Sint-Lambertusinstituut, a school in Heist-op-den-Berg would like to apply for a subsidy to realise a student trainee workplacement. So far, no traineeships abroad have been organised in our technical/vocational school, but as we focus on science and technical skills we want to move on. We not only continuously work towards a quality upgrade of our educational system, we also commit ourselves to the European STEM-project. The foreign traineeship that we have in mind, perfectly fits in with our vision of the future. The company we are joining forces with, offers pupils of 2 different specialisations the opportunity to collaborate in an interdisciplinary way in an international context. The project can be subdivided in 2 components. During 2 weeks in 2016 2 pupils of the specialisation Carpentry and 2 of Mechanical Processes get the opportunity of working as a trainee at Reynaers in Ireland. This company is a leading European specialist in the development and marketing of innovative and sustainable aluminium solutions for windows, doors, curtain walling, sliding systems, … In 2017 the procedure is repeated, but this time 3 students of each discipline are welcomed. What’s the idea? The pupils will improve their expertise when dealing with new materials and new techniques. They will complete the learning process in an interdisciplinary and integrated way. The future carpenters are expected to construct a window, while the mechanics in spe will manufacture metal parts and related materials for this window. They arrange the ordering of the items, the delivery of the goods and the installation of the finished articles at their final destination. This will be a once in a life time experience for them! What’s more, the pupils of the 2 specialisations will work together in the same project. This matches the school’s view on teaching, which is both experimental and integrated. The traineeship will form part of the pupils’ final examination. Every aspect of this exam is to be found back in the preparation, the traineeship, the evaluation and the dissemination of acquired expertise (improvement of communicative skills, perfection of technical knowledge in an experimental and integrated way, the shaping of intercultural learning and the development of interdisciplinary achievement levels). This traineeship completely fits in the European STEM-project. In today’s European society, the importance of ‘science, technology, engineering and mathematics’ is being stressed. On the one hand society needs specialised scientists, on the other hand citizens need a basic scientific and technical knowledge. The requirements of the corporate world are of extreme value in our courses. That’s why we cherish the contribution of our partner, Reynaers, in our project. They will co-operate intensively to outline the content of the project. On top of this they engaged themselves to coach our pupils very closely and to give them well-founded feedback. The company shows willingness to guarantee the pupils a profound traineeship, an excellent preparation for their professional life. On the other hand, they count on our students to honour the reputation of Reynaers. Being able to do an apprenticeship in Ireland will stimulate our pupils’ personalities. They will be involved with all the preparations: they will make contact with their housing, they will introduce themselves to the company and they will show their ability to live independently. Firstly, living in Ireland for two weeks will certainly broaden their view of life. Secondly, they will get the chance to practise their English skills. And finally, the foreign experience will help them with their future professional career. The pupils’ communicative skills will be trained in school in order to socialise more easily. They are expected to use today’s media (like skype, e-mail) responsibly to communicate. We are sure that Vlaanderen is in need of creative youngsters with a profound technical knowledge in order to develop high-tech products. It’s our goal to educate in a challenging, experimental, project based and integrated manner. On top of this we cherish respect for the personality and well-being of every pupil.