The schools involved in this strategic partnership are the following:
1. Ernst Sigle Gymnasium, in Kornwestheim (Germany)
2. Liceo Scientifico "Mario Pagano", in Campobasso (Italy)
3. Ulenhof College, in Doetinchem (The Netherlands)
4. IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya, in Baza (Spain)
(For more information on these schools, just click on their names)
In the past years, as General Education Secondary Schools, we have been mainly focusing on preparing students for university or college, taking part in European programmes and initiatives aimed at fostering the command of foreign languages and doing research on more academic topics such as European Literature or Sport, but now there is a need to move a step further and concentrate on facilitating and stimulating our students' access to the job market, giving them the opportunity to develop skills more connected to Europe 2020's agenda, and provide them with the resources necessary to do internships abroad or find a job in a EU country. This project seeks to widen the range of possibilities our students have both at a local and a transnational level, combining the experience of each of the participants in terms of fostering equal opportunities, fighting gender stereotypes and developing professional or technical competences, including digital competence and language proficiency; activities and ideas such as organization of "Boys' and Girls' days" "Using cloud computing application and storage services" or"creating your own company" are part of the actions carried out by some of the participating schools, which will be shared with the rest of participants, and enhanced by participants' contributions. We intend to take advantage of our previous experience but concentrating specifically on boosting labour skills, employability and gender equality as a way to reduce social exclusion and inequality among young people.
Project partners were chosen for their expertise in specific areas relevant to the objectives established. So, for example, Ernst Sigle Gymnasium has a long experience in the field of Economics, and how to start your own company, which will help when trying to make students aware of economical needs and issues such as how to succeed in job interviews. Apart from its successful results in the field of developing a good command of foreign languages, Ulenhof College can provide the other participating schools with several examples of good practices in the sphere of product promotion and collaboration with companies on new designs. IES Pedro Jimenez Montoya is specialized in IT and also offers IVET and VET education, which may facilitate the transfer of professional strategies . Furthermore, each of the participating countries have contacts with local companies which could be used for internships and have proved to satisfactorily complement each other in previous European initiatives such as bilateral exchanges or Comenius projects dealing with topics such as sustainable energy or sport. Continuing with the experiences and competences brought to the project by partnership schools, Italy will play an important role showing the possibilities which part time and summer jobs (for example at ice-cream parlours, cafes, baby sitting, etc.) offer to young people wanting to check their vocation or looking for some experience before completing their studies.
