The main goal of the project was the connection of the training in the school with the world of work and an upper lever of education and training inside Vocational Training Institutes (level 5) in Greece. Other goals we had to achieve were: To increase the competitiveness of the participants and increase their chances of finding a job in our country and abroad, to inform the participants for the way that their specialty works abroad, to enrich their knowledge and obtain technical know-how in their specialty, to bring back the best practices to obtain skills and abilities which are recognized similarly in the whole Europe, to meet and make new partnerships and create contacts for their professional future, to familiarize themselves with mobility in another country, to learn to communicate in the basic structure of a foreign language, to meet a new culture which will help them to understand their national as well as their European identity. All these could give them many advantages in the labor market mainly in North Macedonia and in another European country. The students gained competitive advantages that will help them to find a job or to start their own company. With the experience that they acquired from their participation in the program, the ability to travel in another European country and the skill to communicate in the basic structure of a foreign language they can create extra options to seek for job inside and outside of the country’s borders. They met people and built associations and complicities with organizations with whom they are able now to communicate through technology for any issue related to their specialty (new trends, information exchange, new techniques, etc.) via more flexible learning methods.
The textile industry has a special importance for the national economy of North Macedonia for its meaningful participation in the creation of employment and exports. In the past twenty years, this industry has won the role of the cradle of private entrepreneurial initiatives. The opportunities for balanced regional development that textile industry offers are another important feature. The globalization trends and the Macedonian companies’ growing tendency for presence in foreign markets bring great challenges for the textile industry and for the national economy. The developed countries in Europe completely restructured their textile industries, by keeping the creative activities of the manufacturing process in their own terms and transferring production facilities in other less developed countries. This favorable trend was reflected in the development of the Macedonian textile industry. Our organization and the schools of the consortium have a vision to acquire new teaching and learning practices through European projects, to transfer best practices from other developed EU countries and to increase awareness of training opportunities provided in EU countries. Through this project, we intended to get the knowledge needed in order to be able to propose, implement, supervise and control the teaching process in the future. It also helped us develop international partnerships and build the competent staff able to respond to the challenges of their profession and rapid change in the modern world of work. Specific reasons are: - Opening schools at international level; - Establishing cooperation with educational institutions in Greece in order to improve the knowledge and expertise of students and employees; - Monitoring European standards in education; - Providing quality education through efficient use and improvement of human resources; - Nurturing and developing the principles of lifelong learning of employees and students; - Developing the entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, creativity, personal and professional competencies, and universal human values through fostering tolerance and intercultural understanding.