Erasmus Project Goals Our Erasmus project was designed with a multi-faceted approach to enhance the international experiences of our students and staff. The core objectives of this initiative were as follows: 1. Student Mobility and Financial Support A primary goal was to provide crucial financial support to students in the International Trade program. Many of these students face significant expenses during their mandatory two-month internships abroad, as they often receive no bonus or accommodation assistance from their host companies. The Erasmus grants were essential to making these international internships financially viable and accessible for all students. 2. Encouraging International Internships Our goal was to actively promote international internships for students in our Tourism program. While not a mandatory requirement, an international work placement offers invaluable professional experience and a global perspective, especially in this professional field. The Erasmus project was a key tool in encouraging these students to broaden their horizons and prepare for careers in the international tourism industry. Similarly, we aimed to encourage students in the Hospitality and Catering program to undertake their longer, four-month internships abroad. We knew that the extended duration of these internships could be a deterrent, and therefore, a core objective was to highlight the long-term career benefits and provide the necessary support to make these opportunities attractive and achievable. 3. Staff Development and Institutional Expansion A significant component of our project was to foster professional development among our staff. This included: • Training and Job Shadowing: We offered staff mobility opportunities for both training and job shadowing. This was particularly crucial for teachers who needed to refresh or improve their English language skills, as they teach professional subjects in English. • Strengthening Partnerships: This project was also carried out to deepen our existing cooperation with ITS MALTA and expand our network by establishing a new partnership with Saint-Paul's Missionary College. • Integrating Administrative Staff: We aimed to include our Erasmus office staff in these mobility opportunities. Direct contact with international partners provides them with a deeper, more concrete understanding of the project's real-world impact and strengthens collaborative efforts. What We Wanted to Achieve Through Our Erasmus Project Our core objective in implementing this Erasmus project was to go beyond a transactional mobility scheme and cultivate a truly European dimension within our institution. We aimed to provide our students with a transformative learning experience, enabling them to develop a range of competencies critical for their future careers. Our core objective in implementing this Erasmus project was to go beyond a transactional mobility scheme and cultivate a truly European dimension within our institution. We aimed to provide our students with a transformative learning experience, enabling them to develop a range of competencies critical for their future careers. 4.Going further : -Enhancing Student Employability and Skills is one aim. Having an international experience partially financed by Erasmus boosts their language skills, their adaptability, and their ability to work in multicultural teams—all highly valued attributes in the modern workforce. By integrating the internship abroad into our curriculum and making the post-mobility report a graded component of their final ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training) assessment, we ensured a high level of academic and professional rigor. However, we don't consider it as enough. -Fostering Intercultural Competence and European Values is also very important in our institution: Our project was designed to embed the Erasmus spirit and the five European values into our school.. Beyond the mobility itself, we aimed to make students more aware of their shared European identity. The peer-to-peer promotion system, where senior students act as Erasmus Ambassadors, was a central part of this strategy, building a sense of community and ensuring that the knowledge gained abroad is shared and institutionalized at school between junior and senior students. -Strengthening Institutional Internationalization: By actively participating in the Erasmus program, we aimed to deepen our school's commitment to internationalization. This project allows us to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones, creating a network of partner institutions and companies across Europe and beyond. This not only provided our students with a wider array of mobility opportunities but also enriched our pedagogical approach and practices.