Internships Abroad
Have you ever done work experience in Belgium, England, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Malta, Austria or even in Rwanda?
At the Euro-BBW training periods in other European countries are part of the standard curriculum. In the second course year, above all, we offer trainees the opportunity to complete a spring or summer placement in a business abroad. In doing so we predetermine neither country nor business, working instead with the trainee to try to find the placement most appropriate to personal interests, skills and potential.
Within the framework of the program Erasmus+ we organise two-week internships at the Luovi Vocational College in Oulu, Finland for six trainees since 2008. They are accompanied by three collaborators and they get courses for lingustic and cultural preparation. In return, we are visited a few months later by a group of Finnish trainees who are completing internships in companies in Bitburg.
Since 2016, our collaborators are also able to do job shadowing abroad within the framework of Erasmus+. Hosting organisations are the Luovi Vocational College in Oulu/Finland and the Non-Profit-institution Gureak in San Sebastián/Spain. In 2016 und 2017, the Isle of Wight College on the Isle of Wight/Great Britain also hosted collaborators of the Euro-BBW.
Since 2017, trainees of horticulture and landscape gardening have the possibility to participate in a natural stone training course in Crete/Greece within the framework of an Erasmus+ pool project.
In September 2018, the National Agency at the Federal Institute for Vocational Training awarded the European Vocational Training Centre the "VET mobility charter" for the organization and realization of high-quality stays abroad within the programme Erasmus+. By this, the Euro-BBW was not only appreciated for its experience in realizing mobility projects, but will also be supported in the strategic development of its international work.
An Erasmus+ project which was approved in 2021 employees of the Euro-BBW to job shadow at Luovi College in Finland, Astangu College in Estonia and Ballyfermot College in Ireland. In return, the Euro-BBW hosts trainees from Luovi College, Astangu College and Ballyfermot College for a one-week internship. The two-week exchange of trainees with Luovi College still exists.
In recent years it became an established feature that our collaborators write a blog during their stay abroad and fill it with photos and current news:
Ireland-Blog 2023 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2023 (trainees' internships)
Estonia-Blog 2022 (preparatory visit)
Finland-Blog 2022 (trainees' internships)
Ireland-Blog 2022 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2019 (trainees' internships)
Finland-Blog 2019 (staff job shadowing)
Spain-Blog 2019 (staff job shadowing)
Crete-Blog 2018 and 2019 (natural stone course for gardening trainees)
Finland-Blog 2018 (trainees' internships)
England-Blog 2017 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2017 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2017 (trainees' internships)
England-Blog 2016 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2016 (trainees' internships)
Finland-Blog 2016 (staff job shadowing)
Finland-Blog 2015 (trainees' internships)
Trainees, returning from work placements abroad, had the following impressions:
- "... I can recommend everyone a placement in Austria, even though the language is German and no English or French is spoken. It is nevertheless an opportunity to get to know other ways of life as well as dialects. The internship abroad has made me more independent and boosted my aspirations to work in a DIY store after completing my training, I hope that works out."
- "A four week placement in Südtirol - what could be better! In those four weeks we learned a lot and saw a lot. A lot of the time I worked in the greenhouse, at the potting table for example. I processed deliveries and could also put my sales skills to the test. If I could, I would come back to Südtirol at once. I am going to apply for a job there after completing my training. Then I'll learn to speak Italian too ..."
- "I did my spring placement in England. I was responsible for developing and repairing a postnuke module for a non profit organisation. Besides that, I reworked the website to the current accessibility standards. It was a really, really pleasant time. The communication with the friendly people proved not to be difficult, if all else failed hand gestures would still be widely understood. I was able to bring a great deal of specialist as well as language skills home with me."
- "I was on a work experience placement in a 4 star hotel on the Costa Dorada. We staffed the hotel reception, I felt very comfortable in the young team of 5 people. Of course it was strenuous too, above all because we had to stand at the reception. And then all those different languages! The hotel guests were international. The good thing about that was that besides my Spanish I could very much improve my English and French knowledge, too. My enthusiasm for the Spanish country and people is aroused, I will definitely return."
