Business Management assistants are increasingly required to develop their foreign language skills and intercultural competencies. Therefore, our project "KID 2020" aimed at the following: enabling trainees to apply and broaden their professional competencies as acquired at their training companies and at BSW, become acquainted with operational procedures in an Irish company, get to know the Irish culture and lifestyle, develop an understanding of the country's history, expand their oral and written English skills. All participants benefitted from the programme long-established at BSW, as they did not only advance their intercultural and foreign language skills, but could also utilize these experiences at their companies at home. Besides, the dual training system in cooperation with BSW becomes more attractive to future trainees and their training companies.
In accordance with the enhancement of the European integration, educational institutions as well as internationally operating businesses are asked to give the coming generation an understanding of the benefits of a common Europe. This is particularly true at times when European collaboration is put to the test. Therefore, Berufliches Schulzentrum Wangen (BSW), a vocational school in southern Germany, is also aiming at the promotion of international job mobility and the corresponding competences in its training courses for business management assistants. Against this background, our project "KID 2020" gave 27 business management trainees at local manufacturing and wholesale companies the opportunity to closely experience business procedures at an Irish company. As part of the project, they completed a three-week placement at various Dublin businesses.