At the end of October/beginning of November, our colleagues Gabriela and Klaus travelled to Tallinn in Estonia to get to know the workings of Astangu College there. Like the Euro-BBW, Astangu offers vocational preparation and initial training. Here they describe their impressions, including their experiences in the fields of home economics/kitchen and IT.

***

Astangu College in Tallinn/Estonia gave us a warm welcome and showed us the Estonian side of vocational rehabilitation work.

Beforehand, we undertook an interesting journey from Bitburg to Tallinn and first of all got our bearings in our new surroundings - on the 150 metre high television tower.

On the very first evening, Annemari, our Estonian hostess, familiarised us with the beautiful old town of Tallinn and showed us a special restaurant. A good 30 years ago, the city's writers and intellectuals used to meet there and formed an antithesis to the unity of thought. We see that Estonia has undergone an unprecedented change since independence from the Soviet Union and that tradition and modernity harmonise well side by side.

The second day started with lots of impressions, discussions and information about Estonian rehabilitation work. We recognised many parallels and yet there are significant differences. For example, we got the impression that there is a more non-committal approach to certificates. The companies seem to compensate for this by carrying out suitable assessment centre runs and practical vocational tests before recruiting staff and also find suitable specialist staff through trial work.

In Astangu, in addition to all the information and great conversations, we were also very impressed by the variety of wooden objects produced. We also paid particular attention to the kitchen and various other creative areas of the house.

The next day was all about working in the training areas. Together, we prepared a Halloween party in the kitchen and confectionery area and thus gained an impression of the work with the participants. Afterwards, the "Retail" training area showed us how successful integration can work in practice in a large supermarket. The IT department also opened its doors to us and invited us to a lesson together. In addition to the specialised IT laboratory, we were also able to inspect the classrooms and their modern equipment.

The participants, including us, also attended an open day at Tallinn University of Technology. Some very impressive speakers showed how to get started at the top companies in the IT sector.

Our impressions here in Astangu, in Tallinn, show us that there are very different, good approaches to rehabilitation work and vocational qualification at European level.

With many positive impressions, new inspirations and newly established personal contacts, we enjoy our last evening with a meal together in the "Mantel und Korsten" and say goodbye to our warm hosts with a good feeling. We look forward to seeing you again soon in Bitburg, in December...!

Gabriela & Klaus