The central aim of "" (an EU project devised in the context of "LEONARDO DA VINCI", the Community's Action Programme for vocational education and training) is to foster the development of intercultural competence and international-oriented specialist commercial expertise in vocational education and training.

• The main objective was the development of an accepted curriculum. During the course of this project seven modules were developed. The target groups for this curriculum are mainly students / trainees in commercial professions. However, the curriculum might also be used by the corporate sector / small and medium-sized enterprises offering training.
• Working through these modules should foster the employee’s competence, enabling them to actively initiate and develop business relationships within the wider European economic area and personally creating the preconditions for desired or required mobility.
• Moreover, the sustainability of European projects is enhanced, as the reflection of unfamiliar cultures decreases fears and increases curiosity. This is especially true for relationships between West- and East-European states, as we find here particular cultural differences caused by, among other things, very different economic traditions.
• The modules were developed jointly with the combined forces of the “connect“ project partners. The “connect“ project partners include international experts from vocational education and training colleges, academic institutions and companies with traineeship programmes from seven European countries.

 

During the course of the project it was presented at the following conferences:

• Languages and Business 2007 -6th Conference on Languages & International Business Communication, April 16 – 18, 2007 in Düsseldorf
  Connect presentation: (Download/PDF)
• Realizing the European Learning Area, Munich, June 4 – 5, 2007
  Connect presentation: (Download/PDF)
• Vocational Education and Training Under (Reform) Pressure, 5th BIBB Congress 2007, September 12 – 14 , 2007
  Connect presentation: (Download/PPT)

 

Project Partners

The following institutions are associated with the partnership connect:

Co-ordinator:

Rudolf-Rempel-Berufskolleg - Deutschland

Business Colleges

International Business College Hetzendorf - Österreich

Business Academy Opava - Tschechische Republik

Finnish Business College - Finnland

Lestár Péter Secondary Technical School of Commerce - Ungarn

Vocational Secondary School of Economics and Trade - Polen

Hertford Regional College - Groß Britannien

Scientific institutions

Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftspädagogik, Universität Paderborn - Deutschland

Teachers training's institution

HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Science - Finnland

Partner companies

IEV HandelsgmbH. Inter-Export (Austria)

HOBES, spol. s r.o., Horní Benešov (Czech Republic) > www.hobes.cz

Union Knopf GmbH (Germany) > www.unionknopf.com

EN Logistics Oy (Finland) > www.rpgroup.fi

UNIVER Product RT (Hungary)

 

Further Information to the project you can find here.