The HAK students were supposed to complete part of their mandatory commercial work placements in a foreign language environment abroad. They should have been able to apply and enlarge their theoretical knowledge and skills in practice. As the work placements would have taken place in an unfamiliar work environment abroad, the acquisition of more specialized professional skills should have been combined with the acquisition of advanced foreign language and intercultural skills. The students should gave gained the skill to get by in an unfamiliar work environment und be able to carry out assigned tasks and responsibilities independently even if German was not the language of business.
The HAK students must complete mandatory work placements of 300 hours in order to graduate. It is the aim of VBS Schönborngasse to provide the students with high-quality education and vocational training that prepares them for the future employment market. International work placements are one possibility to suppport the students in that regard. In addition, organising international work placements is an opportunity for VBS Schönborngasse to position itself as a school with a network of international partners and to attract particularly interested students. Unfortunately, the project could not be carried out due to COVID-19.