Interest to participate in European funded mobility programmes and partnerships

Schildkröte GmbH is a Berlin located NGO and nonprofit company, offering:

job orientation programmes for pupils in co-operation with schools
career planning programmes
job search
initial and "second chance" vocational training programmes
(professions: cook, confectioner, waiter, housekeeper, beautician, hairdresser, sewer, office management assistant, delivery service driver)
training programmes for people with disabilities
work experience programmes for young and long term unemployed people
profiling and educational assessments

For some years we provide our trainees in the catering branch (cooks, confectioners and waiters) the possibility to doing internships abroad with co-operating vocational training providers in France [Centre de formation et de recherche èducative et sociale in Nantes] and the Czech Republic [College of hotel management in Prague-Klanovice]. In return we receive and train students from these institutions.

We are interested in establishing further mobility projects to the benefit of our trainees in other trades, for people taking part in adult education projects, and as well for trainers, teachers, social workers and managers.

We think internships abroad should not be confined to professionals, students and apprentices! It can be a once-in-a-lifetime-chance for young people still seeking their way, helping them explore careers, strenghten employability skills and thus better the chances of getting into vocational training: So we provided in February 2008, due to our partner Maison de la promotion sociale in Artigues-près-Bordeaux, a group of 15 untrained or unemployed young adults (18-24 years) the chance of doing a work placement of four weeks in Bordeaux, France. In preparation the group had passed a career orientation programme and language and regional studies courses and was assisted during their stay by social workers of our's. The outcome was beyond expectations - all participants overperformed and successfully completed their term.

In 2007 we launched a transnational partnership with adult education institutions from Hungary and The Netherlands. This Learning Partnership is called VOTE - Voluntary Education and Training and funded by the Grundtvig programme of the European Union.

VOTE is about how to use voluntary work as a bridge to learning and social integration.

Find out more about this project at http://www.bridge-to-learn.org/