The project is aimed at grade 10 and grade 11 students from five schools in the countries participating in the project (Germany, France, Spain, Finland, and England). The goal of the project is to teach students knowledge, skills and competencies which help them to cope with the requirements of future studies (abroad) and of a European job market. Therefore, the students of all participating European countries create an online platform for sharing the information with their peers. Beside the competencies that they acquired in class concerning their choice of career, the students use their experiences and their insights which they gain from being hosts for a workshop with visitors from abroad. These workshops take place in the five participating countries and show the participants the “path from the chosen course of study to enrolment” abroad. The students gain practical experience in the process of their application by giving presentations, taking part in consultations, acting out role plays, filling in forms, and taking part in discussions with their hosts. A “day at uni” with information about organizational aspects of the course of study, possibilities of getting financial help, as well as panel discussions with foreign students at each partner university complement the project. Experiencing everyday life and country specific living conditions in host families abroad describe the framework of a stay abroad. The contacts the students made can be helpful for commencing studies abroad in the future. The host students and teachers plan, organise and accompany the stay (the same framework for all countries!). They use the time of the stay to create, edit or complement materials (worksheets, videos, interviews, reports, contacts etc.) for the online platform. During the complete time span of the project, the participants in the project develop the online platform which offers information for students at school about the course of study and apprenticeship abroad, application processes and forms, concrete instructions, and details of regional contacts. There is the optional possibility to do work experience abroad after the main phase of the project. Using new tools and apps is necessary in creating the materials in order to support the information medially in multiple ways and to make the platform attractive for the target group. This digital competence will be acquired at the project schools (in workshops if requested) and working together and sharing knowledge and skills in the usage of digital media will be offered by the software Adobe Connect as a means of meeting online and doing webinars. To plan and coordinate the project, there will be three meetings of the steering group. This group accompanies the entire process and is responsible for quality management. A special focus will be laid on press and public relations. A PR related strategy shall guarantee the distribution of the initiatives and ideas. Furthermore, participating in the project is a possibility for the students of the GaR to acquire a certificate from the CertiLingua Label.
The transition period from the end of compulsory or upper secondary school to the next phase of further or tertiary education is a vital part in the biography of teenagers and young adults. In this context, schools play an important role in supporting and counselling their students on their way to prepare for the world of work and to find a suitable placement after school. Therefore, careers orientation is the focus of the participating schools’ activities and an integral part of their quality development. the project supplemented these activities in the way that it used the schools’ expertise on the subject of career counselling and their network of contacts in universities, the regional employees, professional career counselors, etc. At the same time, the project broadened the schools’ focus and know-how and integrated the students in the process of career orientation. The goal of the project was to teach students knowledge, skills and competencies which help them cope with the requirements of future studies (abroad) and of a European job market. Therefore, the students of all participating European countries created an online platform for sharing the information with their peers. Beside the competencies that they acquired in class concerning their choice of career, the students used their experiences and their insights which they gained from being hosts for a workshop with visitors from abroad. These five workshops took place in the five participating countries and showed the participants the “path from the chosen course of study to enrolment” abroad. The students of the respective school prepared the workshop week together in advance according to the interests of the students from the other schools and the regional opportunities of universities, employers, etc. The students gained practical experience in the process of their application by giving presentations, taking part in consultations, acting out role plays, filling in forms, and taking part in discussions with their hosts. A “day at uni” with information about organizational aspects of the course of study, possibilities of getting financial help, as well as panel discussions with foreign students at each partner university complemented the project. Thus, the workshops in each school were organized similarly. This repetitive structure of visits to universities and regional employees, application writing, conducting job interviews in role plays, etc. was advantageous as it showed the participating students similarities and differences between the different countries. To plan and coordinate the project, there were three meetings of the steering group. This group accompanied the entire process and was responsible for quality management. The project was aimed at students from the five participating schools in Germany, France, Spain, Finland, and England who were in their last year of compulsory education and in their first year of upper secondary education. The core project group consisted of 16 students from each school, i.e. 80 students in total, plus a number of about four students at each school that participated in selected activities or supported the project without going abroad themselves. The project group was heterogeneous with regard to gender, professional and personal interests, school performance, etc. During the complete time span of the project, the participants in the project developed the online platform which offers information for students at school about the course of study and apprenticeship abroad, application processes and forms, concrete instructions, and details of regional contacts. The participating students benefited from the project in multiple ways. They enhanced their skills with regard to language, intercultural communication, personal and social competencies, information and communications technology (ICT) and their knowledge concerning options after school in further and tertiary education, gap year opportunities, job descriptions, as well as financial and accommodation aspects for the time after school and leaving home. They also received a certificate of attendance for their mobility, their project participation was recorded for their school certificates and they acquired in the Europass. Moreover, the online platform they created -www.internationalcareercentre.eu- can be used by students from Europe and all over the world to find out about the participating countries lifestyle/culture, opportunities concerning universities, apprenticeships or job placements, about how to finance their higher education and where to find accommodation. The online platform was created by teenagers and young adults for their peers. Furthermore, it is still work-in-progress, i.e. more information will be uploaded by the participating schools and it can be extended to other countries that want to send in their information as well.