The funding applied for within the framework of the project will be used to finance stays abroad for a total of 542 individuals and 30 accompanying persons. 340 apprentices will complete a 3 to 6 week internship specifically suited to their profession, individual level of training, knowledge and skills at a company active in their professional field. IFA will organize internships in small groups starting in fall of 2015. Participation is open for apprentices from every profession and industry from all over Austria. The applicants will be selected based on their technical, linguistic and personal skills. IFA will organize the travel, stay abroad, internship, accommodation and insurance for the participants as well as any necessary accompanying language courses. IFA will also prepare the apprentices and companies organizationally, culturally and linguistically for the stays and ensure the internships are recognized as part of the apprenticeship training in accordance with the Vocational Training Act (BAG). 160 students from vocational schools and colleges will also complete an internship relevant to their professional field that is suitable for their training and level of knowledge. The internships will be organized in close cooperation with the sending schools in order to ensure they are recognized as part of the compulsory internship. Most of the student internships will take place in the summer of 2015. The duration of the internship will range between 3 weeks and 3 months. The content of the internships is defined in terms of the occupational and training profiles and curricula as well as the individual skills of the participants and is specified before the internship begins in a learning agreement between IFA, the participants and the sending and receiving institutions together with the learning objectives that are to be achieved during the internship. Given that a majority of the apprentices are minors, the apprentice groups will be accompanied by an IFA counselor during the first week abroad. The counselor will help the apprentices get settled in the host country and visit all the participating companies to ensure that the content and processes fulfill the learning agreements and objectives. Contact persons at the receiving institution and IFA will be available to support the participants throughout their entire stay abroad. Furthermore, within the framework of the project, 42 training officers from companies and teacher from vocational schools as well as vocational training experts will participate in a week-long workshop to exchange their experiences in order to learn about VET systems in other countries, compare them with the Austrian system and exchange ideas amongst each other and with colleagues from abroad. The goal is to promote the quality, innovation and the European idea in vocational education and training through cross-border exchanges. The participants are multipliers and can share their experiences in companies, schools and throughout Austria and thus contribute to the quality assurance and to the Europeanisation of the Austrian VET system. While abroad, the participants will acquire technical, linguistic, social, intercultural and personal skills and expand their personal and professional horizons. An internship abroad contributes to the strenghtening of important key skills such as teamwork, independence, personal responsibility, flexibility and much more. Experiences abroad promote career opportunities and ensure the future career of the participants and thus the competitiveness of Austrian companies. International exchange increases the overall quality of the Austrian VET. IFA is a non-profit association that has been organizing internships abroad since 1995 for apprentices, professionals and training officers. Since 1995, IFA has helped more than 7,000 people take part in an EU-funded stay abroad. As the applicant and co-ordinating institution, IFA will be responsible for ensuring the quality and proper organization of the project. IFA works with a network of experienced partners in the target countries with whom partnership agreements (Memoranda of Understanding) defining the conditions and quality criteria already exist. IFA has been successfully working together with most of the partner institutions for many years. Throughout the entire stay abroad, there is always someone from the receiving institution, the host company or IFA at the participant’s side to supervise their progress and ensure the quality of the internship. Upon completing the internship, all the participants will receive a “Personal Transcript” outlining the activities completed and knowledge and skills acquired with confirmation from the receiving institution and host company. All internships will be recognized as part of the vocational training in Austria.