Certificates - industrial clerks visit London for vocational education and training

Forty-four aspiring industrial clerks from classes 11a, 11b and 11c at the Kaufbeuren state vocational school spent 3 weeks in London on a vocational learning visit. This is the 13th time the visit has taken place.

The funding was applied for via the National Agency "Education for Europe" at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn with a project entitled "International management assistant - new pathways in vocational education and training for industrial clerks". On Monday, a ceremony was held in the vocational school's assembly hall to present the participants with their certificates and Europasses.

The EU vocational education and training programme, which previously went by the name of "Leonardo da Vinci" and is now called "Erasmus plus", represents an ideal funding method for general vocational and company-based placements, advanced training courses as well as partnerships and innovative vocational education and training projects. This is why the vocational school in Kaufbeuren is very pleased to make use of this.

As Sara Iles, head of the European College of Business and Management (ECBM) in London, pointed out, an important goal of these learning visits is primarily the personal and professional development of participants. Above all, however, the aim is to gain practical vocational experience abroad and at the same time to improve foreign language skills. Obtaining a certificate and the Europass after successfully passing examinations means that significantly better and more attractive opportunities are likely to be available in the labour markets at home and abroad.

In addition to the "London-bound" students, the new assistant head at the school, Ingo Meyer, also welcomed parents and trainers, deputy mayor Gerhard Bucher and Sarah Iles from ECBM London.

The students had decorated the assembly hall, making it "very British" with a union jack, one side of which fell off the wall the moment Brexit was mentioned. The students then gave presentations to those in attendance on the time they spent in London with the host families, the school, the learning programmes and examinations, but also about the other activities such as musical visits and tours. The band "Line up" and its singer Leonie Negele provided the musical accompaniment for the ceremony.

One or two cheerful anecdotes were also shared during the afternoon by the students and the accompanying teachers. Martin von Heckel and Armin Brenner amused the audience with their London review. The lyrics from Bon Jovi’s "It's My Life" were used to look back on the three weeks spent in the British capital. For many, the line "It's now or never" was very much the focus. These three weeks had been a mixture of fun and serious work. And at the end the accompanying teachers also provided a well-intended piece of advice: "Never give up! You've survived London - now get on with everything else!"

It was generally agreed that a lot of "swotting" had been needed for the individual written and oral examinations as well as a final written project. The pleasure and pride among the aspiring industrial clerks in ultimately succeeding was therefore all the greater. The highlight was then a presentation of certificates and the Europasses to the successful trainees.


Source: kreisbote.de (online platform of the German newspaper Kreisbote), revised by iMOVE, October 2019