CONTEXTThe internationalization and recognition of diplomas at EU level, allow for mobility of the labour workforce in various domains of the blue sectors, which is very good and the VET learners have to take advantages of it. The problem is that in the real world, it is not happen like this. Although the recognition of diplomas is important, very often the industry ask for the recognition of skills. [Realising the potential of our seas and oceans for jobs and growth' – EC2014, BIMCO 2015]. The career opportunities and cross-sectoral bridges within the blue economy are not well known, and the VET educators cannot guide properly because of the low transparency of skills. The problem is urgent because the VET learners need to understand the blue career paths options immediately. Postponing the moment can include various factors that might extend the gap due to the rapid advancement of the technology [WMU, -The future of work 2040]. PROBLEMThe main issue addressed by our project is the low labour mobility of “blue professionals”. From interviews with blue stakeholders, resulted that increasing the transparency of skills would be suitable, achievable and feasible for improving the labour market inefficiencies.MAIN OBJECTIVEBE-BLUE aims to strengthen the intra and inter sector mobility of VET learners from partner countries in the blue economy.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVESSO1. Increase awareness of 60 VET learners from partner countries about career opportunities and cross-sectoral bridges within the blue economy in a period of 8 months.SO2. Improve blue economy career guidance skills of 30 VET teachers/mentors from VET organizations in a period of 10 monthsSO3. Enhance vocational career guidance capabilities for 15 blue economy VET organizations from partner countries in a period of 8 months.TARGET GROUPS and NEEDs1)TG1 - VET learners aged 14-19 years with interest in planning the career in the blue economy. Needs: to know what are the careers in the blue economy and relevant information to help them make an informed decision (salary, typical hours, qualification, experience, apprenticeship, skills, tasks, responsibilities), what are the career paths to get those job and cross-sectoral options s; get career guidance from people who know the blue economy and are able to mentor them.2)TG2 - VET teachers/mentors with interest in continuous professional development in the blue economy. Needs: to know the relevant information about the blue economy and the jobs within so they can make their VET schools more attractive to VET learners and advise them on career progression.3)TG3 – VET schools in blue economy, who want to foster employability of their learners in the blue economy in order to improve the attractiveness of their institutions at the other end. CONSORTIUMThe project will be carried out by a multi-disciplinary, complementary partnership consisting of 3 organizations from 3 EU countries: Romania, Spain and Turkey. 15 associated partners will contribute to reaching the target groups, implementing project tasks and supporting the dissemination. The consortium consists of an NGO (Association TEAM4Excellence), an SME specialised in providing VET training (Sea Teach) and a regional school directorate from Turkey (Osmaniye Il Milli Egitm Mudurlugu).PARTNERS NEEDS1)STC needs to offer career prospects in the blue economy for their VET learners tools for developing their employability skills in the blue economy2)OSM needs to support their VET schools in their quest to provide labour for all sectors of the blue economy3)T4E need to improve capabilities of offering career guidance services in the blue sector for VET learners and to create bridges between VET schools and the businesses in the blue economy.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS:- Blue Career Path Platform- Online Training Course in Blue Economy- Blue Career eMentoring ProgrammeSHORT TERM EFFECTSTG1, VET learners from partner countries: improved awareness about career opportunities and cross-sectoral bridges within the blue economy.TG2, VET teachers/mentors: improved knowledge about the sectors in the blue economy and their career guidance skills.TG3, VET schools: enhanced vocational career guidance capabilities in the blue economy.LONG TERM EFFECTS1)Improved employability of VET learners in the blue economy2)Improved capability of VET learners to switch across blue economy sectors3)Safer jobs for VET teachers/mentors in increasingly attractive VET schools4)Improved employment rates of graduating VET learners5)Better aligned VET schools to the needs and opportunities offered by the blue economy6)Improved attractiveness of VET schools in the education market7)Increased synergies and links between the world of education and training and the blue economy8)Increased opportunities for businesses to recruit people across blue economy sectors

<< Objectives >>To develop the education, employability and community engagement of adults with fewer opportunities through a grassroot and peer-to-peer approaches aiming at identifying, building and recognizing competences and skills. Furthermore, the partner organisations will edit a manual for good practices based on the outcomes and the results of the activities of the project. We also plan to integrate a new organisation in Erasmus+ projects and through it develop their work at local level.<< Implementation >>There are three activities: Local paths in each of the partners’ contexts aiming at identifying skills and competences and thus build the self-empowerment and esteem of people with fewer opportunities; Three job shadowings in which a group of 5 people from one partner visits another partner in an exchange of practices experience; A final event in Lisbon with the purpose of presenting the results of the previous activities and developing the final outputs and outcomes of the project.<< Results >>Build self-esteem and confidence in adults who haven’t concluded the mandatory education levels or that have a long-term history of unemployment or lack of professional activity. Promote their employability through the identification and recognition of skills and competences. Identify and develop local leadership in each of the organisations’ contexts. Engage stakeholders to adapt or develop more inclusive and adaptable tools to better include people with fewer opportunities.

According to Eurostat's January 2014 publication on Unemployment statistics for the year 2013 for the EU28, youth unemployment is one of the major challenges of EU employment policy .12.9% of those aged 15–24 in the EU28 are currently not in employment, education or training which corresponds to approximately 5.5 million young people. The ET-NEETs project aimed to develop, improve and provide innovative support and deliver significant impact on the quality and effectiveness of training available and offered to young adults who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) . These young adults are generally disproportionately affected by a lack of opportunities which has been accelerated through the ongoing economic crisis. This situation engenders a lack of motivation that affects not only their educational and work prospects but also their integration into society.Training programmes for NEETs incorporate a variety of elements to teach key competences and basic skills and are currently being designed and delivered by local governments, charities and NGOs. These training providers have had no platform to discuss experiences, problems, successes or results and therefore opportunities to exchange best practice have been missed. The project has worked together with its Target Groups to gather, analyse and produce data to support the development of a common framework for identifying indicators to measure successful training.The project has produced a Web Platform and used Social Media which, for the first time, has brought together training organisations from all levels (locally, nationally and EU-wide) which has enabled them to communicate, organise exchange and find methods of best practice. It has also allowed them to publish and evaluate their own methods and has assisted them to compare programs offered by other organisations using the web platform's Course Finder Matrix software tool.The findings and results produced from the gathered data formed a Final Report-Best Practices for Effective Training for NEETs. This report has been published onto the web platform and is available for stakeholders to download and use as a reference guide for training NEETs. The project designed and delivered two 5-day Pilot NEET Training courses where cross border mobility and motivation were major parts of the experience. The two courses were evaluated (including vital feedback from the NEETs) and the results recorded in a Pilot Performance Report(PPR). Furthermore the project team produced a video of the two PNT's and has published them onto the web platform. Please take a look: http://www.et-neets.eu/en/From the results of the Final Report on Best Practice and the Pilot Performance Report (PPR) the project team then designed and produce a course for teachers and trainers of NEETs to use called the Training Materials for NEET Teachers (TMNT). The TMNT includes elements, methods and techniques that have been tested and proved to be successful. The TMNT courses promote mobility as a significant factor in delivering more effective results in this sector of adult education.The project brought together a mix four partners from three EU countries that include, a local government authority, two private adult training providers and an ICT specialist in adult training software programs in key competences and basic skills. The project partners have shown the relevant experience, expertise and links required to the NEET community that have delivered the work to fulfill the aims of the project. The aim of this project consortium was to significantly decrease the numbers of young adults who are NEETs by offering them better training. The major change envisaged by the completion of this project was to provide European stakeholders with exchange and to share the success of effective training offered to NEETs. This aim, we believe, has been achieved.

<< Objectives >>Project partnership wants to develop a high-performing digital education ecosystem in partner organisations, by building capacity and critical understanding on how to exploit the opportunities offered by digital technologies for teaching and learning and by developing a digital transformation plan. Project partnership also wants to share all knowledge, experience and good practices acquired by performing the digital transformation in partner organisations with other sea schools.<< Implementation >>Project partnership will start with a research on digital transformation of education and training and will start applying it in the partner's organisations. During the research, the project partnership will already start compiling the knowledgebase on digital transformation for sea schools and will publish it on the open resource online platform by the end of the project to be available to wider public.<< Results >>Project partnership will develop a digital transformation plan for their education and training tailored to each partner organisation's specific needs. Project partner will also start implementing it during the project lifetime. Project partnership will also develop the open resource online platform which will give other sea schools enough information to perform the digital transformation of their education and training on their own with their own resources.

"<< Objectives >>The project wants to foster environmental awareness and sustainability skills in young people by activating schools and teachers to sign up to the European Blue School Network which promotes the Ocean Literacy activities. It achieves this by implementing a true grass-roots approach that includes teachers, schools and local environmental actors in a pilot action to overcome current hindrances and by documenting this approach in a BluePrint Guide to enable other EU regions to follow this example.<< Implementation >>The ""We are Blue Schools"" project is a grass-roots pilot project. Apart from management and dissemination activities, it will - conduct a research to find out from schools and teachers what stops them from becoming Blue Schools - organise a workshop to develop a strategy concept and initiate a Community of Practice- implement the findings and support a minimum of 100 schools in Mallorca to become Blue Schools- share its experience in a BluePrint Guide for transferability to other context.<< Results >>The main results of the ""We are Blue Schools"" project are:- a strategy concept based on the research phase to determine why schools do not join the Blue School network- 100 schools in Mallorca that sign up to be Blue Schools and integrate Ocean Literacy activities into their lessons- a Community of Practice- a BluePrint Guide for other regions and organisations to copy the activities of the project - a project Flyer (in English, Spanish and Catalan), a website and social media accounts."