All partners were aiming at enabling our participants to gain an excellent mobility experience, we wanted to help them upgrade their speaking abilities in the English language or teach them the basics of the Spanish/Portuguese language. We worked hard to broaden their horizons to such an extent so that foreign languages are no longer be a problem but a challenge, we wanted them to understand the notion of multicultural existence and be able to live among and with different kinds of people, help them adapt to intergenerational environment. We also wanted to encourage the use of their professional skills in foreign work environment and gain new professional skills (mostly the development of entrepreneurial and digital competences), including generic competences which are becoming increasingly sought after by employers. It is necessary they became aware of the importance of lifelong as well as intergenerational learning and training as Europe offers excellent opportunities for international cooperation, networking and exchange of expertise. Student mobility experience has so far – according to our long-term experience – immensely contributed to their strengthened self-confidence, improved self-worth as well as their linguistic, intercultural and digital competences. In majority were are developing entrepreneurial skills and competences but as we also carry out other educational programmes within our respective schools, the students of the latter have also been involved in the project to ensure equal opportunities.
Consortium of Schools of Economics of Eastern Slovenia (member schools: Celje School of Economics, Grammar School Celje – Center, Murska Sobota School of Economics, Secondary School of Economics and Grammar School Maribor, Secondary School Slovenj Gradec and Muta, Novo mesto School of Economics) formed partnership with partners in Spain, Ireland, Malta and Portugal for the purpose of collaborating in the mobility project for our secondary school students from five of our regions that was planned to take place from June 2019 until June 2020 but had to be extended twice due to force majeure (COVID-19) so that we were able to carry out all the planned mobilities. We are aiming at organising work placements for 130 of our secondary vocational and technical school students as well as those of grammar school of economics for a period of 2, 3 or 4 weeks respectively depending on their programme. The duration of their work placements was adjusted to their curricula.