Vocational training knows no borders

Siegfried, how did you benefit from "Erasmus+"?
As part of "Erasmus+", I was able to complete a two-week internship abroad. As a trainee for automation technology, I got the opportunity to travel to Norway this year in May through my vocational school in Bamberg – supported by "Erasmus+" and by REHAU. The project was organized by the "videregående skole" in the Norwegian city of Lier and the vocational school III in Bamberg.

Siegfried, can you briefly explain what the goal of "Erasmus+" is?
Yes, with pleasure. The "Erasmus+" program aims to promote mutual understanding, develop social and intercultural skills among learners, and improve foreign language skills. For this purpose, the trainees complete internships in companies in other European countries and thus find themselves in an appropriate environment, everyday life and work. For the internship abroad, the trainees are provided with funds for travel and accommodation.

Speaking of travel - how was the journey?
Long and exhausting! It started on a Saturday morning, when we - a group of two prospective florists, two commercial trainees and I - set off from Bamberg to go to the north.
First we took the train to Hamburg and then changed to the cheapest travel alternative to Norway: the FlixBus. It was a decision that the majority of the group had voted for. This is because the subsidy from "Erasmus+" is based on the duration of the exchange and they tried to cover the costs of transportation and accommodation first. The rest of the funding we could use for food. And since we were all trainees, the idea was to travel as cheap as possible!
The most beautiful part of our journey was the crossing from Germany to Denmark on a ferry. The sunset over the Baltic Sea was breathtaking!
Once we arrived in Oslo, we took the train to Drammen, where we moved into our apartments. I shared an apartment with one of the commercial trainees. We got along very well, living together in our flat.
All in all, the long, thirty-hour trip had a positive impact on our teambuilding: a very strong group cohesion developed right from the start and we did most of the leisure activities together - from hikes and cooking evenings to a weekend trip to Oslo to long "Uno" nights and more.

What can you tell us about your work in Norway?
Our internship companies were all located in Drammen. Drammen has just under 100,000 inhabitants and consists of two districts divided by a fjord. There are many bridges in the city.
My work was exciting and rich in variety. I felt very well taken care of at the electrical company "vikenstrøm", where I did my internship. As an employee of a small five-man company, I had very close contact with the Norwegian electricians, whom I accompanied and supported on their assignments.

What do you mean by "different"?
The training in Norway is structured in two years of full-time instruction and two years of working in a company. However, you are not tied to the company, as the training does not primarily run through the company. Accordingly, the school-based part of the training in Norway is much more practical. However, I assume that the basic theoretical understanding of processes and operating equipment, which is important from my point of view, is not very well-founded.

In which language did you actually communicate?
I communicated in English. That worked out fine, because the Norwegians have an excellent command of the language. My Norwegian colleagues logically conducted customer meetings in Norwegian. The most necessary things were translated for me. Of course, I also picked up a few words of Norwegian. So I could guess that a Norwegian friend did not want onions when he ordered us kebab!

Siegfried, can you tell us something else about the application process for "Erasmus+"?
Sure. It required an application to the school's program in German as well as a CV and motivation letter in English for the application to the internship companies. However, the final application to the internship company, including the selection of the companies, was done by the organizer.
For "Erasmus+" we had to deliver presentations in Norway and Germany respectively and keep a diary during the entire stay, which was counted as a final report. These were necessary requirements the funding was tied to. Furthermore, everyone had to fill out a learning agreement, the Europass and a participant report. And there were also a few preparatory courses to clarify details about the trip and to expand cultural understanding.