The aim of the project was the intensification and expansion of cross-border mobility for young adults. These overseas experiences contribute to the enhancement of communicative competencies in the respective target language, the development of intercultural skills, and the reinforcement of social skills. Living and working abroad should be perceived as an enriching experience that boosts self-confidence and fosters tolerance towards others. These competencies are particularly relevant for the students of our participating institutions. Given the unique economic geography of the schools in the Rhine-Meuse Euregion, where companies increasingly engage in cross-border business relationships, such measures significantly contribute to improving the career prospects of our students. Through internships in the Netherlands, (vocational) high school graduates were specifically empowered to become familiar with the cross-border job market, break down language barriers, and expand their language competencies. This competency gain was additionally certified through the "Euregio Competence" supplementary qualification. The supplementary qualification "European Businessperson" aimed to prepare students for the international job market. This involved expanding sustained linguistic and intercultural action competence, deepening personal and societal attitudes, and, most importantly, assimilating and adapting to a company's culture and its work processes abroad, currently in Ireland and the Netherlands. A major focus was on expanding communicative competencies and enhancing linguistic resources in the foreign language at levels A2-B2, with the goal of being able to use the language receptively and productively in real-life situations. Another key objective of the initiatives was the development of interculturally adept behavior in encounter situations. Students were equipped to draw on an expanded knowledge of cultural commonalities, differences, and peculiarities, enabling them to respectfully navigate culture-specific behaviors and conventions. Our students were also prepared for a globalized job market in the trinational region and beyond, encouraging them to seize professional opportunities abroad across borders. Living and working together are significant characteristics that distinguish the Rhine-Meuse region, and building these attitudes and values across borders through the targeted measures was a central concern. Our central initiatives, "Euregio Competence" and "European Businessperson," further certify these acquired competencies and are intended to enrich the individual educational biography required for our students in a globalized work environment. Through consortium work, we also aimed to achieve our goal of harnessing the potential of synergy effects, such as shared networks. For instance, Berufskolleg Düren has contacts in Belgium that could potentially benefit other consortium members as well. Our school partnership with the Viljandi Vocational Training Center in Viljandi, Estonia, allowed students from the IT field to complete a part of their mandatory internship in a European foreign country. In return, Estonian students could carry out an internship in Aachen, creating added value for both sides. Furthermore, as a vocational college, intensifying contacts with training companies is crucial for us and was further reinforced by the common goal of internationalizing apprentices.
Our project is essentially based on the implementation of internships abroad within Europe. Due to the unique situation of the schools located right in the heart of the Euregion, we consider it an essential part of our educational mission to involve our students in living and working experiences in European countries. In recent years, we have been able to mobilize many students from various educational paths to the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Estonia. Internships abroad in Europe provide an opportunity to experience the working world in a foreign country and to prepare specifically for the international job market – a step that in the past and even today only a few students consider when shaping their professional careers without corresponding educational incentives. Furthermore, it's important to break down prejudices, build confidence in one's own abilities, and foster appreciation and tolerance for other cultures. Imparting these key skills is an important building block in the personal development of our students. The project is a measure aimed at improving future career prospects in the nearby cross-border labor market. For many companies and businesses in the immediate region, Dutch and French-speaking customers are the most important trading partners. Therefore, they are particularly interested in applicants who can demonstrate Dutch and French language skills and who have learned how to interact with customers from these countries during an internship abroad. Institutions in our region thus expect a cross-border citizen who views the European abroad, especially the Euregion, as their living and working space.