When this project was implemented in our organisation, it was based on the school's vision, the goal of increased implementation and for the pupils to see themselves as Europeans. We have also seen that this project helps develop our students both professionally and personally. We see that they become more independent and aware of the responsibility of being a minority in another country, and also that they get to use English in a more natural way than what they do at school, as they have to use English as an everyday language while they are in Spain. We have experienced that students improve their English grades after they return home, because they become more confident in speaking English.
Ørsta vidaregåande skule have been running our internationalisation project in Spain for 11 years, with a break during the pandemic. We were thrilled to start the project again in 2023. We applied for funding because of the experiences we have. We see that students have developed both professionally and personally. We have many good examples of their development, such as better grades in English and in their professional field of work. The vision of our school is «Learning through activity and exploration», and we are always working towards this goal. We have a set of rules the students must follow to be considered for joining our project. We have experienced that the internationalisation project is a motivating factor for the students when it comes undocumented absence. The percentage of undocumented absence must be as little as possible to be able to apply. All documented absence must be documented by e.g., doctor, dentist i.e. The main goal for both the country, the county and the school are to increase the number of students getting their diploma and to become apprentices. We find that the internationalisation project is a way to reach this goal. In our European Development Plan, we also mention the importance of the European heritage the Norwegian students are a part of. We find that the students get a deeper understanding of this when they join the project.