The main objective of the project was to cooperate with a foreign school for vocational competence training and, through the exchange of experience and the implementation of the so-called 5 steps, to enable our students and graduates to achieve professional success in the labour market. The specific objectives of the project were: 1) development of the students' interpersonal skills: communicativeness, including in English, creativity, resistance to stress, teamwork skills, independence, 2) increase of the students' professional competences: self-presentation, knowledge of vocational English, development of digital skills, knowledge of labour law, duties and rights of young workers, 3) increase of students' motivation to learn a profession and plan their careers, 4) increase of students' awareness of environmental problems and counteracting climate change, 5) increase of employers' involvement in the professional preparation of young people and their introduction to work, 6) development of the "First Job" implementation programme, 7) establishing contact with a foreign partner and learning from each other, 8) meeting the needs of groups with fewer opportunities and bridging the gap in access to the labour market.
The project responded to the noticed problems in the partner organisations and was a response to the needs of the target groups revealed during diagnoses and research carried out in the organisations. These revealed, among other things, a lack of motivation of students of vocational schools to learn vocational skills, a lack of preparation of students for professional activities, including their first jobs, low digital competences of students, socio-economic, psycho-physical and geographical barriers limiting the chances of young people on the labour market, low self-esteem of students and a lack of self-presentation skills, a lack of support for students in the process of career planning, as well as a lack of knowledge and sensitivity of students to the problems of environmental protection and climate change prevention. We considered that the partnership and joint activities of the schools in cooperation with the employers where the students carry out their apprenticeships would contribute to the achievement of high-quality results that meet the needs of the target groups. We felt that small-scale partnerships would contribute to achieving the project's objectives and bringing about the necessary changes in organisations