Digitalization is associated with enormous hopes, but also with great fears. It has penetrated deeply, quickly and comprehensively into all areas of our lives. This project was intended for the students to develop a better understanding of digitalization and thus also to realize its opportunities and risks. They were supposed to discuss the development of digitalization with members of the organisation, colleagues and their host families. The aim was to understand the different points of view that arose and to suggest possible solutions, such as e.g. to assess the unconditional basic income. The trainees were meant to be qualified for the European labour market. The beneficiaries got involved in a different culture. As a result, they were able to apply and expand important characteristics such as intercultural readiness and flexibility. They were able to excellently develop their communication skills and language skills through daily interaction with “native speakers” in the company, with the host family and in leisure time, as well as through the language course. The beneficiaries enjoy an increase in competences on a professional, foreign language, personal and intercultural level through this Erasmus+ project.
Increasing globalisation brings along new challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, former needs and requirements on vocational competences have to be broadened by international competence, in order to keep the ability to perform really well and to stay competitive on the international market. In order to prepare the apprentices of the Gebhard-Mueller-School for these altered demands, the Gebhard-Mueller-School, in cooperation with its business partners of the dual education system, has prepared a programme, which seeks to make the apprentices ready for a life and their work in a more and more interconnected and coalescent world. The participants will spend four weeks doing a work placement which matches their training course in their home country. Through their participation in this Erasmus+-programme they will gain and improve their self-reliance, flexibility and mobility. Not only are technical and social competences and skills in focus but also their intercultural competences in addition to their intensified skills in the foreign language. This way the entire international competence of the participants can be improved.