Project name: Look abroad – gain experience Erasmus+ 2014 The background of this project is the 12 week (minimum) internship required by the curriculum of the “Secondary School for Economic Professions” (HLW). The internship is an important part of this dual education (school and occupational training) during the five years at this school. The internship can be completed at any kind of business, preferably in the hotel or gastronomy sector. By completing this internship in the hotel or gastronomy sector and the associated work fields (kitchen, service, reception, bar, catering), the students acquire professional advantages and paves the way to self-dependence. Goals: *Application and expansion of knowledge, skills and qualifications learned at school. *Improving employability on a national, European, and international level. *Improving mobility and flexibility. *Strengthening of life skills, personality and autonomy. *Growth of self-dependence and self-determination. *Coping with challenges and assigned tasks in a foreign country and unfamiliar surroundings, using a foreign language, and learning to live and work in a multicultural environment. *Improvement of language skills in English, French, and Spanish *Promoting intercultural dialogue *Forming new friendships *Getting to know different organizations and cultures, different company structures and operational procedures Number and profile of the participants: Nine students will complete their internship abroad in summer 2014. The timeframe for the internships is between 1 June 2014 and 30 September 2014. For the students, the school year ends on 31 May and the new school year begins 6 October 2014. For 2014, our target countries and regions are: Corsica, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Malta. These countries have been chosen to improve language skills in French, Spanish, Italian and English. People involved in the project: Head Teacher Erich Hinterleitner; project coordinators Christine Lahninger and Elfriede Maier; language teachers: Philippe Patry, Monika Rucker, Irene Bader, Bianca Schöfbänker, Christiane Gassenbauer; accounting: Martina Schmid. Activities: The compulsory internship complements the knowledge and skills gained in the relevant school subjects (Kitchen and Service, Business organization, Business Administration) with expertness at the workplace in a company. This expertise is a requirement in the following job fields: cook, restaurant specialist, hotel and restaurant trade commercial assistant. The participants will gain experience especially in the fields of kitchen, service, bar, reception, housekeeping. Methods of project implementation: For the implementation of this project, ECEVET elements (learning agreement, cooperation agreement, European mobility pass) will be used. The cooperation agreement is the frame for cooperation between the sending and the receiving institutions. In this document, the specific tasks and criteria for successful cooperation are regulated. The learning agreement aims to improve transparency and to ensure that the intern will be assigned tasks commensurate to their level of competence and the educational goals. An internship contract will regulate the employment. The receiving institution will issue the internship certificate and voice their feedback in a form. Workshop to prepare for the stay, compilation of a final report. Results, effects and benefits: Learning life skills, improving self-confidence and self-management, expansion of the horizon will have positive effects on class instruction. The participants realize the importance of foreign languages and gain more motivation in learning English, French and Spanish. The internship abroad is an important advertising vehicle for our school and is becoming more and more popular. Parents and students recognize the effects of this project, more job opportunities and better possibilities to enter employment. With great enthusiasm, the students present the results of the internships to the following third classes. The participants create portfolios, reports, power point presentations, and posters to show their experiences. Presenting the project at the open day.