The course of study relevant for this application prepares students for their final examination as bilingual/ multilingual secretaries. The main subjects are foreign languages and business studies/ accountancy. Students have nine lessons of English and four lessons of Spanish per week. Thus, the course of study that these VET students attend is particularly oriented to the European dimension of the labour market. It is important for them to get to know this European dimension not only in theory but also in practice. At the same time, their motivation for acquiring foreign languages and for future fields of work is strengthened and their professional profile is sharpened. Their personal development is stimulated and they can improve their employability in a labour market that is increasingly europanized. Strengthening their motivation will have positive effects on their performance at our VET school. The results of the project on investigating marketing strategies in Ireland will be used as a module that contributes to lessons in business studies/ accountancy and will make other VET students aware of the European dimension of the labour market, too. Preparatory steps in autumn/winter of 2014/15: - Acquiring general theoretical background knowledge on marketing strategies - Drawing up questionnaires for interviews on specific marketing strategies of the companies - Introduction to the cultural history and the socioeconomic development (GDP etc.) of the receiving country, exercises in intercultural awareness (preparatory course) Activities to be realized in the receiving country: 1st week: Getting to know the company and employees; observation period 2nd/ 3rd week: Carrying out interviews and recording results with the help of various forms of presentation; regularly reporting partial results to project coordinators of the sending VET school; updating knowledge on cultural history and socioeconomic situation of the receiving country (reading newspapers, study trips, inquiries etc.); documentation 4th week: self-evaluation Follow-up activities in Rheine in summer/ autumn of 2015: - Evaluating the project and preparing project presentation - Multimedia documentation of results/ interviews - Presenting the project in business studies/ accountancy lessons - Preparing the open day of our VET school/ a radio programme for the local radio station - Developing a sequence of lessons on marketing to be used in business study/ accountancy lessons of next year´s students (“students teach students”) Specific aims of the mobility project: The VET students will - learn to act and to prove themselves in a foreign cultural context, as they will communicate and cooperate with colleagues, customers etc. (intercultural learning, team work) - experience differences and common features regarding everyday work situations (e.g. applicability of marketing strategies, hierarchies, solutions to conflicts, cooperation) - strengthen their self-confidence and their social competence - acquire knowledge about the European labour market and will improve their chances to find appropriate employment in the future - have a good look at one particular aspect of business study, i.e. marketing, by preparing their mobility project and by applying their knowledge practically, by verifying and modifying their knowledge (learning by doing) - enhance their competence of vocational English - learn to check and document their work continually (learning independently, time management) - collect their results, analyse them and draw up a presentation and a sequence of lessons on the topic (students teach students) - present their results to otner VET students, VET teachers, parents and other interested persons (on the open day of the VET school, at the information meeting on the relevant course of studies, publication on the homepage of the VET school)