Against this background, the Werner-von-Siemens-Schule, Cologne, wanted to enable trainees in the field of electrical engineering (partly full-time school-based, partly dual) to do a full-time internship of several weeks in a European company from the professional field of electrical engineering in the last two and a half years. The trainees should face and learn to cope with professional situations in a foreign language context in a foreign company. Through these experiences, they are enabled to better assess their professional and linguistic skills and approach similar situations later in their professional lives more confidently and naturally. The exchange is also a cultural experience for the trainees. They get to know other attitudes and ways of life and perhaps gain a new perspective on local conditions. At the same time, our educational staff should be given the perspective of further professionalisation by visiting our partner schools and European companies. In addition to the acquisition of improved (subject-) language competences, didactic peculiarities of the partner schools should be examined as well as special national-specific professional aspects.
In the context of the progressive internationalisation of the world of work, which is particularly affecting Germany as an export and immigration nation, an ever greater ability and willingness to work together with foreign colleagues and to engage in professional activities abroad is demanded of qualified professionals who wish to advance professionally: in subsidiaries, with business partners, in foreign companies. This also applies to professionals in the electronics sector; medium-sized and large German companies are often global leaders and have both an international clientele and international professionals.