In March 2016 we had a pleasure to receive the second round of students from our Italian partners who arrived as part of their Erasmus Plus Key Action 1 Mobility. (You can read about the 1st group in our February post). Their project – TRAIN is aimed at promoting training in all aspects as the best way of helping youngsters and increasing their chances of successful future career. The project put emphasis on widening horizons, gaining understanding of another culture and experiencing employment for the first time. The participants were accompanied by their teachers – Elisa and Tiziano who were their main point of contact and helped to arrange group activities in the group’s spare time. The teachers also visited the work placements and spoke to all host companies and their students. We would like to thank Elisa and Tiziano for taking such great care of their students and for their positive attitude and friendly approach, they were both a joy to work with.
The tasks met my expectations. I learnt new things and improved my knowledge of information technology. I used tablet and computer to make videos and take pictures . I shared them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I would work for them again, they were very friendly and available if I had any problems. The services provided by Almond were good, the work placement was great and the accommodation very good. I would recommend it to everyone I know.Francesca about her Erasmus Plus mobility work experience
From Francesca’s Reference letter written by Penny, her work placement supervisor:
She proved to be most knowledgeable in all things ‘IT’ & helped us to bring our social media marketing into the 21st century! Whilst here she approached every task with enthusiasm & confidence, while showing both Peter & myself how to do the following:• Create short videos & upload them to all the social media platforms.
• Use ‘Canva’ to create vouchers, postcards etc for social media marketing.
• Take photographs and use them in the ‘correct’ way, for marketing.
• Created an email campaign on ‘Mail Chimp’ & uploaded all the previously collected data.
Francesca’s time with us was invaluable, as she was able to work on her own initiative & we wouldn’t hesitate in having her back, at any time!Thank you so much for introducing her to us.Penny about Francesca’s time with her company
OUR BRIEF FOR THIS Erasmus Plus KA1 MOBILITY WAS TO:
- arrange full board host family accommodation in shared rooms
- arrange B&B accommodation for the accompanying teacher
- find suitable work experience placements for 10 trainees
- arrange airport transfer
- meet and great service in Plymouth
- organise local transport for the group
- book cultural trips to Eden Project and National Marine Aquarium
- monitor the student’s progress via 1:1 appointments
- liaise with the accompanying teacher on all subject matters
- provide assistance for the teacher and students
- arrange work placements visits for the accompanying teacher
- provide effective 24/7 support and advice to all the participants
- complete all the necessary documentation
- award with a certificate upon completion
The tasks met my expectations and I would like to work for this organisation again . It has been a wonderful experience, they gave me a lot of responsibilities and I made a variety of administration tasks including general office work, website work and customer services. My colleagues were very kind and understanding.Miriana about her Erasmus Plus mobility work experience
The group undertook a variety of placements in Plymouth, starting from office clerical jobs, retail, IT and Social Media Management. All students were escorted to their host companies and introduced to placement supervisors on their first day. On week two, we arranged visits to all the work placements and escorted the teachers to their appointmentsYes, the tasks met my expectations. I learned a lot of new things and improved my knowledge of office software. I liked this organisation and the people who worked there, they were kind and understanding. My host family was very nice and kind, the food was good and the portion sizes were right. The services, work placement and accommodation provided by Almond were satisfying so I would recommend this organisation to others. I really enjoyed this experience.Paola S about her Erasmus Plus mobility work experience
As a part of the package, we were also responsible for arranging cultural excursions for the group.Almond Vocational Link booked an escorted trip to Eden Project and a visit at National Marine Aquarium, apart from that, the group was also able to join our other Italian students for their trip to St Michael’s Mount and the charming St. Ives. As a part of social program, we arranged a traditional Pub Quiz evening and a Bowling Nights, both events were enjoyed by many and were a great opportunity for the students to get together, interact more and have fun!
This was a very unique opportunity for all the students to explore a new culture, improve their English, experience the working environment for the first time and become more independent and responsible . We are very proud of what they have all achieved whilst here and how well they have represented their country through their excellent work ethic and positive approach. At the end of their stay, Almond Vocational Link awarded the participants with a well deserved Certificate of Completion. This is yet another success story showing how beneficial Erasmus Plus is for both trainees and local companies here in Plymouth. The feedback received from hosting companies was excellent! We wish all the participants best of luck in their future careers.
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