The background of the project is primarily the absence of grant schemes in Germany for graduates of apprenticeships or further training modules in VET. It seems this issue can only be addresses through a bid for EU-funding from Erasmus+ on the basis of the cooperation with a tertiary education institution abroad. A similar perspective for designers in the crafts sector, to be admitted to an academic course does currently not exist in Germany. The Birmingham City University has already admitted graduates from the academy of design (chamber if crafts) on numerous occasions in the past. The wide portfolio of study courses of the Institute of Art and Design of the Birmingham City University offers perfect conditions for this project. As the chosen participants belong among the best of their year, they will be chosen according to their past performance. A further qualification abroad will prepare them for leadership tasks in Bavarian crafts enterprises, foundation of a company and network building with international customers. Through conceptioning and implementation of own design-projects the participants will learn to employ and broaden their acquired knowledge and skills. Network-building to an internationally active milieu of designers will open all perspectives to the participants to compete in this environment. During their stay, the participants will be enrolled in a twelve month course in the field of art and design and attend compulsory as well as optional subjects, combining theory, practice and research. The acquired competencies will be tested and evaluated in the Master's thesis. At the level of upper Bavaria and nationally, this project will have a significant impact on the skilled crafts sector itself, as the targeted dissemination of result will yield an image gain. The impact on the participants will be to educate them possessing leadership skills, skills in founding an own design company and international product marketing skills, which will prove as valuable benefits in a very competitive market. In the long-term, this will increase the permeability of the education system nationally and on a European level as well as serve as a model-project to strengthen the compatibility between vocational and academic education.