Project work abroad for VET learners
Project work brings together VET students/apprentices from Switzerland and abroad to work together on a topic. Young people in vocational training thus practise intercultural cooperation at an early stage and in a results-oriented manner. This is an offer for Swiss vocational education and training institutions.
Overview
For whom
- A group/class of Swiss VET students/apprentices (EBA, EFZ, BM) with a group/class of VET students/apprentices abroad
Duration
- 5 to 365 days
Where
- In Europe and worldwide (outgoing)
- In Switzerland (incoming)
What we fund
- Financial support for organisation, travel, stay and language course
What to do
- Educational institutions look for partner institutions, plan the project together and submit a funding application
Deadlines
- Application deadline: 5 March and 1 October
- Project start: 1 June and 1 December
In detail
This funding opportunity is aimed at vocational training institutions that organise international project work. The project work itself consists of a work-related thematic exchange between a group of VET students from Switzerland and a group of students abroad. The parties involved work together on the selected project over a longer period of time and meet in person at least once. The group leaders / accompanying persons can accompany the participants during the exchange. Whole classes or groups of VET students/apprentices can take part in the project work. This collaboration must lead to a concrete result at the end of the project. Examples of work on a thematic project:
For roofers, sealers and façade builders: Joint restoration of a church.
For fabric designers: Joint conception, planning and realisation of a fashion show.
For VET students/apprentices: Joint programming of an escape room using virtual reality.
This activity is funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. This programme allows Swiss institutions to organise activities similar to the ones funded by the European education programme Erasmus+.
Requirements
For participants:
- You are in a basic vocational training programme (EBA, EFZ or BM).
- A group leader / accompanying persons can accompany underage VET students or VET students/apprentices with little experience abroad to ensure their safety and effective learning during the mobility experience.
- The educational institution can also define its own criteria for participation.
For educational institutions:
- Vocational schools, (apprenticeship) companies, professional associations, cantonal vocational training offices and other vocational training-related organisations based in Switzerland (public or private) can submit a funding application.
- Individuals and for-profit exchange service providers such as intermediary agencies are not eligible to apply.
To the project work
- The project work involves a thematic exchange between a group of VET students from Switzerland and a group of students abroad.
- The project work focuses on a specific work-related topic and leads to a concrete result that is developed jointly by the two groups.
- Project work also requires co-operation between different institutions with common goals and an interest in common topics. At least one organisation is located in Switzerland and one abroad.
- A mobility lasts between 5 and 365 days.
- Participants have the option of doing additional language preparation during the mobility. A mobility of at least 2 weeks and up to 2 months entitles the participant to a language preparation of max. 2 weeks and max. 50% of the duration. A mobility of at least 2 months entitles the participant to a maximum of 1 month of language preparation.
Funding amounts
Funding amounts depend on the location and duration of the reciprocal visits and apply to incoming and outgoing students:
- Organisation fee for the institution: CHF 250 to CHF 450 depending on the number of participants (only for outgoing participants)
- For the trip: CHF 400 to CHF 1,000 depending on the country, per person (for VET students/apprentices and group leaders / accompanying persons).
- For the stay: CHF 40 to CHF 91 for VET students/apprentices and CHF 120 to CHF 180 for teachers and group leaders / accompanying persons, per day depending on the country and Duration
- For language preparation courses: CHF 190 per person (only for outgoing students)
- For group leaders / accompanying persons: Contributions for accommodation and travelling expenses as described above.
- For the specific needs of individuals with disabilities or those suffering from physical, mental, or chronic illnesses: Max. 12,000 CHF (actual costs based on the note of requirements)Insurance and any visa fees are at your expense.
You can find all the funding contributions and the calculation in detail in our grant table:
Procedure
For institutions
Project work abroad is funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. In addition to project work for VET students, this programme also supports Job Shadowing, Teaching activities, Networking activities as well as continuing education for VET staff abroad. We recommend that you bundle thematically related activities in one funding application.
Follow these steps to carry out your project:
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1. Find a partner institution
To carry out a project work abroad, you need a partner institution abroad. You have an interest in the same topic and work on it together over a certain period of time.
- Find a partner institution abroad through your network and the school's network, by attending our networking events or international conferences.
- Project work abroad is generally possible worldwide, with a few exceptions. Make sure that the desired partner institution is located in an eligible programme country.
- Get more information on the topic find an exchange partner.
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2. optional Form consortium
If several Swiss institutions are pursuing the same goal, they can apply for funding for mobilities as a consortium. Find out whether a consortium project brings additional benefit to your project.
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3. optional Arrange a preparatory visit
Would you like to meet potential project partners on site to get to know each other or jointly develop a project? Get financial support for a preparatory visit.
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4. Planning the project
- You plan the topic of the project work with the foreign partner institution, the virtual collaboration if necessary and the physical meeting of the two groups.
- Make sure that the project fulfils our award criteria
- You plan the participants' stays abroad. To do this, you estimate the number of trips in your institution and determine how you will prepare the participants for the upcoming meetings and who will accompany them. You also define the results of the project work.
- In the project application, you describe the planned activities and provide information on points such as
- Details of all partner institutions
- Brief project description with objectives and measures
- Overview of planned mobility activities
- Information on the preparation, on-site support and follow-up of the mobility activities.
- Plan for internal and external communication of the project results.
- Please refer to the current grant table for international mobility projects in vocational education and training for budget calculations and use our award criteria as a guide.
- Consider environmentally friendly means of transport in your planning. Find more about Green Mobility
- It is important to us to also enable persons with disabilities or with physical, mental, or chronic diseases to participate. Therefore, we provide additional funding for persons with special needs, for which you can apply in the funding application. You may also submit a request for funding for special needs at a later stage during the project duration. You can find more information under inclusion and equal opportunities.
- We are happy to provide you with individual counselling to clarify questions about planning, submission and implementation. The consultation can take place over the phone, online or on site.
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5. Submit funding application
- Submit the funding application online. Keep to the deadlines in March and October.
- Open the application as early as possible to familiarise yourself with the requirements. We open the application forms together with the call for projects, usually in December and June. You can save the application temporarily and continue working on it later.
- If you are submitting an application for the first time, you will need to register once.
- You only need one application for different mobilities. In the same funding application, you can also apply for funding for group leaders / accompanying persons, Traineeships abroad as well as job shadowing, teaching assignments, networking and continuing education for VET staff abroad, if the mobilities are thematically linked.
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6. Contract and payout
- We will review your application after the deadlines have expired.
- You will receive the notification at the end of May or the end of December.
- After a positive decision, we will send you a contract.
- The project starts on 1 June or 1 December. You can choose between a project duration of 12 or 24 months.
- We finance the project in 3 instalments. Within 30 days of receiving the signed contract, we will pay out the first instalment of funding (40%). Once you have utilised 70% of this amount, you can claim the next 40%. We will calculate the remaining amount for the last instalment after the final report has been submitted.
- Payments are made exclusively to vocational education and training institutions based in Switzerland.
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7. Preparing stays abroad
- Select the participants and organise the project work together with your partner institution. You involve the participants in the planning.
- Prepare the participants for their exchange experience by defining the framework conditions of the exchange activity as well as learning and work objectives.
- Also prepare the participants in terms of content. Use one of our intercultural preparation workshops [link to intercultural preparation programme].
- Make all the necessary organisational arrangements regarding outward and return travel, accommodation, insurance, visas, emergencies, etc.
- You can use the notification of need for additional financial support for people with special needs to apply for additional funding if you have not already done so in the funding application.
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8. Realising project work
- Realise the international project work according to the project proposal.
- After the start of the project, we organise a mandatory information event. You will receive all the information you need to successfully carry out and complete your project. It also gives you the opportunity to get to know your contacts at our company and other project managers.
- After the project has been implemented, you monitor the objectives set as defined in the funding application and evaluate the project:
- We conduct random monitoring meetings with the project leaders. At this meeting, you can clarify questions and receive feedback, tools and suggestions for further project implementation.
- Make sure that the exchange activities and the learning and work content acquired by the participants are visible. Find out more about recognition of competences.
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9. Submit final report
- At the end of the project period, you must submit a short final report within 60 days. Depending on the number of mobilities realised, we will pay out any remaining amounts or make a reclaim.
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10. About us report on the project
- Implement the planned communication measures. Be sure to mention the funding from Movetia. We provide the logo and text modules for this purpose.
- Share the content widely via your institution's channels, e.g. newsletter, social media, blog, etc. In this way, you present your institution as innovative, open-minded and an attractive school/employer. You will also stimulate professional exchange in the education sector.
- Make the project results available to the training providers and encourage the VET students/apprentices to present their results to the training provider.
- Contact us to increase your reach, e.g. by placing a magazine article on our website.
Q & A
How do I find partners abroad for my international project work?
If you have heard of interesting players in your sector abroad, contact them spontaneously. Many mobilities have already been organised in this way.
Do I also receive support for VET students/apprentices who want to come to Switzerland?
Yes, if you have applied for outgoings (from Switzerland to abroad) and incomings (from abroad to Switzerland) in your funding application. A reciprocal exchange is highly desirable.
Will I receive money for my organisational efforts?
Yes, if your organisation has a sponsorship agreement with us, you will receive funding for each participant. See funding amounts.