Entrepreneurship can be defined by the individual's ability to turn ideas into practice. It includes creativity, innovation, risk, ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives.The project contributes to the objectives of Small Business Act.Only 37% of EU citizens want to have their own business (be self-employed), compared to 51% as recored in China and the US. To stimulate entrepreneurship in the EU the Small Business Act was issued. The project proposes activities and actions supporting the Small Business Act objectives.For the project a private partnership was established of four organizations that activate in the field of human resources development. By combining experience of the 4 partners will track the creation of an educational program for those who wish to develop entrepreneurial skills.The program is designed for people who want to set up and develop their own business. Recipients of services developed in the project are the direct and indirect. The direct beneficiaries will participate in activities supported by experts of the 4 partner organization. Indirect beneficiaries will be able to follow the educational program through an e-learning platform. We propose a total of 100 direct participants and 300 indirect participants during the project.The specific activities of the project will consist of four transnational meetings (one kickoff, two progress meetings, 1 final), 4 workshops of the project team (one of each discipline destined to be addressed in entrepreneurial courses). Each partner will host one meeting many of each type. Meetings for entrepreneurial disciplines will have a dual role, prepare the courses (before the courses) and get feedback and exchange of experience and good practice (after running the educational program). Management and promotion activities will be continuous (permanent) or discrete (by organizing events and conferences).Besides training 100 people through courses organized within partner organizations and 300 people through the platform of the project's e-learning within it will establish a modern entrepreneurial education program, adapted to the current socio-economic context. We intend to make a resource kit to come and support people who for various reasons, social, economoce, geography can not participate in such educational activities in traditional training system. The computer system can provide educational materials to anyone who owns an internet connected device.The project activities contribute to the development of entrepreneurship in three ways. 1. direct contribution is made by training people the project. 2. Developing the capacity of partner organizations as providers of continuing vocational training for adults, training in entrepreneurship. 3. Dissemination of an educational package and methodological know how to many other organizations working in the stimulation of workforce by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives.

Context/background-------------------------An analysis of computer science shows a steady decrease in female graduates since 2000 that is particularly marked in high-income countries. While numerous reasons have been advanced to explain gender imbalance in STEM education and careers, the one BRIDGES aims at addressing is the issue of recognition. The BRIDGES approach------------------------------While numerous reasons have been advanced to explain gender imbalance in STEM education and careers, the one BRIDGES aims at addressing is the issue of recognition, e.g. the “Matilda Effect” about how women scientists’ contributions can be overlooked or mis-attributed to their male colleagues, the different needs and modalities of recognition between men (who tend to need and receive more) and women, etc.Based on the seminal work on recognition from authors including Nancy Fraser, Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth in combination with the latest development in digital recognition technologies, such as Open Badges and social networks, BRIDGES aims at exploring the conditions for novel approaches to recognition, more open, more inclusive and more fitting to the social practices of girls and woman (c.f. Deborah Tannen “You Just don’t Understand”, Eckert, Penelope and Sally McConnell-Ginet “Communities of practice: “Where language, gender, and power all live”).:Building Open STEM Ecosystems---------------------------------------------BRIDGES aims at designing, implementing and evaluating Open STEM Ecosystems based on innovative approaches to recognition and accreditation to improve gender equity in the access to STEM education and careersBRIDGES will:1) Create the conditions for the increased participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers2) Bridge informal and formal STEM education and practices for future and actual female scientistsOutcomes-------------Through the consultation of a network of organisations and practitioners, BRIDGES will produce: * O1 – State of the Art (of STEM Learning and Recognition Ecosystems )* O2 – Open STEM Scenarios * O3 – Open STEM Infrastructure* O4 - Open STEM cMOOC * O5 – Open STEM Ecosystems* O6 – Open STEM Guidelines Long term benefits-------------------------Better understanding the causes of gender inequity in STEM education and careers, and possibly having provided elements to redress it, through a combination of awareness raising, innovative practices supported by innovative technologies.Participants---------------The participants are a consortium of non-formal and formal science and technologies education providers:1. Espace Mendès France, France2. University of Cyprus3. Open Knowledge Belgium4. Scientifica, Romania5. Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands6. Reconnaître-Open Recognition Alliance

SITUATION AND CHALLENGESince the entry of the assembly line, we have segregated our ‘head and hands’ so to say, both in education and in the field of work. On the other hand, we now witness a growing interest for producing local products and circular and sustainable design and an increasing demand for skilled workers who can think and act. This shift demands a new young professional.AMBITIONBy using both our HEAD and our HANDSs, we reach our HEART. The student who is inventive, knows about material, is skilled, is focused and has a team spirit, has the future. We aim to create a recommitment to the vocational arts, in education and in life. Students learn to follow the path of their tendency and talent, rather than relegating everyone to a college prep tract.By challenging students to take their time, perform trial & error activities, we appeal to them to be clever and crafty. This also includes prolonging their attention span and be able to work in a focused manner on long term assignments, viewing an assignment from all angles. Our ambition is to educate skills in a cross subject manner to create context for students. The combination of alpha, beta and gamma subjects in one task challenges students to be more exploring, creative, ingenious and inventive. Important aspect here is to create the circumstances for students to “learn to learn” this way. STUDENTS IN THE LEADThe youth unemployment in the EU underlines the necessity to spark a dynamic and positive attitude among young people towards enterprising behaviour, networking skills and pro-activity. Learning by doing and educating students to take initiative and investigate opportunities themselves, will increase employability. Smart Hands addresses this need by the key focus on the initiative of the student.OBJECTIVESSmart Hands recognises that young people in Europe must look outwards and proactively engage with the challenges and opportunities that our modern world provides. Concretely, Smart Hands aims to:• Ensure young people have the power, knowledge and competences to become creative, inventive, social thinkers, co-operators, problem solvers, and makers all together.• Equip teachers with a multidisciplinary student training programme based on our HANDS-HEAD-HEART approach directly involving the world-of-work and the local community.• Increase the pool of work based learning opportunities and ‘real-life’ assignments for students in order to develop their competences for future working life.• Provide school leaders with the tools to embed the HANDS-HEAD-HEART approach throughout the school and support to inspire their peer school leaders.• Provide parents with insights into modern ways of education and opportunities of further education or work for their children, fitting their own specific talents.• Reinforce secondary school-VET colleges-HE institute network by setting up a cooperation with regional stakeholders. PARTICIPANTSSmart Hands is primarily aimed at the final beneficiaries: secondary school students from all fields of education. Secondly it is aimed at their teachers and school leaders, family and world of work stakeholders (local authorities, (social) businesses, etc.).Smart Hands puts students in the lead with their HANDS, HEAD and HEART to 1) investigate challenges and opportunities on the cutting edge of 1) crafts, design & arts, 2) math-physics-chemistry and related trends & new technologies and 3) cooperation & leadership skills. Smart Hands enables students to work on multi-sided real-life assignments in the class room, online and on location. Bringing students closer to and more engaged with the outside world, consisting of: their region and community, further education opportunities, and (the world of) work.OUTPUTOur activities consist of training weeks Smart Hands will develop the following tangible products:-IO1 - Smart Hands - Student Training Programme-IO2 - Smart Hands Cascade Training Materials & Handbooks for School Leaders-IO3 - HANDS-HEAD-HEART in the classroom - Teachers Guide-IO4 - Smart Hands AT HOME! - Parents’ GuideMETHODOLOGYSmart Hands is a true Strategic Partnership involving 5 secondary schools, 3 expert partners and 1 pan-European education innovation network. All partners provide their key input that contributes to the realisation of the project goals and concrete deliverables.IMPACT & LONG TERM BENEFITSThe Smart Hands project enables schools to adopt an integrated multidisciplinary HANDS-HEAD-HEART approach to student talent discovery and development, putting students in the lead and involving the world-of-work and the local community directly. This to ensure young people have the power, knowledge and competences future working life to become creative, inventive, social thinkers, co-operators, problem solvers, and makers all together.