InnoTrain actions and outputs focued on the key target issues in promoting VET-business partnerships that impact on weak elements of the in-service learning cycle in five European regions in Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain and Greece. The improvement focus were regional and local and benefits from a transnational dimension working on effective practices leading to the innovation of training programmes and tools for professionals involved in the development of WBL. Our strategic partnership aimed to create a more systematic engagement of VET providers and companies with the proposal to explore, design and implement new synergies between local key actors involved in collaborative structures to promote WBL and to stimulate sustainable policy reforms in education and employment.A mix of complementary transnational partners (consisting of 9 partners from five EU countries) worked over a period of 36 months to create new structures for cooperation between VET and business (Italy, Spain, Greece) and to revise existing structures (Germany, Austria).The motivation of the partners to participate in the project was closely linked to the observation of local needs and the recognition of the need to close the gap between skill levels and labour market requirements, starting with strengthening the quality and quantity of WBL in education and investing in innovation for practitioners.The overall objective of the project was to create transferable outcomes (4 IOs) for the improvement of professional competences of practitioners involved on a daily basis in VET-business relations and in the implementation of WBL programmes focused on the qualitative development of high quality skills and competences. On the other hand, we explored and developed new strategies for effective structures of cooperation between VET and business, involving complementary local stakeholders, but with a view to use in other EU regions. The target group of participants was VET professionals/general education/companies/social partners/local institutions/youth associations.For this purpose, the first step in the project was to carry out cross-country comparative analyses to identify the strengths, weaknesses and needs of the partner countries (Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Greece). These results have led to establishing a general curriculum for the development of innovative training programmes for professionals. A total of 5 trainings based on the curriculum were conducted. The next major milestone in the project was to design, test and validate training tools through a bottom-up approach. The consortium partner chooses Moodle as the basic learning and teaching platform for the InnoTrain project. Especially in the times of COVID, where the project also focused more on virtual collaboration, Moodle was expanded more than expected by the project partners. A badge system (to improve motivation, recognition and credentialing) and learning lunches (learning from each other and learning together in an informal way) were developed. Finally, the number of trainers on Moodle was increased to almost 100. Country comparative analyses were also carried out on the topic of practical guide on Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality in WBL in order to identify the needs. In a further step, the measures of Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality Assurance in times of COVID-19-crisis were specifically analysed. From this, challenges and recommendations for VET teachers and trainers were developed, which can be found in the storyboard. The Storyboard of InnoTrain Methodology gives an overview of the overall project results and methods used.

The EXCEED - EXCELLENCE IN GREEN AND DIGITAL MANUFACTURING project aims at establishing a European COVE network of 6 centres in 5 countries, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic, and Greece to support innovation and sustainable competitiveness of the Advanced Manufacturing (AM) sector. As one of the pillars of the European economy, AM has been strongly impacted by the twin transitions, generating disruptive changes, beside the urgency to foster industry decarbonization. To face those changes and new challenges, citizens, present and future workforce needs new competencies, for life and work. VET providers can play a crucial role preparing the workforce and the society of the future, no one left behind, increasing their responsiveness, operating in strong connection with policy levels. EXCEED assumes the synergic and mutual benefitting application of digital and green, according to the so-called “digital eco-innovation” paradigm and the transition to the circular digital economy as powerful leverages to accelerate innovation in AM. Involving a public-private platform of overall 39 partners, 18 full and 21 associates, EXCEED will work as an alive integrated skills ecosystem, promoting, 1) upskilling and reskilling of low-skilled adults and workers at risk of marginalization through a joint internationalized, flexible and individualized Life Long Learning training offer; 2) strengthening the HIGHER VET (EQF 4 and 5) through design of new curricula and updating of existing ones; 3) adopting joint strategies for Talent Management by the establishment of an International Talent Factory, aware of the fact that talented and skilled individuals have a key role to play in countries’ future prosperity; 4) upskilling and empowerment VET professionals as key profiles translating innovation in education contexts. In 4 years, partners expect to involve at least n. 600 learners and an overall number of 26.000 beneficiaries through an extensive multichannel communication strategy.

"Project ""Technology education in the digital era supported by the significant use of research results"" is an actual response for an insufficient use of research results, which are produced by higher education institutions, in teaching processes. Project is mainly focused on technology education in the area of mechanical engineering and construction/civil engineering and it enables international and interdisciplinary work. Nonetheless there in no restrictions on extension to the other range of disciplines. Program is also focused on different forms of training in which academics will participate in order to improve their competences regarding preparation of courses. They are planned to support the abovementioned use of research results in teaching contents. There is still a long way to widely employ research results in education, especially for international purposes. In addition, the dissemination of research results in education carried out by cooperation of universities and companies has not yet been thoroughly studied before. Therefore the strategic partnership of four higher education institutions (universities) and one company is formed in order to improve existing methodologies of each partner and work out an innovative teaching approaches including international collaboration in the area of teaching. Partners have decided to implement the results in two main disciplines such as mechanical engineering and civil engineering. Notwithstanding, dissemination of results and their further applications can be also concerned with other disciplines. The beneficiaries of proposed project are mainly master/doctoral students and academics involved in teaching process on that levels. Within the project partners would like to develop the following detailed outputs: 1. Guide for educators regarding the utilization of research results in technology education.Aspects of educational technologies in elaborating of educational processes seems to be fairly essential. Consequently, one of the main goal is to originally propose a complete and comprehensive guide for educators respecting the results obtained in analysed brand of science (e.g., mechanical engineering). At this stage of performance the comparative and qualitative analysis of existing practices, literature and student/teacher opinions might be quite crucial. One of the main feature of guidelines should be their general purpose.2. Development of the digital platform methodologies for utilization of research results in technology education.At this stage of work an existing digital platforms and possibilities of their adoptions for utilization of research results in technology educations are carefully studied. Furthermore, development and testing of a set of tools (e.g., templates, procedures, algorithms) of research results in digital platform is a significant factor of undertaken activities.3. Development of pilot lectures using EDURES methodologies.In output 3 the new lecture will be developed to support technology education in partner universities and share their knowledge and useful practices. The lectures will contain completely new data and teaching materials will be presented. The series of eight brand new lectures are planned to be initiated that will indicate how the teaching content (especially utilizing research results) should correctly defined.4. Digital platform with implemented EDURES teaching content.In this stage of work the results from three previous intellectual outputs will be implemented into the existing platforms and their efficiency among target groups of students and teachers will be tested. The unique (brand new) educational platform utilising research outcomes into technology education will be formulated..5. Report on the development of the set of tools and procedures for EDURES feedback and methods of continuous improvement.In this issue the potential collective advancements of the developed tools to utilize research results in technology education will be confidently expected. Feedback of the students towards the teachers along with feedback to those who applied and handle with digital platform will be urgently required. Constructive and valuable feedback are keenly awaited from other institutions. Moreover, strictly defined methods to make received data useful for improvements of the EDURES platform will be also one of the objective in the work undertaken. Likewise application of the feedback results into developed platform will be meticulously implemented. In the last stage of conceived venture the procedures developed for sustain and extend our work into the future are significantly found."

"GISWELM Project was motivated by the necesity to solve the actual labour situation in some countries participant in the Project, the high figures of unemployement. The coordinator, IES VAlle de Elda, after a long number of european proyects believed that this type of proyect is an important tool to improve the Young people unemployement in our closest área. We chose the partners carefully, two institution from Germany and Denmark where the Young unemployment barely exists, the Chamber of Comerce of Alicante, am important body between education and labour market and the italian partner, an important Company with a wide experience in the fields of international education projects. The objective was to learn from the northen countries and to copy some measures that will help our Young people in the future. The Chamber of comerce will help to implement the measures with the support of the italian Company that has been designed to develop an intelectual output (not included in the budget).The results of this proyect are being helpfull to our comunity, students, teachers and employers. We have designed the lines to move forward in the same directions, form our students following the instructions of the employers according to the requested skills.We also want to motivate our students to the option of entrepreneur. The families of our institutions, commerce and marketing, and sociocultural services are áreas where huge investments are not needed to créate a Company, so it's an important option for our students.The axes of the project are around:1. Technical Skills (ICT, languages, profesional skills ...)2. Social Skills for employment 3. Entrepreneurship. The Phases:First Meeting in Spain organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante where the practical aspects of the project were designed. The time of delivery of tasks was perfectly marked.Development of activities for several months (about the first axis ""technical skills"":Analysis of the employment situation in the areas of the participating countries. (Questionnaire companies), Analysis of the technical skills of students and teachers. (Questionnaire to students and teachers), Completion of questionnaires, tables, graphs and presentation of results produced by the students of each country using ICTsMeeting in Hoxter in February 2017 to present results obtained during these months. The students were responsible to show them. We participated in roundtables, lectures, visits to significant companies.In June 2017, We met in Cento, Italy for an intermediate meeting to supervise the project, to sumary conclusions of the first part of the project (Technical skills) and to take the opportunity to receive a course for trainers. Two teachers from each country and 1 person from the Chamber of Comerce attended this meeting. After that, we started to develop activities for several months (about the second axis ""social skills""):Dynamics of coaching, conflict resolution in companies, etcWe met in Denmark in October 2017 to show the conclusions drawn with previous dynamics. We asisted to conference methodology Richard Gesteland. Visited to significant companies and associations. We took conclusions and sumary of this second part of the project (Social skills)We started with the third and last axes of the project (Entrepreneurship) analysing the qualitys, the risks, the challenges to start a new businessFinal meeting in Spain in February 2018 to expose conclusions about entrepreneurship. We visited the Chamber of Commerce and received a lecture from an expert in entrepreneurship, a representative of. Eures in Alicante and other companies .We realized the final evaluation of the project with a period to elaborate the outputs and to continue realizing activities related with the axes of the project to guarantee its sosnenibility."

SMART & STEAM VET project is a KA2 Strategic Partnerships project on Innovation. It is a cross-sectoral project between VET and School Education. Its actions and outputs will focus on key target issues connected to VET attractiveness in the digital era, professional development and social inclusion in 5 European countries: Romania, Austria, Italy, Poland and Spain. The improvement focus will be regional and local but benefiting from a transnational dimension working on innovation of ICT tools via Gamification and training programmes for professionals involved in guidance activities for students and parents during transition periods in educational cycles. Serious gaming for guidance is the methodology chosen.Our Strategic Partnership points to create a more systematic engagement of lower secondary and upper secondary schools, VET providers and companies and inspire sustainable policy reforms on education and employment with a focus on gender issues connected to S.T.E.A.M. subjects and technical culture in training and job market.In details activities will tackle the following issues related to E+2019 VET priorities:-Continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors with effective capacity building actions through two transnational joint staff trainings and five multiplying events at local level. Professional development will focus on digital skills, quality assurance, evaluation and monitoring processes of learning outcomes and impacts of guidance activities on learners, companies, VET providers and general education providers.- Open Education in a digital era connected to update of VET and school system to innovation and digitalization of learning processes.- Early school leaving caused by a wrong choice at early age leading to social exclusion and low skilled jobs.A mix of complementary transnational partners, 3 VET providers, 1 research institute on VET, 1 gamification private company will work on a 26 months basis for creating 2 new digital IOs and deliver massive awareness raising campaigns exploiting two European Skills Week framework. We will drive positive and concrete messages to students, parents, external schools and policy makers.The motivation of partners to participate in the project is strongly connected to the observation of local needs and the acknowledgement about the necessity to try to cover the gap between skills’ qualifications and job market demand, especially in a far future with 4.0 revolution and IoT. We point at strengthening a SMART choice from early age, investing in innovation of guidance practices in VET providers and positively influencing parents mind-set especially connected to gender stereotypes on STEAM subjects and job profiles, indeed required by the job market.The OVERALL OBJECTIVE of the project is to create a transferable Serious Learning Game and its training assets and webinars for the upgrade of professional competences of education and VET practitioners, teachers and mentors daily involved in guidance activities pointing on qualitative growth of high quality skills and competences. On the other hand we intend to investigate and develop new strategies for effective VET-business cooperation structures involving complementary stakeholders, mutually responsible for effective education and employment local and European policies for learners.Addressed needs:Lack of attractiveness of VET as first choice during transition moments for students and familiesLack of innovation in guidance tools owned by schools addressing students and familiesLack of digitally skilled professionals in VET and education fieldsSkills mismatch in national markets and EU job marketLack of effective pairing strategies involving schools and companiesLack of quality and monitoring strategies owned by teachers for detecting effective guidance and pairing strategiesGender gap and stereotypes related to STEAM subjects, technical job profilesLack of effective partnerships between education and business in creating effective guidance strategiesEarly school leaving due to wrong choice and leading to social exclusion and low skilled jobsDirect Beneficiaries: Students aged 12-14 years old and their families, teachers and mentors from lower and upper secondary schools and VET schools.Indirect beneficiaries:Companies, local bodies responsible for policy making processes, job market actors.Expected number of overall beneficiaries involved: At least 2.500 with outreach activities.Long term effects:- Smart policies connecting education to real job market and skills needs- Sustainable cooperation policies on education, employment, reduction of drop out and social exclusion- Benefits to educational system for impacting on learners for life through innovation and its new positioning- Structured cooperation strategies between VET-education-local policy makers-companies with smart guidance services for students and families during transition phases.