The decision to initiate a project “International preparation and cooperation on future work life based on bilateral experience and digital resources“ originates in demands, problems and impacts resulting from socio-economic and increasing digital challenges coming up from the needs of labor market for younger adults affecting our two countries in different ways, as well as in the circumstances and difficulties connected with refugees within the last years. Therefore our project does not only focus in solving problems for European pupils and students but also in installing digital network and collaborative work.
Too many young people drop out of school prematurely and run high risk of being unemployed because, for example, they do not have proper digital skills for the very fast changing labor market.
“Strong and well-performing education, training and youth systems can help deal with these challenges by providing citizens with the skills required by the labor market and a competitive economy“ – the idea supported by Europe 2020 Strategy. This project provides a great chance for the students to find ways to make school more appealing to them, preventing drop-out, helping to fight against truancy and absenteeism by increasing the motivation of pupils showing them the link between school and work life.
Learning about local and transnational labor market students can develop effective strategies for finding creative and innovative solutions for their future professions, they will become active members of the local community and society, as well as participating EU citizens.
Through non-formal learning activities the project also supports the development of social skills among young people, their empowerment and ability to participate actively in society, according to the Lisbon Treaty to “encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe”.
With the project the following objectives are achieved:
1) to learn about and compare every countries’ school system in general and every schools’
curriculum in particular concerning the topic,
2) due to these comparisons to develop further, revise and adapt the existing curricula at every school,
3) to install (revised) links between school and enterprises,
4) to support students with career planning
5) to become more professional in using IT for an easier entry to European labor market
6) to strengthen European and to avoid nationalistic thinking,
7) to integrate the younger refugees.
With this project we want to fight against unemployment among the youth, particularly pupils, aged 14-16/17 (classes 9-10), as they lack education in some aspects, experiences and certain skills/ abilities (e.g. digital skills)
The focuses of our project:
1) the specific promotion of knowledge the pupils need for their later work life,
2) the awareness of different ways to solve existing problems
3) the development of social competences like self-confidence and – initiative, critical thinking etc.
4) offer different ways of learning e.g. transition school/labor market, digital learning
5) the promotion of their willingness for lifelong learning.
They should be enabled and prepared to overcome the challenges of the (trans)national labor market; during our project basic competences like self-initiative are sharpened.
As a result, both schools will find better solutions to prepare pupils for future work life. In addition, students will become more competent in communication, both in speaking and writing; they improve foreign language skills; other focuses are technology, arts and design, physical education, digital knowledge.
Analyzing the environmental issues through local entrepreneurship, students will understand nature as a complex system, the connections between human beings and the surrounding environment, people’s dependence on natural resources; the students become more responsible for sustainable development and they learn to act in an environmentally friendly manner by choosing ecological professions and proceeding tourism, for example as a chance for students to succeed in their future labor life. Due to the project a better transition from school to profession will be assured.
In short: the project develops pupils’ professionalism and the European dimension of youth work.
The project will be developed and planned together, the participating countries will do the project simultaneously in order to ensure that our topic refers to the interests; the used methodology is the same in every country and it will carried out by all schools; it will be evaluated every six months by all partners. The evaluations will be published and compared, responsible moderators will be appointed who survey the progress. To prepare the project all schools will offer and organize meetings/ seminars concerning intercultural cooperation, integration and communication.
Project objectives: by participating the students will
- learn about new aspects and fields of education, later labor life, industrialisation 4.0 (digitalism),
- learn to create (local) marketing strategies, career planning
- prepare themselves better for their profession and future work life (language/ IT/ natural sciences/
humanities) - sharpen/ widen their competences for nowadays labor market (e.g. digital, personal competences,
other key competences: language, communication etc) - support the European idea and European relations (Lisbon Treaty).
The progress of the project will be measured via questionnaires, evaluations will be carried out, the
results will be published via different communication forms (eTwinning/ website/ etc.).
RESULTS
- Presentations of local /professions;
- A photo story of visits;
- Reports of one-day placement
- Summary of valuation based on the students and teachers feedback questionnaires.
- Collage of the day “Live like a local”
- E-booklet of “Our day in the enterprises”
- The film of job interviews (good/bad example). The film of presenting a good/bad example of starting an enterprise at the end of the mobility.
- Good examples of students’ portfolios of career plans
- Summary of evaluation based on the students and teachers feedback questionnaires.
- Career plan (Estonia)/ IT plan (Germany) for the school curriculum.