The project Partnership Between Schools – Projects and Exchanges started in 2003 when we participated in the project Comenius ITO along with schools from Germany and Romania. Schools from Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark were also present at the negotations. This project triggered the cooperation between schools also by means of organising exchange trips between our Business Academy and a Belgian school in Beveren. The aim of the ITO project was to enable students to apply their theoretical knowledge acquired in the economy and English language courses in the real world by setting up a virtual international company and conducting commerce with foreign partners.

This cooperation by means of conducting commerce between virtual businesses continues to run every year over the period of one ´business` week.

The exchange cooperation with the Dutch school ROC van Twente started in 2005, while the first exchange with the Belgian school Sint Maarten took place in 2006. The aim of these still ongoing exchanges is to discover the cutlure, geography and learn more about the social and economic aspects of life in the host countries. The participation in one of these exchanges allows students to test their language skills and boost their confidence when communicating in a foreign language. The 14-year-long partnership between the schools yielded 14 exchanges which involved a total of 270 students (both English and German speaking) and 15 teachers.

The aim of the project Comenius ROLE (Regarding Our Lives in Europe), which was running from September 2011 to June 2013, was to create a better understanding between young people from different EU countries by learning about each others‘ way of life.

The participation in the ROLE project improved students‘ communication skills, raised their interest in learning a foreign language and enhanced their digital, social and personal competences. The project helped students lose their prejudices against other nations and allowed them to gain experience in teamwork, mobility and project learning.

The outcome of the project was documented on the project’s official website regardingourlivesineurope.weebly.com. Students were not the only ones who benefited from the project; teachers also gained invaluable experience as they exchanged their didactical and IT knowledge.

The partnership between our school and the company LKW Walter based in Vienna started in 2009 when the company’s PR manager M. Gass contacted us offering a closer cooperation. In the same year, the company organised an open day for the selected students, where they visited various corporate departments and learnt more about what the company does. In 2011, following the first interviews, two students were given the opportunity to undergo a traineeship at LKW Walter. Up to now, six students have finished their traineeships with the company and five of our graduates were given a full-time positions. Our Austrian partners have greatly appreciated our students‘ outstanding command of the German language as well as their diligent and responsible attitude to work. This cooperation constitutes a unique opportunity for our students to improve their German langauge skills, apply their theoretical knowledge in the real business world and enhance their employability on the European job market.

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