Welcome to our Project Web!
This school partnership is an initiative of our „European CNC Network“, a consortium of more than 30 vocational schools from Europe that has been in existence since 2004. The most well-known and probably most successful school project within our network was the „Train for EUROPE“, which was awarded the European Youth Charlemagne Prize in 2010.
Project Teams from all over Europe
As a follow-up, this technical project focused on interactivity through the digital networking by using modern microprocessor technology. An interactive user web interface serves as a gateway for interactions with visitors. Clicking on the control panel button generates a radio-controlled pulse, activating the audiovisual motion effects of the selected wagon in a showcase. Web-based networking makes it possible to control wagons at other school locations. Users can operate from a distance across Europe by using an integrated webcam to watch animations at other schools.
The "European CNC-Network - Train for EUROPE - Digital Revolution 4.0" was supported
by the European Union as part of the Erasmus+ KA229 School Exchange Partnerships
running for 33 months from December 2020 to August 2023.
View our Project Card!
We are very proud that our
Train for EUROPE Digital Revoulution 4.0 School Partnership
was awarded the ERASMUS+ Seal of Quality 2023
(Rating: 93/100).
In total six vocational partner schools with mechanical, electronical and informatical background
were involved, one each from Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Norway.
You would like to know more about our project?
Feel free and take a closer look at our project web!
This School Exchange Partnership is coordinated by
BBS TGHS Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
Exploded Assembly Video
After the technical drawings were completed and the 3D models were created using CAD software, the engineering and design were converted into an exploded assembly video to visualize the complete design of the showcase and the 360° webcam system for cross-checking clearances, tolerances and function. It is very impressive to see how many individual parts the showcase consists of and the detailed solutions that the students have developed.
Final Meeting in Germany 05/2023
Yes, we have finally made it to Germany, to the final meeting and we were all looking forward to seeing our “Train for Europe - Digital Revolution 4.0” adventure running at our final presentation and of course to meeting all the European friends again.
The meeting started with a beautiful welcome dinner at a small restaurant in the middle of Bad Kreuznach, just in walking distance to our hotel. It was the time that we, all those involved in the project, said hello to each other. Of course, we talked a lot about the project, our work, the machine and our trip to Germany.
On our first day, Heinz and his colleague Elina gave us a tour through the city of Bad Kreuznach, to the famous "Brückenhäuser – Bridge Houses" and the historic center of this town in the southwestern part of Germany. For lunch, we went close to the main station to fight hunger in an Asian restaurant. It was delicious!
In the afternoon we went to school and started our meeting with a review and the first work line and group work sessions. The focus of our work in the different groups was the preparation of the final meeting on Friday. Only two more days to fix any technical problems or solving minor problems of our infrastructure, at the camera, the software or our wagons. Some students directly went to the workshop and assembled their installation, others stayed in classrooms and worked on the concept for the final presentation.
Fifth Meeting in Lithuania 01/2023
On Friday, 13th January 2023, the Irish delegation had an early start. Each member of our party met up outside Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport at 3:30 am. We checked in at 4:30 am and we departed Dublin at 6:30 am. Our flight took 2 hours and 45 minutes and we arrived at Kaunas Airport at 11:30 am Lithuanian time.
After grabbing our luggage, we took the public bus that brings us to the center of Kaunas where our hotel called Best Western Santakos Hotel was located at. The bus journey from the airport to the hotel was tiring therefore we all got settled in our hotel room and everyone had a nap.
After a few hours of resting, we got up and got ready for our welcome dinner where all the parties from Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Croatia, Italy and Ireland were gathered. The hotel chefs prepared a beautiful and delicious two course meal consisting of a main course and a dessert. For the main course we were given a beautifully roasted duck which melted in your tongue, and this was accompanied by a crispy yet so fluffy roast potatoes and some creamy vegetables. For dessert we enjoyed a light brownie with a side of sweet vanilla ice cream. After dinner we all went back up to our hotel rooms and rested for an early start of our project the next day.
Saturday was the project's welcome and initial day. We all had breakfast in the hotel at 8 am and at 9 am we met outside the hotel. We were given our travel card which we use to pay for public transport all over Kaunas.
Fourth Meeting in Ireland 09/2022
On Wednesday, 28th September 2022, all partner schools arrived in Dublin to start the fourth project meeting in the Newpark Comprehensive, Blackrock Dublin. The first day was “arrival day” and each delegation came to the Clayton Hotel in Leopardstown according to their own schedule and settled in.
There had been a meeting already earlier in the week of another Erasmus+ project under the CNC-Network called Magical Moving Machine for Europe. So, the arrival evening for T4EU-REV coincided with the farewell evening for 3M4EU and a joint dinner had been arranged to include both groups. This was in The Marry Ploughboy where a cultural music and dance show took place as well as a nice meal.
On Thursday morning we got a warm welcome from our hosts as well as a school tour that gave us an insight into their educational system and school. Afterwards we had a chance to view some of the 3M4EU projects that were left for viewing by the earlier project group. Lunch was then provided by the school catering after which we went to Dublin City for a guided tour.
Next morning on Friday, we walked to Newpark School and after our “Morning Flashlight” we started the reviews of the Worklines A and B. Lunch in school was followed by Plenum sessions of the Worklines. The working day was concluded by our “Evening Flashlight”. At 16:30 we returned to the hotel and took the LUAS tram to Dundrum Shopping Center where we had individual dinners.
Third Meeting in Croatia 05/2022
On Sunday, 1st May 2022, the five delegations arrived in Croatia to start the third project meeting in the “First School of Technical Sciences Tesla” in the country’s capital Zagreb. The first evening was giving all of us an opportunity to get settled and to have dinner together before starting work on our wagons again the next day.
Our first full day in Zagreb started with a very nice breakfast in the hotel before meeting in front of the hotel to start the half hour walk to the school. The weather in May in Zagreb was quite nice so it was beautiful to enjoy the sunbeams and the atmosphere. After arriving we got a warm welcome from our hosts as well as a presentation that gave us an insight into the country, the city and school. Afterwards we started working in workline A for two hours, dealing with the technical tasks in the project and then having lunch, a delicious meal made from potatoes, beef and fresh salad. This was followed up by a guided school tour in which we got to see the classrooms and workshops. We also got told some of the school´s history and the person it was named after: Nikola Tesla.
Afterwards we continued our work in the work line B and presented them to our classmates. It seemed like the work pace had picked up as everyone had a genuine idea of what the plan was and which problems required solutions. We stopped working at around 4:30 pm to receive a tour of Zagreb. There we saw the historic upper and lower towns, the historic Stone Gate, the Cathedral of Zagreb, the “Museum of broken Relationships” and received a lot of interesting facts and information about the history of this beautiful city. After the tour it was time to get individual dinners. Luckily we were already in the city center so everyone could easily find one restaurant or another to get something to eat and then individually travel back to the “Hotel International” to get a good night’s rest before the next day of hard work.
Second Meeting in Italy 02/2022
On 16th February 2022 we arrived in Italy and were welcomed with dinner at the Pizzeria La Lucciola. After not seeing the other students for so long, getting to re-meet some and meet some others for the first time, it was nice to sit together and have a clam evening before the excitement of the project really started. Some delegations brought the same members as before in Norway, others switched out part of or their entire team of students.
The first actual day in Ivrea started with a warm welcome to ISS Olivetti with a presentation about the Confindustria as well as the city and surrounding area. Part of that presentation included the Aosta Valley which we would visit the next day. Also, the team from Croatia presented us with a working prototype using an ESP32 which works great and will be fun to use in the actual train carts. After that eventful morning and a delicious lunch at the school cafeteria we finally got back into working on our tasks for the project. The rest of the work day was spent working on new ideas and developing ones that we already had in Norway. We concluded the day with a school tour which the Italian students guided us on. We saw different computer science and graphic/design labs. At the end we had some time to have dinner individually and maybe explore the town a bit on our own.
The next day was split into a half day of work and a half day of exploring. The morning was set off with a work phase of Workline C as well as Workline D, both were being worked on for the first time which gave a nice new perspective of what else is involved in such a project. Next to the obvious parts of a project titled “digital revolution” like programming and coding, we now also talked about public relations, the project corner and web contents. Working on these workalikes gave a welcome break from all the technical talk that was all that was spoken about up to that point.
Kick-Off in Norway 11/2021
On 17th November 2021 students from six schools all over Europe came together in Trondheim to revive a project that has been running since 2020. After the start of the project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, us students from Lithuania, Croatia, Italy, Ireland, Norway and Germany met in the Byåsen Videregående Skole in Trondheim to get an idea of how to further improve our Train as well as strengthen the interconnection between all the participating schools.
The starting event of the entire project was a dinner prepared by the students in Trondheim and it, along with the complementary lunches every day, was definitely a highlight. On the second day the project really took off with us all starting to think about the actual realisation of a manageable plan. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we all took the public transport together and, upon arrival, we heard about the project’s history, the outline for our specific project and how we were going to work on it as well as how the project work will be structured. That evening we were also invited on a guided city tour of Trondheim, where we were taken around the beautiful city centre and learned about its long and rich history. Sights we explored included the Stiftsgarden, Nidaros Cathedral, the Old Town Bridge and the Old Harbour. Afterwards we explored some more on our own and ended the evening with our own dinner and some free time, as well as anticipation for the next day’s project start.
Corona Delay 12/2020-11/2021
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In the first year, our school partnership was really strong dominated by the CoViD-19 pandemic. The high numbers of incidences throughout Europe were leading to many lockdowns in schools and home schooling at our partner schools. Due to high infection risks travelling activities were completely stopped by school administration and so the planned project meetings could not be realized.
The web-based conferences established as an alternative to the planned meetings did not work out the way we had been expected to because the periods of lock down in the different partner countries again and again made it impossible for students to get back to working on the product. Apart from that, schools had to cope with the most relevant problems concerning their regular curricula and organisation of lessons. All that led to the fact that developing the project more and more was shifting into the background of the daily work in school.
Repeated travel warnings and the presence of new mutations of the virus made the planning of further project meetings impossible until early autumn 2021. In the aftermath of having developed and been able to provide enough vaccine we today see that more and more activities are again possible. In conclusion we are quite confident to be able to develop and proceed in project work and to follow on the different project activities as outlined in the application.
Nevertheless, we are very happy to be able to meet in real for the first time in November 2021 in Trondheim (Norway), where we can discuss, evaluate and agree on the further structure and procedure how to go on in a first kick-off meeting. Despite all the delays and difficulties, we are still very confident to be able to work proper on all our tasks in the coming months.
Foto by Daniel Roberts at Pixabay
