardless of occupation and form/grade. Required: letter of motivation in English, europass CV, language passport, interview in English with the EU-team, KMK-English-Certificate. School administration, English teachers, class teacher, pupils’ representatives and training companies are implemented in the selection process. All participants close a detailed contract with highly specified learning agreements and a quality commitment with the sending and receiving institution. The participants attend 2 meetings (a total of 25 hours) as well as an online course (individual, flexible); here they get subject-specified input, learn and repeat new facts about the English language, improve their cultural awareness and organizational talent as well as their social and soft skills. Realization/management is done by the English teachers of our school. This mobility plans a three week stay in London, one week at a college and two weeks doing a placement in companies in London. The participants will sleep at host families. 1st week: Special course at the ECBM “Professional Development Programme” (final exams) 2nd and 3rd week: 10-day business placement, usually one intern per company (placement takes place in cooperation with the ECBM, a placement agency, our school, the training companies, the participants themselves or companies from Straubing, which have business relations with England). All companies having an intern name one person in charge, which has to overview the success of the learning agreements so that the agreed on targets according to the ECVET will be achieved. At least one teacher will be on site and the contact person. The teachers will visit the ECBM and the internship companies to be able to have a monitoring. All students have to attend a compulsory meeting (2/3 times a week), where a debriefing takes place. Culture/leisure programme: Alternative Walking Tour, trip to Brighton, Greenwich, London City, theatres, musicals etc. By experiencing own activities, the students’ self-reliance will improve, too. Evaluation: Preparation and realization of this arrangement will be supervised and evaluated (evaluation form and conversations). All participants have to keep a record book and the coordinators visit the companies Intended results, impacts and long-term benefits Participants • Increase in job-related skills, language and occupational competence • A higher level of empathy and cultural awareness • An improvement in their communication skills and their capability of working in a team • Positive development of their personality and self-reflection • Using these newly acquired skills in the companies, at school as well as their further professional career • Better grades • Application portfolio gets improved (updating of Europass-CV and language passport, Europass mobility and various certificates) • Higher competitiveness on the job market • An increased willingness to work and live abroad • Long-term ties with companies and host families; new friendships develop School and other stakeholders • Enlargement of the methodical competences of the EU-team (language, country-specific knowledge, getting to know English companies, institutions and job-related circumstances...) • Enhancement of occupational competence by managing the project • Providing authentic material for class and exchange among the teachers (intranet, further education inside the school, symposia) • European perspectives for human resource development • Coming placements for teachers at the companies visited • Our school will be positively recognised in public, according to our strategy of internationalisation • Interconnectedness and improved cooperation among all institutions involved in Germany and abroad (eg chamber of commerce) • Synergy effects for the business region Straubing