With regard to the objectives initially proposed in the application, Agrupamento de Escolas André de Gouveia assumes that it only achieved some of them, for the reasons described above. However, the school group wanted to promote the link between the theoretical knowledge acquired in the various training components and its practical application, improving the skills and competences of young people and promoting the acquisition of new personal and professional competences in a European work context. At the same time, as a school grouping, it wanted to train a group of qualified students who can respond to the demands of the world of work and globalisation as national and European citizens, which is why it involved the course coordinator, technical and language teachers. As such, with regard to the objectives initially proposed, we can consider that they were achieved by carrying out work-based training in the respective training area, putting into practice the content taught in the various subjects, especially those of a technological and technical nature; there was an improvement in foreign language (English); collaboration, teamwork and coexistence, interrelationship, a sense of autonomy and responsibility, a spirit of help and solidarity were promoted, due to the fact that the students were in a socio-economic environment different from their own, far from family and friends; the students had the opportunity to be and participate in a unique experience, allowing them to come into contact with other realities, different from the economic and social context in which they grew up, since they come from a region with a lot of economic deprivation and little economic/cultural dynamism; by taking part in this project, all the students were able to gauge their skills, validating their own learning, consolidating knowledge and opening up new horizons in terms of know-how and behaviour. Although it was only for 2 weeks, it was an opportunity to get to know a new culture, language, customs, traditions, through new personal, cultural and professional experiences; the students became more aware of and more open to other similar projects, seeing these opportunities as an added value in their professional and personal training, as well as a driving force for sustainable economic growth and the opening up of new job opportunities in the national and European space.
At Agrupamento de Escolas André de Gouveia, the dropout rate is high, as can be seen in the educational programme. Attendance is a constant problem and learning difficulties in general subjects are evident. On the other hand, the students are successful in technical subjects. However, every year we come up against difficulties in finding work placements for these students, with around 2 or 3 students being allocated to each company and some staying at school, which makes it difficult for them to learn in a work context. Évora is a small city and there are fewer and fewer companies available to carry out FCTs (Training in Work Context) As such, the FCT carried out on a European scale provides students with personalised, student-centred training, with innovative approaches, in order to develop digital integration in teaching and the development of group projects in an international context, giving them greater employability opportunities and openness in the job market, as well as great language skills in English. Initially, these students were to carry out their FCT, all in a mobility context in Ireland/Galway. However, due to Covid-19 and also the fact that the teacher responsible for the project was placed at a different school, this brought some constraints and difficulties to the implementation of the project. However, Agrupamento de Escolas André de Gouveia's aim with this project was to place 6 students from the level IV Professional Technical Course in IT Equipment Management on an internship in Galway for just 2 weeks. In addition to the above, the application also aimed to respond to qualification needs and integration into the national labour market, in which the teaching/learning process favours the development of students' technical skills and competences, through the development of personal and professional components, and an international internship becomes an added value for both the students and the companies in the region that will possibly employ these students.