The marine industry is a key component of the European economy and includes activities such as traditional shipping, offshore oil and gas, renewables and offshore construction. These activities are undertaken on sight by ships and offshore facilities, supported from shore by a complementary cluster which includes ships’ construction, repair, management, chartering, survey, classification, insurance, consultancy, valuation and finance. The marine education and training organisations and the recruitment companies are key stakeholders and part of the industry value chain, as they educate and supply workforce for the marine industry. In this context, the project main objective was to improve the employability skills and work opportunities for marine workers and to reduce the existing gap between the education and labour market, by diversification of career paths and skills recognition. This project led by Constanta Maritime University, Romania envisaged supplying better quality personnel and targeting the full range of primary and support activities of the marine industry. Such approach needs to proactively consider the trends outlook of the rapidly changing industry, shaped by technological advancement and the supply and demand curves. In order to respond to these challenges, we collaborated with researchers from Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov Naval Academy from Bulgaria, European Association of Career Guidance from Cyprus and STC-Group, from Netherlands. Specifically, we built a collaborative network to continuously identify the gaps between marine labour market needs and educational field in terms of both hard and soft skills. We used this network and 200+ marine professionals to identify those skills that are most required by marine labour market. The skills base equally refers to the technical skills adapted to new technologies and activities, and to the soft skills that assist employees to demonstrate and complement their hard skills. Employers benefit from both above categories of skill sets by enriching their intangible resources through improved organisational competences. EU recognises this context and recommends education development through increasing quality of and access to vocational education and training and their adaptation to labour market needs.The next stage was represented by creation of teaching curricula focused on areas of hard skills shortage, targeting new marine qualifications: -Ballast water management-Energy efficiency of ships -Dynamic positioning maintenance -Marine surveying -Cargo surveyor -High Voltage Safety and Maintenance -Electronic navigational chartsIn order to promote the continuous professional development of educational staff and marine workers in using ICT methodologies for training and assessment four learning sessions have been organized. Ten educational staff from partners’ institutions participated to two short term training sessions aiming to establish a common framework for skills development and assessment for: Effective communication, Leadership, Teamwork and Problem-solving.The developed materials and learning assessments were integrated in a E-platform for blended learning to facilitate target group’s access to training and certification. A system for recognition and validation of work-related skills and learning outcomes was integrated on the platform and it was tested during two pilot courses with 25 participants from Romania and Bulgaria. The project results impacted on the marine labor market, marine workers, training organizations and VET trainees that benefit from improved and transparent system for blended learning, new curricula for soft and technical skills development and assessment, better trainers and adequately trained and certified employees. Longer term benefits include:-E-platform for blended learning and assessment, continued online survey to identify the marine labour market requirements, curricula developed for seven marine specific subjects and for four soft skills. -Update of the database of the Classification of Occupation from Romania with marine specific occupations: Expert for operation of Dynamic positioning systems, Marine surveyor, Inland waterways surveyor and Technician for dynamic positioning system maintenance. -International recognition for continuing professional development by participation to courses for: Marine surveying, Cargo surveyor, High Voltage Safety and Maintenance, Electronic navigational charts.-Professional development of educational staff in using ICT and new pedagogical approaches for teaching and assessment, which represents a benefit for the new generation of learners.Through academic articles, workshops, multiplier events and panel session, the results were transferred to 500+ direct and indirect participants: future and actual marine workers, marine employers, trainers and training institutions that can provide training in accordance with the marine labour market expectations.

The WAVE project consortium is going to develop a new course focusing on the sustainable development of water areas and floodplains in urban and peri-urban contexts in Europe. Our learning format will be the so-called WAVE Living Lab in combination with the international WAVE Online Seminar. The project addresses the pressing issue of sustainable development of water areas and floodplains in the urban and peri-urban environment. Sustainable development of water areas and floodplains is still not achieving its full potential, although relevant policy is already in place. In order to address these profound sustainability challenges, we will set up a transformative educational programme with the following innovative elements:- Synthesizing interdisciplinary knowledge about water areas and floodplains- Active community involvement with a living lab approach- Linking universities with local communities in joint learning environments- Applying innovative methods for cross-sectoral assessment, strategy building and visioning for the sustainable development of water areas and floodplains- Bridging analysis, strategy building and design by innovative ICT approaches (Geodesign)- Foster the generation of innovative solutions by bridging disciplinary, sectoral and institutional boundaries under the common framework of water areas and floodplainsThe WAVE programme aims at involving an interdisciplinary audience of students as agents of transformative change for the benefits of the local water landscapes. Disciplines involved are mainly geography, agriculture, ecology, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, architecture, social and urban studies. WAVE is a cooperation of six universities and three NGO-partners. In addition, all universities will build up a collaboration with their local communities on water areas in the form of WAVE Living Labs. The following universities are collaborating:Ovidius University Constanta, RO (applicant), Ion Mincu University Bucharest, RO, Estonian University of Life Sciences, EE, Nürtingen-Geislingen University, DE, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University, DE, University Federico II, IT and ULB Brussels, BE. The consortium includes further the following NGO partners: LE:NOTRE Institute (NL), ISOCARP Institute (NL), APUR (RO).The project goals will be achieved by the following activities: (1) Development, testing and documentation of the WAVE methodology in partnership with local communities; (2) Building capacity of teachers to lead innovative inter- and transdisciplinary learning settings in Living Labs, (3) a series of blended learning activities combining student engagement in the local WAVE Living Labs, international reflection in the WAVE online course and international mobility of staff and students to one of the university’s ‘WAVE Living Labs ’ in the framework of five subsequent intensive study programmes.Upon project completion the following results are expected:(1) A tested, documented and transferable methodology and organisational framework for the ‘Wave Living Labs ’(2) A tested, documented and transferable methodology for facilitating a web-based online course on integrated planning and design for sustainable water landscapes(3) A significant development of water-related knowledge and transformative competence among everyone involved in the learning activities (students, staff and society partners)(4) A network of ideas and actors emerging from the WAVE Living Labs as a basis for ongoing collaboration (5) A Multiplier Event at mid-term of the project(5) Web-based communication platform(s) and social media channels for the WAVE Living Labs, these are established locally, but also connected Europe-wide through the project’s NGO Partners, making use of web-GIS technology(6) A shift in the mindsets considering the role of planners and designers and the design process itself, towards a more inclusive and participatory approach involving local communities as equal partnersWAVE is developed around the following four dimensions of innovation:(1) The water area as a joint reference (Landscape Approach)(2) Sharing different knowledge dimensions for a holistic understanding of water landscape dynamics (Interdisciplinary Approach)(3) Involving the public and local stakeholders in the knowledge creation and visioning process in Living Labs (Transformative Approach)(4) Bridging local and international learning processes by a combination of local field work, online education and platform development (Digital Approach)The WAVE programme aims at involving an interdisciplinary audience of university staff and students as agents of transformative change for the benefits of the local water landscapes. Disciplines involved are mainly geography, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, architecture, social and urban studies. Another key target audience are local stakeholders and community members to be involved in the WAVE Living Labs.

Life-long learning is one of the most important subject of European Agenda. People always want to improve their living conditions during their life span. One of the best way to reach that target is to get new skills and competences. It can be done in many different ways. In today’s conditions, distance learning is an effective way of doing this. We live in a world today where using digital technologies has become a necessity. In normal circumstances, it is not a prefarable practice to fit learning into limited time and physical environments or to set an end for learning. Because, education is widely accepted as the process of nurturing the personality of individuals and investment in human resources constantly. Education involves the creation of behavioral changes in current learning, not only in the case of formal education, but also in non formal and informal education. It could be explained as “Lifelong Learning” in two words. The Project was prepared and realized according to the abovemetioned philosophy. During the project different types of organizations came together and cooperated not only to produce distance learning outputs but also to organize local and international activities for adults from disadvantaged social groups in order to support them with the basic skills needed for social life and social cohesion. It was thought at the beginning of the Project planning that there were some problems which the target groups facing continually in daily life. In this respect, during the Project local and international activities were organized and realized with people from local neighbourhood to develop basic skills with the help of seminars, meetings, training sessions and distance learning opportunities.With project activities and outputs, on personal level the learners had the chance to raise their self- confidence by developing their basic skills and competences for social cohesion and welfare. They had the opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and competences with activites and the distance training videos made under the titles of family life, healty living, social life and communication. The participants had also chances to improve their language skills during the Project. They saw the similarities and differences among the cultures, people and ways of living. Developed knowledge, good manners, social skills and competence to contribute to social welfare and harmony, improved attitudes, understanding and trait for self-actualization needs, developed democratic life consciousness for individual and social development and to contribute to social change, increased awareness of European values, equal and accessible opportunities for basic social skills, developed digital competencies were the prominent effects of the project observed on the target groups.The social changes brought by the globalization have taken social relations to international dimensions. For this reason, the Project had the partnership at international level. In addition, the international partnership supported mutual exchanges for educational cooperation at international level, removed obstacles, encouraged innovation in education and contributed to common educational policy areas. The methodology were based on the idea of experiential learning. A variety of training methods were used such as case studies, demos, lectures, brainstorming, sharing experiences, small groups, simulations, practice by doing, teaching others, group discussions, thinking time, exercises, PPT presentations to reach the target groups in a diverse manner. At end of the project duration 29 training videos were created under the titles of family life, healty living, social life and communication. The partners also produced the project short movie which includes and express the main idea of the Project itself. The outputs could be used not only by EU citizens but also by people who are from different countries of the world because of the structure of them. Also the training videos were prepared in both in English and Turkish. It helped to increase the number of the people that the Project adressed and targeted. The modules will be active for years and the number of the beneficiaries will be dublicated in years.

Port Cities can be seen as multidimensional laboratories where challenges connected with urban mobility are more complex due to the dual system of gravity centre: the city, the port, not to mention their shared hinterland.These peculiarities are at once a challenge and an opportunity, as they provide scope for planning, researching and implementing integrated mobility solutions in distinctively complex urban contexts. Civitas PORTIS designs, demonstrates and evaluates integrated sets of sustainable mobility measures in 5 major port cities located on the North Sea (Aberdeen and Antwerp), the Mediterranean Sea (Trieste), the Black Sea (Constanta), and Baltic Sea (Klaipeda). The project also involves a major international follower port city on the East China Sea (Ningbo). Thanks to the Civitas Initiative, the partner cities expect to prove that more efficient and sustainable mobility is conducive to the establishment of vital and multi-modal hubs for urban, regional, national and International movements of passengers and goods. To do this, they establish integrated living laboratories clustering local measures according to four major aspects of sustainable urban mobility: 1. Governance: to increase port-city collaborative planning and participation, leading to enhanced forms of SUMPs. 2. People: to foster less car-dependent mobility styles, leading to modal shift in favour of collective and more active transport. 3. Transport system: to strengthen the efficiency of road traffic management to/from the port and through the city, and foster the use of clean vehicles. 4. Goods: to enhance logistics and freight transport, improving the efficiency and coordination of city, port and regional freight movements. Working with port cities, Civitas PORTIS will generate a strong and twofold replication potential: 1) specifically to other port cities, and 2) more generally to cities presenting major transport nodes and attractors for the benefit of the whole CIVITAS Initiative.

The maritime industry has a shortage of qualified personnel, especially in Europe. Further employment in the maritime sector can help solve Europe's major unemployment crisis, especially youth unemployment. Throughout Europe, maritime education and training qualifications of one country have not been recognised by other countries in Europe. One major contributing factor for this shortage of qualified personnel is a lack of internationally recognised maritime qualifications and lack of entrepreneurial activities, which inhibits the mobility of seafarers and shipbuilding personnel in finding work in their countries and/or different countries, starting up the business and reducing these shortages. The SEAMAP project has addressed the need for cooperation between VET and the world of work in the maritime sector by fostering integration of maritime working life into maritime institution-based VET and enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of the people dealing with the maritime issues. This was achieved by the promotion of more work related activities in the intended VET programmes, including the innovative models of work placement, maritime career platform and entrepreneurship. The project team has identified and map available maritime jobs /placements and business start-up both at sea and ashore in partner countries. The main benefits of the project are to improve the attractiveness of the maritime industry, to provide increased mobility across, to foster the career guidance, to enhance the placement opportunities and to develop the entrepreneurial competences of the people at maritime and VET sectors. The project has four main objectives: to support internationally recognised seafaring qualifications as a response to current identified shortages of seafarers and employees at shipbuilding sector and help companies to recruit personnel who are qualified to undertake various maritime employment and placements opportunities at sea or ashore, including ship operating, ship building, maritime service sector, etc. to create opportunities for young trainees and maritime personnel to find jobs commensurate with their qualifications to develop the entrepreneurial competences at sea or ashore including maritime service sector and ship building sectors by need analysis. to create a web based platform to unify job seekers/trainees and job/placement providers in a medium which will allow both parties easier access to jobs/placements and bring employees/trainees together respectively. The platform will provide a range of support services to aid the skills development of trainees/personnel in order to find jobs which meet their qualifications and to start-up their own business (entrepreneurial competences) in the maritime sector. The project consortium consists of six major and leading maritime and or educational organisations, with most partners having many years of experience in EU projects. Most of the partners are policymakers and decision makers, with some being social partners in the maritime and educational sectors. The expected results during the project and on its completion are: - Need Analysis: Collating, Classifying and Mapping the Available Maritime Jobs (Maritime Job Profiles) - Content Development for the Platform: designing and configuring the content of the online platform – with 5 languages (English, Turkish, Spanish, Romanian and Polish) - Creating and configuring the online platform (Maritime Career Platform): www.see4sea.com - Case Study: Online Questionnaire and Need Analysis about the entrepreneurial skills in maritime sector - Elaborating the content and training material: Entrepreneurship Training Material for Maritime Sector The project has had an impact on creating opportunities for people in maritime sector to find jobs commensurate with their qualifications. As a project impact the project has provided an innovative web-based platform (www.see4sea.com) for seafarers and related personnel and shipbuilding personnel to develop their skills and ultimately find their dream job, whilst similarly catering for employers and helping them to employ the best and most qualified person for a position. Developing an innovative matching platform has reduced the skills mismatch which is the gap between an individual’s job skills and the demands of the labour market which affects all layers of society, from the productivity and efficiency of businesses to the current and prospective welfare of people in the maritime sector. As more qualified personal can be employed by the help of the platform, it will have an impact on safety at sea hence reducing accidents and loss of life, money and adverse effect on the well-being of the workforce / workplace.