Skills Swap is aimed at upgrading the efficacy and relevance of contemporary VET in the hospitality sector by designing and integrating into sector-based VET provision an innovative 'skills swap' approach to employer-facilitated learning design in work-based learning (WBL) for employees and apprentices. ‘Skills Swap' initiatives focus on skills sharing within the sector for the mutual benefit of companies, VET participants and employees. By 'skills swap', we mean structured WBL opportunities where employees and apprentices are released from their roles with one employer for a fixed duration (typically half a day to 2 weeks) to learn skills provided by another employer. At the same time, employers benefit from the skills swap from the new skill(s) and/or fresh perspectives that their employees bring to their business as a result of the ‘swap’. In support of key Erasmus+ Horizontal and Sectoral Priorities, this project is developed between the companies and VET professionals; trainers and careers specialists who understand the needs of those who are their WBL trainees (apprentices and those in a C-VET context) - in a fast-changing sector that faces many challenges with recruitment, retention and keeping up to date. The project will facilitate, through transparent occupational profiling based on tasks, transparency in WBL objectives while also providing resources and guides to employers, and in particular 'clusters' of SMEs and micro enterprises in hospitality, who struggle to offer progression routes to their employees and find it hard to undertake successful apprenticeships or retain staff. By designing a new, structured WBL methodology the project aims to enhance the VET system to promote good practices and encourage peer learning amongst companies. The benefits envisaged by the project include a new WBL methodology that will improve access to opportunities for progression and promotion by increasing the skills range of employees and apprentices in the hospitality sector. This implementation of this methodology is supported by new pedagogical and digital tools, designed to be support the mutual recognition, transparency and validation of the skills that are acquired within the hospitality industry. It is designed specifically for VET in hospitality but is highly transferable to other WBL contexts, occupational sectors and European countries outside those participating in the project. EU VET policy encourages increasing involvement from employers in VET programme design and implementation, and for providers to demonstrate how their programmes are relevant to the current and anticipated needs of specific employment sectors. Yet practical examples and new ideas as to how to do this in a genuinely innovative way are sometimes lacking. Therefore Skills Swap is a novel attempt to create employer-led and employer-needed VET solutions in WBL.

<< Background >>Youth workers play a significant role in the personal, socioeducational and professional development of youth. In fact, the EC’s common framework for the further development of youth work has identified that youth work can result in a range of positive effects for youth which enable them to enhance competences, reinforce their network and social capital and develop positive relationships. Yet, working with youth is not an easy task. It requires youth workers who continuously develop their competences, embrace and practice a life-long learning, strive to get qualified and better address the needs of the youth while also managing to keep their own personal-professional balance. All these underline the need to focus on the personal and professional development of the youth workers as a means to achieve better and sustainable impact on youth in general.The Youth unemployment rate in January 2021 in all partner countries was quite high, especially in Italy and Cyprus: IT: 29,7%, CY: 20,1%, LT:18,2%, PT:14,3%, PL:14,3% (EUROSTAT) - there is a noticeable increase during the pandemic period in comparison to last year.“Youth unemployment and the integration of young people into the labour market” report issued by the Contact Committee of European Union Supreme Audit Institutions on April 2018 indicates many problematic fields like:- education sector produces graduates who can't find employment and there is insufficient correlation with the needs of the labour market,- the range of courses remained limited due to qualification standards and educational tools inconsistencies or incompatibilities,In fact, the authors of the Youth Work Report conclude stating “There is an identifiable need for clear learning opportunities for youth workers as an essential part of professionalizing the delivery of youth work. Incomplete learning paths and a lack of identifiable routes of study and training compounds the problems of unstable working/volunteer conditions within the sector.”This project is designed to support the development of quality youth work in the participating countries. As known in many of EU countries the youth sector is in the initial stage of development. Youth policies are under development and no national strategies for Youth work exists. However, in all countries in the cooperation between NGOs, educational institutions and government authorities (ministries and agencies) are made steps in the sphere of development of the youth sector. In this context, projects like this are important for building high quality standards and the development of youth work. This is particularly important as the digital skills are more required in the labour market in changing in post-pandemic Europe and youth unemployment levels have risen again.<< Objectives >>Opp4YOUth is a response to the demands of the labour market and youth workers. Increasing the competence of teachers working with a youth will directly affect the professional development of youth worker. In addition, the project will develop innovative tools to support teachers and the learning processes. On the other hand, increasing the skills of youth workers and the use of positive psychology will strengthen their position on the labour market and meet their professional ambitions. Staying on the labour market and cooperation with other young people will contribute to reducing unemployment in the European Union.OBJECTIVESThe objectives of the project are:1. To reduce the gap between the personal and professional needs of the youth workers, towards more fulfilling careers in the youth field.2. To develop innovative approaches (methodologies, digital tools and practices) for personal and professional development of the youth workers for better serving the youth in general and disadvantaged youth in particular.3. To use innovative approaches (positive psychology, education and eco-centric development) in professionalization of youth workers and to adapt this approaches for better services of disadvantaged youth.4. To increase the on-going support and lifelong learning for the personal and professional development of the youth workers)TARGET GROUPS- Teachers (mentors, tutors, managers in companies) of youth workers- Youth workers from partner countries trained by using the tools and materials elaborated within the project- Stakeholders: companies, social economy organizations, local/regional/national authorities.Opp4YOUth is a transnational cooperation project as its framework, needs, aims and target groups are shared by all involved partners and countries. Though the specific context of each partner country may vary the main features are shared. The proposed solution would be meaningless and ineffective if applied only by one partner/country.<< Implementation >>The general methodology that the project will follow includes the following activities:A1. Project Management and Coordination (M1-M24): planning of activities and resources for each result; distribution of tasks and responsibilities and coordination of work, covering:- development of Project Gantt chart and Risk Management Plan- management and coordination of financial, human, material resources within the project duration;- coordination and collaboration within the project and monitoring progress- hosting of project meetings and events- provision of progress/interim/final reportsA2. Dissemination and exploitation (M1-M24): ongoing distribution of information about project activities, progress, results, to ensure wider visibility of the project and involvement of stakeholders at each stage of the project life. It includes:- conduction of Multiplier Event – National conferences in Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Portugal and the final Valorisation Conference In Italy - development and ongoing update of D&E Strategy- development of templates for reporting of dissemination activities- preparation of texts for dissemination (press releases, articles for media publications, etc.)- collection and reporting of D&E activities and the issuance of consortium D&E report - coordination of the work of external subcontractors for promotional materials and project visual identityA3. Quality management (M1-M24): ongoing monitoring and evaluation of all aforementioned ongoing activities; assignment of corrective and preventive measures with regard to reducing perils to the project implementation and boosting quality of both work and results, including:- elaboration of Quality Management Plan and templates for internal evaluation- provision of input for evaluation e.g. filling evaluation forms- conduction of internal evaluations- evaluation of activities and results and the issuing of internal evaluation reports- communication and coordination of work with external evaluatorDevelopment of project results (M2-M22): execution of planned activities with the resources allocated within defined timeframe.RES1: Research among youthworkers and teachers about areas for personal and professional development1) Selection of 24 (4 x partner) young people and 12 (2 x partner) teachers who will be involved in project activities2) Carrying out an interviews and researches3) Review and experts discussion on partners’ thematic reports4) Elaboration of research summary report about areas for personal and professional developmentRES2: Methodology for personal and professional development based on non-formal learning1) Development of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual2) Opp4YOUth methodology testing during workshops for teachers3) Refinement of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual4) Digitalization of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual using web-platformRES3: Tools for personal and professional development for youthworkers1) Elaboration of the first version of training programme2) Cross-check of the developed training material3) Evaluation during training workshops for youth4) The final version releaseLearning/teaching/training activities are planned to held in this project:- LTT1 - Training workshops for 12 teachers in Cyprus (M11-M12)- LTT2 - Training workshops for 24 youth workers in Portugal (M18 -M19)<< Results >>TANGIBLE RESULTSA1. Project management:• Partnership contracts, Risk Management Plan and Project Action Plan – will serve as a tools for monitoring and allocation of responsibilities as well as official statement of partners’ commitment towards achievement of the project goals.• Interim and the final report–will be issued in M12 and M24 by V-S based on the inputs from all partnersA2. Quality Management• QMPlan: to be developed by V-s (M1-M2). The document will define the evaluation and monitoring procedures, tools to be applied and indicators to ensure quality of the work • Internal and external evaluation reports will be based on the evaluation procedures for quality assurance.A3. Dissemination and exploitation• D&E Strategy reports: developed by EduPlus, defining dissemination channels, tools and ways to reach target groups• Project website with platform with access to all results developed by EdiTC with EduPlus and will be maintained active at least 5 years after the project’s closure• Project visual identity: done by external design company subcontracted by EduPlus. The aim is to create a distinguishing and memorable image of the project across Europe• Opp4YOUth promotional materials & exploitation Pack: long-term marketing materials for dissemination purposes will be produced and will be circulated around Europe• Multiplier events intended promote and disseminate the project results: 4 small conferences in every project country: in total 120 participants and Project Final Conference - in total 60 participantsRESULTS:• RES1 - Summary report of the research among youth workers and teachers about areas for personal and professional development (EDS-FNS)• RES2 - Methodology for personal and professional development based on non-formal learning (VEM)• Manual including the developed intellectual materials (VEM)• RES3 - Tools for personal and professional development for youthworkers- training programme and materials including online platform (EDITC)• Testing workshops for 12 teachers (EDITC) and 24 young people (EduPlus)INTANGIBLE RESULTS- Exchange of know-how and good practices: all partners come from different professional fields and backgrounds and will exchange ideas and experience that will be useful in their work- Improved staff qualification- Improved organizational capacity: by implementing project activities, partners will improve their organisational skills and gain valuable experience for organisation of future large-scale initiatives and events- Extended network: partners will collaborate with stakeholders on national and EU level, which will lead to the creation of new and sustainable partnerships.- Increased the on-going support and lifelong learning for the personal and professional development of the youth workers- Reduced gap between the personal and professional needs of the youth workers.Among the intangible results there are also:1)Training activity (LTT1)-the initial version of methodology and manual in the international environment of teachers involved in the project will be tested. All participants will share their expectations, express opinions on the practical use of methodology and manual, validation process, remarks.2)Training activity (LTT2)-the participants will develop their competences in various areas:- will gain knowledge, skills and attitudes related to positive psychology, positive education, values, principles and quality standards in youth work at European level.- will enhance their capacities in the topics of Eco-centric development in youth work, in pedagogical tools, innovation and evaluation of results.- will enrich their competences on the topics of implementation, testing and evaluation of educational plans, self-directed learning, self-motivation for development and innovation.3)After training activities (C1, C2) the participants will train other youth workers in their countries (20 per country) In each of the countries involved in the project.

The EU migrant crisis has a direct reflection on migrant employment rates. The gap in labor market participation at EU level between EU citizens and migrants has increased in 2014 (Eurostat–Migrant Integration Statistics-Employment). During the last eight years, the activity rate (% of active persons in comparison to the total population) of the EU-28 population of non-EU countries has recorded systematically lower activity rates than EU citizens. Since 2009, this gap has increased noticeably (3 % points). Also the unemployment rate per sex and educational background is higher for migrant women with low educational background (Eurostat). Cultural, social barriers, low skills and media illiteracy discourage these women from actively seeking for jobs. As a result the pressure is enormous on the welfare systems and society itself of the EU-28 countries.Emkit2 Objectives:EMKIT2 empowered low skilled migrant women by developing 42 digital tools for trainers for implementing innovative workshops to develop the social, civic, cultural and media literacy (SCM) competences to achieve active citizenship according to the Active Citizenship Scale (AC Scale).EMKIT2 was aimed to:1. Develop 3 Qualification Frameworks for the Social & Civic (S), Cultural Awareness & Expression(C) and Media Competence(M) (SCM competences) tailored for the specific target group in a specific context (see innovation elements)2. Based on the Learning Outcomes of the QFs developed enrich activities offered at each stage by designing 42 new workshops for the development of the SCM competences. The activities developed in EMKIT did not tackle the social and cultural capacity of the migrant women which is vital for the succession from one stage to the next on the AC ladder. Also, EMKIT did not deal with the media literacy, a skill that is becoming increasingly important as a result of digital media expanding into the realm of human communication. The ability to use media well is crucial to a person’s participation in the society and active citizenship.3. Develop 42 digital tools for the newly developed workshops for trainers for the development of the SCM competences and incorporate then in the existing EMKIT online tool.4. Introduce & develop a digital assessment tool and incorporate it on the existing EMKIT toolkit. EMKIT was developed for women who live in isolation and need to progress through all stages to reach active citizenship. Through the use the EMKIT (for 6 years now) it has been evident that a) a systematized method is needed for an impartial assessment of the stage a woman is in and to avoid unnecessary activities that are tailored for women who are at a lower stage of the scale b) validate the results of the empowerment process. Therefore this project suggested the development of an assessment tool in order to identify the stage of the woman and validate the Learning Outcomes of the activities implemented at each stage.The direct target group was trainers/mentors who work with migrant women (i.e. trainers in Adult Education Providers imple-menting projects funded by Integration Funds/Daphne & Justice Projects and volunteers/mentors working at NGOs and associ-ations providing guidance and training services to migrants). Trainers have benefited by a more complete EMKIT tool that also developed 3 important context specific competences.The elaborated deliverables were:IO1: A Context Specific Qualifications Framework for the Social and Civic Competence Linked to the Active Citizenship ladder IO2: A Context Specific Qualifications Framework for the Cultural Awareness and Expression Competence Linked to the Active Citizenship ladder IO3: A Context Specific Qualifications Framework for the Media Literacy Competence Linked to the Active Citizenship Ladder IO4: 42 Experiential & Innovative Workshops for the SCM Competences IO5: A Digital Assessment Tool and Guide for trainers on implementation of digital workshops IO6: EMKIT2: 42 Digital Tools in 5 Languages incorporated in a new EMKIT2 toolkit About 20 participants took part in the focus group, which allowed the partners to develop IO1, IO2 and IO3. About 21 low-skilled migrant women attended the pilot training which allowed the partners to develop and finalize IO4, IO5, IO6.

"The situation of youth employment, young people under 30, remains alarming. Many countries in Europe have very high rates of youth unemployment. The reality is that we are talking about a group that has an uncertain future, with a difficult insertion in the labor market, although many of them have higher education and master, and working conditions are precarious: little stability, temporary contracts, poor family reconciliation and low wages. In a context where access to work has become, the race to employability contains a lot of obstacles and difficulties, there are many candidates and a lot of competitiveness.The development of the SYMPATIC project at transnational level is composed of a diversity of partners, with different but complementary expertise: Eurocircle as coordinator project in Marseille (France), ADICE in Roubaix (France), CIOFS-FP in Rome (Italy), U-Bus in Berlin (Germany), Metropolisnet in Berlin (Germany) and EDIT-C in Nicosia (Cyprus). The consortium has experience in the transnational mobility of young people (volunteering or VET), and will work on the creation of a reliable network with companies in the tourism sector. These companies will be the other key actors in the development of the project since they will provide guidance and follow-up to the young people in their mobility to develop soft and hard competencies for employment.In the project there are three key groups of participants:-Young people under 30 who participate in a mobility program or a VET. -The social workers/ mobility providers / VET providers (from partner organisation) who will help young people before, during and after the mobility. the staff, during the project, will be trained to be come Job Coach, equipped to provide more accurate professional guidance for young adults job seekers more mobile. -The tutors in the companies who will work on the follow up of the young people, build a trustful relations, attend a training to adapt job vacancies with hard and soft skills that can better match with young people. The role of the tutor is to help and support the young job seekers before, during and after the mobility / VET in order for them to develop appropriate competences for a future professional integration. Objectives1/ Create a link between companies that recruit on a regular basis (i.e tourism sectors: guides, drivers, information centres, accommodation, catering / restaurant industry, selling, seasonal jobs) and young people looking for a job.-Draw a panorama of the job market (needs and demands) and job vacancies in the sectors-Train employers to be tutors of young people 2/ Facilitate the integration of young people in the labour market at national level and abroad-Train social workers/mobility providers / VET providers to be job coach-Enable young people to get trained during a mobility and come back with the necessary competences to integrate the labour market-Facilitate the recognition of the acquired competencesOutputs: It is a complex and ambitious project with four fundamental intellectual products generated. The implementation of the project is scheduled for a period of 26 months to allow the testing and production of high quality intellectual products / results, as indicated below:IO 1 - Occupational profile. It is about developing a detailed study about the labor reality and profiles needed (hard and soft skills) in the field of tourism.IO 2 - A Tutors' kit: it is about developing a training and a manual for the tutors in the companies, before and after the mobility / VET so that they can monitor the young people and can support / facilitate the professional integration.IO 3 - The mobility pack: it is a training to become a job coach with 3 main topics (LTTA)-how to be a job coach (roles and missions + the 7 scenarios possible after a mobility or a VET-how to wisely use social media: promote a youth experience with social media and search for a job with the appropriate profile on the appropriate social media-how to evaluate the competences developed on a mobilitythe mobility pack will then be composed of a training content with learning objectives and outcomes and each of the 7 scenarios developed in the 4 countries.IO 4 - An online platform: The objective is to connect the young people who participate in the project and the recruiters of the companies to encourage better communication between them and above all an appropriate matching.Expected results on a larger scale:A facilitated labor integration for young people after a mobilityA process of recruitment that starts before the mobility / VET & a better communication between young people and employersA trustful relationship between the young person, the job coach and the tutor / employerA network of companies in different countries that are recruiting on a regular basis and their vacanciesA pool of young people on the online platform that are ""available"" and competent to apply for the job vacancies"

The project is aimed primarily at supporting the promotion of vocational education and training. It will seek to motivate young people to learn a profession, inspire an excellence in skills and introduce youth to a variety of skilled careers available on the labour market through participating in national skills competitions.The project will be particularly devoted to preparation of an organisational model of the national skills competition in the construction industry, which will not only promote the power of skills but it will also serve as means to select national champions to compete in the international EuroSkills competition - a spectacular promotion of the professions, held every two years in one of the WorldSkills Europe member states.The partnership will seek to develop, transfer and implement innovative practices, as well as joint initiatives promoting cooperation and exchange of experience at the European level by promoting skills competitions as instruments to innovate vocational education programs in order to meet the European needs of today.Diverse institutions form the partnership will enable to share different experiences and specific expertise and achieve high quality results through the transfer and the exchange of information and best practices regarding the development of a common model of the national skills competition in construction industry. WeRskills project consortium was properly selected and includes 5 institutions from 3 countries: Poland (PL), Hungary (HU), and Cyprus (CY). Partners have been chosen according to the project's aims and the expertise needed. They represent different culture and traditions of vocational education, construction industry as well as assure geographical diversity of the partnership.The results of the project will have a contribution to the development of skills and qualifications of young people who will pursue technical and technological professions towards a skilled career and future. The results are primarily directed to national skills organisations, training organisations and educational institutions, young employees and entrepreneurs in construction sector, construction industry producers and employers’ associations, VET students, teachers and trainers, and local and central authorities responsible for vocational education and training. Planned results/products of the project are:1)Report on the identification of good practices related to the organisation of national skills competitions in partner countries on the basis of the construction industry 2)Skills tests for construction and building technology including assessment criteria, and expert/trainer requirements designed for national skills competition3)National skills competition pilot testing activity in Poland4)Best Practices Guide with advice on preparation of experts and competitors for international skills competitions 5)E-platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience and good practices among the national skills organisations, competitors, skills experts and businesses involved in national skills competitions.6)Publication on good practices and outcomes of the project with recommendations for local and central authorities regarding organisation of national skills competitionsWeRkills project addresses the international question of work mobility and in the long run it may influence the mobility and competitiveness of young people on the European labour market. The project may also be a source of knowledge and good practices for countries aspiring to become WorldSkills Europe members. It may facilitate the development of national/regional/sectoral skills competitions and greater involvement of newcomer organisations in EuroSkills. Finally, WERskills project promotes the idea of Lifelong Learning on local and national levels by inspiring school-aged youth, young employees and entrepreneurs to take part in a stimulating learning experience, as well as helping to develop the education and training sector across Europe.