"The Internship in Hamburg as a path to success  for students of the Vocational School of Economics and Gastronomy in Tarnów"

The project is  implemented under the Erasmus + programme.

Project duration:  31.12.2021 - 30.06.2023 (18 months).

The project is entirely financed by the European Union and is completely free of charge for all its participants.

The amount of the grant awarded to the project is  € 53,338.

The project is aimed at third grade  students of Technical and  Vocational Secondary Schools of the following professions: nutrition  and catering technician, hospitality technician, accounting technician, economic technician, commerce technician, cook and confectioner.

Our partner in the project is the "Infeba" Institute from Hamburg. This institution has several years of experience in organising foreign internships for vocational training students and in coordinating European projects.

The project’s objective is to improve student’s vocational competence under the supervision of qualified workers. It will prepare them for the requirements of regional and European labour markets. The internship will allow students to gain professional experience in new environments. It is to enhance the quality and productivity of tasks performed by the interns in the future, which will translate to increased opportunities in the international labour market. Not only will the internship in Germany impact the growth in students‘ theoretical knowledge but also in practical skills. Highlights of the project include improving both German and English, which is frequently spoken in Hamburg, learning the culture and traditions of the region and the country and establishing relationships that will result in long-term contacts. This project will also contribute to a better perception of the school in the local environment and maintaining the attractiveness of the proposed courses of study.

The project will be attended by 22 students who meet the criteria developed by the school committee, for whom 19 days trips abroad will be organized in hospitality industry, gastronomy and commercial enterprises in Germany. The sending institution will prepare young people for the trip by organizing language, cultural and pedagogical training. It will also organize a trip, pay students pocket money, and as a part of ensuring the safety of participants, buy insurance against the risks associated with their participation in work placements, as well as insurance during travel and life and sickness insurance. The receiving institution will organize accommodation, boarding and provide mentoring support during the internship as well as organise a cultural programme. The students will receive certificates confirming their internship, as well as the Europass - Mobility, confirming their competences and skills.

 The main results of the project are:

a) Improving students’ professional competences as well as their personal development, in terms of their suitability for the labour market and employment - the skills that cannot be acquired at home;
b) Fostering the mobility of the participants and increasing their chances on the European and national labour market;
c) Making students aware that knowledge of a foreign language creates additional opportunities on the labour market and encouraging them to learn languages;
d) Developing appropriate attitudes in students: stimulating entrepreneurship, independence, openness and tolerance so as to facilitate the performance of the trained profession abroad and managing atypical circumstances;
e) Cognition of the history, culture and living, rest and working conditions of the Germans, with particular attention to the role of ecology;
f) Enhancing language skills through contact with the language outside the classroom and overcoming the language barrier;
g) Promoting linguistic diversity;
h) Developing digital cometences.