The Karl-Peter-Obermaier School (KPO) supports its students in their efforts to expand their skills abroad and has therefore been working with foreign partners in various projects for many years. In several mobilities the participating students got to know different vocational training systems and expanded their professional, social and cultural skills in the respective partner schools and companies. The students enjoyed very much getting to know each other, but the evaluations of the projects showed that they predominantly worked in their own national peer groups on assignments. In the context of a stronger international orientation of our school, the focus of the proposed project is now on cooperative development and learning. For example, the goal of the Erasmus + project PADUAR is to achieve a joint product in the field of manufacturing engineering, which will be a result of cross-border collaboration between two vocational schools. Within the dual system the students have therefore the opportunity to get to know each other’s systems for classroom learning as well as the occupational part of the vocational training in the respective partner country. Both schools specialize on different manufacturing processes: While KPO Passau teaches students to use the latest machines available in the field of CNC technology, the partner school in Italy, ITT Marconi, offers training sessions on additive manufacturing processes, performed by a 3D printer. After a preliminary planning and design phase, during which communication among students takes place on internet exchange-platforms, the focus during the mobility will then be to finalize the chosen product (e.g. a bottle opener or a key fob) with the combination of both manufacturing processes. The project will be carried out in three flows (2 flows with 15 participants from Germany to Italy and 1 flow with 30 participants from Italy to Germany). Expected results besides the development and production of a joint product are the acquisition of basic knowledge using additive and CNC manufacturing processes. The imparted subject-specific learning contents are mutually recognized as a part of the vocational training as well as a part of the students’ foreign-language training, such as presentations in English / Italian / German or the development of websites in the different project languages. In addition, intercultural and social skills as well as the acceptance and tolerance towards other cultures will increase. The participants can use their exchange experiences right away in their further vocational training and their professional lives afterwards. This mobility will significantly broaden the students’ horizon and hence increase their flexibility for a professional career abroad.
In the project applied for, the focus was now on the joint development and joint learning within the framework of an increased international orientation of our school. Thus, the aim of the Erasmus+ project PADUAR is to create a product from manufacturing technology as a result of cross-border cooperation between two schools from the vocational education sector. Due to Corona, numerous virtual conferences took place via MS Teams, where the focus was on getting to know the partners and planning preparations for the production of a miniature APE that can be controlled remotely with an app. The respective production steps were divided up according to the individual strengths of the participating partners. For example, ITT Marconi from Padua was in charge of the design and prototyping of the APE, as it has the necessary programmes and additive manufacturing technologies. The Italian students served as tutors for the German participants because of their experience. The working language throughout the project was English. Furthermore, special body components of the APE were created with the help of joining processes, which were prepared for further processing in Germany. With the help of our company partner ZF Friedrichshafen AG, the students were able to gain an insight into subsequent technical occupational fields at the Italian branch and deepen their knowledge in practical workshops (gearbox assembly/disassembly). In Germany, the dual system of vocational training was also reflected in the programme, as the theoretical basics were taught at the Karl-Peter-Obermaier-Schule Passau (KPO) in order to apply them later "hands-on" in the partner company to construct the APE. In workshops, the participants gained knowledge in the following areas: CNC programming, Arduino programming, measuring methods, soldering, electro-pneumatics and robotics. At the end of the programme, the remote-controlled miniature APE was manufactured and successfully commissioned. In the context of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the use of AGVs (automated guided vehicles) in company automation lines was also addressed and simulated. Due to Corona, the project was only carried out in two flows (2x 15 participants each from Germany and Italy).