Five secondary vocational schools from 5 EU countries - Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Romania - cooperated in the project. The partnership was created based on previous contacts that have joined partners from new organizations.The need to participate in the common project was supported by a weak perception of the culture and traditions in regions and partner countries, communication problems of young people as well as imbalance and early termination of education which have a negative impact on the social relations. The target group of the project were teachers and students of secondary schools, the wider regional community involved in the presentation of national culture as well as representatives of regional self-government, cultural and social institutions.The main objectives of the project, which we achieved by implementing the project activities were:• to support the understanding among young people about the diversity of European cultures and languages• to enrich the students' knowledge of the culture in partner countries• to motivate students to expand their knowledge through their own creative work• to encourage and create interest in other cultures of Europe and to identify with them• to improve communication competencies of the participants, especially in foreign languages• to improve skills in ICT• to connect the formal and informal education in partner schools with an emphasis on comprehensive development of student´s personalityDuring the project we organized two transnational project meetings and 5 short-term exchange of students of partner schools. During these meetings, but also in the education process in schools, students prepared the final outputs of the project:• cookbook of national cuisines• presentation about national folk culture• presentation about national folk traditions• brochure about the system of protection of cultures and traditions of each country.• competition about the culture and traditions of the partner countries• online quizzes using ICT• presentation about family habits• opinion survey on the status of cultural heritage• ethno - calendarImplementation of the project created a strong partnership that we will use for further international cooperation in the future. All partner schools use and will the project results within their educational process: presentations, survey and all information and materials obtained during implementation of the project on within subjects as geography, history, tourism, social sciences, tourism, cultural preparation. Schools can use project´s results for other projects and activities in further or lifelong learning.

"A project ""The voice of Erasmus"" is a youth exchange in which 24 participants aged 16-19 will take part. The activities are planned in all four countries. Each exchange will last 5 days (without journey). Young people will meet in order to work together at theit music workshop - they will sing, play instruments and compose music together. They will also be getting to know their cultures through folk music and customs related to this field. The aim of these meetings is showing to young people what is European identity in a society, cooperation with other member states, and also tolerance which is undeniably an important quality that we all need to have. The project will be mainly based on teaching through experience and also peer education. The teachers will be mainly young people themselves, they will talk about their own culture, traditions, about themselves and exchange their music experience and skills. They will share their passion. The culmination of each exchange will be concerts organized not only for pleasure but first of all in order to realize how much we can do together with joint efforts. After the end of the project we are planning to record a CD - the final product which will contain all the songs that the participants will have composed together during the exchanges. The project is planned to be over after two years of cooperation, but we are definitely sure that the impressions and memories will stay with us for a long time."

We carried out the project due to the lack of a professional qualification for metal welding, the implementation of distance learning, the license of our school for welding tests according to European standards. An extensive four-language dictionary was also included. The condition for performing the welding test is also the so-called WPS, according to which these tests are passed.By implementing the project, we have achieved the following goals: -modernize vocational education in partner schools by connecting school and practice; -exchange experiences and bring interconnections of educational systems of partner schools; -deepen cooperation in partnerships formed by organizations,-realize the exchange of information, knowledge, insights, and experiences;-create opportunities for expanding cooperation in the future and thus lay the foundations for multilateral partnerships;-strengthen the position of partnerships formed by vocational schools;-create motivational tools for education;-create conditions for the general availability of educational activities and better orientation in their offer;-proposals for educational innovation;-improve the quality of education in the field of metal welding and give it a European dimension;-create common educational materials available online;Teachers of vocational subjects from partner schools were involved in the project, specifically:The Czech Republic: (4)-International welding technologist-International welding practitioner-Translator - expert-ICT specialistGermany: (2)-teacher of metal welding theory-teacher of metal welding practiceSlovakia: (2)-teacher of metal welding theory-teacher of metal welding practiceManagement from each partner school is in charge of managing.20 pupils from each school participated in e-learning in the field of metal welding technology. The top four from each country were to take part in five-day mobility at the end of the project to verify the project's outputs. Due to the impossibility of traveling to the Czech Republic, this mobility did not take place. We extended the project by half a year, however, October and December dates also weren't realized due to the epidemiological situation.Results:O1: ECVET metal welding - to create 3 units of learning outcomes for 3 methods of metal welding (methods 111, 135, and 141) in four languages (Czech, Slovak, German, and English).O2: E-learning - to create an e-learning environment with presentations for online teaching of metal welding technology. It also includes a set of work safety tests. This environment contains 52 presentations + 21 tests. (http://moodle.sos-tremosnice.cz/course/view.php?id=142 (GE), http://moodle.sos-tremosnice.cz/course/view.php?id=141 (EN), http://moodle.sos-tremosnice.cz/course/view.php?id=140 (SK) a http://moodle.sos-tremosnice.cz/course/view.php?id=139 (CZ).O3: Dictionary - to create a terminological four-language dictionary, containing minim. 1246 words and phrases used in metal welding. It is a table in Excel that allows easy sorting.O4: WPS - We have created a set of 3 technological procedures WPS (welding procedure specification) according to the standard ČSN EN ISO 9606-1 in 4 languages for welding tests of pupils from partner schools. These WPS are for methods 135 (in shielding gas), 111 (coated electrode), and 141 (TIG). Weld type FW and position PB. According to these procedures, only the skills of Czech pupils were verified. Pupils from foreign countries couldn't come.We had to ask for an extension of the project. Three events were planned for June 2020 (mobility, international meetings, and international conferences). Due to the current epidemiological situation in Europe, their implementation was not possible. The exams of Czech pupils were successfully supervised under state supervision. The last international meeting took place only online. The final conference, which would significantly contribute to the promotion and dissemination of the project, did not take place due to the impossibility of gathering. Impact and longer-term benefits:-deepening of international cooperation, new impulses for further cooperation- deeper cooperation in the preparation of the ECVET system in the engineering professions-extension of competencies in the creation and implementation of intellectual outputs and definition of graduate competencies following the needs of a practice-improvement of professional knowledge, skills, and experience of project participants in professional subjects,-development of the teacher's personality, integration into a multicultural society,- getting acquainted with modern elements in the field of methodology and didactics of vocational training,-expansion of existing knowledge about education systems in other European countries-expansion of the portfolio by digital materials, which are so required todayOne of the most important priorities of today's society is the preparation and development of human resources. An educated and professionally trained person is the basic source of success. In the age of the internet, anyone interested in new knowledge can get to several information sources

"<< Background >>Our project ""Make It Greener!"" connects five schools spread across Europe using five mobilities to achieve one goal: bring about the transformation of our schools to make them ""greener"", i.e. more environmentally-friendly and more sustainable.The acronym G.R.E.E.N. stands for ""Growing Responsibly, Enhancing European Network"" and combines the essential ideas behind the project. We strongly believe that we can only bring about a change in environmental awareness together, as a network following the motto ""Think globally, act locally"". The Erasmus+ project can thereby only be a starting point to get expertise, to trigger change. By carrying out this project students will become sustainability experts and green ambassadors, and by establishing green teams in our schools we will ensure the idea of this project to be taken to a wider audience.As teachers, we must educate new generations on the green path and teach them to protect and care for the environment and climate change. We have to be mediators between global and national policies and raise the awareness of our pupils. For this purpose, with our project ""Make it Greener!"" we will try to change the students' and other agents' mindsets and encourage them to take an active role in solving environmental problems, step into the role of a contributor, collaborate on a regular basis with local authorities to plan public events to spread environmental awareness.Within our mobilities we will learn about different aspects of sustainability using a different focus of methodology: Portugal will provide an overview of the topic, zooming in on economic aspects and creating bonds within the community. It will further provide hands-on skills for the upcoming mobilities, e.g. interviewing and filming by addressing 21st-century skills. Slovakia, labelled an Eco-school, will teach us how to become a green school by providing best-practice examples and indicating a pathway towards that goal. Turkey, already an expert on zero waste, will use a creative and critical thinking approach to show where and how we can reduce waste and use water in a sustainable way. Norway, also an Eco-school will address various sustainability aspects with a special focus on sustainable energy for the future and sustainable food consumption. The aim of our project in general is to raise awareness about sustainability and simultaneously gain competence for action. The project sets out to be the beginning of a changing mindset among our students, their families, the teachers and other staff members involved in the project. This can only be done together as a network and by gaining a profound understanding of the matter at hand. Students, as well as teachers, need to acquire knowledge, hands-on methods, multiple and diverse ideas while focusing on different aspects of sustainability in different schools to be able to work towards a sustainable school in the end. The network is also necessary to make a lasting impact by attracting attention, within and outside schools - using eTwinning, a project website, social media, local newspapers, partner organisations such as NGOs, universities, energy providers and environmental associations to reach out to as many people as possible. The Erasmus+ label will further help to spread the world.<< Objectives >>Using our commitment to change our mindsets towards our individual responsibilities for the future, we will raise awareness of green policies. The network of schools and educators will help to change people's attitudes as we need to connect in order to solve the problem on a large scale by learning from each other.We aim to make our students:- Understand the biggest challenges the world has to face regarding its future (one world approach);- Develop critical thinking towards the environment and sustainability;- Identify patterns and behaviours that put sustainability at risk;- Propose and create solutions for problems they observe around them;- Be the spokespeople for this change of mindset;- Take these changes to their homes and communities;- Embrace the commitment to create a better environment.Portugal (ENSINUS ETP - INETE) will give an overview of the topic in the first mobility. The concept of a ""circular economy"" brings an emerging perspective on sustainability creating a new mindset.Slovakia will introduce the topic of “Garbage collecting and recycling” and in the workshop, students will make upcycled goods from collected garbage. As Spojená škola has a Green school title, they will lead the other schools to get the Green school label and prepare an online manual “How to become a green school”.Turkey will provide a comprehensive overview of ""Zero waste and Recycling"" with a focus on issues related to sustainability showing how to prevent water extinction in the near future by changing simple habits, understanding the nature of sustainability and the role of human efforts. Norway as a country that produces a lot of energy, especially oil, gas and the more sustainable water power, will address how we can meet future demands for clean and sustainable energy in a world that craves more and more energy. Moreover, there will be a focus on sustainable food consumption and a focus on how we can help the less fortunate by thinking differently when it comes to food. Thanks to our project ""Make it Greener!"" we will try to change the students' and other agents' mindsets and encourage them to take an active role in solving environmental problems, step into the role of a contributor and collaborate on a regular basis with local authorities to plan public events to spread environmental awareness.<< Implementation >>Each school will be the coach to a specific topic, chosen through a questionnaire applied by all schools, and will lead a transforming process not only in its own community but also in other partners' schools. The project includes 4 learning, teaching, training activities (Norway, Portugal (INETE), Slovakia, Turkey) 2 transnational project meetings (Norway, Portugal) and 1 Multiplier Event (Portugal ISG)Two TPMs have been programmed, each with a different purpose, as kick-off and closure, depending on the progression that is being achieved. Two TPMs, four LTTAs, one ME have also been programmed so that it is the teachers and staff themselves who coordinate the work being carried out, proposing improvements, evaluating the milestones achieved and setting new deadlines accordingly.There are also project virtual activities (webinars via e twinning) and local activities for each school to implement within their organization such as World Environment Day, Celebrating Earth Hour, Bike to school/work everyday activity, Sustainability Days activities, ""World Clean Up Day"" event ,Global Recycling Day"", Celebrating the Earth Day.<< Results >>Students will enhance 21st-century skills like communication and problem-solving skills, feel connected in their commitment, experience self-efficacy by seeing that their action has an impact. When ""Make it Greener"" resources and outputs are integrated into the curricula, it will lead to change in consumption habits, which affect educational outcomes positively. From a wider perspective, it will contribute to the quality of sustainable living and green skills.Teachers will gain more proficiency by working cross-curricular and in different teams, by developing their ICT skills e.g. using eTwinning and they will become sustainability experts to guide future students to a responsible attitude towards consumption. The teachers involved in the project will improve their competences in organizing and executing a complex international project.Participant organisations; With the help of this project, the participating schools will achieve to be more sustainable, learn and implement more ecological and environment-friendly procedures and adopt a greener mindset in their communities. Official organizations and stakeholders can use our schools as examples for any project related to the Environment and Sustainability, or as a starting base for future similar projects.As for tangible results; we will create a Sustainability Kit to be used as a tool for teachers who want to create a sustainable project in their school or in collaboration with other schools. There is an obvious need for us all to live more sustainable lives and to live up to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The target groups of this toolkit are the students and teachers in our schools, as well as the local communities. In order to create a more green and sustainable future, we need to act locally, while thinking globally.At the end of our project, we will also produce an academic paper where we present the results based on the data we have collected during the project.Overall, the schools will manage to establish a wider network regionally and on a European level, which is needed to make a lasting impact."

The partnership was created to link the public and private sectors aimed at promoting regional development. The engineering industry has been and still remains a core industry in the regions and therefore it is important to provide the employers with qualified staff. Nevertheless, this is only possible via intensive cooperation of companies and schools, and in particular by increasing of amount of practical training in the companies. The German dual system of vocational education can serve as a model, where students are prepared directly in companies. We achieved the following objectives by realization of the project:- to modernize the vocational education in partner schools via cooperation of the school and practice- to increase the interest in technical professions- to exchange the experience and develop possible proposals to reform of the education- to acquire new skills and knowledge from the country, where the dual system is implemented- to involve the key employers in the vocational education more and persuade them that coordinated education can bring more benefits- to enhance the cooperation between the partnership created by organizations that are responsible for vocational education and training, whit the main aim to connect the education with the requirements of practice- to strengthen the role of partnership between schools, companies and social partners by possible influencing of the network of vocational educationThe target group of the project were teaching staff and students of secondary vocational schools, directories of engineering companies in the regions (especially employees involved in the vocational training) and the representatives of the regional government, industry and professional associations involved in vocational education.The partnership consisted of organizations from three EU countries. On the one hand, it is Germany with its functioning dual system of education, on the other hand, Slovakia and Czech Republic are countries with ambitions to introduce dual system. We cooperated in the project with these partners: Vocational school Tremosnice (Czech republic), 1. Slovak engineering cluster and German partners Jenaer Bildungszentrum, respectively Internationaler Bund Bildungszentrum Jena.The project produced three intellectual outputs - training modules for engineering professions, proposals of regional cooperation networks and a model of career guidance in vocational education.Intellectual output O1 consists from 15 training modules in engineering.Intellectual output O3 includes a model of career guidance in vocational education. The partners prepared a model based on the needs of Slovak and Czech schools and on the experience of the German partner.The most extensive project output is the intellectual output O2, which focused on linking vocational training from the point of view of theory and practice. The results of the output are varied, the most important part was the mapping of cooperation between secondary vocational schools and employers.The project also included 4 transnational project meetings and 14-day mobility for 30 students from Slovak and Czech schools at the German partner.The project partners that the results of the project will also contribute to the modernization of vocational training in the participating regions of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The strategic partnership and international co-operation will work even after the end of the common project. All project outputs will be used in the next process. Within the established regional networks in vocational education, we expect the contribution of employers, especially in the area of recruiting students, organizing excursions or competitions for the interested in technical professions.All outputs have been made available to other schools and employers, school management and 1. SSK management are responsible for managing it. Schools will continue to organize researches between employers and social partners as well as analysis of the applicability of graduates in order to maintain the best connection between theory and practice needs.The sustainability of the project will also be supported by the new law on vocational education, which defines dual education as one of its aims and duties. Schools and employers in Slovakia will be motivated to implement this system. All participating schools will be able to benefit from the experience gained.