The project Business in Europe offered 25 students of the BHAK Mürzzuschlag the opportunity to complete parts of their compulsory job-specific internship at companies in other European countries (Malta). Students were given the opportunity to use their professional knowledge in the fields of business administration, accounting, communication, IT and foreign languages in companies and to gain further experience, especially on the level of international business, business models in other European countries, business management, accounting, and IT organisation. Furthermore, during their three-week internship the students gained essential personal and intercultural experiences and increased their self-confidence, as they often mastered their everyday life in a new environment for the first time on their own.
The project was implemented by the IZB of BHAK Mürzzuschlag together with an experienced intermediary institution in Malta, so that a suitable company could be found for each student. In addition, some students of the HAK Fürstenfeld also took part in the internships abroad.
In the project, ECVET instruments such as Memorandum of Understanding between the sending institution and the intermediary institution as well as learning agreements between all participants were used. As part of the obligatory internship, the work experience abroad was fully credited to the initial school education of the individual students and validated by the HAK Mürzzuschlag and the HAK Fürstenfeld.
This opportunity to do an internship abroad with the support of the vocational schools was a first time offer in the vocational schools and part of a planned European strategy and further development, which, in addition to the school’s focus on Europe, also aims to increase HAK Mürzzuschlag’s responsibility for the practical vocational training and labour market integration of graduates.
The project allowed 25 students to complete a three-week internship in Maltese companies in the years 2018 and 2019 (during the summer months). A broad and transparent selection process, an adequate and self-reliant preparation of the students as well as a permanent support and monitoring on site combined with an evaluation covering all project phases (preparation, mobility phase and follow-up) characterised the activities and tasks of the project management within this mobility project. In order to ensure the results and to achieve a planned project impact on pupils, teachers, other schools, parents and a broad public at local, regional and national level, a dissemination strategy was implemented.
