The selection of technology, tools and methodologies, intended for education, makes it difficult for educational institutions and adult learners to choose between them. For people who despite being at a disadvantage in society, have gathered up the courage to take up studies, disappointing experience is among the worst that can happen. Bad choices can cost worsened reputation of schools, lost self-confidence among the staff and students, time and money and a breach in trust between students and institutions. Therefore, it is important to learn from others´ best practices and experience in the use of technology in education and career- and study counselling. Professional development of teachers, career- and study counsellors and other staff. To: Share best practices, knowledge and experience of interactive tutorials in teaching and learning; Motivate career- and study counsellors, teachers and other staff to learn Interactive use of technology in counselling and teaching/learning; Help career- and study counsellors learn to design and implement effective strategies for specific adult target groups to enhance basic skills in learning; Design ICT action-plans; Organize workshops on the development and use of exemplary technical projects; Introduce special learning approach and knowledge of how to assist students in the use of ICT in education; Nurture the joy of studying and prevent as possible disappointment among adult learners; Improve access of the institutions´ target groups to education, regardless of place and time; Create the opportunity for learners to assess their own progress with interactive study-material; Make a project web-site linked to the partner institutions´ web-sites. Six institutions from Europe participate in the project. 79 people from the institutions take part in the activities. Invitees included, 50 people participate in each event and learn from each other's best practices.Participants; the project´s coordinator, project managers, teachers, career- and study counsellors and other staff, will be selected and involved in the different activities according to their expertise and experience. Activities: Design and use of interactive tutorials in teaching and learning. Technology in counselling and teaching/learning. Designing and implementing effective strategies for specific adult target groups to enhance basic skills in learning. Development and use of exemplary technical projects.Use of ICT tools and Media as a support for language courses. Assisting students in the use of ICT in education. Presentation of language learning apps.Nurturing the joy of studying and preventing disappointment among adult learners. Improving access of target groups to education. Introduction of self-paced e-learning with access to interactive materials. Use of apps and mobile devices to improve target group´s quality of life. SELFIE: Learners assess their own progress. Supporting adult schools to design ICT action plans. A project website.To carry out the project we will use a mixed-method approach, applying a combination of research methods and workshop activities. It is designed around a series of interrelated activities leading to a common result: to increase the technological knowledge of teachers and counsellors.Results:Professional development of participants and others. Interactive study material, user-friendly and rewarding interface.Shared best practices and experience of interactive tutorials.Career- and study counsellors motivated to learn the use of interactive technology in counselling. Career- and study counsellors can design and implement effective strategies for adult target groups.Knowledge of: how to design ICT action-plans, development and use of exemplary technical projects, special learning approaches and how to assist students in connection with the use of ICT in education, how to nurture the joy of studying, prevent as possible disappointment among adult learners.Access of the institutions´ target groups to education, regardless of place and time.Learners can assess their own progress A project website The impact and longer term benefits of the project will be on the partner institutions´ staff and other educational staff that will be introduced to the project results and learn from them. The institutions´ target groups will benefit from it by easier access to educational opportunities and guidance, independent of time and place. The project will have impact at local and national level since it will facilitate studies and guidance among disadvantaged groups. At European level it will spread tried knowledge among the partners and in their respective communities. It will also bring about experience in communication between different nationalities in Europe.The INTERACTE project is in line with all the priorities stated in the ET2020/European Agenda for Adult Learning priorities8, see: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/book/export/html/326_en

"The increasing presence of immigrants coming from extremely different contexts inevitably teaching professionals - and especially the ones operating in the linguistic and communicative areas - in the predisposition of ""emergency-response"" tools. In many cases, the majority of learning users from adult education providers are immigrants.Identifying didactic language methodologies, immediately applicable at the stage of reception of adult newly-comers/immigrants, is a priority for all institutions applying for the proposed partnership. The overcoming of the above mentioned ""didactic emergency"" can be made possible by the spread and the exchange of experiences, related methodologies and experimented practices in the different countries and teaching/learning contexts involved in project. Therefore, our objectives are:- Comparison of literacy systems used by involved partners;- Improvement in effectiveness of actions carried out by partner institutions through identification of new teaching strategies which may help learners - newly settled immigrants - acquire LSP (languages for specific/special purposes) and relational competencies applicable on an everyday basis to their new contexts of residence;- Comparison and exchange/sharing good practices among the partners in relation to:""welcoming"" modalities for learnerstesting of their language skillsidentification of their communicative and sociocultural needs- Development of the network among involved partners in order to increase opportunities for expertise and didactic tools sharing within the same institutions;- Dissemination of produced materials by the means of a web platform to the wide audience within and outside of EU;- Production of multimedia (such as video, website and etc) which will simulate various scenarios of immigrant-life and -work in public offices, places of work, leisure environments and etc.)- Collection and presentation of the most significant experiences on paper supports.Coherently, the mission of the proposed project and partnership consists in carrying out both a ""research-while-training"" stage and a subsequent practical application of didactic options previously experimented among various partners. We strongly believe that this ""two-side"" articulation (training/communication) will contribute to the ""surplus value"" of the proposed project.Project activities will favour the development of innovative practices in the Adult Education and their transfer from one partner to another. They will increase knowledge in knowing WHAT, WHEN, HOW to EVALUATE the outcomes of knowledge and skills gained during the process of this partnership. As well, it is expected that all previously described impacts may create feedback effects from the one level to the other and vice versa, which may create the multiplier effect.The long-term sustainability of this project will be favoured by the logic of mutual interest for all involved partners organizations. The fact that the partners previously managed other projects within European cooperation framework will created a real dynamic in the proposed partnership. As well, the project promotion will not stop at the end of it, due to possibility of new correlated projects between consortium members in the near future."

ASK4JOB has developed a training and upskilling path for long-term unemployed adults with low or medium skills to work. The course has as its thematic focus the enhancement of digital knowledge and strengthening of cognitive skills, in order to help people use the basic technologies of the information society (IST) with a critical spirit, both in work situations and in professional and personal development. In particular, Ask4Job implements the DigComp 2.1, that is the common European reference framework for digital skills. It is a path that focuses on the first 4 proficiency levels of the digital competence, i.e. basic and intermediate, with the aim of supporting an advancement towards more advanced levels or to consolidate the entry level.The Ask4Job consists of 3 macro-activities:1. The first activity (IO1) consists of an online digital knowledge self-assessment test, the Digital Knowledge Quiz. At the end of the test, the system identifies the digital competence entry level and suggests which training modules need to be followed to enhance it. The path begins with registering on the following platform https://quiz.ask4job.eu/. The SASS (Skills' Assessment for Job Requirements) is available in all the languages of the consortium (BG, EL, EN, ES, IT, LT, PL, SW, TK). At the end of the test, consisting of 80 questions that investigate the proficiency level in the five thematic areas of DigComp 2.1, users will obtain an evaluation of their digital competences in each area, which will be useful for customizing the access to the MOOC (IO2) (Basic or Intermediate level). The questions of the course were developed on the basis of the results of research work and consultation with stakeholders (medium and long-term unemployed; entrepreneurs; institutional representatives; employment centres and vocational education and training providers) conducted in each country, with the involvement of over 200 people in the first project phase. 2. The second activity (IO 2), which stems from the first, is a distance course (MOOC). The course consists of two macro-areas: the first one is dedicated to digital skills, while the second to the enhancement of cognitive skills. With reference to the first part of the course, it will be possible to attend all the lessons (basic and intermediate level) or only those suggested by the self-assessment test. The second part, dedicated to strengthening cognitive skills, is mandatory for everyone. The Ask4Job Online Course (IO2) is a free online training course of 15 hours in total (which can be reduced based on the test results), useful for consolidating one's own digital and cognitive skills or for developing new ones. The course consists of slides with audio commentary, accessible from any device, and has been fully translated into all the languages of the partnership. The Mooc was also published on the ERIFO e-learning platform to facilitate access by Italian low-skilled adults, the first to be affected by the pandemic lockdown and therefore potentially the most affected in the piloting action (IO3)3. The third activity consisted of in-presence or virtual laboratories (IO3) (delivered remotely as a result of the Covid pandemic). Remote piloting was carried out with the support of a tutor available on the phone, via online chat or video calls. Through the laboratories, aimed at the learners’ capacitation (Capability Labs), the beneficiaries of the ASK4JOB course were able to become aware of what they are able to do and be. This awareness arises from the experimentation of how the acquired digital knowledge can be transformed into useful actions for job search and / or career development. The experience of the laboratories, created to validate the SASS and the MOOC, was then codified into guidelines for the implementation of the Capability Labs, aimed at labor market operators and adult trainers / educators. The validation of IO 1 and IO 2 within the Capability Labs involved about 200 beneficiaries and led 160 low-skilled adults to the conclusion of the path (20 people for each country involved in the piloting).The project involved a large number of users:- 200 adults with low digital skills took part in the ASK4JOB course, testing the products developed by the consortium, namely the SASS, the MOOC and the Capability Labs;- Over 260 people participated in the 9 events of the ASK4JOB project in all countries of the consortium- 186 people supported the partnership in the realization of the laboratories, sharing useful information for the realization of the project outputs- Through the Strategic mailing list, 1200 organizations of various kinds were reached (adult education centers, employment agencies, career guidance centers, companies, social partners, etc.).- Through the project's social media, over 400 users have been updated on the project's products- Through the pledge of association, 8 organizations have already joined the A4J network as associated partners

"The project ""Cultural and nature heritage is European strength and treasure"", CHEST, has been prepared and will be implemented by a strategic partnership of 4 organizations from Poland (coordinator), Lithuania, Turkey and Portugal. From this group, we start cooperation for the first time with the organizations from Lithuania and Portugal (this one had no possibility to participate in such projects).The participants of the project from all participant organizations will be 75 adults or seniors from the group of educators and candidates for educators, including volunteers.The aim of this project is to create opportunities for adult and seniors, to increase their educational opportunities and social activation, but also to increase the sense of responsibility for shared cultural and environmental European values. Due to the fact that each organization in our partnership has similar statutory goals and performs similar tasks, we intend to develop strategic relationships between them, which will allow each of these organizations to improve their existing programs, activities and tasks.The strategic partnership created under this project will provide great opportunities to strengthen partner organizations and enrich their educational activities. Obtained additional experience and new information resources, educational materials for new programs will certainly expend and improve their quality of educational work and activities. We assume lasting future cooperation between all organizations of this partnership after the after the end of the project.As part of the project, the idea of ""Cultural and natural heritage for common European values, cultural impressions for the common future of Europe"" will be promoted. Treating cultural and natural heritage as an ""integration toolnd a carrier of knowledge, project participants will receive knowledge about this specific richness of Europe.This is to contribute to European integration on the one hand, and on the other as a social value will affect the cultural sensitivity of the European community. We will also create an opportunity to promote and disseminate this knowledge.Every cultural and natural heritage is not owned by only one country or nation, but is common to all humanity and all people are heirs of this world heritage. That is why we will deal with common elements of this heritage connecting the nations of the partners of this project, developing inter alia international routes of this heritage. We want to create a ""CHEST"" to which our strategic partnership will bring a wide and diverse knowledge about our common cultural and natural heritage, encouraging everyone to learn about this European wealth and complement this ""CHEST"".Descriptions of visited objects, routes developed, information about all kinds of culture and nature, photos and videos will be presented on the common website of the CHEST project, which will be an information base on the cultural and natural heritage of Europe and Turkey. This site will be publicly available, and those who enter this site may be will able to post on it their own impressions, descriptions, comments, photos and videos about places, objects or customs, traditions, rites, which they have visited. In this way we will achieve the next objective of this project, which is to contribute to increasing the opportunities to learn about the cultural and natural heritage of countries and to contribute to the integration and strengthening of the sense of pride and unity of the EU and Turkey.Project education in this field will be supplemented and enriched with practical knowledge about rituals, customs, artistic craftsmanship and traditional crafts, characteristic of intangible cultural heritage of partner regions, through:Teaching traditional folk songs and dances and their presentations in special open performances during international educational meetings. Getting to know folk traditional wedding rituals and customs and searching for their remnants in contemporary wedding customs.Teaching participants the traditional folk songs and dances of their own region and possibly partner countries and their presentation during international educational meetings.Painting pictures depicting cultural or natural heritage and organize public exhibitions of these paintings during some international educational meetings.Organizing public exhibitions of regional cultural heritage exhibits during educational partner's meetings.Taking pictures and recording videos showing the objects and places of cultural and natural heritage, learned during the design workshops and traditional rites, customs, rituals and placing them on the websites of the CHEST project and on the Facebook.Organizing an international competition and a publicly available exhibition of the best photos from visited places and presented cultural events.Developing an album of known routes of cultural and natural heritage and a book presenting the main idea of the project."

Lifelong learning has become an essential part of EU´s response to challenges that derive from globalisation, increased competition and the need for sustainable development and social cohesion. The NEWS project has identified effective preventative interventions for educators and adult trainers to become more up-skilled and up-to-date professionals who could be attractive for the nowadays students and adult learners. The project aims to introduce innovative ways to adult educators for reaching out to young and adult learners in the topics like media, critical thinking and languages; also for inclusion and reintegration of young people on the pathway toward an employment and further education on their way becoming adult educators.More specifically, according to SA Kutsekoda (Chamber of Certification) there are only 439 adult educators with existing certificate as adult educator or andragogue, most of adult educators are older than 50 years old. Therefore, there is utmost importance to find ways to increase the number of the adult education by motivating young people or new in the adult education field to become adult educator and train them in the topics like media, critical thinking and languages. Supporting empoyment of young people and ensuring their social and economic participation are already key issues on the agenda of all EU countries. Also, as most of adult educators are elderly people, they are lacking knowledge and skills of innovative teaching methods, especially of using computers and social media.NEWS project aims to increase participation of the younger people into labour market and in education through up-skilling existing adult educators in effective engagement methodologies, increasing awareness among non-educators about attractive possibilities of becoming adult educators. The secondary aim is to get general overview of the needs of the existing adult educators so that they could do marvelous work and give innovative classes/lectures/courses among general population.Adult educators, trainers, etc knowledge regarding innovative skills is limited. Critical thinking is not included in any syllabus or curriculum. Media and ICT are taught to the younger people, but elderly people are left out and their skills are perished.The objective of the project is to give the possibility to educators and trainers for better and more targeted provisions of services through the use of tools which will be implemented under the project. To achieve the above aims the project will implement the following objectives:- Identification of the needs of the existing adult trainers and educators;- Development of an on-line e-Learning Toolkit for the general methodology how to include critical thinking into syllabus of languages, ICT and media with examples;- Development of an on-line manual for training new educators. The use of specific tools would enable the target group to allocate their time with each one of the people who could be in need of their counselling in a more constructive and effective way, via mobilizing internet technologies.- Development and implementation of targeted courses, which enable adult educators to support and improve the skills of new adult educators. The practical training courses give possibility to get more personal communication between adult educators and possibly new adult educators by also up-skilling both target groups knowledge in topics of media, ICT and languages.The partners of the consortium aspire to facilitate the work of the target groups and fostering the delivery of more targeted services to people who are looking towards the job and training as adult educators, with the vision that the adult educator field of the participating countries can be more effective and more satiscatory for the general population participating in adult education.The main target groups of the project is addressing are existing adult educators with the need to up-skill their competences; and new educators with the need to be active in empoyment, training, etc in order to provide better assistance and motivated training courses for the learners.For all participants regarding selection, relevance to the content of the project (i.e. pilot testing) will be the primary focus. Any individual that has an interest in learning, sharing and/or participating in the project activities or being informed about the activities will be engaged. The engagement of the partners’ networks and the associated partners that have direct links with target groups is the most importance. Each partner involved, using criteria such as: knowledge, labor market-related background, time available, language and ICT skills etc., will select the participants to participate in the activities.