By implementing the SIPS mobility 4 project SIPS wanted to increase the interest of students in entering vocational occupations and the number of students who continue higher education, to reduce the number of students who leave school, to provide better vocational and foreign language knowledge, and skills that are necessary for active inclusion in the labour market. SIPS wanted to improve existing and to introduce new learning outcomes imposed by modern technologies and contribute to the growth and equality of well-being and social inclusion in the EU. For all the above to be implemented in the best and highest quality possible, SIPS provided the students who had not participated in mobility with better education and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills by transferring professional knowledge through the introduction of examples of good practice from the work diaries into classes. By improving professional and linguistic knowledge and cooperating with EU partners, SIPS wanted to encourage linguistic diversity, cross-cultural awareness, lifelong learning, and greater awareness of EU values,contributing to the internationalization of the school as well as the recognition of the school at the national and international level.
The Secondary School of Mechanical Engineering and Traffic in Varaždin (SIPS) has been educating students in the following VET sectors: mechanical engineering and traffic and logistics. SIPS detected that the labour market changes in VET occupations affect several key factors, most importantly the increase in the attractiveness of mechanical and transport occupations, and thus set goals through the internationalization strategy and the application of the project SIPS mobility 4. The project application envisaged cooperation with 8 partners but, due to the pandemic, cooperation was achieved with 5 partners. SIPS connected the practical training of 48 students (46+2 zero grant) with the international vocational education and the labour market and increased the quality of 10 vocational occupations, 5 of them being on the shortage occupation list. Through the implementation of the project, students were provided with better education and knowledge, competences and skills that increased their competitiveness on the labour market. Also, the attractiveness and internationalization of the school increased due to the project.