Opening Doors to Europe

Employers in Europe face a challenge in the future. To match employee with employer and to find the individual with the correct skills for the correct position. In order to achieve this our project, which brought together schools and students from France, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, had three primary objectives: improve links between schools and employers, to improve teaching standards and develop European citizenship. Through the development of closer ties between schools and employers in Europe, educators will be able to better prepare their students for the demands of the labour market. Students will be better able to envision their future and see the possibilities for employment in a European context. When a student can envision their future, they are less likely to leave school early and more likely to embark on a course of life-long learning.Through the sharing of different didactic methods teachers could improve opportunities for their students. The most effective way to achieve this was by bringing together teachers from different countries to allow them to observe and participate in teaching situations. This project utilised integrated and cooperative learning and developed formative assessment. The project also developed the ability of the teachers to integrate technology into their lessons and better equip students for the future. Students that engage in high quality and rewarding learning experiences are less likely to leave school early and by raising teaching standards we can better prepare students for the future. The five countries that were involved in this project are as geographically separated as it is possible to be in Europe. The individuals involved in the project had the opportunity to explore the cultures of the participating countries. When one has cracked the social codes of a culture a whole new set of possibilities opens up. By not only celebrating the shared history and culture of the European countries but also discovering the differences and idiosyncrasies that make cultures and countries unique we took a large step towards transforming our students from citizens of European countries to European citizens. The schools involved were all secondary schools and the students who participated in the project were between 14 and 17 years of age. At this age students are beginning to think about their future and the career paths that they will follow. It is also the age at which students are at risk of dropping out. To achieve the objectives of the project, participants met with employers from each country. This allowed schools to build up a network together with employers and allowed students to see for themselves the expectations of employees. Teaching situations in each country not only motivated the students involved but also allowed teachers to exchange ideas and provide each other with inspiration. Excursions and interaction helped participants improve their language skills and learn about each other's culture.The legacy that we hope to have left is a group of students that are inspired to continue their education and are open to the possibility of employment in the whole of Europe, schools that have a network that allows collaboration and cooperation with employers, the possibility of employment in the whole of Europe, schools that have a network that allows collaboration and cooperation with both employers and other European schools and teachers that use methods that are anchored in the latest research and provide inspiration and motivation to students.