Exchanging experiences and cooperating with parties outside the county and internationally has proved beneficiary in previous projects and it is seen as a good way to strengthen the education sector through international cooperation. The purpose of including the county´s different schools of Vocational Education in the Erasmus + project “Vocational skills of tomorrow” (VST) is to start a long-term commitment in international cooperation for vocational education and training in Örebro County. Through the VST-project schools and municipalities, by themselves or in cooperation with each other, will continue to take part in international projects and networks. The implemented activities will be conducted with this long-term perspective will have an effect on several levels. It will affect individuals, groups, schools, municipalities and the county. It will also contribute to the development of the international parties and an added value to Europe.
One challenge in Örebro county is to make students more employable after finishing vocational education. Difficulties related to this challenge is the language barriers of immigrants in the vocational education and their ability to gain competences that will make them employable. For disabled students, learning difficulties related to their marginalized abilities are the main issue making them less employable. For both these groups of vocational learners the education methods could be improved to tackle these problems and collaboration between their respective schools and companies in the region is a big issue that could also increase their possibilities for employment. In a close dialogue between the various representatives of the vocational education and representatives from the county, international exchange through Erasmus+ mobility have been identified as one solution for tackling the challenges. Previous EU-projects have proved to be extremely beneficial for a strengthened education sector. The purpose of including the county´s different schools of Vocational Education in the “Vocational skills of tomorrow” (VST) is to start a long-term commitment in international cooperation for vocational education in Örebro County.