VTA (Vocational Training Abroad, Stage di Lavoro all`estero)

VTA (Vocational Training Abroad, Stage di Lavoro all’estero)
Il progetto VTA è nato nell’ambito dei 3 Progetti Europei “Comenius” ai quali abbiamo
partecipato (dal 2005 al 2012) e quindi grazie all’amicizia e collaborazione con
diverse scuole superiori della UE.
Il progetto prevede la possibilità, per gli studenti delle classi terze e quarte, di
svolgere uno Stage di Lavoro all’estero, ospitati in famiglia, per un periodo di tre
settimane.
Attualmente, le nostre scuole partner nell’esperienza sono:

Hans-Leipelt-Schule, Donauworth , Germania
o http://www.fosbos-donauwoerth.de

I.E.S. Miguel De Mańara - Sevilla – Spagna
o http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/iesmm

Yrkesinstitutet Prakticum, Helsinki, Finlandia
o http://www.prakticum.fi/
Queste sono le procedure per l’attuazione del progetto:
1. I docenti individuano gli alunni interessati e disponibili ad effettuare lo stage e ad
ospitare, successivamente, per la stessa durata di 3 settimane, il proprio partner;
Il Collegio dei Docenti si è espresso favorevolmente nei confronti dell’iniziativa ma ha
richiesto che lo stage degli studenti italiani possa aver luogo al di fuori del periodo
scolastico
(giugno/fine
scuola
oppure
prima
dell’inizio
delle
lezioni
in
agosto/settembre)
Naturalmente sarebbe auspicabile la reciprocità ( stesso alunno ospite e ospitante)
ma non si esclude la possibilità che sia un’altra famiglia ad ospitare.
Il partner sarà in Italia durante l’attività scolastica ma poiché impegnato nel lavoro
fino al tardo pomeriggio non ostacolerà l’attività di studio dei nostri alunni.
2. Il docente responsabile del VTA individua aziende disposte ad accogliere gli alunni
stranieri in stage, naturalmente a costo zero.
Purtroppo, soprattutto a causa del difficile momento economico che l’intera Europa, ed
in particolare l’Italia, sta attraversando , sta diventando sempre più difficile,
individuare aziende disposte ad accogliere studenti stranieri (che non parlano italiano)
ai quali è necessario affiancare un tutor (che conosca l’inglese, o il tedesco o lo
spagnolo) che possa guidarli nell’espletamento di semplici funzioni.
L’esperienza, che ha un’alta valenza formativa, oltre che linguistica, è seguita e
monitorata dal tutor referente sia in azienda che all’interno della scuola partner.
I costi a carico delle famiglie sono limitati al viaggio di andata/ritorno verso il paese
di destinazione e l’ospitalità al partner (vitto e alloggio) per un periodo di tre
settimane.
Pioniere dell’esperienza, nell’estate 2008, Giberti Laura e Benetti Sharon, appartenenti
alla classe 4 A ERICA (diplomate nel luglio 2009) che hanno prestato servizio
rispettivamente presso l’Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche di Nordlingen e presso la
Biblioteca Comunale di Donauwoerth, in Baviera.
Dopo di loro, Andrea Rossi (classe 5 A Geometri) e Giulia Gualtieri (5 A ERICA) hanno
svolto il loro stage a Helsinki nel settembre 2009 e hanno ospitato, nella primavera
2010, rispettivamente Matias, iscritto alla sezione Economia e Marketing, e Linda,
iscritta alla sezione Media della loro scuola.
Linda ha potuto approfondire in senso pratico le sue conoscenze di creazione siti web
e pubblicità presso INDUSTREE di Reggio Emilia mentre Matias è stato ospite dell’
azienda KARTHA di Carpi ed ha approfondito la diffusione delle fatture elettroniche (einvoicing) nel Nord-Europa.
Numerosi, quindi, gli studenti che, negli anni, a partire dal 2008 fino ad oggi, hanno
partecipato al progetto:
Giberti Laura (4 A ERICA)
Benetti Sharon (4 A ERICA)
Rossi Andrea (4 A Geometri)
Gualtieri Giulia (4 B ERICA) (vedi My VTA Report )
Salati Isabella (4 A Geometri)
Cantarelli Roberto (4 B Geometri)
Ronchetti Marco (4 A ITI) (vedi My VTA Report )
Caliumi Margherita (4 B ERICA) (vedi My VTA Report )
Ceccato Giorgia (4 B ERICA)
Morellni Giulia (3 B ERICA) (vedi My VTA Report )
Malagutti Nicole (3 B ERICA)
Vivari Federica (4 A ERICA) (vedi My VTA Report )
Mazzucchelli Martina (4 A ERICA) (vedi My VTA Report )
Diallo Raby (3 A ERICA)
Ferrari Sofia (4 B ERICA)
Aldrovandi Sara (4B ERICA)
Fornaciari Serena (4B ERICA)
Numerose sono le aziende del territorio che hanno collaborato al progetto,
dimostrando grande disponibilità e flessibilità ed a loro va il nostro sentito
ringraziamento:
CORGHI-NEXION, Correggio
ARGO TRACTOR-LANDINI s.p.a.., Fabbrico
INDUSTREE, Reggio Emilia
KARTHA s.r.l., Carpi
CORMO SOCIETA' COOPERATIVA, San Martino in Rio
COPY Company s.r.l., Campagnola
SICAM, Correggio
EMAK s.p.a., Bagnolo
CTE INTERNATIONAL, Reggio Emilia
STUDIO PAOLA LIGABUE, Reggio Emilia
LIU’ JO, Carpi
GRANDI PASTAI ITALIANI, Correggio
ESTETICA BLUE SUN, Correggio
TECHNOSOLUTIONS s.r.l., Reggio Emilia
LOVEMARK s.r.l., Reggio Emilia
Ecco alcune delle testimonianze dei nostri studenti che hanno partecipato al VTA:
Giulia Gualtieri
Ho trascorso 3 settimane ad Helsinki, in Finlandia, dal 22 agosto al 13 settembre
2009.
Sono stata ospitata da Linda, mia coetanea, e dalla sua famiglia composta, oltre che
da lei, dai sue due fratelli, di 23 e 20 anni e dai genitori Mats e Nina Fontell.
Tutti mi hanno aiutata molto a inserirmi sia nella famiglia sia nel nuovo ambiente.
Helsinki infatti è molto diversa dall’ Italia.
La mia famiglia finlandese, inoltre, abita in una città chiamata Porvoo dove si parla
sia finnico sia svedese, anzi la seconda lingua va per la maggiore nel sud del Paese.
Durante questo periodo ho lavorato come cameriera a Sipoo, una cittadina situata a
metà strada tra Helsinki e Porvoo e molto bella perchè attraversata dal lago.
I miei colleghi all’interno della struttura sono stati tutti gentili e l’inglese non è stato
un problema (là lo parlano tutti, bambini, giovani, anziani!!!).
Per forza di cose , avendo a che fare con i clienti , ho anche dovuto imparare un po’
di svedese…..
La proprietaria del locale è una signora sulla quarantina con 3 figli. È molto gentile e
mi ha aiutato molto.
Questa esperienza lavorativa mi ha insegnato molto, ho preso contatto con una
cultura decisamente diversa da quella italiana, ho potuto anche notare il loro modo di
vivere e cucinare.
Questa esperienza lavorativa mi ha insegnato molto, ho preso contatto con una
cultura decisamente diversa da quella italiana in quanto a stile di vita, abitudini, cibo…
Non vedo l’ora di rivedere Linda che sarà mia ospite per tre settimane nell’aprile
prossimo.
Io sarò molto impegnata nello studio ma sarà bello trascorrere le serate con lei, a
casa o con i miei amici nel weekend e portarla in giro nelle nostre zone.
Il sabato sarà a scuola, nella mia classe, perciò anche i miei compagni potranno
conoscerla!!
Ronchetti Marco
anno scolastico 2010-2011
Sono uno studente all’ultimo anno del corso ITIS e nel periodo tra il 21/08/2010 e il
12/09/2010 sono stato ospitato da una famiglia finlandese partecipante al progetto
VTA.
Questo tipo di esperienza è stata molto importante per me, grazie soprattutto all’aiuto
del mio host-brother e del mio datore di lavoro: ho lavorato per tre settimane in un
paese all’estero, conoscendo così una realtà di vivere molto diversa dalla nostra ma
capace di farti maturare.
Il ragazzo che mi ha ospitato, Arturs Lindholm, sin dal primo momento, nonostante
la mia non proprio naturale scioltezza nell’utilizzo della lingua inglese, ha cercato di
farmi sentire a mio agio. Ha sempre cercato di coinvolgermi in quello che faceva,
nonostante il poco tempo disponibile.
Anche l’esperienza lavorativa è stata positiva: Ian Bourgeot, il titolare della libreria in
cui sono andato a lavorare, nonostante la differenze tra la tipologia dei miei studi e il
tipo di lavoro, è riuscito a coinvolgermi nella sua attività, trovando anche il tempo per
aiutarmi migliorare la mia conoscenza della lingua inglese.
Questo tipo di esperienza è molto utile a noi giovani, non solo dal punto di vista
linguistico ma anche per incoraggiarci ad aprire i nostri occhi su uno stile di vita
diverso dal nostro.
Caliumi Margherita
This report was made by me, Margherita Caliumi, and all my family because they also
had a very important role in this experience.
My experience was divided into two parts: the fist, when I was in Finland ; the
second, when my host-sister came to my house to spend 3 weeks working at SICAM,
in Correggio.
When I was in Finland I had the possibility to improve my English and to use it while I
was working and also for any type of necessity; I worked in a cafe bar as waitress (
the same place where also Giulia Gualtieri worked) and there I had to learn some
Finnish and Swedish words because not all of the costumers were able to speak
English and they were anyway interested to speak to me
The only thing that didn’t work correctly was my relationship with my host-sister; my
impression is she was not interested in creating a link with me.
Luckily her mom, her brother and also the girl I worked with were so cute and
outgoing that I did not feel homesick.
When she was staying at my place, it was the same; she didn’ t care about me and
my family; she didn’t respect my family rules and she behaved like she was staying
in a youth hostel and not with a family; my parents were a little bit sad about this
because our previous hosting experience was just wonderful!
Anyway, I know that my experience was not one of the best but it was good anyway,
because it gave me the possibility to know new people, places, the Finnish culture
and to improve my English.
Morellini Giulia
La famiglia è stata molto accogliente e sono molto simpatici. Non ho potuto stare
molto tempo con loro perché ero sempre in giro dopo il lavoro. Non ci sono stati
problemi di alcun tipo, nemmeno per la lingua. In Finlandia conoscono TUTTI inglese.
La famiglia che mi ospitava era composta da quattro sorelle e, naturalmente, i
genitori.
Anche nel negozio, chiamato Anton & Anton, mi sono trovata molto
bene. Il lavoro non era molto pesante, soprattutto perché non c’era
molto da fare. I primi 2 giorni ho dovuto pulire tutti gli scaffali del
negozio. Gli altri giorni ho lavato le stoviglie, piegato gli scatoloni e
riempito gli scaffali. Tutti i giorni così, ad eccezione di quando ho
tagliato del pesce (mai più!). E’ stato davvero orribile.
Escursioni, attività, esperienze
Per quanto riguarda le escursioni, una volta sono andata allo zoo,
abbiamo visitato Helsinki (anche il campo divertimenti). Infine siamo andate in
Estonia, abbiamo visitato la capitale, Tallin, in poche ore, ma ne valeva la pena.
Eravamo spesso nei centri commerciali Kamppi e Focus.
L’ unica difficoltà prima della partenza è stata: “cosa portare?”.
I vestiti sono un GRAN problema, soprattutto perché quando si pensa alla Finlandia,
una persona pensa subito a babbo natale e alla neve. Perciò non sapevamo se portare
vestiti invernali o estivi.
In Finlandia non ci sono state difficoltà di alcun genere. Dopo un po’ siamo riuscite ad
orientarci benissimo. Ed è stato un bene che tutto ciò di cui avevamo bisogno era a
due passi.
Ho avuto riscontri positivi in tutto: ho migliorato il mio Inglese (la ragazza che mi
ospitava non faceva altro che ripeterlo) e infatti spesso mi ritrovavo a pensare in
inglese.
Inoltre ho imparato un po’ di svedese (loro parlavano soprattutto questa lingua). Ho
fatto nuove e bellissime amicizie.
Ho conosciuto una nuova cultura: il modo di essere dei finlandesi è completamente
diverso dal nostro: le persone tendono ad essere molto silenziose ( tranne alla sera)
e il loro modo di vestirsi è completamente differente dal nostro. Anche la scuola e il
lavoro si svolgono con modalità differenti. In Finlandia le scuole possono contare su
finanziamenti maggiori , pertanto gli edifici sono molto più nuovi, moderni ; per ciò
che riguarda il sistema scolastico, gli orari di inizio e fine lezione non sono fissi:le
lezioni, ad esempio, possono iniziare alle 9, come anche alle 10 o alle 8 e gli studenti
seguono un percorso personalizzato. Inoltre,già dai 15 anni possono iniziare a
lavorare e di anno in anno il loro stipendio aumenta.
Insomma è stata un’esperienza unica e fantastica che rifarei (e mi trasferirei là)
volentieri.
Al rientro non ci sono state difficoltà.
E’ stato stranissimo ritornare in Italia, la nostalgia
subito.
per Helsinki
si è fatta sentire
Mia sorella, Emma, ha 17 anni e studia economia in una scuola professionale,.
Emma, e le altre ragazze, sono venute in Italia con noi il 16 settembre e purtroppo
sono già tornate in Finlandia.
Giulia, Giorgia and Nicole at Praktikum, our partner school in Helsinki
Preparing salmon.
Martina Mazzucchelli
My VTA experience started on Saturday, 16th June and ended on Saturday, 7th July
2012. It took place in Germany, precisely in a little Bavarian town, in the South of the
country.
MY HOST FAMILY
My host family, whose surname is Schröppel, live in Harburg.
Harburg is a little town situated on the “Romantic Road”, a theme route 350 km long
in Southern Germany, famous for its medieval locations. That’s why in this town there
are a lot of historical buildings and monuments like, for example, the castle, the old
bridge and the church.
The Schröppels have a very nice and big house near the town centre; in their property
there are also a big garden, a vegetable garden, some fruit trees, a henroost, a tool
shed, a sawmill and a little stable. They also have a big landed property in the country
where there are fields and another stable.
My family consisted of Elisabeth, my host sister, Fritz, her father, Magdalena, her
mother, Christoph and Barbara, her brother and sister.
Fritz works on his farm where he breeds pigs and grows mostly wheat. In one of his
stables there are 500 pigs! He carries out all these activities during spring, summer
and autumn while in winter he spends most of his time in the forests of Harburg: in
fact he is in charge of supervising them.
Magdalena is a housewife: she does the housewok, she goes shopping every morning,
she takes care of the garden, the fruit trees, the vegetable garden and she cooks
wonderful meals. She is a very very good at cooking, her cakes are delicious!
Christoph, who is 15, studies in a technical school.
Barbara, who is 23, studies Agriculture at Weidenbach University, she has an
apartment there and she comes back home only for the weekend.
Elisabeth, who is 17, studies at “Hans-Leipelt-Schule”, which is a technical-vocational
school in Donauworth. She attends a very difficult course where there are subjects
like Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Technical Drawing. This school is particular
because students alternate one week at school and one week at work.
MY JOB
I worked in the library of Donauworth.
Donauworth is a little city 15 km away from Harburg.
The library is in the centre of the town, on the second floor of a big historical building
in which there is also a private school. In the library hall there are exhibitions of
drawings and little works made by children of the local elementary school. In the
centre there is a big desk with two computers: here the costumers come to give
books back or to ask for information. On the right side there are books for children
and adolescents; on the left side there are books for adults and at the back there is
the office. In the “children area” there are also toys, little chairs, pillows and four
computers. In the “adults area” there are four computers, a relax zone with a coffee
machine, a table with chairs and some newspapers, and some small armchairs where
the costumers can read magazines or play chess.
In the library people can borrow and return books, DVDs, CDs and Playstation games;
it is also possible to surf the net. Each costumer has his/her own library card.
Mrs Evelyn is the manager of the library and she can count on very reliable and
qualified her colleagues: Irmingard, Steffi and Jonas. There are also one boy, Hannes,
and one girl, Carina, both from Elisabeth’s school, that work alternately with them.
The library is open from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday;
and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
I used to work from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday; and from 8:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. In the
morning, as soon as I arrived, I had to put the books that people had returned the
previous day on the bookshelves in alphabetical order. After this I used to work in the
office: I put sticky labels on the books and I wrapped them up or I registered them in
the computer using a special program. Sometimes I also prepared the exhibition in
the hall: I took off old drawings and I hung new ones. When the library opened I had
to deal with the costumers: if they had to return books I scanned and put them on
the movable bookshelves behind the desk; if they had to borrow books I scanned their
cards and then the books. At first it was difficult for me to remember the right place of
the books: they were too much and of different genres; I was very afraid to do
something wrong. Also the language was a problem because I don’t study German.
Luckily the library staff always helped me, they never left me alone and they’ve
always been very kind to me, even if I did some mistakes. After the first week I began
to get the hang of all the activities I used to do and I became more independent.
MY EXPERIENCE
I left from Verona airport with Federica, the classmates who took part in the project
together with me in Germany. Before leaving I was very nervous because I had never
been abroad alone for such a long time; I didn’t know what expect. We arrived in
Munich airport at 2:00 p.m. and we met our host families; Elisabeth, Magdalena and
Patrick (Elisabeth’s boyfriend) came to pick me up. We got to Harburg after almost
two hours by car, we had lunch and I met the rest of the family; at the beginning I
was a little bewildered but they put me at my ease with their kind ways. Later I went
to a fair with Elisabeth and her mum. In the evening we went to an open air party
where I met Elisabeth’s friends for the first time. The following day we visited the
castle of Harburg. On Monday and Tuesday Federica and I went to school in
Donauwörth where we had English and Italian lessons; we enjoyed talking with
German students in our language.
On working days I used to get up at 6:45, I had breakfast, I got ready and at 7:30 I
went to the bus station because Carina or Jonas picked me up there by car to go to
work. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I had lunch in Donauwörth; I went around
the town, in and out of the shops and I used to have a coffee in a little Italian coffee
bar. When I stopped working, at 6:00 p.m., I went back home with Carina or Jonas.
Once at home I had dinner and then I took a walk with Elisabeth, Christoph and Zeta,
the family’s dog. After this I had a shower and I relaxed a little bit watching TV or on
the computer. I went to bed at about 11:00 p.m.
On Tuesday and Thursday, considering that I finished working at 2:00 p.m., I had
lunch at home. In the afternoon, together with Elisabeth, Magdalena and Christoph, I
went sightseeing or visited some friends of theirs, like Fiorella and Sidne. Fiorella is
one of Magdalena’s friends; she is Italian but she has been living in Germany since
she was young. Sidne is Elisabeth’s boyfriend’s mum, she is Spanish and she has a lot
of relatives in Germany; I enjoyed talking with them, they are very funny and we had
a lot of laugh together!
Once me, Elisabeth and her mum went into a big shop selling gardening articles in
which you can also buy pets; outside there is a big wonderful garden with two little
lakes, a bridge and some statues.
One day we visited Nördlingen, a city 20 km away from Harburg, famous for its still
complete medieval city walls, Saint George’s Church with its bell tower, called Daniel,
90 m high. We also visited the city of Augusta where we saw Saint Ulrich’s Church,
the Town Hall with “Der Goldene Saal”, the theatre and the big Cathedral.
On Friday and Saturday night I used to go out with Elisabeth and her friends: we went
mostly to open air parties where we had really a good time.
I established a beautiful relationship with my host family, it couldn’t be better : they
completely opened up to me and they did everything possible to make me happy. I
will never be able to find the right words to thank them .
I was very sad when I had to come back home: I didn’t want to leave my family and
all the fantastic people I met there. I can say that for me it was a wonderful and
unforgettable experience that has changed me a lot: I have become more
independent, I have learnt to help myself out of new (sometimes unexpected)
situations and maybe I have overcome my shyness a bit. That’s a great success!
Federica Vivari
My VTA experience started in March, when I hosted Theresa for three weeks and
then, in June, she was waiting for me in Germany. I had never been to that country,
and I was excited to go and meet my lovely host sister again!
The days before leaving, I was afraid of spending almost a month away, but, when I
arrived at the airport in Munich, and then at my new house, all my fears faded away.
The family was fantastic! Theresa, her brother
David, and her parents, Claudia and Horst,
were really nice and friendly to me, and as soon
as I arrived I found a big poster, made by
David, stuck on the gate where they welcomed
me! I also met Theresa’s relatives: her
grandparents, both from her mother and her
father, her uncle
and her aunt, and
everybody did all
their best to make me feel at home! During my stay in
Germany, I visited some Bavarian cities, such as
Munich, Ulm, Heidenheim, Günzburg and, of course,
Lauingen, the city where I lived, and some typical
places, for example, the Biergarten: it’s a restaurant,
but with the picnic tables outside, under the trees and next to the river. Claudia
always cooked traditional meals for me, and, surprisingly, I discovered a new love: the
“Weißwurst”, a white sausage with spinach. Apart from that, I have to admit,
sincerely, that German food is not my favourite because of the sauces, which I don’t
like, and neither the weather is so nice: it changes very quickly, and, for example, one
day the temperature goes up to 30°C, and the next one it falls to 12°C with storms
(and believe me, it’s not funny to be in the middle of one of them, with such rain and
wind that you can’t drive your bicycle!). I invited everybody to come and spend their
summer in Italy!
In the evening of my last day in Germany, my family and I went to a “nature” theatre:
the seats are covered, but the stage is open-air, in a real forest, with real trees and
so on! The play was in German, but I read first the plot at home and Theresa
translated some scenes for me. It was great!
In few days, I met a lot
of new friends, as
Ralph, Lars, Ana, our
neighbours, Laura, Kati
and Lina, Theresa’s best
friends, and “my little
girl”, Saskia, one of the
most important people
I met in my experience:
we spent a great time
walking around the city,
eating ice-creams and
going into some “pool”
with very cold water
came from the river
Donau up to your
knees! With them all I
spent such a great
time! Actually, the only moment when we totally disagreed was for the football match
Italy-Germany. We saw it in the neighbours’ garden, eating a special pizza we had
made ourselves with an original Italian recipy, and I was the only Italian supporter
among twenty Germans!
We also went twice to one of the numerous lakes
next to their city. We swam and had a lot of fun
playing cards on the shore! They also taught me
some German words, and now, even If I don’t study
it, I can understand a bit when someone talks to me
in German. I feel powerful!
I arrived in Germany on
Saturday, and on Monday
and Tuesday I went to
Theresa’s school, where I
took part in English and
Italian lessons, where I had the opportunity to help the
teacher as a native speaker. I noticed that there was more
dialogue between teachers and students than in Italy, maybe
because they do not have oral tests during the school year, just written ones, and so
they don’t have the fear to be tested if they start talking about the lesson of the
day.
On Wednesday I started working at “BSH Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte” in the
controlling department.
My tutor was Melanie Mayer, and I got on well with her, helping her and the
secretary Birgit Werani doing any tasks they gave me, together with Saskia, who
worked with me for two weeks because of a school stage. Thanks to her, and many
other people in the department, I managed to do everything. My tasks were almost
the same things I studied theoretically at school: in economics, for example draw up
and store invoices in alphabetical order, make photocopies of them and fill them into
the Bosch system; check dates and budgets for some departments and the total
amount of the employees travelling time, and many other things. The first days were
really hard, because working almost 7 hours in front of a computer is tiring, but then
I got used to it, even because there was a break at 9 o’ clock; on Wednesday we had
breakfast in the office with every kind of food, from typical sweets, to bread, jam
and fruits.
The factory where I worked makes dishwashers, and one day I visited the production
department, and I was fascinated by the high-technology they have, in particular the
robots in the pre-fabrication.
My colleagues were friendly, and I felt really at
ease with them. They spoke with me in English,
and one of the employees could also speak a bit
of Italian, and so she had also the possibility to
practice it.
I think it was a great experience: it was my first
stage, and, working abroad, I had the
opportunity to improve my English vocabulary
and the grammar. I also realized that working in
an office is not what I want to do in my life: I
wouldn’t have known it without doing this experience!
A lot of people asked me if I noticed some affinities or differences between
Germany and Italy, and, now, my answers to all the questions are the following ones:
 Even if they don’t realize, they often say “Sehr Gut”, which means “very good,
perfect”: it’s really funny!;
 When Theresa was in Italy, she said the Italians always ask you if you are
hungry. In Germany they don’t ask, they, simply, always eat. All the time! I’m
not joking!
 They can get the driving license at 17. I’m not sure it is a good idea! For
example my sister got it while I was there, and we share the thrill of the first
driving hours.
 I had the possibility to spend two days in Theresa’s school, and I noticed that
their system is totally different from ours: they have more holidays during the
school year and don’t go to school on Saturday, but they have some lessons in
the afternoon and they finish school on 1st August. No thanks! I prefer the
Italian system with holiday starting in June! It’s more relaxing!
 Everybody says Italians are always late; yeah, maybe they’re right, but the
Germans are too, I can guarantee!
If I had to synthesize my experience in a few words, they will be:
-friendship;
-explore;
-learning;
-independence;
-punctuality: I had to go to work by train, and it wasn’t waiting for me!
I had never imagined I could feel like this. Before starting my yourney to
Donauworth, three weeks seemed a long time to me, maybe too long; and when the
time to fly back home cama, they seemed too short: I would had stayed there more
days, thanks to the people I met. But then, I realized I didn’t have to be sad, because
the relationship I made will last forever. Miles can’t truly separate us from friends! I
will be always with them, in their heart, and they will be in mine.
I really loved this experience, and I would like to do it a thousand times. I found
beautiful places, unforgettable friends, and a second family.
I also understood that everyday there is something new, and it’s up to each of us to
go out and find it. Never stop experiencing, living, learning.
That’s my Germany.
Ed ora i racconti o il lavoro di alcuni studenti stranieri che abbiamo
ospitato:
Our VTA experience in Italy, by Patrick Wolf and Susanne Scheurle
Three great
weeks in Italy!
Start 19.03.2011
On our first day we were at school,
met a few teachers and were
trained about work security
After that we were brought to our
working places by Paola but first
she showed us Correggio
Patrick had his practical training at
Cormo in St. Martino where he
contacted German companies
Susanne was at Copy Company in
Campagnola where she worked in
the office
We visited different places
like a “caseificio” and cities like
Modena, Rubiera, Sassuolo…
Patrick stayed at Roberto’s in
San. Martino
Susanne was hosted by Isabella
in Fabbrico
We enjoyed a lot of good food
and saw a different culture
Thank you
Paola, Isabella & Roberto
(and the rest from Italy)
for these three wonderful weeks!! 
My VTA experience (10.03.12 to 31.03.12) in Correggio, by Theresa Kaipf
from Germany
The arrival in Verona on the airport should have been at 12.40 but like the
Italian style we arrived at 13.00. My first sentence to my host family was “I’m
sorry for the delay” and they said that it is no problem. Gradually I understood
that for Italians it is normal if someone is not on time.
My host family was very friendly and they have taken me well. The members
are: Alessandro, Father; Lela, Mother; Marco; the brother of Federica and he
also became mine, and my lovely host
sister Federica. I spent whole three
beautiful weeks with the whole family.
If it was the Diner in the evening or the
trips
to
Florence
and
Verona,
everything I spent with them was
great. The weekend started when we
came home from school on Saturday.
Then we went out to Correggio with
some friends of Federica and we ate ice
cream at the famous ice cream shop in
Correggio called “Amadeus” the ice
cream was very delicious. And during the time we ate our ice cream we played
cards or talked about all the stuff girls are talking about. In the evening we
also went out. On the first evening we went to a birthday party of a girl called
Guccia she celebrated her 18th birthday. It was like a birthday party in
Germany, we ate pizza and tiramisu and we danced and have got much of fun.
At the second Saturday evening Federica and her friends have got the great
idea that we can go bowling. So when I tell the truth I really like bowling but
I`m really bad. I only play it at home on a game console and when I play it
there I´m not so bad like in the
real world but also not good! The
bowling center in Reggio Emilia
was awesome it looked like a
bowling center in the middle of
the USA with all the desks and
the chairs and the strange smell
of the shoes. And at the end of
the evening I lose but it was fun
and that is the main thing. At the
last weekend we only could went
out at Friday evening because on
Saturday morning I will leave
Italy. Federica only said to me
that I should were something more elegant on Friday evening because we are
going to a restaurant. And I said goodbye to all of her friends during the week
and I was sad because I wouldn´t n see them again. But as we arrived on the
restaurant all of her friends were sitting on a table and we have got diner with
them. For me it was a surprise that everyone was there. I have got three
awesome and unforgettable weekends.
At my first day in Italy I learned two Italian card games, the first named
“Briscola” and the second named “Scopa”. I love those games and we played it
all the time, on Saturdays in the ice cream shop or during the days when
Marco was watching football matches. And I was very surprised when I got this
card deck, to play it at home and to teach it to my family and friends.
Now I want to tell something about my work. The translation office “Ligabue
Paola & C. sas” translates in English, French, German, Russian, Spanish,
Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Chinese, Japanese, Swedish, Finnish, Arabic,
Urdu / Punjabi and a lot of more languages. But they not only translate they
also offer Recruiting, Meeting Service and USA Exportations. The office belongs
to Paola Ligabue and she has 8 employees. For these factories (Max Mara,
Edicer, CNA, Confindustria Ceramica, Sintofarm) the office translates press
releases, advertisements, etc. Paola Ligabue set up her office in Reggio Emilia,
the city has a population of about 170,000 thousand and it is the biggest city
in the Region of Emilia - Romagna. In those three weeks my task was it to
translate some stories and texts from English in German. I think for me it was
a very good task because I have got the opportunity to improve my English
vocabulary and the grammar. For me it
was a very good work experience because I never done this before and theses
tasks, especially to translate, showed me that I can do something like this in
my Job. I think I would not only translate all the time but as a part of my main
work it would be great. I never have worked in a factory or in an office where
the employees are allowed to have lunch in the office. So for me it was a new
experience that almost all of the women were eating they`re lunch in the
office. In the office there is a small kitchen with a microwave where the
workers can heat up there meal or buy something at a restaurant and eat it
there. It was very funny to eat with all of them, because when you work you
cannot meet all of the people. But when we were eating together we talked
almost about everything. Some employees can speak very well English and the
others tried to speak English with me, most of the time it was funny because
they could say some words and the rest of the time they showed me the things
they mean. For me it was no problem that only some of the workers can speak
English. The others every time said to me that they are sorry to speak no
English and then I said that I couldn´t speak Italian too so it is okay and it is
no problem for me! I´m pleased that I got the opportunity to work in this
office with friendly and polite Women.
On Saturday I have to go to the school of Federica. It was unusually that I
have to go to school on Saturdays because in Germany we don’t have to go on
Saturdays. So on the first Saturday it was hard for me to get up but I have
done it and we started the school day with a Spanish lesson. In the Spanish
lesson the class watched a popular movie called “Spanglish”. But form the
second lesson till the end of the school I and the other girl from Germany,
Elisabeth, were together with Mrs. Primavori in her English lessons. On the first
day we have to talk much, about us about why we are doing this exchange and
if we recognize some differences between Germany and Italy. And we
answered this last question with yes, we recognized four important differences
between the two countries.
1. Italians are always late (:
2. Italians are always asking you if you are hungry or if you want to eat
something. Maybe they think all of the time about food.
3. Some of the Italians only eat biscuits for breakfast and they dip it into a
cup of tea. Strange. Strange. Strange. Germans wouldn´t dip biscuits
into a cup of tea.
4. When you order some coffee in Italy you get a small coffee, for Germans
it is an Espresso. But as I see it´s not the same in Italy for Italians the
small coffee is the normal coffee!
In some lessons there was not only Mrs. Primavori there was a native speaker
from Great Britain, Sajima, too. And she agreed with almost all of our
differences we recognized. She was very nice and she told us some hilarious
stories from her first time in Italy when she moved to her husband. The time in
school was also a great experience to see how it works, what the teachers are
doing in the lessons and what the pupils are doing. I also recognized one thing
which is different between the schools and the teachers in Germany and Italy.
In Italy it is no problem when someone is coming too late to the lesson or if
someone is not present. In Germany some teachers are not so strict when you
get too late to the lesson but when you are not present they are lot longer
your friends. You have to repeat the missing lessons in the afternoon or on
Saturdays.
Carpi
c
ITC Einaudi scuola pilota nello
Stage all’Estero
E’ iniziato ieri, con una settimana di ritardo a causa del blocco dello spazio
aereo, lo stage di lavoro presso aziende del territorio per due ragazzi
finlandesi, Linda Fontell e Mathias Dahlqvuit, provenienti dalla scuola
“Prakticum” di Helsinki che da anni collabora con l’Istituto Tecnico
Commerciale e per Geometri “L.Einaudi” di Correggio.
I due ragazzi avranno modo di entrare in contatto con ambienti di lavoro sicuramente
stimolanti e del tutto pertinenti al loro corso di studi (rispettivamente “Media e
Comunicazione” e “Business”) grazie a Industree di Reggio Emilia, importante azienda
che si occupa di media,marketing e comunicazione, e Kartha di Carpi, che tratta invece la
gestione documentale.
L’ITC “Einaudi” è ancora una volta scuola pilota nell’organizzare questa
iniziativa di Stage di Lavoro all’Estero: durante l’estate scorsa, infatti, due
alunni dell’istituto, Giulia Gualtieri e Andrea Rossi, avevano avuto la stessa
possibilità; ospitati dalle famiglie di Linda e Mathias, hanno lavorato per tre
settimane in Helsinki, ritornandone assolutamente entusiasti sia per quanto
riguarda la vita in famiglia che per le abilità acquisite nel contesto lavorativo.
La coordinatrice del progetto, Prof.ssa Primavori Paola e il dirigente Scolastico
dell’ITC “Einaudi”, prof. Giuseppe Adriano Rossi, dichiarano di credere
fortemente nel valore formativo dell’esperienza che, mettendo gli alunni
indubbiamente davanti a difficoltà ( lingua straniera, trasporti, relazioni
interpersonali…) li arricchisce notevolmente dal punto di vista culturale e
linguistico, crescita personale e lascia loro intravedere la possibilità di un
Futuro lavorativo che sarà sempre più europeo.
PHOTO GALLERY
Mathias and
Linda at
school after
“Safety at
work”
course
Mathias and
Linda with
their host
brother and
sister
Mathias
from
Helsinki with
his tutor at
Kartha, in
Carpi
Linda from
Helsinki at
Industree in
Reggio
Emilia
Linda with
her tutor at
Industree
Isabella and
Roberto with
their hostsister and
host-brother
and their
tutor at
school
Emma from
Helsinki at
Liù Jo in
Carpi
Emma with
her tutor at
Liù Jo
Frida from
Helsinki at
Studio Paola
Ligabue with
Mrs Ligabue
Ronia from
Helsinki with
her tutor at
CTE
International
Ed ora uno dei prodotti realizzati da Mathias per Kartha di Carpi:
E-Invoicing in Northern Europe
E-I n v o i c i n g i n N o r t h e r n Eu r o p e
I n t r od u ct i on
For the past 2 weeks I have done some research in north

European e-invoicing.

Including Finland, Sweden and a little about Norway.

Before I came to Kartha I did not know anything about einvoicing. I have learned a lot under these last few weeks. I
was surprised how big this e-invoicing project is worldwide.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Fi n l a n d

Finland started with e-invoicing in 1999

In Finland electronic certificate is not used.

In Finland 2005 there was sent 8.82 million e-invoices
2%
of all the invoices.

In Finland there is annually sent 450 million invoices, 200
million goes to businesses and 250 million consumers.

An estimated 80 000 Finnish companies is accompanied by einvoicing but only 20% use it in practice.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Fi n l a n d

Currently there are three commonly used web invoice message format:
eInvoice, Finvoice and TEAPPS.

In Finland Nordea Bank, OP-Pohjola Group and Sampo Pankki (subsidiary
of Danske Bank) have 52 % market share of all e-invoicing accounts.

The state has been a big promoter when it comes to e-invoicing, they
have encouraged companies to send and receive all invoices
electronically.

Many large companies and organizations have in recent months moved to
receive only e-invoices. This has encourage many other companies to use
e-invoicing. And at the same time there has been developed e-invoicing
services for the SME companies.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
H ow m u c h d o t h e Fi n n i sh
c o m p a n i e s u se e - i n v o i ci n g
Situation June 2009
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
Receiving
Sending
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Before 2000
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 Estimate 2009
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
R e se ar c h es

In a research made by Elinkeinoelaman keskusliitto Finland
could save only on the B2B side up to 2.8 billion euro if all
invoicing would be electrical.

In Europe, the figure could according to some estimates be
as high as more than 200 billion euro.

In a research made by TIEKE, 84% of the Finnish companies
thought that they would rather have there invoices
electronic then in paper.

Finnish financial professionals in nearly two thirds (63%)
were of the view that the e-invoicing breakthrough has
occurred.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Sw e d e n

In Sweden e-invoicing begun 1998–1999.


In cooperation with Skandinaviska Enskila Banken
Svenska Handelsbanken,Danske Bank and
Skandiabanken.
In Sweden all state authorities have switched to sending and
receiving e-invoices since 1 of July 2008.

Why?
Save money and time, it has been proved
that e-invoices are paid much faster then normal
ones.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Sw e d e n

If you look at one of the ”hot” things today, for example
facebook in Finland there are 210 000 users, in Norway 420
000 and Sweden 640 000, with these statistics you can see
that Sweden is more developed in e-technology then the
other countries.

In Sweden electronic certificate is not used.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
D ag en s I n d u st r i
a Sw e d i s h e c o n o m i c n e w s p a p e r

Some articles from the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri.

E-Invoice creates trouble in shared economy

It seems that only a few companies can change einvoice receivers without simultaneously change
the subscription, for example when it comes to
phoning. It can be a problem for private persons
who share invoices.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
D ag en s I n d u st r i
a Sw e d i s h e c o n o m i c n e w s p a p e r

Large companies require new EU directive on e-invoices


"The requirement for electronic signatures must be
removed," said Ine Lejeune. "There is no standard in the
field and it would be too complicated for many small
businesses." "E-billing must be technologically neutral in
order to be used widely.
They also seek the common requirements on how long bills to be
saved and we would like to have removed language and currency
requirements for electronic invoices for VAT. "In the lobby that she
leads includes ABB, Cisco, Compaq, Deutsche Post, DHL, EDS,
Ericsson, France Telecom, GE Capital, Hewlett Packard, IBM, KPN,
Microsoft, Omnitel, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Sony and TPG.
2001-03-29
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
So m e K e y f i g u r e s a b o u t N o r w a y
Population
PSTN/ISDN telephones
4,55 mill.
3,0 mill
Number of banks
Mobile telephones
144
4,0 mill
Bank offices
Internet connections
1.348
1,6 mill
Bank accounts
Internet bank users
12,5 mill
2.1 mill
Cabel TV
0,9 mill
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Nor w ay

Unlike some of the other Nordic markets, Norway started from the
B2C side with collaboration of large B2C players like telcos, banks,
etc. initiating consumer e-invoicing services.

This has resulted in the Norwegian market having one of the highest
B2C e-invoicing penetrations in the world.

However from a B2B market point-of-view, Norway is similar to
Sweden in that the cooperation between different market players is
just starting to occur and the e-invoicing market is based on point-topoint connections.

However, there are some promising signs that service providers are
starting to understand the need for communication.
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
Co n c l u s i o n

I think that e-invoicing is developing at a good speed.

It will take every one a while before they will switch totally
to e-invoicing.

Northern countries are in a leading position when it comes to
e-invoicing.
E-invoicing in Europe
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it
W eb liog r ap h y
http://realtimeeconomy.net/blogs/show/1/3/282/E-invoicing_aspects_from_Finland._-_Kim_Forsman#comments_message_310_536
http://www.deski.fi/page.php?page_id=9&tiedote_id=7779
http://www.basware.com/FI/News_and_Events/news/Pages/2010_04_06_verkkolasku.aspx
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkkolasku
http://www.yrittajat.fi/fi-FI/uutisarkisto/a/uutisarkisto/verkkolaskutus-tulee-haluttiin-tai-ei
http://www.hse.fi/NR/rdonlyres/B942DD9E-793A-40D1-A629-AFF1C6B06D25/0/Avista2_2007.pdf
http://www.e-fakturera.nu/download/18.6f60681109102909b80002248/folder%2Be-faktura%2Bleverant%C3%B6rer%2Bnov06.pdf
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-faktura
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.302684/protest-mot-krangliga-e-fakturor
http://www.hse.fi/NR/rdonlyres/B942DD9E-793A-40D1-A629-AFF1C6B06D25/0/Avista2_2007.pdf
http://di.se/Default.aspx?pid=56794__ArticlePageProvider
http://www.tieke.fi/mp/db/file_library/x/IMG/12478/file/7.ElectronicinvoicinginSweden.pdf
http://www.basware.com/Resources%20Documents/E-invoicing%20in%20Nordic%20markets%20and%20expansion%20of%20einvoicing%20across%20borders.pdf
Kartha S.r.l. – Via Carlo Marx, 131/2, 41012Carpi (MO) – tel 059.9770.550 – fax 059.4909.080 - www.kartha.it

VTA in Carpi & Correggio
VTA in Carpi & Correggio



We arrived in Carpi &
Correggio 6 days late, on
23.4.2010, after a long
trip.
We left Helsinki by a
cargo ship that took us
from Vuosaari to
Rostock.
On the boat there were
also Italian and German
teachers and students.
Hosted by?



We were hosted by two
students of the school.
Linda lived in Correggio
and Mathias in Carpi.
We have seen a totally
new culture and enjoyed
a lot of good food and
warm hospitality.
First days



On the first Monday we
went to school.
We met some teachers
and had a look around
the school and
…we had some
information about work
security
We went with Paola, our school
tutor, to our work places.
What have we done?



We did a two weeks of
work training at two
diffrent companies.
Mathias was at KARTHA
in Carpi, and made a
research about North
European e-invoicing.
Linda worked at
MUCKO/INDUSTREE in
Reggio Emilia and did 3D
animation and graphic
design.
Spare time



We went to Rimini
the first weekend
... to the fashion
outlet in Mantova.
We also visited a
Parmesan Cheese
dairy farm.
Thank you Italy!!!

Linda Fontell

Mathias
Dahlqvist