The aim of the project called ‘BUILDING BRIDGES’ was to improve the quality of education in our college as well as to increase the job opportunities for our graduates. We also wanted to give our teachers the opportunity to experience "state of the art" techniques and gain knowledge during their "job-shadowing-trips or teaching assigments in other schools". The internships abroad performed by our students improved their subject and language skills significantly. Additionally, a pro-European attitude among the students and the teachers of our college was encouraged.
The “Parents' Association of the HTL Villach”, which consists of a group of engaged parents accompanied the project administratively. The association was founded in 1974 and has guaranteed sustainability ever since. The project was organized at a daily basis by the “ERASMUS OFFICE at HTL Villach”. A ‘core team’ consisting of four teachers and a support team of about ten additional teachers carried out the entire project administratively. Our students performed well on the European labor market and gathered precious working experience during the internships. Therefore, it can be said that their employability on a competitive labor market has definitely increased. Furthermore, their independence, self-confidence, and their approach and attitude to the project “Europe” has developed positively. During the project we succeeded in expanding our ERASMUS NETWORK throughout Europe. In this three-year project (due to Corona, it has been one year extended) 36 travel activitis tooked place, out of that 6 teacher- assigments and 30 trips of talented and highly motivated students who completed their internships either at our partner school’s workshops or in private-sector companies in different EU countries. ERASMUS ensured and provided the funding as well as the legal framework for this project and supported admionistratively. In return, the HTL- Villach received a number of trainees and guest lecturers from our partner schools. More detailed, six teachers of our school traveled to different European countries to take part in ‘Job Shadowing’ programs to learn about the newest and most advanced technical developments directly onsite or taught themselves in our partner schools.. They incorporated and applied this newfound information and expertise to their own work in Austria (Know-how-transfer). These "Job Shadowing” and study visits were scheduled for brief periods, lasting from three to a maximum of six days during school-free days, school holidays, public holidays or bank holidays, in order for not interupting the teaching assigments in our college. For many years we have had successful partnership relations with both our partner schools in Slovenia, Germany, Italy ,Sweden, France and Spain as well as with companies in Poland, Croatia, Germany, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany and Finland. We carried out our first ERASMUS PLUS project together with them, and due to the positive experience and feedback, they were and are still keen to host or employ our students again. In addition, we could gain other companies that are prepared to employ our students.Due to Corona, some of our companies "broke away". In the last 15 years, about 350 students from our college have been sent abroad to do their internships. These internships were organized primarily by Prof. Mag. Ewald Langer’s (a member of the core-managment team of this project) own initiative, folowed by the initiative of Prof. Dipl. Ing. Gerd Wochein. The built-in quality assurance measures (MOU's, Learning agreements, ECVET evaluation procedures and project visits) ensured the educational quality of training at a high level. Workshop teachers, language teachers, engineers and general education instructors evaluated the quality of training and accompanied the trainees during the overall process. To ensure mutual and reciprocal control in project management, the “four-eyes” principle was employed. The authorities of the management of the project (the project manager as well as his deputy) and the finance management (the chairwoman and the treasurer of the parents’ association) were separated parties. The project was implemented successfully and we are about to start the next project a soon as possible. We kindly thank the EU and their Erasmus Management /National Agency for giving us the opportunity for such a great project. The students and teachers of the HTL Villach.