The project “Welder Training Quality Development” is a part of VJLMTC long-term strategy for the purpose to improve the quality of welding in Lithuania.There are around 700 companies in Lithuania working in the field of welding. 70 percent of the production manufactured in engineering industry in Lithuania is exported. Free movement of products, services and welding staff is taking place on EU market therefore market actors should take all necessary steps to comply with high requirements of common market and ensure appropriate level of workers’ qualification.Welder is one of the most demanded professions for more than 10 years in Lithuania. Despite the fact that in Lithuania there are around 46 educational institutions providing welding trainings, Lithuania still feels the lack of certified welding specialists meeting EU requirements. This is not only due to the emigration of these professionals to other EU countries, but also to the fact that welding technology is one of the few areas where all staff, including welders (workers) and engineers, must be certified. Demand of qualified welders is also determined by requirements of international standards. International welding organisations does not accept the welder’s diplomas of Lithuanian VET schools and this makes negative impact on employment opportunities of many graduates and adversely affects the development of Lithuanian welding industry.Objectives:The purpose of the project “Welder training quality development” is to increase the quality of welding in accordance with international practice and international standards.The aim of WTQuality is to create and test 2 intellectual outputs: 1. The International Welder (IW) training programme and material;2. The online Team Leader training programme for welders E-WeldLead.Number and profile of participating organisations:Project lead: Public institution Vilnius Jerusalem Labour Market Training Centre (VJLMTC, Lithuania)Partners:Lithuanian Welders Association – LWA (Lithuania)Slovensko društvo za varilno tehniko – SIWS (Slovenia) The Environmental Academy Ltd – EA (United Kingdom) Rocketman Studio Limited – RmSL (United Kingdom)Results and impact1. International Welder's (IW) training programme and material prepared.1.1.Welding Supervisor training program was created and piloting implemented (3 trainees completed the course);1.2. IWTraining system was linked to linked to national (modular welder training program).13 modules linked to national training system were prepared;1.3. International Welder Career Model was prepared;2.Research on the training needs of the welding enterprises in Lithuania produced;3.ATB Quality Manual prepared to ensure quality organization, implementation and control of the International welder trainings;3.1.ATB Quality Manual was integrated to Quality Management System of VJLMTC.4.Welding teachers have upgraded their qualifications and gained 4 IWS (International Welding Specialist) diplomas. 20 ISO 9606 certificated obtained.5.14 Participants of IW Pilot Course (17 modules) gained International Welder Qualification;5.1.After completion of Piloting of International Bracket Welding Module 135/136 course 5 International Welders certificates were obtained.6.VJLMTC gained ATB International Welding Accreditation and became the only VET institution in Lithuania having the right to prepare international welders.7.During the implementation of the project the VJLMTC’s welding practical training base was improved by following aspects: teacher qualification was raised (see point 4); the range of services was increased (see points 1, 8); was equipped with methodical tools.8.Welders Team Leaders training program was created in Lithuanian, English and Slovenian languages;9.An online training programme E-WedLead for the preparation of Team Leaders in welding was created in Lithuanian, English and Slovenian languages (29 certificates obtained)Longer-term benefitsDuring the project, VJLMTC obtained the ATB certificate and became the first authorized training centre in Lithuania, which was given the right to train international welders (workers). VJLMTC has created the conditions to meet the needs of the engineering industry and provide the required amount of international welders.International Welder's (IW) training programme is linked to the national welder training program and this allows Lithuanian students to obtain IW qualification in parallel and this facilitates the wider exploitation of project results.Those trainees who have already taken advantage of the products developed by the project have gained a competitive advantage in the EU and Lithuanian labour markets. Higher-skilled professionals have more opportunities to find a job and to work, claim higher salaries, and these factors lead to a better quality of life.

The main objective of the SUSEN project was the creation of an innovative game-based, student-centred learning programme for lower secondary schools. The result is to ensure the acquisition of key competences with focus on entrepreneurship, which is seen as a key competence in the European strategic framework ET 2020. A strategic game is the core of the SUSEN learning arrangement. Students of 7th-9th grade assume the role of a manager/entrepreneur in the market of energy provision and collaborate in teams. The game-character of SUSEN will raise motivation so the learning topic has the maximum impact with the students.The consortium selected the energy sector as a focus for the project to combine entrepreneurship education with education for sustainable development. Energy provision, energy mix and energy consumption are central issues for sustainable trajectories in times of climate change. Sustainability comprises not only environmental but also economic and social factors. Consequently, the learning programme combines a classroom game with elements of service learning. Participating students have the opportunity to learn outside the confines of school. Students are confronted with tasks that suggest contacts external stakeholders. With this enrichment of traditional game construction, the partners intend to sensitise students not only for community but also to create opportunities and preparing young people for when they leave school.The SUSEN game-based learning is innovative according to the mentioned combination of learning topics with their particular learning goals: education for sustainable development, entrepreneurship education, and civic education. Far more, it will support collaboration strategies between the game players besides strategies to succeed in a competitive environment. It fosters creativity and design thinking, self-efficacy and self-efficiency. Not least, it requires transversal competences like a sense of initiative, learning to learn and digital competences. For this reason the consortium adopted a blended learning concept creating an online companion to accompany the game which is appealing to the younger audience offering ‘auditive’ and ‘visual’ learning styles.The consortium analysed at the first phase the learner’s needs according to the different topics and main learning goals to reach these objectives. Simultaneously they identified the relevant curricula to ensure the intended programme is embedded more effectively in schools' regular processes. Regional/national differences are considered in game construction by adaption of rules. The partners developed the game rules, defined players' roles, and identified relevant stakeholders (experts) who accompanied the game development critically. The classroom game and the online companion were piloted by schools in different programme partner countries. The evaluation of the whole programme led to a final version of the game and the online companion. Then the teacher support pack was developed as well as a syllabus and material to train teachers. The teacher training syllabus and the teacher support pack were tested and evaluated in several multiplier events in the different partner countries. The consortium of six partners from Germany, UK, Poland, Belgium, and Switzerland were selected for its breadth of relevant knowledge and skills and partners' experiences referring to the topics entrepreneurship, sustainability and civic education as well as their experiences in proceeding EU projects. All partners are situated in the educational sector - from higher education to adult education, from vocational to general education. The partners collaborate in all activities commonly and the main outputs which are listed below: • SUSEN Classroom Game• Online SUSEN Gaming Companion• Teacher Support Pack• Teacher Training Course• Teacher Training Syllabus• Piloting and Evaluation• SUSEN Best Practice Case Studies• SUSEN Portal and Website Due to its conception, the game is applicable to different curricular settings, national and international. So it is not necessary to adjust the game itself to national educational standards and contexts.. In order to enable students to see a connection between their national contexts and the game’s intention each partner designed several case studies. So the students’ game experiences are connected to concrete, national and real-life examples of companies that implement aspects of sustainable development into their company policy.The consortium was in a constant exchange of information with several experts, that accompanied the game-development (appendix „3-3 Comments of Experts“).All the main results of the project will be provided online for longer term benefits and maximum exploitation of the project via the SUSEN portal (http://powerplayer.info). After expiring, the website will be moved to one of the partners’ institutional websites (appendix„5.3-5 Project Website and SUSEN Platform”).

Already in 2008, the EU introduced its climate package. With the 20-20-20 targets as relevant part of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the CO2 emissions shall be reduced by 20 per cent until 2020, the share of Renewable Energies shall be increased by 20 per cent and the energy efficiency shall be raised by 20 per cent. Apart from the energy efficiency raise in all energy appliances and in the energy transition as well as the increasing replacing of fossil energy sources by Regenerative ones – as technological columns of climate protection – the behaviour of the households and other consumer groups needs to change. However, particularly low-income households are not able to balance the increasing energy prices with a reduction of electricity consumption. They also do not obtain the financial means to invest in electricity and energy saving devices. Relevant saving potentials remain unused. This was the starting point of our project Power Saving Check that was implemented by one association of craftsmen, one municipality and five educational institutions from Germany, Spain, Hungary, Italy and Romania. The Power Saving Check, that has been already been offered nationwide in Germany, consists of the transfer of knowledge aimed at consumers in low income households, enabling them to deal consciously with energy for heating, cooking, lighting and the use of electronic devices, media and communication devices and to sensitise them for a higher attention in the purchase of according devices relating to their need of energy. This knowledge transfer was done in form of a free consultation – the Power Saving Check. By the change of the user behaviour and low investments (Direct Installations), the electricity, water and heating energy consumption of those households is greatly reduced. The consultation is implemented by so-called Power Saving Checkers – unemployed people, particularly long-term unemployed people and unemployed young people – and requires an appropriate qualification. An adequate further education was not offered in the partner countries before our project. In the course of the project, the following results were achieved: •Based on the transfer of the concept Power Saving Check, curricula and handbooks for the training of Power Saving Checkers were transferred to Spain, Hungary, Italy and Romania, tested in practice, optimised and submitted to the responsible institutions for certification. •In addition, newly developed blended-learning courses make a qualification as Power Saving Checkers in the partner countries possible – independent from the place and in any case cost and time saving. •In the frame of a pilot training, 16 experienced adult educators from Spain, Hungary, Italy and Romania were enabled to train Power Saving Checkers and to disseminate their knowledge to multipliers. •During the test phases in the partner countries, 59 unemployed people and 11 staff members of handicraft enterprises were qualified as Power-Saving-Checkers. They implemented Power Saving Checks in 104 low-income households. •Due to the 768 Direct Installations (energy saving lamps, shower saving heads, socket boards etc.) that were fixed during their course, within one year 89.311 kWh electrical energy and 1.955 m³ water will be saved in those households. The CO² emission will in the same year be reduced by 77.828 kg.•The Online Power Saving Calculator that was also developed during the project elaborated the calculation and publication of those savings.•The close co-operation with different stakeholders, particularly SME, during the implementation of the project activities in the partner countries led to the fact that new forms of partnerships between education and employment could be developed. In the long-term, Power Saving Check contributes to enable relevant stakeholders and decision makers at the national level to use the potentials and resources existing in the partner countries better to extend their systems of general education (ET 2020), to increase their employment rate, to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve the energy efficiency (Europe 2020).