Cross-national network of vocational and on-the-job training
The Hans-Böckler-Berufskolleg is a vocational training college that has recently worked on a cross-national network of vocational and on-the-job training via European and world-wide school partnerships and exchange programmes.
In addition to the school partnership with Bursa, Turkey, 18-30 year old students from the metal or electrical industry have the opportunity to take part in a four-week internship in different foreign countries as part of various ERASMUS projects. This helps them to expand their professional and personal skills and to improve their foreign language ability while in contact with native speakers and the culture of the host country.
The students should also gain new experiences abroad within the scope of their apprenticeship. That’s why three times a year the HBBK sends a number of students to Florence, Italy for a four-week internship to experience daily working life in different manufacturing or industrial companies. This internship is supplemented with numerous sporting and cultural activities to enable the students to gain a comprehensive insight into Italian life.
The foreign training period is divided into three modules:
- Module 1 prepares the students for their temporary employment abroad. They receive an extensive overview of the language and the geography of the foreign country and, over two weekends, cross-cultural training in the professional practice.
- Module 2 focuses on the internship in Florence. The students are guided by the skilled personnel of the partner organisation. The communication language is English or – as far as possible - Italian. Students additionally have the possibility to deepen their knowledge of Italian via specific on-site language courses.
- Module 3 evaluates the internship during a Welcome Back Event to which representatives of the training companies are also invited.
