"With the Europe 2020 Strategy of the European Commission, one frequently noted critique on the “European Project” was that from a citizen perspective it appeared to be elitist and lacking popular support. Some perceived the activities and organizations around the “Brussels bubble” promoting the European idea for young people to be addressing and reaching only an already well-informed part of young people that are politically interested. We believed that bringing young people together from diverse cultures serves them to learn about each other and allows them to express openly their hitherto hidden capabilities and open European mind. Since 2008 IHKPG and their involved project partners ALFMED (FR), FOYLE INTERNATIONAL (UK) and HERMES (Malta) have been supporting EU VET mobilities in a very high performance and with great European added value. The project idea of Skills#EU started here by using the existing enthusiasm of the trainees to equip them with the skills necessary to motivate and activate their European citizenship. The Skills#EU project was initiated by IHKPG as VET provider and sending organization in DualVET mobility and partner EUROSOC#DIGITAL (E#D). E#D had high expertise in political education with a strong EU focus and an extensive experience in reaching out to those youngsters. Partner Auxilium belonged to IHKPG's network of providers of non-formal education and has gathered considerable expertise in developing approaches and training programmes related to European citizenship and participation. The six project partners were coming from 5 different countries: Germany, Malta, UK, France and Austria. While the German project leader IHK-PG was a further training institution with lots of experiences in sending young people abroad, ALFMED and FOYLE International have been mainly receiving organisations. HERMES from Malta had great experience in both preparing students for their mobilty program as well as welcoming them. EUROSOC#DIGITAL had complemented the partnership by its profound experience in training civic education to youngsters in German schools. In summary the whole partnership was permanently working with a big number of VET learners from different countries and cultures. The overall aim of Skills#EU was to develop and establish a blended-learning training scheme for young VET learners that accompanied them before, during and after their mobility abroad and equiped them with the means to activate a motivated, positive attitude as European citizen. In order to design a training concept tailored to VET trainees we collected data on the state of the art regarding the trainees´ needs and expectations related to various dimensions of social and civic competences, cultural awareness and expression with the aim of ensuring that our project promotes the acquisition of key competences (IO1 Whitepaper “Skills#EU meets VET in European mobility”). Based on this IO1 we developed IO2 “Curriculum Skills#EU, inluding guidelines for trainers and assessment of learning outcomes”. The curriculum was structured by three provided learning modules: M1: Challenges and Opportunities as European citizen; M2: Understanding, negotiation and decision-making; M3: Intercultural communication. Each module contained separate teaching and training material as attractive collection packed in a special “Skills#EU"" training suitcase and additional as online material. This suitcase included instruction cards for teachers, pack of cards, flags, caps, and additional hints on learning material to be used. All material has been tested in piloting and short term training events in order to guarantee highest quality and flexibility in use. More than 1000 VET learners throughout the project consortium with its mobility networks were using the Skills#EU suitcase to better prepare students for their mobility stay.All project material as well as guidelines referring to the respective methodologies are stored on the website www.yourskills.eu and as OER in the EU project results platform VALOR. Our website is linked to our IO6 “European Peer Learning platform Peers#EU”. VET learners in ERASMUS+ mobilities learned a great deal by explaining their ideas to other participants and by taking part in activities in which they could learn from their peers. Go abroad – talk about – and learn from experiences! We built a bridge between VET and policy thus promoting European citizenship, youth participation, cultural diversity within VET mobility. Therefore, the project outcomes were contributing to the development of a European attitude, norms and values. This required a European dialogue which was taking place within the Skills#EU project. The project was innovative because it connected “formalized” VET learners mobility with the informal learning goals of the ""Youth in Action"", a new challenge across sectors. All material is free for use and available both on Moodle and on the Website www.yourskills.eu."

Entering the labour market successfully when their schooling is finished is a challenge to young people all over Europe, especially if they are considered disadvantaged. The problem is not only visible in the economically weaker countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, but is also evident in all other countries. To address this problem, many countries in Europe introduced 'work-oriented training' methods (WBT) in schools and vocational training programs to create a better link between theory-based learning and practical training. This approach is more stimulating to these students and has shown to produce feelings of success for young learners whose skills and capabilities lie to a greater extend in practical work rather than abstract learning. Nowadays, it´s widely recognized that those countries with an integrated work-based vocational preparation and training system and an apprenticeship-oriented approach are doing better with the successful transition from school to work. However, the national transition settings differ from country to country. Furthermore, regardless the national institutional system may be, the same challenge has to be faced everywhere: how to combine theory learning and practice training efficiently in order to produce sustainable learning success with disadvantaged young people.This in fact was the main focus of the WBT strategic partnership. The aim was to discover and examine the various work-based training approaches being used in European countries and to find out 'what works', striving to disseminate good practices and approaches. The overall aim was to find successful ways and strategies for overcoming long standing learning barriers and blockades in order to create sustainable learning success and to secure the successful integration of young students into the labour market.At first, the partnership researched the different transition settings and WBT approaches in the partner countries and illustrated the findings in an overview report. Following, an Online Survey was carried out, addressed to the main relevant stakeholders involved in school-to-work transition: teachers, trainers/instructors and the young learners themselves. The interviews were done through an online questionnaire containing a mix of standardized and open questions. The aim was to find out what were the great advantages of the respective WBT approach in the country; what were the drawbacks; and what kind of improvements can be identified. The online survey collected around 20 interviews from each stakeholder group in each country, producing more than 560 interviews in total. The online survey was evaluated in a Report on Findings and finally lead, as the core product, to a Manual on Work-based Training that illustrates the different approaches of WBT, documents the findings of the survey, and details best practices-by providing descriptions of demonstrative examples.

Apprenticeship is a priority all over EU. On the last years most of Member states have adopted regulations and schemes on Apprenticeship, but the majority of them suffers from the same problems: find shared solutions at EU level, strengthening apprenticeship effectiveness and governance trough cooperation between all relevant VET stakeholders and companies, make VET more responsive to a changing skills demand. R.APP project partners are from 5 EU Countries and, apart from DE, where apprenticeship in Dual System is a strong reality, 4 of them (IT, RO, MT, EL) share the same situation of very limited performances and even if regulations and schemes are rather recent, they are all atone for cultural legacy that influences effectiveness, governance and employers’ perception.Everywhere, resistances are still related to the lack of information and awareness, bureaucratic procedures, lack of coherence between the professional/skills needs and available didactic programs, absence of training culture, difficulty to find suitable apprentices and preparing internal tutors.R.APP project represented a reply to the above mentioned problems and pursued the following objectives:- Train Apprenticeship Tutors within VET Providers and Schools, who needed to gain or improve skills to plan and manage Apprenticeship schemes, motivating and guiding companies in providing quality paths and properly evaluate and validate LOs achieved by apprentices;- Train Apprenticeship Tutors within Enterprises, who needed to gain competences on normative and administrative aspects and recruitment procedures; shape curricula design and seek flexible arrangements between VET Providers/Schools and Companies to meet specific demands; - Contribute to remove obstacles at the company level in investing and providing apprenticeship paths;- Foster the adoption of quality assurance procedures to raise the standing of apprenticeship among VET stakeholders; - Make sure that apprenticeship programmes give a genuine, high quality learning experience that gives young people a solid foundation and an entry-ticket to rewarding careers;- Lay the basis for widening an EU VET Mobility area for Apprenticeship with transparent qualifications systems which enable the transfer and accumulation of LOs and allow young apprentices to further develop their skills and enhance their employability perspectives. Main R.APP project achieved results are:O1–R.APP Didactical Guidelines for training VET Tutors: it is a compact presentation of how didactical process should be organised and implemented when dealing with apprentices and how to support them during Apprenticeship paths even at EU level in Mobility projects. O2–R.APP Training Guidelines for training VET Tutors: it includes a theoretical part and the supply of concrete competences to VET Tutors when dealing with apprentices, enterprises and key stakeholders; how to improve enterprises motivation and commitment; how to map skills, design curricula and seek flexible arrangements between VET providers and companies.O3–R.APP In-Company Tutors Vademecum for Enterprises Staff: it is a very practical tool to support the target on normative and administrative aspects and recruitment procedures; ensure a strong correlation between training programmes and professional needs; properly assess and validate LOs achieved by apprentices.O4–R.APP Apprenticeship Mobility Vademecum for VET Staff and Enterprises Tutors: it supports VET sending organizations and EU hosting Enterprises on how to work on LOs acquired in a EU context and how to evaluate the apprentices during Mobility, with the final aim to develop more permanent actions to raise the quantity and quality of mobility experiences for apprentices, even on a long-term basis.These IOs were connected with Multiplier Events, in order to reach the widest range of target groups and stakeholders possible. In addition to these 4 core IOs, R.APP developed a number of further outputs necessary to achieve the set objectives: Dissemination Strategy; Website and R.APP e-Learning Desk; Dissemination materials; Quality Management Handbook; Learning/Training Teaching Activities.R.APP project achieved an extended impact in particular on:- Direct participants in the project: R.APP provided concrete competences for the targets on how to properly plan and manage Apprenticeship paths; how to evaluate apprentices during their in-company training; how to foster companies motivation to take on apprentices;- Partner Organisations: with the project they received an innovative approach for planning and managing flexible Apprenticeship pathways both at NA and EU level;- Other stakeholders: they are labour market authorities, political decision makers and policy makers on regional, NA and EU level; labour market organisations; chambers of commerce and social partners. They all gained impact out of the project with the innovative and flexible approach of the R.APP Model.

The promotion of inclusive education and lifelong learning for students and learners with disabilities and special needs is one of the priority areas set up by the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020. Moreover, in the Bruges Communiqué the EC suggests to increase the possibilities for disadvantaged learners in VET by offering alternative pathways, innovative VET training formats, more Work-Based Learning (WBL) in the main forms present at EU level. Further, The European Agency for the Development of Special Needs Education has published a study on the competences of an inclusive teaching in 2015, where 4 main competences are requested: valuing learner diversity; supporting all learners; working with others and continuing professional development. These are competences required and which are by far not reflected in the VET training programmes. Students with special needs and disabilities need, therefore, to have a personal plan of study which includes WBL experience and tailored on them and the enterprises, on the other hand, need to be trained to support the envisaged target group. VET4ALL represented a reply to the above mentioned problems as it aimed at reaching the following objectives: - Train teachers and staff working with the target group to make WBL or internship experience more fruitful and aimed to future job insertion even in an European context;- Develop flexible pathways which connect the VET formal school curriculum to WBL for students with disabilities/special needs;- Foster the implementation of ECVET principles and tools and develop an innovative approach to Mobility in order to facilitate the access for students with disabilities/special needs;- Support enterprise trainers/mentors and staff during the WBL/internship experience of students with disabilities/special needs. Main VET4ALL project outputs are: O1-VET4ALL Didactical Guidelines for training VET staff working with students with disabilities/special needs.It is a compact presentation of how didactical process should be organised and implemented when dealing with students with disabilities/special needs; how to support them during the WBL/internship experience even at EU level in Mobility programmes. O2-VET4ALL Training Curriculum for Training VET staff working with students with disabilities/special needs.It includes a theoretical part and the supply of concrete competences to the target group when dealing with students with disabilities/special needs. O3-VET4ALL in-company Mentors Vademecum.It is a very practical tool to be distributed to Trainers/Mentors in order to support students with disabilities/special needs during their WBL experience. Supported Employment is the focus of the Vademecum. O4-VET4ALL Mobility Vademecum for accompanying persons of students with disabilities/special needs.This output aims at supporting the accompanying persons, usually teachers not expert in disabilities, and even the EU Enterprises during the mobility and how to implement and develop LOs acquired in a EU context and how to evaluate the students. These 4 Intellectual Outputs were developed in connection with local Multiplier Events carried out in each partner Country, in order to reach the widest range of target groups and stakeholders possible. In addition to these 4 core Intellectual Outputs VET4ALL developed a number of further outputs necessary to achieve the set objectives: website and Dissemination materials; Dissemination Strategy; Quality Management Handbook; Learning/Training Teaching Activities. VET4ALL achieved an extended impact on:- Direct participants in the project: VET4ALL provided concrete competences for the targets on how to deal with students with disabilities/special needs during WBL experiences; how to evaluate students during their in-company training; how to foster company motivation to deal with WBL paths for the envisaged target group. - Partner Organisations: with the project they received an innovative approach for planning and managing flexible WBL experiences both at national and EU level for the envisaged target with disabilities/special needs;- Other stakeholders: they are labour market authorities, political decision makers and policy makers on regional, national and EU level; target group associations/cooperatives for disabled persons and/or with special needs; the labour market organisations; chambers of commerce and social partners.