CONTEXT/BACKGROUNDToday's world map shows us an increasing intermingling of various cultures that have to or want to live together. More often than not, these colourful maps are often clouded by inherent conflicts and threats of imminent war. It is why we believe that the sooner we act, the better chance we will stand to prevent such conflicts from breaking out. The reason why we chose to make this a priority of our project is the fact that this entire phenomenon is also visible from early stages of life, at ages when children should try to see the beauty of life, should learn acceptance and tolerance and should be free from prejudices. The basic behaviour that students generally resort to at their age to show disrespect and lack of tolerance is bullying, a phenomenon which has increased steadily and affected an increasingly worrying number of students in the past years.OBJECTIVESThe overall purpose of the project is to combat the unsound mentalities existing inside communities which are built on disrespect and intolerance against certain groups of people by raising students awareness of the terrible effects of these behaviours on the development of a human being and by combating hate speech and hate behaviour inside schools.The objectives we have established are meant as steps that need to be undertaken in order to attain the purpose:1. to promote inter-cultural dialogue between different countries and socio-cultural categories2. to reduce violence, school dropout and inequality by promoting values such as tolerance, acceptance of alterity and inter- and intra-cultural respect3. to actively involve students in activities that presuppose working in multicultural teams.4. to discourage the tendency to stereotyping and prejudice based on isolated cases of misbehaviour.5. to enhance the quality of the relationship among students of different cultural backgrounds and develop their social and communication skills6. to encourage the learning of different languages and cultures from the European space.NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS2000 students in the 5 schools with ages ranging from 14-19 will benefit indirectly. Out of these, 128 students will participate in the short-term exchanges. 32 of them are at risk of social exclusion, facing economic difficulties or have behaviour problems. The selection will happen before each meeting (8 students/partner/meeting) according to a previously estabished methodology. One criterion in the selection of the team will be to have a wide variety of cultures and minorities.200 teachers involved directly and indirectly. The project team in each school will comprise at least 1 school counsellor, 1 English teacher, 1 Arts teacher, 1 Music teacher and 1 PE teacher. Their work will be coordinated and supervised by the contact person and the legal representative of each institution. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGY TO BE USED- Project management (ongoing): Design and implementation of methodologies to be applied - selection of participants, communication, reporting; Financial management and acquisitions; Risk management and control; Evaluation of activities and results.- Transnational Meetings: M1-BG Presentation of bullying issues at local levels by each school. Current local measures to combat and prevent bullying; M2-BG The role of teachers in combating bullying. Developing a programme to include victims of discrimination and bullying- LTTAs: C1 - PT Types of discrimination. Forms of bullying //Sports To Stop Violence; C2 - SI Victims and aggressors within discrimination and bullying. Arts&crafts to stop violence; C3- TR Consequences of bullying. Photographs&films to stop violence C4 - BG Neutralising hate speech. Music&dance to stop violence. .- Dissemination of project results and activities (ongoing): Creation of website and updates; Creation of e-twinning space; Design of materials - brochures, CDs, DVDs, flyers, posters, banners; Dissemination meetings; Ellaboration of sustainability plan RESULTS AND IMPACT-booklet which includes outcomes-programme for assistance of bullies and bullied devised and implemented at the end-students, staff, local communities will become aware of the phenomenon and implications of bullying and develop better intercultural relationships-the cases of bullying are reduced-the schools become part of a network and can assist each other in dealing with bullying-values like tolerance and respect are promoted among participants and indirect beneficiaries.LONG-TERM BENEFITS-programme will be implemented according to sustainability plan-booklet will be available online for free use by other schools-number of bullying cases is reduced-synergy among different cultures is established

"The partnership consisted of 6 secondary vocational schools (Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Turkey and a coordinator from Slovakia) and two special institutions playing an active and important role in the field of vocational training and education permanently (The State Institute of Vocational Education in Slovakia and 21 knowledge from Portugal). They both were helpful to achieve a common project objective to enhance the quality of VET including foreign languages via producing a CLIL in VET portfolio and an international curriculum for a specific subject called ""Virtual Training Company"". All participating institutions entered the project as institutions missing relevant support to launch foreign language in VET as well as common educational contents for training companies. The CLIL approach (Contents and Language Integrated Learning) in this project was understood as a tool for professional development of foreign languages having a power to link theoretical education with practical education while strengthening the position of training companies in the process of VET. The partnership succeeded to create an international curriculum considering different possibilities of participating countries, needs of the open European labour and trade markets. Project activites were open to all teachers in VET and to students who decided to be educated within a training company subject. There participated a big number of students and teachers who produced a lot of materials and tested them in the process. Testing was realized during planned learning/teaching/training activities in international environment and during unexpected remote learning that created some environment suitable to develop international cooperation of training companies in virtual space. The State institution of vocational education as a leading institution was a guarantee to achieve the objectives with the top quality project outcomes. There were held 2 transnational project meetings focused on monitorig, evaluating and planning the project activities, Learning and teaching/training activities were aimed at creating, collecting and testing materials, whilst two of them were blended activities for students and the 3rd one was focused on teachers and the CLIL approach. During interactive workshops participants attended CLIL lessons, tested materials, evaluated results, shared experience with other teachers. Students organized virtual skype and real business meetings to develop cooperation with training companies abroad, invited special guests and experts to discuss with them, attended CLIL lessons, worked on different tasks. We even succeeded to organize an international trade fair for training companies. Our participants disseminated project ideas and results in it as well as in the multiplier event in Portugal. This was held with strict epidemic measures, but it completed the goal to inform participants about training companies implementation hand in hand with the CLIL approach. The project was evaluated by the partners as having positive impact on all of them. Students acquired new Business English skills, they improved their entretreneurial and social skills, gained experience to make international business. They were highly motivated to study by interesting activities and showed better study results. Participating teachers enhanced their foreign language skills, learned a lot of facts about different school systems, international business rules and ethics, acquired valuable experience in creating a curriculum on international portfolio. The project has had an extra added value for partners from Turkey and Portugal where the concept of training companies was totally unknown before the project. Creating international curriculum the partnership created environment suitable to implement the training company subject with the CLIL approach, flexible enough to be used in any country. The fact, that it was made by all the partners is a guarantee of its flexibility and wide usage. From the long-lasting time horizon it will be possible to update and add its contents regarding needs of the market and trends in international business. All project outcomes are accessable on the internet (and social media) freely."

<< Background >>Marketing 4 Artists is addressed to work on issues that undermine the attractiveness of VET and improve the quality assurance in vocational education and training by adapting its educational curricula to reduce the mismatch between formal education and labour market needs. A detailed analysis made by the partners in their own countries has revealed that only in Spain and Latvia art students acquire some entrepreneurial concepts, but they are general and linked to business administration, and not supporting their need of marketing skills in the artistic sector. InItaly, Finland, Slovenia and Belgium art students don’t have any lessons that can teach them basic marketing skills. This approach doesn't support recently graduated students in Art in becoming successful entrepreneurs or appealing attractive employees. Even if artists have talent related to their art-skills, this is not supported by an effective self-promotion crucial to draw the attention of clients and talent scouts. This lack is also present in the HEI study-cycles. It's not possible to find art-marketing programs in VET and HEI curricula, if not for some initiative set and taken as an individual educational body.The research carried out within the Knowledge Alliance project “Arts & Humanities Entrepreneurship Hubs”, conducted by our partner MateraHub, underlines the lack of attention to Entrepreneurship Education in the arts and humanities sector; the consequence is that these students often consider entrepreneurship as something divergent from their creativity, and are subsequently less likely to consider setting up their own business or view employment as a means to support art practices via a portfolio career, a working style where they can combine multiple streams of income and mix different kind of employments.M4A designs specific contents related to the marketing skills needed by art students with the aim to empower their professional career once they have finished the VET school. The need of this development is underlined by the numbers: according to the briefing “Employment in the cultural sector” of the EC, in the last decade cultural employment has grown by more than 800.000 people. The “Cultural Employment” in 2019 was 4,9% of the total in Slovenia, 3,6% in Italy, 3,6% in Spain, 3,5% in Latvia and 5,1% in Finland.In addition, the Cultural and Creative sector includes a variety of professions (media, culture, architecture and design, etc.) that contribute to the economic growth in Europe. According to the EUROSTAT, in 2019, 7.4 million people in the EU-27 were employed in the cultural sector (3.7 % of the total employment), but the majority had a tertiary level of educational attainment (EQF6 and 7).Still, the report “Arts & Humanities Entrepreneurship Hubs” states that 80% of people employed in the Creative and Cultural sector work in SMEs, many of which start-up precariously and need to adopt a ‘business savvy’ approach to upgrade their career. According to “Employment in the cultural and creative sectors” by the EPRS, despite the growing importance given to the artistic sectors and the opportunities it offers, recent-graduate students in Art struggle at finding ways to use their talent as a source of income, especially as self-employment. Self-employment and atypical working patterns are common among artists; the percentage of self-employed is around 32%, atypical work can include up to 40% of the workers in some sectors, and artists often choose to be freelancers, and often take on secondary jobs in other fields to survive. So, as artists often can’t count on a stable contract, they need to possess the right marketing skills to continuously be able to find their place in the labour market.<< Objectives >>Marketing 4 Artists is a concrete and extremely feasible proposal to adapt the vocational education in the art field to the labour market needs. This will improve the quality assurance in the art sector of vocational education with the consequence to increase the attractiveness of the art curricula in the VET field.M4A will design a training methodology and contents related to the specific marketing skills needed by art students, with the final aim to empower their future professional career, after the end of their studies. The project identifies 2 target groups:1) the teachers (direct beneficiaries), who will acquire the necessary marketing knowledge & skills to be able to adopt the Marketing 4 Artists approach, and to teach it at schools; M4A will beforehand level their marketing knowledge on the needs identified.2) the students (indirect beneficiaries).For these target groups, M4A develops a learning module divided into 4 Didactic Units & Didactic Unit 5 for Practical Work. The project creates an additional Didactic Unit 0 addressed only to the teachers, in order to train them with the basic general marketing Knowledge & Skills that they need to acquire for becoming able to teach to students.Didactic Units 1-4 are elaborated as teaching material for art students that teachers can use during their lessons, but they have another use: they are also learning modules for art teachers once they start the training for adopting M4A. The contents of the Didactic Units 1-4 will then be new for the teachers as well. The 4 Didactic Units are so divided:Unit 0: Training of the teachers on basic general marketing KnowledgeUnit 1: Analysis and study of the needs and the supply and demand of cultural services;Unit 2: Identification and activation of external relations with organizations, institutions and various stakeholders;Unit 3: Design of cultural heritage promotional services; Definition of the marketing plan; Care of the organizational aspects of services and promotional activities; Preparation of products for communication and promotion of cultural goods and services;Unit 4: Monitoring and evaluation of cultural heritage promotion activities;Unit 5: Exploitation tools, focused on the Challenge Based Learning (as Practical-Work) and the use of ESCO by students.Therefore, M4A creates a sustainable and effective solution for the VET schools in the Art field that can be easily adopted in other European countries. The 4 Didactic Units can be easily integrated into the school subjects required by the National Educational Ministries because they are proposed as a cooperative work of different art teachers (1 DU for 1 teacher), instead of overcharging only one teacher or looking for extra-hours at school. This cooperative approach means to lead a limited nr. of hours of theoretical class for each teacher, while the students receive the whole preparation on the topic “Marketing 4 Artists” + the Practical Work on concrete challenges given to students for implementing the knowledge acquired and useful for their learning outcomes’ evaluation.<< Implementation >>M4A final methodology will be made of the results obtained through the activities carried out in the duration of the project, divided in:PR1: M4A State-Of-Art Transnational Report PR2: M4A Training Content and Evaluation SystemPR3: M4A Recommendation PolicyThese activities will be carried out by the project partners according to their own potentialities and expertise.More in details:1) To realize the M4A State-Of-Art Transnational Report, the project partners will research the concrete lack of marketing knowledge & skills of both VET art students, who need them for their working future, and teachers, who will hinder the adoption of M4A training contents. The research will also analyze the different EU Art schools curricula, to investigate the best ways to integrate the 4 M4A Didactic Units in the already existing timetable.This result will be obtained through:- an Online Desk Research- Questionnaires (quantitative interviews)- Focus Groups (qualitative interviews)2) The M4A Training Content and Evaluation System will be based on the results obtained in PR1. Having identified for each Didactic Unit the skills teachers and students need to work on, the partnership will create a methodology for the art schools teachers to adopt, in order to teach marketing to their students. The evaluation of the teachers’ Learning Outcomes is related to the UD 1-4 contents and based on the ECVET system, and will be organized using 3 evaluating-dimensions: Knowledge, Skills and Attitude. This methodology will be formalized in 3 parts:- online, to acquire the contents of all the 6 Didactic Units;- face-to-face (1 week session), to evaluate the learning outcomes of the participating teachers in the LTT-C1 and to implement the practical contents of the Unit 5;- on the job, with a Methodology Test period of 6 months applied in the VET institutions that participated in C1. Linked to the training contents, PR2 also develops the related Evaluation System: the evaluation criteria is going to be set on a specific scale with reference to the ECVET system.3) The goal of PR3 is to realize the M4A Recommendation Policy, written following the structure of a policy recommendation, that basically represents a process of problem solving. It is needed in order to make M4A methodology transferable and therefore used in other European contexts and other schools.The PR target groups are:- European art VET schools;- National/regional policy makers in the field of education;- European policy makers in the field of education.Thanks to the EfVET network, already established and active, the expected impact is to reach at least 229 members in 35 countries. This result will be then exploited by using the wide networks of each partner, and the European dedicated platforms, like School Education Gateway.<< Results >>All the project partners believe a lot in the effectiveness of M4A methodology. They all are passionate supporters of the Cultural & Creative Industries, and strongly believe that Art is the highest expression of the richness and diversity of our European culture and we have to support and reinforce its potentiality. The European Commission itself has created a specific program for it, “Creative Europe”, and the current VET students will be the new generation of artists, the future expression of European Art.M4A contributes to make visible this support through the creation of a specific educational pathway addressed to teachers, but with a strong impact on students’ learning outcomes, which are extremely needed in the labour market of our era. M4A contributes to gaining the result of creating VET art graduates equipped with the necessary skills to answer to this new challenge by creating an innovative training for art teachers that will support them to get closer to the objectives of the VET agenda.M4A creates a new educational approach that will turn into an increased attractiveness of recent-graduate VET students in the field of Art. The adoption of M4A doesn't require any extra-expenditures for the schools, neither outside school hours and the curricula timetable remains the same, just the subjects-content will be upgraded. M4A methodology is a result that will be achieved by working on 3 main Project Results (PRs) that will drive the partnership to:1) Upgrade the analysis of the state-of-art of marketing Knowledge & Skills of VET art students and teachers; find out the most appropriate way to implement and integrate M4A methodology into VET-school curricula;2) Create the M4A Training Contents and its Evaluation System;3) Propose the M4A methodology to be adopted by Art VET Schools in Europe as an effective methodology for improving their quality assurance in order to close the gap between VET educational offer and the market needs by increasing at the same time attractiveness of their VET Institute and the VET sector in general (Policy). In addition, M4A will awaken the importance of marketing among the art teachers community, and of becoming more aware about the importance of some specific marketing skills for the future of their students’ career, and at the same time to empower their ones. That will originate new VET graduate students specialized in art and equipped with marketing skills ready to exploit the labour market. Thanks to the Dissemination and Exploitation Activities, the Project Results obtained will be spreaded at national and European level: this will ensure territorial and geographical transferability of the model to any EU country.

In-service skill development, or apprenticeship training, that can be directly assessed is the core of vocational education. The biggest problem in this training seems to be students’ lack of adaptation to working in companies. Those known to be successful at school may turn to be the most problematic students at work. It is widely claimed that students have problems in dealing with official documents, filing, hierarchy, and complying with rules. Thus, companies may demand replacement of students or tend to avoid accepting students at all. Feeling rejected and less confident, student could lose their potential rather than exploring it for work life. This causes excessive workload at schools and drop in students’ employment, thereby having a bad influence in national economy. The project covers 11 Grade students and their field teachers. The other partners outside school will support us with technical stuff and about managing the process. Five student and two teachers from each partner country will join the both mobilities. For the abovementioned problem there are online training opportunities provided by some European vocational schools under the authority of ministries of education. In these trainings students usually start up online companies in the 11th Grade. These virtual startups have the same steps as any actual ones. For example, they have their tax number, bank accounts, digital money, and founding members etc. Company management consists of managers, accountants, and marketing personnel etc. In their online trading with other similar companies, they sell and buy products. Each company has a name, slogan, logo and a specific sector. During this process, students are required to behave as in a real company and keep a record of all official documents. As employees of a virtual company, students become more prepared to work in companies when their apprenticeship starts. Although work-based learning is the core of vocational education, there is no system checking the success of vocational schools in this in our country. Schools seem to manage their tasks on this issue arbitrarily. Some schools cannot find place for apprenticeship, some others hardly meet the demands from companies. The main goal of our project is to create a common platform which will advance our students pre-apprenticeship skills and build a relationship among relevant institutions. Our project partner SIOV, an institution affiliated to ministry of education, applies the abovementioned training successfully in Slovakia. We, under the supervision of SIOV, plan to create a website providing service for online companies at our school. We will conduct the project by letting students in groups start their own companies on the main website. In the beginning there will be companies of three groups consisting of five students. There will be one supervisor teacher for each company. Student will manage most of the process. The most successful company will attend the educational fair in Slovakia and represent our country in the designated booth. The other partners will attend the same event and assist us. By gaining an international experience, our students increase their knowledge for the system to be built. The second educational mobility will be held in our city. We, together with the project partners, will organize an educational fair for online training, and through the help of provincial administration of education we will invite vocational schools in our city. We will make sure the attendance of all relevant parties in vocational education, such as students, teachers, parents, NGO members and businesspeople. We will evaluate the success of our project and try to disseminate it at national level. We will also present our reports and outputs to the relevant department of ministry of education. We will make our website and database available for public use for dissemination as it is currently done in many European countries. We will also promote our project at schools, thereby enabling its integration to vocational education and sustainability in due course. We expect all our students to develop their social and linguistic skills as well as work skills and eventually be more productive and happier in their work life. In this way, they will be indispensable to companies. Eventually, these employees will contribute to national economy and productivity and growth of companies, which is our ultimate goal and desire.

"The situation of young people entering the labor market is characterized by a bad connection between the education system and the labor market. Formal education institutions only marginally associated with the business sector, which makes young people (in addition to the right educational policies according to the needs of the labor market) is also a lack of practical experience. The proposed project will place particular emphasis on leveraging employers to provide practical training for the profession stonecutter, the first contact between the employer and the students, the method of placement and design of a new model of practical training. The relationship between students, employers and schools can be strengthened and improved in a very simple manner that does not require any special organizational changes only slightly different way of working and collaboration. The experience of participating partner countries point to the same practices and needs of target groups as in Slovenia. Employers who carry out practical training with work have a major impact on the further development of young people and their careers. Integrating education and practical training to work is one of the most important areas for the introduction of young people in the working process.Objectives of the project:- The exchange of knowledge and best practices between the partners,- Establishment of a new strategic partnership associations, schools and employers (Sežana, Split, Trieste) and schools (Verona, Ljubljana, Brac, Sežana)- Strengthening the impact on employers provide practical training,- Upgrading the current cooperation partners with similar organizations in other countries and expand this cooperation to new partners• Establishment and implementation of a new model of practical training ""Learning for the development of competences""• Acquisition of new skills and competences of teachers, educators and employers,• Acquisition of new practical and useful knowledge for faster responsiveness, and the inclusion of students after school,• Increasing interest among young people to the profession of stonemason,• Increasuing the corporate interest among young people.Target groups and participants (28 participants): - Staff who are active in the field of education and training, - Students, -The company-employers, - The social partners (Chamber of Commerce).Project activities:1. Establishment of a new strategic partnership between regions in three countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Italy) and each new partnerships.2. Establishment of a professional team,3. The creation of a new model of practical training,4. Study visits and common meetings,5. Manual of the new model of practical training and working and best practices of project partners,6. Preparation of presentation articles and promotion of the project,7. The organization of Final Conference,8. Dissemination of project results.The proposed project contributes to greater integration synergy between educational institutions (schools, which educate the profession of stonemason) and economic sectors (chambers of commerce, employers) and the establishment of a new model of practical job training.Planned results of the project are:1) Creation a new strategic partnership between the countries of Slovenia, Italy, Croatia (schools and chambers)2) Set up a professional team; Designed by the professional team of project partners consist of employers, mentors, teachers practical training of teachers of theoretical subjects that qualifying for a stonemason and will be responsible for analysis and review of education and how to conduct practical training for the profession of stonemason and the preparation and development of a new model of practical training for the profession stonecutter.3) Established a new model of practical training with an emphasis on practical and market-oriented skills; A new model of practical job training will be based on a greater role for the involvement of employers in implementing practical training of students.4) Study visits; The project will be carried out 3 study visits with common meetings for all partners in order to know the project partner, the way of practical training for the profession of stonemason, innovative approaches, experiences of schools in cooperation with employers as well as familiarizing with the situation in the country stonemasonry business partner.5) Manual of the new model for practical job training and best practices of project partners6) Preparation of demonstration articles and promotion of the project7) Final conference8) Dissemination of project results.The added value of the project is to increase the responsiveness of students to the real working environment, acquire new practical and useful knowledge for faster integration into the labor market and the responsiveness of the students after school, getting a professional to identify and market knowledge acquired."