InternshipConnect in Slovenia: three days to strengthen the link between work placements, skills and businesses

From 16 to 18 June 2026, the partners of the Erasmus+ InternshipConnect project gathered in Slovenia for another mobility week organised in Kranj, hosted by OOZ Kranj.

This study visit enabled the consortium to continue the work undertaken towards a common goal: to improve the organisation, monitoring and promotion of vocational training placements. Over the course of three days, the partners took part in a mix of workshops, exchanges of best practice, an insight into the Slovenian professional environment and informal networking sessions.

Moving forward together with the InternshipConnect model

The first part of the mobility programme was devoted to workshops between partners. These group sessions provided an opportunity to review the project’s management, as well as to make progress on ongoing initiatives, notably the InternshipConnect model, training sessions, open badges, the app, knowledge transfer and assessment methods.

These exchanges are essential for developing tools tailored to the realities of the various partner countries. They enable us to compare practices, gain a better understanding of the needs of learners, training organisations and businesses, and strengthen the coherence of the project at European level.

Work placements at the heart of the dialogue

Throughout the week, discussions centred on a key question: how can we better support young people during their work placement experiences?

The InternshipConnect project focuses on every stage of the process: preparation before the placement, support during the work experience, and the assessment and recognition of the skills acquired. The partners have therefore been working on practical solutions to make work placements clearer, more educational and better recognised.

Open badges and the app, in particular, are important avenues for recognising the skills developed in a professional setting. They can help learners better identify what they have learnt, whilst facilitating dialogue between young people, training organisations and companies.

A company visit to observe practices in a real-life setting

The mobility programme also featured a visit to Lotrič Metrology, a Slovenian company specialising in metrology and quality assurance.

This visit enabled the partners to discover a demanding professional environment, where precision, quality and skills development are central. It also sparked discussions on cooperation between businesses, training systems and skills development in the workplace.

Observing these practices in the field provides a better understanding of the conditions needed to make a work placement a genuine learning experience, beneficial both to young people and to the organisations hosting them.

European cooperation driven by the regions

As well as the workshops and visits, this week in Slovenia also provided an opportunity to explore Kranj, Škofja Loka and Bled. These opportunities for cultural discovery and networking contribute significantly to the project’s momentum: they help to strengthen ties between partners, foster a better understanding of local contexts and build more concrete cooperation.

Each InternshipConnect mobility programme thus offers a fresh perspective on European practices regarding work placements and vocational training. Slovenia provided a rich setting for continuing this collective reflection on work-based learning.

Check out this week’s video

To relive the highlights of this exchange in Slovenia, watch the video filmed during the week:

https://youtu.be/pwiguRs5gqc

A big thank you to OOZ Kranj for hosting the partners, and to the whole consortium for the quality of the discussions and their commitment to this new phase of the InternshipConnect project.