In line with the strategic objectives of the ECP's Educational Project and Internationalization Strategy, this project is concerned with combating absenteeism and school dropout and promoting student motivation. These two points direct our focus towards maintaining an equitable and inclusive educational offer. In this project, it was a priority to eliminate barriers that may be placed between ECP students and access to professional, social and cultural experiences at an international level (due to the impact of their socio-economic context) and to contribute directly to the personal and professional development of all those involved. As an Ambassador School for the European Parliament, we also wanted to bridge the gap between young people and the European project, which is mainly due to the lack of direct contact with it. Making them witnesses of European identity through experiences of this scale makes them an indivisible part of the European Union community. Also in this project, the aim was to maintain ECP's position in the international community by consolidating and expanding our network of partners.
The main aim of the project was to continue implementing the internationalization and positioning strategy devised for the Escola de Comércio do Porto. Considering commerce, services, and tourism sectors also have a strong international dimension, we believe that the implementation of the proposed activities and the commitment to training our educators and staff, have a direct and positive impact on the education of their students. Therefore, all mobility experiences that allow students and staff to get to know the reality of these areas of work in situ are an asset to their academic and professional training. Some of the skills identified that act as outstanding enhancers among candidates involved in these projects are: autonomy, proactivity, resilience and resistance to frustration, adaptation to different cultural environments, critical thinking, a sense of belonging and European identity, tolerance and respect for others, greater civic involvement, and the development of skills inherent to their respective vocational area and confidence in using the working language (writing, speaking and comprehension).