The aim of this Vocational Education and Personal Social Development Abroad project is to provide 16 Myerscough College Foundation Learning students (8 in 2017 and 8 in 2018) who have a range of learning and physical disabilities, with a 2 week work placement at the Associação de Paralisia Cerebral de Coimbra (APCC) in Portugal. This will provide the students with a unique opportunity to improve their learning, employability, self esteem and cultural awareness. The project will also provide a 3 day training visit for the Head of Foundation Learning at Myerscough College to identify and share good practice in APCC on the development, delivery and management of vocational training programmes for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) and how the model could be modified and transferred to Foundation Learning within Myerscough College.Myerscough College is a specialist land-based and sports college in the North-West of the UK and the placements will be provided by APCC, an organisation with the facilities and experience of delivering land-based vocational education for people with special needs. APCC will provide relevant work experience on their organic farm, small animal centre and riding school in a safe and supportive environment.Myerscough College and APCC established their partnership in 2011 and have undertaken successful exchange visits and 2 previous mobility projects. The visit by LDD learners from the College to APCC in 2013 was identified by the Ofsted inspectors as an area of excellent practice and one which should be incorporated within programmes of study.The project will enhance the learning programmes for Foundation Learning students.The objectives are to: - enhance the quality of vocational education training and enable the participants to experience and acquire new skills in a different culture/environment.- improve the participants’ levels of confidence and develop their social skills and self-esteem through working with European students with similar challenges.- expand the learners' experience of 'the world around them' from the small environment of their home and College to international scales.- increase the learners' understanding of different cultures, language, currency and environment.- improve the participants’ levels of confidence and develop their social skills and self-esteem through working with European students with similar challenges.- identify and share areas of good practice in the vocational training of students with special needs that can be incorporated into Myerscough College’s training programmesThese will be achieved by a combination of work experience linked to their vocational qualification, social events and cultural visits. The students will undertake work activities on the partner organisation’s organic farm where they will have the opportunity to improve their vocational and employability skills with support from the specialist support staff to meet their individual needs. The learning outcomes will vary according to the ability of the individual student.The experience of travelling to a foreign country, living and working with their peers and mixing with students from another country with similar challenges will immensely improve their personal and social development skills. Increased understanding of different cultures, language, currency and environment will start in the classroom months before the learners travel as they are introduced to the Portuguese language and culture and plan the travel arrangements.The project will be managed by teams of staff at both the College and APCC who will liaise closely on arrangements for the project, organisation and delivery. The students will be prepared for the experience through training incorporated within their course prior to travel and additional language support. Due to the high level of need of the participants in the educational environment, each group of students will accompanied by 4 SEN trained tutors who, as well as supporting the students, will map the learning outcomes to the students' vocational curriculum, monitor the work undertaken and ensure formal recognition in their final qualification.The project will allow 16 participants who otherwise would not get the opportunity to travel abroad, the experience of going to a foreign country independently of their families/carers, some for the first time. This will have a profound affect and a life changing impact on their life and work chances. The intention is to select students who have the potential to benefit from the whole process and ultimately be able to find sustainable employment either paid or on a voluntary basis. Vocational training programmes for LDD learners will be enhanced through the good practice identified at APCC by the Head of Foundation Learning and the accompanying support staff that can be incorporated into the management and delivery of vocational education at Myerscough College.