The participating apprentices were supposed to be open to new experiences in an international environment, which included interest in a job in an intercultural team abroad, but also the desire to further develop themselves in the area of personality. The planning required a lot of initiative from the participants and the newly gained impressions are impacting. The apprentices should be prepared for the challenges of today's working life in a protected setting and learn important knowledge and skills for their professional life. They are the future of our (international) company and contribute to the long-term marketability of the company. Improving foreign language skills was also another important goal of the project. Flexibility and independent working were also to be improved in order to prepare the apprentices for different working models in the best possible way. Erasmus+ made it possible to learn training-relevant content at other locations and to better understand overall business processes, as not all business processes are available at all locations due to the international work and tasks distribution/division.
In order to offer our apprentices an early insight into today's professional world - and the activities in an internationally positioned and constantly growing company like Merck - in which, among other things, mobility, flexibility, teamwork and language skills are becoming increasingly important, foreign assignments during apprenticeships are an ideal and appropriate opportunity. The apprentices are expected to be involved in events as well as projects and tasks of the host organisations during their stay abroad. Not only learning new ways and methods of working, but also intercultural experience should be gained. A feeling for virtual, cross-border work was also be developed. Self-initiative, self-organised approach and responsibility were emphasised and fostered through the good cooperation with the partner organisations. A long-term added value on both sides for the apprentices as well as for the host organisations was/are in the focus. Intercultural/international relations and established contacts with colleagues, partners and customers were to be strengthened in the long term for a respectful, lively and goal-oriented cooperation.