<< Background >>The Digital Transformation (DT) characterized the context of the project in three main areas:1. Technological: use of new digital technologies, such as social media, mobile devices, sophisticated data analysis tools;2. Strategic-Organizational: change in organizational processes and business models;3. Economic-Social: impact on all aspects of human life, in particular on the process of education and professional training (initial and continuous) as well as on the labour market dynamics.The transformation due to the progressive penetration of digital technologies in all markets (Reis et al. 2018; Ross et al., 2016), is having a significant impact on business models, organizational processes and professional skills systems. Organizations and workers are called to keep up with the new 'digital world' and avoid the risk of losing competitive positions and being excluded from the labor market (Hess et alt., 2016). Successfully addressing Digital Transformation (DT) requires companies and workers to develop a wide range of digital and interpersonal knowledge, skills and attitudes (Carcary, Doherty, Conway, 2016). According to a research by IDG (2018), there is a strong backwardness in the development of strategies at the level of human capital in order to accompany DT: only 20% of companies have initiated cultural change and skills development actions; the lack of adequate staff and skills in the digital environment (36%) represents one of the major obstacles to the development of a digital strategy. At the same time, inadequacy of the available VET programs and a skill shortage on the labour market occur; hence, the urgent need to update and integrate professional training (initial and continuous) processes in order to facilitate digital transitions in the labour market. On the one hand, there is a technological paradox whereby young people are ready to use new technology, but also lacking the skills and / or interest to use these technologies in function of the Labour market demand. On the other hand, the EC or the World Economic Forum have highlighted elements of weakness on the supply side of the current labour market: in the near future 9 out of 10 jobs will require the possession of solid digital skills with serious disadvantage for those who have not reacted to this requirement; by 2022 no less than 54% of employed persons will need an update of their skills in the face of the transformations taking place.The digital skill shortage within the Union can be declined in terms of needs:• the already mentioned technological paradox is confirmed by the literature: the existence of a digital nativity calls for investments in digital skills training also for the younger generations (Quaratino, 2019);• for 2020/2021, 750,000 digital-skill jobs are planned. The risk is that neither young people entering the market nor workers on the market will be able to offer themselves also in light of the difficulty of certifying their skills, struggling to be evaluated in a uniform and reliable way by current and potential employers, making mobility processes in the labour market less effective and efficient.• today the 'digital mismatch', Between a lack of qualified personnel and skills in line with the needs of businesses, leads to a loss of productivity of 50% (Modis, 2018).• with reference to the active workforce in the EU, the lack of digital skills affects 37% of workers and a recent survey (Capgemini-Linkedin, 2017) states that these gaps are widening.<< Objectives >>Based on the context outlined, the project has the following objectives:• supporting the growth of the level of digital skills, both technological knowledge and soft skills / e-leadership, of students and workers involved in VET and continuous training processes;• contributing to the reduction of the mismatch between supply and demand (skill shortage) of adequate professionalism on the labour market in light of the digital transformation;• favouring the formal recognition of the acquisition of digital skills, hard and soft, in support of transition processes / labour mobility (school-work, intersectoral, between territorial areas, between countries);• increasing the capacity of initial and continuing vocational training institutes to design and deliver training courses for the development of students 'and workers' digital skills<< Implementation >>The logical framework is centred on the three Results (C-DISK Digital Skills Model R1, C-DISK Self Assessment Platform R2, C-DISK Blended Training Toolkit R3); therefore the flow of activities follows this order to ensure the effective production of the expected results (R) and the achievement of the project objectives.(R1) - validated model of digital skills - will be achieved thanks to the following activities:• validate the draft model based on the tripartite scheme (technological knowledge, transversal soft skills and e-leadership), through the analysis of scientific literature and benchmarking with the most widespread repertoires of skills in use internationally starting from the European framework DigComp 2.1;• carry out an online quantitative survey of representative samples of the two main target groups• conducting some qualitative focus groups with the involvement of experts and operators from VET ecosystem, businesses and the labour market• produce formalized guidelines for the use of the skills model.(R2) - digital skills self-assessment service - obtained through the following activities:• define the technical specifications of the platform starting from benchmarking with the available solutions;• design the conceptual design of the platform;• operationally implement the platform, populating it with contents and graphic solutions• carry out a cycle of technical testing of the platform• conduct a pilot action of the service and collect feedback for the improvement of the service.(R3) - package of training courses in blended formula - achieved thanks to the following activities:• implement the 'macro' and 'micro' training planning of the courses in all the didactic components: a modular model in which the need to customize them can be flexibly answered both in relation to the target (students and workers) and to the starting self-assessment (low, intermediate, advanced);• conduct a pilot action to test the training courses on a selected sample of representatives of the two target groups (students and workers) and collect feedback aimed at further improvements of the service;• develop a 'Teacher Guide' to support the teachers who will accompany the users of the training courses(R4) - certification service of skills acquired through training (R3-A4) - will be obtained through the following activities:• define ex-ante the 'learning outcomes' and the measurement criteria to be used;• design and concretely implement a coherent testing system for learning achieved to be integrated within the platform, which can be certified in Open Badge mode both as a whole at the end of the course and at an intermediate level with the logic of micro-credentials;• conduct an experimentation of the certification service on a selected sample of representatives of the two target groups (students and workers) and collect feedback aimed at further improvements of the service.<< Results >>The project foresees results available to the target groups identified in order to respond to their needs.• a MODEL OF SKILLS FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION (R1), which can constitute a basis and a reference for the self-assessment, training and certification processes. This model is characterized by being organic and capable of integrating three dimensions.- knowledge and know-how;- a wide range of interpersonal skills- skills related to the concept of e-leadership,• a SELF-ASSESSMENT SERVICE OF THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF DIGITAL SKILLS (R2), available to the two different target groups (students and workers). For the first ones self-assessment will be an opportunity to become aware of their level of preparation for a digitized labour market; for the second ones, it will represent a reference for sizing one's skills gap and for planning one's professional development.• a PACKAGE OF INNOVATIVE TRAINING PATHS AIMED AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL SKILLS (R3): each highly customizable package will be accompanied by macro and micro-design, teaching materials and guidelines for teachers aimed at increasing the level of competence of the teaching staff of the institutes VET involved in the project; where possible, the self-assessment results generated through the European SELFIE platform will be exploited with initial VET institutions. digital).• a SERVICE OF CERTIFICATION OF THE SKILLS ACQUIRED through the training courses (R3-A4). There will also be intermediate certifications on the skills acquired through each single learning unit; to this end, the innovative tool of microcredentials will be tested.

The project aimed to develop an innovative training system to support micro enterprises (MEs) to adopt digital transformation. It was agreed that e-leadership should be a core component of the support we offered to MEs. As a consortia, we undertook initial research in the form of a survey shared across all six countries. The findings of this research informed the content of the online platform units. In addition, we undertook a literature review of the current academic and professional articles in order to further identify the gaps in knowledge for MEs.Micro-enterprises were identified as the end-users for this particular project in recognition of the lack of specific digital transformation support targeted at this demographic. Furthermore, DiTEM built on previous studies and initiatives promoted by the EC which focussed on e-leadership skills for SMEs rather than MEs.Objectives We developed an e-learning platform in order to transfer knowledge and understanding of digital solutions to the MEs in a user-friendly and easily accessible manner. The platform provides an introduction to digital technologies. As a consortia we agreed that due to the nature and pace of technology development, the platform should be an explanatory rather that instructional platform. In doing so, we have ensured that this is accessible to MEs of all levels. At the end of each unit we provided signposting tools that they could adopt in order to start exploiting this form of digital transformation. The VET DITEM Manager coaching element to the programme was developed to complement the online platform, allowing the trainer to utilise aspects of the platform that are relevant to the MEs they are working with. This was a deliberate decision in order to address disparity in levels between MEs across the six countries. For instance, it was advised very early in the project that MEs in Bulgaria were at a significantly different level of adoption to those in the UK and Finland, therefore would be likely to utilise different aspects of the platforms to start their digital transformation journey. The combined format of the online platform and DiTEM coach has worked well and is a format we will continue to use post-project funding. Participating organisations At initial survey stage, we engaged with 224 businesses, from these 157 also took part in the pilot phase. The demographic was predominantly MEs (1-10 employees), however in Denmark they expanded the demographic to also include identified businesses with up to 20 employees, as it was felt that within that country the concerns they had mirrored those of MEs'. Description of undertaken main activitiesAs outlined above the activities undertaken consisted of: - Initial survey to establish a baseline of understanding of the technologies amongst MEs across the six countries. The results of the survey helped to inform the level and depth of the content. - The next stage consisted of developing the online platform and the content for the individual units. We then trained 15 DiTEM coaches to complement the online platform through VET training. These coaches subsequently trained further trainers. - Once the pilot platform was ready for testing we undertook the pilot workshop phase of the project, which included each country delivering training to MEs and helping them develop a digital transformation plan. Results and impactAs highlighted, we took the decision to have two key components to the project: face to face coaching and an online platform. The online platform provides an overview of the technologies available but not specific training on using the technologies- being too prescriptive would date the platform before it was even launched. From the workshops we have gained information about the needs from MEs and have compared with the results from the EU project LEAD, which analysed leadership skills for SMEs. In this project it is obvious that there is major difference between SMEs of 15 employees and SMEs with 200 employees. It appeared that the smaller SMEs had the same or similar challenges as the MEs. It therefore seemed sensible to limit future projects to MEs. Based upon the experience gained we identified key policy recommendations: - Training format for further training of MEs - Development of an ME platform – offering overview of tools, consultancy companies and technologies for MEs (and potentially SMEs) - A repository of activities across Europe that support digital transformation

<< Objectives >>The StressOut project aims to enable individuals to learn how to recognize, manage and prevent work-related stress and burnout, through an innovative digital training course and tools. The expected impact of the project is to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and contribute to the creation of safer and healthier workplaces by providing innovative instruments for work-related stress management and prevention.<< Implementation >>The objectives of the project will be achieved by implementing a number of activities with the main aim to determine the real needs of the end users. Based on this, the most important outcome of the project will be created - the StressOut Training Course, to help them build up the skills and competences they need for healthier mental wellbeing and resilience. At the end, all results will be embedded in the innovative StressOut mobile application.<< Results >>A Policy Recommendations Report, meant to provide an impetus for a EU-wide action on work-related stress prevention & management will be created. Training course on Stress Prevention & Management, Stress Assessment Tool and First Aid Kit will be also developed to provide skills and tools for healthier mental wellbeing, facilitated by innovative mobile application. Stress Awareness Days will be also organised, to engage stakeholders and raise awareness to the project and its topic.

Reducing inequalities, ensuring economic recovery and inclusive and sustainable long-term growth with focus on co-creation for growth and inclusion, by engaging citizens, social partners, public authorities, businesses including SMEs, and social entrepreneurs, are key for the future of Europe. The trend of rural depopulation faced by many European countries and regions, is generating areas considered “Empty Europe”, who upfront specific and related challenges such as: demographic ones (ageing population, emigration to urban areas, low birth rates) and economic ones (high unemployment rates; low activity rates; high representation of primary sector in GDP) and a lack of public services. For example, in Hungary, rural areas are characterized by a strongly aging population and high unemployment rates, and decreasing the number of farming companies. This is especially true for the selected target region South Transdanubia.At the same time, these territories have a rich culinary heritage, gastronomy and/or food production, which at the same time can generate opportunities. The consumer perception of quality, ecological and sustainable food production stemming from these rural areas provides ample opportunities. But these are not only related to the creation and development of food, gastronomic and culinary products, but could also serve to attract tourism, as culinary experiences are an important aspect of cultural tourism and make local heritage an important economic factor. Many of the participating (remote) regions have in tourism an important source of income.SAGA aims to contribute to reducing inequalities, ensure economic recovery and inclusive and sustainable long-term growth through a co-creation and collaborative focus, engaging all relevant stakeholders, develop and validate a training programme for populations living in “Empty Europe”, but who at the same time have a rich culinary heritage and/or food production. SAGA develops and evaluates an innovative training programme for those living in these types of rural areas, addressing their pressing issues such as unemployment and economic and social revitalisation, giving them the knowledge, competences and skills to develop social enterprises in gastronomic, food and culinary heritage fields. More specifically is targeted to- (Potential) Individual social entrepreneurs belonging to disadvantaged groups (due to social, economical or geographical disadvantages).- (Potential) Individual entrepreneurs from the food, gastronomic and culinary heritage sector who want to align their business idea to the social challenges identified.Special attention and effort will be made to address women of these areas (directly or through the NGOS), as they are underrepresented in the employment or economic activity rates, have higher levels of unemployment and frequently have additional labour market barriers due to their caretaking role (e.g. for young children or elderly family members).These groups, although the primary target and beneficiaries, are not the only ones the programme engages as learners, it also foresees addressing NGOs and civil society organisations working directly with and for them. For instance staff from an NGO working with rural women can use the training programme to acquire skills and competence to create a social enterprise to provide employment opportunities to their beneficiaries, but also to support them in the creation of their own social enterprises. This generates a cascade effect which enhances the reach and impact of the programme further than by only addressing the inhabitants directly.The establishment of (collaborative) social enterprises provides an opportunity for professional and economic development. Through the use of action learning and e-learning methodologies on co-creation and entrepreneurship skills, SAGA, enhances the skills needed for the creation of socially innovative and impactful, collaborative social enterprises. The focus of the programme is on co-creation, co-sharing and co-operation as basis for survival of the envisaged enterprise, as well as on the particularities related to the ideation, creation and running of a social enterprise (such as social value creation and social impact measurement skills), within the specific field of gastronomy and food production/elaboration. Social value creation and social impact measurement skills

<< Background >>According to the Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships (2018/C 153/01) one of the criteria for working and learning conditions is that of Pedagogical support i.e. “In-company trainers should be designated and tasked to cooperate closely with vocational education and training institutions and teachers to provide guidance to apprentices and to ensure mutual and regular feedback. Teachers, trainers and mentors, especially in micro, small and medium-sized companies, should be supported to update their skills, knowledge and competences in order to train apprentices according to the latest teaching and training methods and labour market needs”. The primary goal of the i-Coach partnership is to create a new occupational profile i.e. the i-Coach Expert: a role which has been either missing or neglected by businesses, educational institutions and national policy makers.Companies often lack the experience of running an internship program, as there is a lack of definitive reference as to who should take the responsibility for creating such a program, what competences they should have or what is the proper understanding of the mentor of his/her role. Equally important is the question of return of investment i.e. how can they enable their companies to benefit from WBL and individual apprentices or successfully integrate the latter in their working environment. While larger companies can afford to invest in training for their staff to bring up quality internships, smaller businesses can’t as they would rather invest in more urgent needs. Thus, the long-term effect of having a dedicated internship program, headed by a dedicated staff, is not being harvested in full capacity.The problems addressed by the project are common to all countries, and that is why their social and cultural background, as well as experience in the field, will create conditions for enhancing and adapting the processes of quality WBL. The i-Coach project aims to tackle the above mentioned issues through the transference of innovative knowledge, tools and practices based on WBL knowledge, collaboration between the relevant stakeholders and exploitation of ICT Tools in these fields. The project aims to introduce the role of the i-Coach Expert, by developing an innovative toolbox, which will equip potential end users with the necessary knowledge required to create & manage an internship program or support employees in their transition to a new role within their organization. The application of ECVET principles into the development of the profile and by developing LOs at EQF Level 4 will allow the project to outreach the TGs.<< Objectives >>OBJECTIVES1) Create a new occupational profile i.e. the i-Coach Expert to support businesses in providing quality internship opportunities2) Provide an innovative approach to upgrading the TGs’ mindset and skills about internship/apprenticeship implementation managementPromote WBL by ensuring pedagogical support for working and learning conditionsSPECIFIC OBJECTIVES1) Equip potential end users with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences of those who are looking to create/manage an internship program2) Increase awareness of the use and the benefits of WBL3) Design a dedicated training methodology and training course to facilitate the uptake of the i-Coach Expert occupational profile;The project also aims to:1. Promote WBL by involving all relevant stakeholders (PR1, PR3) 2. Develop products that are tailored to the identified TG needs (PR1) 3. Make the products of the project sustainable and usable for a large number of stakeholders (PR2, PR3)<< Implementation >>PR1: Design of the i-Coach Expert Skill Set ProfileProject Result 1 (PR1) represents the foundation on which the other 2 PRs will be laid upon - via a mapping process, the partnership will investigate and explore all relevant factors which will lead to the successful creation of the i-Coach Expert’s Profile i.e. what characteristics, knowledge, skills and competences should the i-Coach Expert possess.PR1/A1: Needs Analysis FrameworkThis first activity of the project aims to determine the skills and competences necessary to create the i-Coach Expert’s profile and help define the training contents, the methodology, the way of delivery and the evaluation methods.PR1/A1.1 WBL Knowledge Gap FrameworkThe partnership will investigate what are the obstacles related to national legislations which hinder (or accelerate) WBL practices. PR1/A1.2: i-Coach End Users Focus GroupsThe partnership will organise a series of Focus groups with the main objective to receive first hand feedback in terms of WBL needs, which cannot be received by other conventional researching methods and engage relevant stakeholders from the very beginning of the project.PR1/A2: Elaboration of National Reports Each partner will develop a national report depicting the current situation in terms of WBL.PR1/A3: Elaboration of the i-Coach skills set reportThis first milestone of the project, will contain all the necessary information regarding the set of skills, knowledge and competences required for the creation of the i-Coach Expert Profile.PR2: Development of the i-Coach Training ToolboxPR2 aims to elaborate the i-Coach Training Toolbox leading to the ECVET profile of the “i-Coach Expert”. PR2/A1: Development of the i-Coach Training MethodologyBased on PR1 results, partners will develop the i-Coach Training Methodology i.e. the backbone of the training content and will define the way it will be delivered to end users.PR2/A2: Development of the i-Coach Training CourseBased on the elaborated methodology, partners will work on the development of the specific training content.PR2/A3: Translation of the i-Coach Training ToolboxOnce the contents and materials have been developed and proof-read in the English version, they will be translated in all partner’s languages.PR2/A4: Development of a Training PlatformThe e-learning training platform will support the training, function as a knowledge dissemination platform and facilitate the active collaboration between learners and trainers.PR3: The i-Coach Collaboration ModelPR3 represents the final outcome of the project and its main goal is to (1) test the quality and functionality of the i-Coach training course; (2) test its impact on the end users; (3) and thus, provide insights for the i-Coach Collaboration Model. PR3/A1: Test of the i-Coach Training ToolboxEach partner will invite at least 15 representatives of the project TGs with a special focus on SMEs, giving a total of at least 105 participants.PR3/A2: Piloting phase assessment & Fine-tuningThis activity is dedicated to improve the training content and the functionality of the e-learning platform, based оn the collected feedback.PR3/A3: The i-Coach Collaboration Model ReportThe i-Coach Collaboration Model Report will serve to demonstrate how the strategic use of the i-Coach methodology and WBL approach has the potential to give competitive advantage to businesses.C1 Train the Trainer The event will give partners the opportunity to assess the project outputs through mutual learning and testing process.Multiplier events During the last 2 months of the project lifetime, the partnership, will run a series of multiplier events in the form of a conference. The main objective of the event is to generate awareness among TGs and relevant stakeholders about the project outcomes, the i-Coach Training Toolbox and the Collaboration Model Report and ensure and support the use of the project deliverables by a critical mass of adopters.<< Results >>In order to avoid repetition with other sections, here we would like to present only the key outputs and their respective performance indicators:PR1: Design of the i-Coach Expert Skill Set Profile- 28 case studies in the area of WBL and internship implementation (PR1/A1.1)- 6 national reports exploring the national legislation in the area of WBL & internship implementation (PR1/A1.1)- At least 7 focus groups engaging >70 relevant stakeholders on the issues addressed by the project (PR1/A1.2)- 7 focus groups reports (PR1/A1.2)- 1 i-Coach Skill Set report describing the skills, knowledge and competences necessary for the creation of the i-Coach Expert Profile (PR1/A3)- 6 translated Executive Summaries of the i-Coach Skill Set Report (PR1/A1)PR2: Development of the i-Coach Training Toolbox- 1 i-Coach training methodology (PR2/A1)- A set of training modules designed according to PR1 findings (PR2/A2)- 1 e-learning platform to facilitate the online training of the end users (PR2/A4)PR3: The i-Coach Collaboration Model- At least 105 individuals engaged in the Pilot test phase (PR3/A1)- 14 people interviewed with the aim to obtain more in-depth feedback related to the quality of the project results (PR3/A1)- 7 National reports related to the pilot training assessment (PR3/A2)- 1 i-Coach Collaboration Model Report (translated into all of the 6 partners’ languages) (PR3/A3)C1: Short-term joint staff training events- 1 Train the Trainers Workshop;- 14 staff members (2 from each partner) trained in each of the developed modules from PR2;Multiplier Events- 6 national multiplier events (BG, CY, SP, BE and RO);- A total of at least 200 participants in the national multiplier events;Dissemination- At least 70 persons attending the end user focus groups (PR1/A1.2)- At least 105 individuals and professionals attending the pilot training (PR3/A1)- At least 200 participants attending the final multiplier events- At least 5000 stakeholders reached at the end of the project through publications, newsletters, press releases, meetings and events, organized or attended by the partners;- At least 250 followers on the Facebook project page;- At least 5000 unique users accessing the project web page;- A set of dissemination materials ensuring visibility of the project e.g. 1 project brochure, 4 Newsletters, 1 project website, 1 Social media page, at least 2 press releases.More information is provided in the “Project Results” and “Impact” sections.