As known, the Erasmus+ Program provides training opportunities not only for university students but also for vocational learners, including young people who are already involved in a professional apprenticeship in their home country.
This is the case of our new group of 8 participants from Austria, arrived to Gran Canaria to do a traineeship on the island for 5 weeks in different working sectors, in the frame of an Erasmus+ VET Mobility Project of our partner organisation IFA – International Fachkräfteaustausch from Vienna.
The first week of stay was very intense for the group. In the morning, they took part in an intensive Spanish course of 20 hours provided by our partner language school; thanks to the linguistic preparation participants learnt both basic expressions to use in daily life and specific vocabulary related to the working sector of each trainee.
In the afternoon, they were accompanied by the INTERMOBEX incoming Tutor to the First Cognitive Meeting at host companies; here each participant got to know the traineeship place, working schedules, team and supervisors.
When it comes to VET Mobilities for Learners organised by IFA – International Fachkräfteaustausch, participants always come from professional areas which are very different among them. When we start to search for placements, this variety represents a big challenge for us; but once all the traineeships have been arranged, it’s a pleasure to see that everyone had the right match with the host company.
Here the list of placements for our Austrian 2019 VET group of learners:
- Sebastian and Moritz, working in the mechanic workshop of Rodritol;
- Kristian (naval workshop) and Stephanie (quality department) working at Hidramar Shipyards;
- Romina, working as cook assistant at the restaurant De cuchillo y Tenedor;
- Laura, waitress at the restaurant El Rincón Aragonés;
- David, working as sales assistant at Novelec Vecape;
- Lukas, working as pastry assistant at Cafetería Heladería Artesanal Sottozero.
For some of our young trainees, the experience abroad was harder – or at least, “different” – than they expected. Someone had serious problem of communication because of the language; some other had not too much work because it was a period of low demand; while someone really appreciated the training received and stated to have learnt even more than foreseen.
Once again, this demonstrates that to have a training experience abroad always has positive and negative aspects but it’s equally true that from this experience people learn a lot, doesn’t matter how good or bad the experience was. When we ask our participants how they evaluate the stay abroad in general, one of the most common answer we get is the following:
“It wasn’t always easy, but the colleagues at work were very kind, they explained me everything – even if some of them didn’t speak English. I visited new places, I met new people and knew a new culture, so I’m happy and I’d like to come back!”
Sometimes dreams come true: Stephanie informed INTERMOBEX that she will join us again in Gran Canaria in 2020 for another Erasmus+ Traineeship!