EURICT stands for European information, communication and technology. It is a cooperation between three vocational schools in Gdynia (Poland), Kiel (Germany) and Vaasa (Finland). The schools (ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ CHŁODNICZYCH I ELEKTRONICZNYCH, Gdynia; RBZ TECHNIK, Kiel; VAMIA, Vaasa) have collaborated before, so we able to build on prior experiences of working together.Our work revolved around the goal of all schools working collaboratively on technologically challenging projects dealing with remote controlling and automatization. The students had to work interdisciplinary and internationally to reach their goals. Thus, the project helped developing the students’ and teachers’ professional, didactic, methodological and social competences. It also helped furthering European concepts and ideals.The students involved take part in full- or part-time vocational training programs in the fields of electrical engineering, mechatronics or ICT.Refugee and migrant students were temporarily actively involved in the project work and were part of our target demographic in order to interest these minority student groups in technological subjects, technological professions and trans-national cooperation. At the same time we sought to heighten our main participants’ awareness and compassion for migrant students’ biographies and to counteract impulses of xenophobia and general reservation.Another goal of EURICT was to raise the overall interest level and participation of young women in technology and technological professions.Furthermore, EURICT aimed at offering participants the opportunity to gain confidence in using and improving their English skills in a variety of quite natural professional settings, when organizing group efforts, discussing technical challenges and learning about the differences and similarities in vocational education and student life. English was the main language of the project and we were able to successfully boost our students’ language skills and their confidence in those abilities.Because of the project, the students had the opportunity to learn about and discuss the (vocational) educational system and the job opportunities in the partner countries and got a first-hand experience of Europa as a culturally rich realm of possibilities. To encourage these discussions and aspects we organized visits of major local companies and businesses.Generally, European ideals and amicable cooperation were promoted through our collaborative work which led to strong relations between students, the schools and the respective communities.The project was divided into three parts or rounds. In each round different student groups from the three partner countries worked on transnational projects together. All in all, we had nine transnational meetings which were defined by a cycle of planning, implementing and presenting our projects. Within each round all three countries were hosts to the other groups. The student groups reached their specific project goals and produced a remote controlled vessel, various ways of monitoring and controlling moving-head lighting equipment and different variations of gaming consoles.Apart from the aforementioned abstract and specific project goals, EURICT helped to strengthen and better the vocational education at the partner schools. The various technical projects were incorporated into class subjects and teachers were able to further work on their didactic and cooperative competences. Through presenting our project work at school, in our partner companies and to the general public we were also able to further heighten and specify our school profiles and to be a part in spreading European ideals and values.

The project “Leben und Arbeiten in einer nachhaltigen Welt” (“Living and working in a sustainable world”) helps students and apprentices to understand the importance of sustainability for the causes of protecting the environment and fighting climate change. By means of a variety of group activities the participants will be encouraged to actively work for positive changes. The project is going to strengthen the participants’ awareness for sustainability via local and international co-operation and communication. It will highlight possibilities to further a better management of resources and motivate its members and third parties.Three schools, RBZ Technik Kiel (Germany), Vamia in Vaasa (Finland), and Zespół Szkół Chłodniczych i Elektronicznych in Gdynia (Poland), are going to team up in order to plan and construct a modular digital electronic system able to perform measuring and automatization tasks in the context of IoT/SmartHome technology. Due to the frame concept of the system, it will explore possibilities for a more efficient use of natural resources, one of the main focal points of the ‘European Green Deal’ for sustainability in the EU. This and other aspects of the ‘European idea’ are to be promoted through the project in order to interest, inspire and recruit young people for its cause and future projects like it. All three schools will be involved in the evaluation of the product and the project’s various secondary goals and outputs.The young Europeans participating to meet the objectives of our task through long-term co-operation strengthen their individual professional expertise. They strengthen their abilities to study and learn. The same is true for their social skills, as they will enhance their competencies while working in an international and interdisciplinary team. The project sets out to strengthen the participants’ critical awareness and their professional and entrepreneurial imagination. Furthermore, the students’ will benefit from writing and speaking English in various vocational, professional and colloquial settings and situations. The project will create new relations between the countries, schools, and students. Our goal is to work together in order to secure a relationship of trust and respect that will outlive the boundaries of the project per se. To help the communication prior to and after the planned international meetings the three schools rely on the possibilities of eTwinning. The schools plan to evaluate best practises locally in order to discuss these internationally.Also, the schools, the organizers and participants set out to strengthen their international network of contacts and partnerships. The project builds upon a grown relationship between the schools that allows us to learn from past experiences and refine our best practices. The past is a motivation but we strive for new approaches and a broader impact in the years to come.The actual product, a modular, documented ICT system that contributes to sustainability and efficiency, will be presented on the eTwinning platform. The other objectives of the project are the competences, skills and best practices described above.