From 13th to 15th July 2026, Merle Misselhorn und Elena Gielians travelled to Naples as representatives of the Walter-Gropius-Schule for the final meeting of the ConnActions project. After several months of international cooperation within the Genuss/Gusto network, the meeting provided an opportunity not only to present the results of our work, but also to exchange experiences with the other German-Italian networks and to discuss possible perspectives for future cooperation.
ConnActions brings together German and Italian stakeholders in vocational education and training and aims to develop and test models for sustainable bilateral cooperation. For the Walter-Gropius-Schule, participation in the project resulted in a pilot project involving students from Germany, Italy and Finland: students from APOLF in Pavia produced and packaged traditional Italian cookies, while our media design students in Hildesheim developed new packaging concepts and designs. Students from our Finnish partner school Novida complemented the project through product photography and video production.
Sharing experiences and project results
Following our arrival by train on Monday, the programme began with a joint dinner. The evening offered an informal opportunity to meet participants from the other ConnActions networks and to exchange first impressions and experiences.
Tuesday was dedicated to the results and experiences of the different networks. In Pecha Kucha presentations, all participating networks introduced their approaches, activities and outcomes. In addition, INAPP presented findings from the qualitative monitoring of the ConnActions project.
Our own practical project results were also part of the programme: at our exhibition stand, we presented the packaging designs developed by our students during the German-Italian cooperation. This made it possible to show a very tangible outcome of international vocational education – and to discuss the learning process behind the finished products with participants from different professional and institutional backgrounds.
What does meaningful international cooperation look like?
Wednesday’s programme began with a keynote presentation by Jörg Buck from the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Italy), who provided insights into German-Italian economic relations and highlighted the close connections between the two countries from a business perspective.
Building on this broader perspective, the subsequent workshops shifted the focus from looking back to looking ahead. Participants discussed how the experiences and networks established through ConnActions could be continued beyond the current project period.
For us, this discussion was particularly important. Our pilot project demonstrated the considerable potential of international cooperation between student enterprises and vocational schools – but it also showed that successful cooperation requires more than simply distributing tasks between institutions.
From our perspective, international cooperation should create learning opportunities on both sides. This includes direct encounters and reciprocal visits between students whenever possible, communication in a shared language such as English, and agreements on learning objectives, competencies and concrete outcomes before a joint project begins.
Most importantly, cooperation should be based on partnership. One school should not simply act as a service provider for another. Instead, students on both sides should take responsibility, contribute their own expertise and benefit from the learning process.
These experiences from our practical work provided an important basis for the discussions about possible future formats of international cooperation.
Networking beyond the individual project
Another valuable aspect of the meeting was the opportunity to exchange ideas with participants and representatives from different areas of vocational education and international cooperation. Conversations with representatives from GOVET/BIBB, DLR and the Federal Ministry as well as with the advisor for student enterprises in Lower Saxony opened up new perspectives and connections beyond our own network.
After the intensive workshop sessions, a city tour through Naples provided an opportunity to discover the host city and to continue some of the conversations in a more informal setting.
From project results to future perspectives
The final meeting in Naples marked the formal conclusion of our participation in ConnActions, but many of the questions raised during the project will remain relevant to our future international work.
Our cooperation with APOLF and Novida showed how authentic products and real partners can turn vocational learning into a cross-border project. At the same time, it reminded us that sustainable international cooperation needs clear communication, shared educational objectives and genuine reciprocity.
We therefore leave ConnActions not only with packaging prototypes and documented project results, but also with a much clearer understanding of what we consider essential for future international projects: learning with and from each other, creating opportunities for direct exchange and designing projects in which all partners contribute on equal terms.
The meeting in Naples was therefore both a conclusion and a starting point – for continuing to develop international cooperation as an integral part of vocational education at Walter-Gropius-Schule.
