The Lubelskie Province is one of the poorest Polish regions (according to the data of 2009, GDP per capita amounted to PLN24 000 and the percentage share of the Lubelskie in GDP amounts to only 3.7% - data provided by GUS - Central Statistical Office) According to GUS data, in 2013 college or university jobless graduates constituted 13.6 % of all the unemployed in Poland (2.8% increase in comparison with last year) and in the Lubelskie – respectively 16.7% (4% increase – data provided by Regional Employment Agency). People who completed general secondary or vocational education are in even worse situation as over 30% graduates register themselves as unemployed right after finishing school. Thus Zamojskie Towarzystwo Oświatowe wants to open up an opportunity to obtain jobs and gain new professional experience in innovative German companies. Since 2013 it has created proper conditions for education in the following professions: industrial mechanic, precision mechanic and mechatronic together with leading German companies within the framework of Polish-German Technical School. The project responds to the following needs and issues: - the need for practical vocational education in modern, innovative, international companies of technical profile (students and teachers) - lack of possibility (due to the lack of such companies) to serve an internship with companies which possess modern machinery stock (CNC, CAD, SPS) and innovative management systems, including innovation management, - the necessity of developing language skills and increasing professional mobility of teachers and students in the situation of a globalizing labour market, - the problem of the youth’s poor willingness to train for technical professions, - the need to develop the ability to work in multicultural teams and improve multicultural communication skills (students and teachers) Project objectives: - within the years 2014-2016 and two one-month placements in modern German companies, 16 students will gain practical professional experience according to requirements, principles and procedures connected with performing the following professions: industrial mechanic, precision mechanic and mechatronic; - within the years 2014-2016 and two one-month placements 16 students will develop practical language skills in German; - within the years 2014-2016 and two one-month placements 16 students will establish contacts with modern and innovative German companies; - within the years 2014-2016 and two one-month placements 3 teachers of vocational subjects will gain practical experience in requirements, principles and procedures connected with performing the professions of industrial mechanic, precision mechanic and mechatronic in modern German companies; - within the years 2014-2016 and two one-month placements 3 teachers of vocational subjects will develop practical language skills in German Project results and outcomes: Students and teachers will: - gain new competence and widen their trade knowledge; - develop the skills of working and communicating in multicultural groups; - get to know principles and procedures of managing global enterprise; - sustain and develop contacts with foreign partners concerning conducted classes; - develop working and communication language skills during exchanges, meetings and international workshops; Due to the project implementation Zamojskie Towarzystwo Oświatowe will: -develop international cooperation and intensify its contacts with foreign partners; - create an opportunity to sustain high position of Szkoły Społeczne im. Unii Europejskiej in Zamość in its educational activity; - create mechanisms and procedures for supporting teachers and students in the field of modern technical education; - open up an opportunity to create a modern centre for technical education in Zamość, in peripheral region, which will have supraregional influence. Due to the project implementation partner institutions will: - get to know the functioning of Polish education system; - obtain knowledge about problems concerning technical education in Eastern Europe via mutual education; - create grounds for cooperation with teachers and potential economic partners from Central Europe; - open up an opportunity to obtain well-prepared employees for their companies in Germany and Poland (all of them have their subsidiaries here) The project will also influence other target groups: - cooperation with German partners will widen partner contacts between Zamość and Schwäbisch Hall ( this year we are celebrating 25th cooperation anniversary) - teachers participating in the project will have a role of a “transmission belt” and convey the gained knowledge to their local community, including public schools.