Background of the project and number and profile of the participants The Hermann-Gmeiner-Berufskolleg intends to dispatch a total of 26 students from the area domestic science and nutrition as well as health, education and social sciences to work placements in Spain, Ireland and England. Students will be given two options concerning the duration of these stays abroad: they can either spend 6 weeks abroad using the obligatory four-week-workplacement of the respective training scheme and adding two weeks of the Easter holidays or they spend four months abroad after the completion of their training. Many of our students have difficulties in finding access to the labour market or to apprenticeships because the can not or only with a lot of effort achieve the formally required qualifications (school leaving certificates). These students often perfom well in practical tasks but less well when challenged with theoretical knowledge. They often lack self-confidence and/or misjudge their own skills and knowledge. Additionally, even students who have few problems at school increasingly need to gain experience abroad if they consider studying at a university or a university for applied sciences because employers expect mobility of their employees and especially of those with a degree. As our school is situated in the German-Dutch border region all our students will have an increasing number of contacts to people in or from other countries as future employees. However, many students have not considered living and working abroad for a while or working across the border. Furthermore, our students' knowledge of English is often limited when it comes to communication and the contact to other cultures is often restricted to school or a private context. A second foreign language is only rarely learned or used. Our students therefore have the following learning needs: to develop their personalities and realistic job prospects matching their skills; to improve their foreign language and intercultural competences; to realistically assess temporary learning and working abroad as a future prospect. Project aims and expected results and effects The project aims are derived from the learning needs described above: increase the participants' employability and scholastic aptitude by improving their job-related, personal, foreign language and intercultural competences as well as their mobility. We expect our students to return from their work placements abroad with enhanced self confidence and openmindedness towards life in different countries, dealing with other cultures and foreign languages and also with a clearer idea concerning their future career. All this ideally results in a successful application for a job or an apprenticeship. For the interns doing their workplacement during their training the main aims will be to gain some insight into working life, to experience themselves in a professional environment and acquire some job-related skills. For students doing their internships after their training the focus will be on the extension of the skills and knowledge gathered during their school-based training. Apart from these future and hard-to-measure results we expect tangible results in the form of an internship documentation in German which contains some parts in English or Spanish, e. g. a film or sound recording, an interview or a power point presentation about the host company. We also expect of our partners and of ourselves as sending organisation an extension of our already gained knowledge about international relations and our organisational skills. Activities and project procedures Our beneficiaries will complete internships abroad in the following occupational areas: the social sector (e.g. creches, senior citizens institutions or youth institutions), the health sector (e. g. hospitals, surgeries or therapy centres), housekeeping and nutrition (e. g. hotels, restaurants or canteen kitchens). Our partners in Spain, England and Ireland organize work placements, accommodation and where applicable language courses and they also act as mentors and supervisors including documentation. Apart from travel arrangements we as sending organisation carry out all tasks connected to insurance, payment transfers and administration on behalf of the beneficiaries. Finances are co-adminstrated by our school board authority, the Kreis Wesel. We are constantly in touch by email and if need be by phone with everyone involved in the project in order to arrange contents and organisation according to the beneficiaries' needs.