The main project objective is to develop relevant and high – quality competences of early staged researchers – Ph.D. students, students of master´s and bachelor´s degrees and also other adults, employees, entrepreneurs etc. The main project objective will be achieved by development of a course focused on preparation and management of innovation (research and development, educational) projects. Project management skills and competences have been more and more required by the employers in almost all sectors of economy, science, technology and services. Their role is essential in nearly every industry.Demand for project managers is high across industries. Job growth is anticipated to be faster than any other occupation, with 22 million new job openings around the world by 2027, according to the Project Management Institute. Education of future project managers, however, is not comprehensive and does not meet the requirements of the labour market or scientific research environment. The project responds to the growing need for professionals able to effectively manage innovations both at universities/research centres and in companies. The course to be developed will place emphasis on the linking methods of project management with technical-economic-managerial aspects. Graduates will acquire all the know-how necessary for the practical activities in the management of innovation. The course will include practical tasks, providing instructions for the solution of specific problems of practice. Graduates will be able to use the acquired skills and competences both in enterprises (industry, services) and at universities (R&D sectors). This will increase the employability of the students on the labour market, attract young people to innovations and support the utilization of R&D results in economies at the same time. The main target groups are university students, early stage researchers (Ph.D. students), university teachers and trainers in companies. Project participants reflect the target groups. University teachers and trainers (up to 5 participants/partner country) will take part in the joint staff training/course for lecturers on how to effectively use the methods and tools developed within the project for practical education and training. The Course and its materials and methodology (O1) collected and developed within the project will be presented to target groups, tested during the workshops in partner countries (30 participants/partner country) and thereafter evaluated by experts. All target groups (35 participants) will attend the international Final conference in Ostrava.Results (project output): Innovation project management course-Kit of educational materials to be used separately or as a course (PDF materials, text files, presentations, case studies, etc.)-Moodle Course (e-learning, Open Access) Content of the course: Content of the course is based on PMBOK methodology and follows the same areas: Integration management, Scope management, Time management, Cost Management, Quality Management, HR Management, Communication, Risk Management and Procurement Management. The above mentioned areas will be supported by Introduction to Innovations and Project English - terminology lessons. Implementation phases and activities of the project:1.Development of educational materials, development of Moodle Course (e-learning)2.Short-term joint staff training - exchange of good practices, training of teachers on Innovation project management course3.Workshops in partner countries - trial course, getting feedback from the participants and lecturers, evaluation of the first version of the course 4.Course upgrade (based on the feedback and evaluation), development of final version of the course materials and Moodle course5.Dissemination activities - final conference, presentation of the Course at public events, articles, conferences, etc.

"<< Background >>Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the field of tourism and hospitality was one of the fastest growing industries at global level. The sector did not go through major arrests during the previous crisis but, despite these positive economic trends, it was already confronted with the need of addressing its negative impacts on communities and environment. Leading entities in the field such as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have remarked its connections with all the goals in the 2030 Agenda, stressing that tourism can be a powerful tool for sustainable development if it engages local populations and all key stakeholders. Fostering tourism transition towards more sustainable forms of tourism development and planning remains a crucial issue to be addressed (Gössling et al., 2020), for which specific skills need to be developed and chances of encounter need to be created. In fact, despite the importance recognized by scholars to participatory tourism planning processes in fostering sustainability at different levels and creating added value for all the stakeholders involved, the currently dominant destination management models are characterized by the lack of focus on destination residents as a legitimate and salient stakeholder group (Fiall A. and Garrod B., 2005). This ouster of locals and the scanty development of participatory tourism is due to several factors. Major obstacles are the lack of adequate knowledge and competences both in the case of professionals and residents, low levels of stakeholders’ awareness, uneven distribution of power, lack of coordination, meager presence of professionals entitled to manage destinations in an inclusive and holistic manner. This project aims to concretely tackle these issues and fill these gaps. The consortium will develop an innovative training course for professionals and residents. The course will be complemented by a participatory tourism laboratory through which they will be able to put in practice the knowledge acquired and use gamified methodologies to produce a participatory tourism product. GAP will offer a high-quality course and will create innovative transferable tools and methods. Through GAP, VET will be able to develop skills and competences usually required (but hard to find) by the so-called destination manager, a highly qualified professional figure of recent boost responsible for developing multi-stakeholder and multi-thematic strategies to control the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental dimensions of a specific tourism territory. In doing so, the project contributes to adapt vocational education and training to labour market needs and it also contributes to innovation in vocational education and training.<< Objectives >>GAP aims to foster the transition towards more sustainable models of tourism by developing learning tools that will help bridging the gaps and mitigating the factors that hamper their effective spread and implementation. GAP aims to pursue the following general objectives:- Fostering innovation and sustainability in tourism- Promoting tourism as a tool for individual and community development- Fostering participatory tourism and bottom-up promotion of territoriesThe consortium will contribute to the achievement of these general objectives by focusing on the following specific objectives:- Adapting vocational education and training of tourism professionals to labour market needs- Contributing to innovation in vocational education and training for tourism professionals- Increasing tourism professionals’ knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism planning and tourism gamification- Increasing the ability of tourism professionals of implementing participatory processes in tourism development- Raising stakeholders’ awareness concerning tourism sustainability- Increasing coordination and stakeholders’ involvement in tourism planning and development- Fostering civic engagement, sense of belonging and participation of residents to tourism developmentThe project expects to directly involve the following number of stakeholders at EU level:_10 experts in the field of participatory tourism/gamification_20 managers of inspiring practices in the field of participatory tourism/gamification_75 people in the category VET and residents involved in the pilot training_5 facilitators_50 people in the category VET and residents involved in the participatory lab_375 people in the category VET and residents involved in the online consultation foreseen during the participatory labs_125 people involved in the piloting of the urban game_170 people involved in the Multiplier EventsIndirectly, GAP impacts at local, national and EU level will affect also the following target groups, namely: _tourism students and tourism professionals interested in getting a theoretical and practical training on the topics of participatory tourism and gamification;_residents, that will learn more about a sector that contemporarily embeds and ignores them, have the chance to play an active role in this system and experience alternative forms of participation;_the 5 destinations involved, and the different types of actors they involve, such as public administrations, destination management and marketing organisations (DMMOs), private actors (tourism operators, tourism cooperatives, hospitality industries, tour operators), territories and tourists who will all benefit from higher visibility, more equally spread benefits and the possibility to access to new methodologies and learn more about new forms of tourism models;_other destinations at EU and international level since the materials will be available in 5 European languages as well as English;_tourism and gamification experts, as well as scholars that will have access to all the reports developed by the project;_VET centers, teachers and trainers interested in attending or replicating the learning path of the project to enlarge their offer with innovative programs in line with the needs of the sector;_the tourism sector, not only in terms of its labor market needs (lack of highly specialised figures in the industry capable to develop innovative solutions to manage complex, cross-thematic and multi-stakeholders processes taking into account environmental, economic and social sustainability issues) but also with respect to its role in the achievement of a transition towards more sustainable practices and its ability to contribute to the development of territories, generating and spreading value among all its stakeholders.<< Implementation >>GAP brings together 5 organisations with complementary expertise who will implement the following activities.PR1 - Research on participatory tourism and gamificationDuring this first phase of the project, the consortium will carry out research aimed at identifying inspiring practices in the field of participatory tourism and tourism gamification. The research will be performed under the guidance of Accademia IRSEI and it will help the partners in identifying 20 inspiring practices and gather the advices and opinions of experts and managers that have implemented these approaches. The consortium will gather this information on a final report that will be useful to provide stakeholders with an overview on the state of the art of participatory tourism and tourism gamification. The activities foreseen are:A1_Desk research on Tourism SustainabilityA2_Desk research on gamification in tourismA3_Development of the research guidelinesA4_Desk research for the identification of inspiring practicesA5_Interviews to expertsA6_Interviews to managersA7_Preparation of the country reportsA8_Preparation of the final reportPR2 - Fill the GAPBuilding on the results of PR1, the consortium will develop an online course for stakeholders in the field of participatory tourism, heritage and gamification under the guidance of Ergasia SA. This course will enable stakeholders to enhance their knowledge of the topic and it is aimed at addressing the need of more adequate training and increased awareness with respect to sustainability and innovation in tourism. The activities foreseen are:A1_ Creation of the online learning platformA2_Development of the general learning modules on sustainable and participatory tourism, heritage and gamificationA3_Development of the country specific learning module on local heritageA4_Pilot trainingPR3 - Participation in practiceIn this stage of the project, stakeholders will be involved in a series of workshops and laboratories referred to as “participatory labs”. VET and residents will work together under the guidance of a community facilitator in order to identify common needs, discuss their collective identity and co-create an urban game that will reflect the results of these workshops. Digital consultations for broader stakeholders involvement is envisaged. The urban game will be accessible thanks to the content storage system that will be created by Skills Divers. The whole system will consist of a mobile app where the users will be able to display the augmented touristic info. Mise Hero will be responsible for creating a set of gamified tools (including a brand new game specifically developed to facilitate participatory tourism processes) and an explicative guide to be used during the participatory labs. The game will be tested during a pilot event. At the end of the PR, the consortium will create a guide to foster the implementation of participatory approaches and gamification in tourism development processes. The activities foreseen are:A1_Technical development of the urban gameA2_Creation of gamified tools to facilitate stakeholders during the participatory labsA3_Development of the urban game technical guideA4_Development of the participatory labs guideA5_Participatory labsA6_Pilot eventA7_Creation of the guide for the use of gamification and participatory approaches in tourism destinations<< Results >>GAP brings together 5 organisations with complementary expertise who will cooperate to develop the following results and produce the following outcomes:PR1 - Research on participatory tourism and gamification (IRSEI)Outcomes: 1 working paper on Tourism sustainability, 1 working paper on gamification in Tourism, 1 methodological guide, 1 catalogue of 20 inspiring practices displaying 1 long information sheet + 1 short information sheet for each inspiring practice identified, 5 country reports presenting the results of collection of inspiring practices and interviews to experts (A5) and interviews to managers (A6), final Report ""Stakeholders’ involvement and gamification for sustainability and innovation in tourism development""PR2 - Fill the GAP (Ergasia SA)Outcomes: Online learning platform + Online course on participatory tourism, heritage and gamification made up of 4 modules (including a country specific one on local heritage) + 1 pilot reportPR3 Participation in practice (Skills Divers)Outcomes: 1 digital environment (content storage system and app) for the urban game + 1 set of facilitation games with explicative guide + 1 technical guide on the urban game functioning for stakeholders + 1 monitoring, evaluation and reporting guide for facilitators + 5 Urban games + 1 pilot report + Final report “How to use gamification and participatory approaches to foster sustainable tourism development”"

Tourism is recognized as one of the most important economic sectors worldwide due to its huge potential in generating economic growth and jobs and in Europe supports 25 million jobs, directly and indirectly. It is also considered a relatively easy-entry sector for youth where they can keep learning and accumulating important working skills. However, tourism is evolving becoming more complex and requires higher levels of skills under the quest of the sharing and green economy.Circular Tourism and Accessible Tourism (CAT) are seen as two fast-growing and sustainable sectors, according to the recent EC Study on the Supply Side of Tourism Education and Training (2016), and CIRTOINNO research report (Interreg Europe, 2019). These two emerging segments are expected to create a competitive niche for disadvantaged regions pursuing sustainable development and tackling the lingering unemployment. Nevertheless, shortage in related VET training reported in various countries poses lamentable hurdles to their take-off and actions should be taken to increase the Training resources.OBJECTIVESProject InterCAT means to:- to identify and exchange the best training practices in 5 project's countries according to an evidence-based approach, to be compiled into a Glossary of Training Items for CAT- offer solutions to skills mismatches in CAT and shortage of labour in the sector- to adapt existing learning methods and materials with new evolved methods and realities in CAT, using a bespoke DIATool (Destination Image Analysis tool).ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGYThe project will focus on the exchanges and development of best practices in non-formal education skill-building for youths in order to successfully enter these emerging economic sectors.Project activities can be divided into three categories:1) Desk/ Office Work: By doing desk research, each partner will obtain needed background knowledge on the situation of CAT in their country and at EU level; as well as constructing appropriate training contents2) International Mobilities: 3 Transnational Meetings and 2 Learning Mobilities will allow all partners and participants to have a better reality-check and reliable access to knowledge of the CAT circumstances and skill requirements3) Public Relations and Dissemination: These activities will ensure the delivery of developed results to reach the desired quality and amount of audience.RESULTSInterCAT shall produce 4 principal results:(1) 6-day Training Course for Staff and Trainers on CAT in Portugal: to exchange knowledge and experiences between VET trainers and educators in a peer-training manner (2) Glossary of Training Items for CAT for VET: a direct result of the Training course by introducing CAT's key concepts and working tools for VET training(3) 5-day Study visit in Spain: to help participants relate better what learnt through the training with realistic examples in CAT(4) A Destination Image Analysis Tool - DIATool: in form of an Observation Template, the Tool will be used, tested and finalized during the Study Visit in Spain.Participants to each Mobility is strictly reserved to project partners' staff and collaborators for ensuring capacity-building return on participating organizations.PARTICIPANTSThe project targets three main groups:- TG1: Tourism training providers, including VET centres, academies, colleges and associations.- TG2: Tourism students, operative staff and managers- TG3: Local & European public authorities, stakeholding agencies and advocacy groups.IMPACTThe most important is the impact on the primary beneficiaries: participating organizations, VET providers, tourism workers and businesses to get access to developed project materials and field experiences for constructing their global view on CAT and reinforcing professional networks. Any training institution (of VET/NFE nature) or tourism authority could use the best practices collected in the Training Glossary to improve their curriculum, and DIATool for self-analysis. This way, InterCAT can serve as a stimulus for further institutional investigations and policy development in this direction so as to accelerate CAT's rate of diffusion. In a larger scope, InterCAT contributes to UN's Sustainable Development Goal, EU’s Access City TITLE, League of Historical and Accessible Cities (LHAC), a Resource Efficient Europe (2011) and EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP).PARTNERSHIPThe partnership presents an ample geographical distribution that will help to exploit different experiences and contexts and to disseminate project’s results all over Europe. Project consortium contains certified VET training institutions, university-business foundation and youth organizations from 5 European coastal countries: Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Latvia. Such discrepancy in terms of geography, expertise and network is valuable for creating the project's diverse perspectives, methodological synergy, and obtaining ample public outreach.

The Erasmus+ project „Adult Education - It’s Never too Late to Learn“ (AdELe) is the partnership of five European adult education and VET institutions, who contributed to Europe 2020 goals by sharing the best practices in the Adult Learning field and improved the skills of the teachers, trainers and the key persons in Life Long Learning process. During the project, they created a web-based Toolbox and increased the capacity of operating at the transnational level. Period: 30 months Participants: European Adult Education and VET institutions; the key persons of arranging the adult teaching/training process, adult educatorsAim: to improve the quality and accessibility of Adult Education by increasing the skills of the people responsible for putting it into practice – adult educators, Adult Education specialists, key persons in the local Adult Education field. Necessity: The project was called into life by Haapsalu Vocational Education and Training Centre, which is the local coordinator and main provider of Adult Education in the area. The project grew out of the real-life demand of how to better reach the age group 50+ and the low-skilled or low-qualified adults who are living in the countryside and are difficult to reach and how to involve more adult students into Life-Long LearningThe project concentrated on the topics which are relevant in every country and international experiences extended and developed educators' competencies and improved the quality and accessibility of Adult Education in every participating organization. Main activities: 3 Transnational project meetings for the project managers and Adult education specialists from every participating organization to discuss the activities, share responsibilities, evaluate the project, share feedback from the participants and work with the Toolbox. Finally, discuss the impact, make conclusions and discuss further dissemination and cooperation. 5 Learning/Teaching/Training activities, 4 participants (teachers, trainers, adult education specialists) from each country –. Every host country organized one LTT with a teaching program for 5 days. Every Training Activity was focused on a certain topic due to the strengths and experiences of the organizations: LTT 1 – Cooperation with different parties (local organizations, municipalities, enterprises, companies, unemployment agencies etc.)LTT 2 – In-service training as a service (how to build up adult education course, curriculums, methodologies, how to aim the right target group)LTT 3 – Marketing and sales of adult education courses – how to reach the possible learners (Increasing demand and take-up through effective outreach, guidance and motivation strategies which encourage low-skilled or low-qualified adults, to develop and upgrade)LTT 4 - Improving and extending the supply of high-quality learning opportunities tailored to the needs of individual low-skilled or low-qualified adults (language learning, integrating migrants to the community and the local labour market, development of migrant education for instance language and citizenship).LTT 5 - Extending and developing educators' competencies through the effective use of ICT. Increasing the IT competencies of the learners and the effective use of ICT when running the courses ( how to do it)The two last LTT-s were arranged online. During every Training Activity: - the host country gave an overview of the Adult Learning possibilities at their school and generally in their country. - Visits to the local organizations and enterprises who provide Adult Education - Practical workshop for the participants to share the best practices of handling the topic in their country and at their school. The result of the best practices of every topic was collected on our website. (https://adultlearning4ever.wordpress.com/)- Working on the Toolbox for the Adult Educators Results (expected impact) Toolbox for the Adult Educators On the project web page, we collected: - The success stories of effective Adult Learning (blog) - The best ideas from every meeting - The best practices carried out during the Workshops- The Best ICT tools and free online environments for educators Dissemination of project results: we shared the results of the Project and our experiences during the mobilities on the Project Website, on the web pages of the participating schools, local associations and in the EPALE environment.https://adultlearning4ever.wordpress.com/https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/node/300130https://epale.ec.europa.eu/et/node/300130?fbclid=IwAR0NQN9BfaGXDqchIoqYhrj6KQJ0dSgclHY2UI4QvikOT0sYUDmu9Q1laTg

This project aims to develop, structure and share the professional knowledge about local -based sustainable tourism 4.0. European VET providers and educational institutions will be involved in a professional training and self-training process in order to face the challenges of contemporary tourism.Contemporary tourism businesses, in fact, in the last decade have been experiencing the challenge of new forms of tourism, but also a lack of an adapted and updated professional education in this field. All over Europe and beyond contemporary tourists want to enjoy authentic local realities together with local inhabitants. On the other hand, the increasing presence of sharing economy websites and apps encouraged several non-professionals to open up to tourism business. Both these phenomena contributed to the development of non-structured practices in the contemporary forms of hospitality and to the increasing obsolescence of traditional business models.In this framework this strategic partnership of six European VET providers, higher education institutions, NGOs and SMEs aims to structure these practices in a shareable form of professional knowledge.A training path will be designed, developed and tested in order to be deliverable both for online and face-to-face education. For this purpose, a specific methodology will be designed in order to extrapolate models from local best practices in the involved countries. The learning tools will be tested - online and offline - and will be delivered as the first European-based educational toolkit for sustainable local-based tourism 4.0, available for future tourism professionals and tourism professionals who want to update their competences.