<< Background >>Underwater archaeological tourism is, among the new segments of tourism, one of the most sophisticated and interesting, and the Mediterranean sea offers equipped sites of great interest. Many studies have shown that the development and valorisation of tourism on underwater cultural heritage can benefit from an economic point of view and its development is also closely linked to the preservation of the environment and the seas. However, the assessment of the current situation in underwater archaeological sites results having some main failures, in particular:- Fragmented legislation for the protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and lack of protocols for the enhancement and valorisation of this heritage;- Low specialization/training of cultural operators and the absence of experts with knowledge on how to create underwater archaeological itineraries; in fact, operators competences are limited to the interpretation of the heritage and to the collaboration with diving centres, but they lack of competences on the management, valorization and capitalization of these sites.- Lack of a unified approach for the management and valorisation of underwater archaeology at European level. In this aspect it is evident that some countries are more advanced in terms of skills for the valorization of this heritage, while others have greater gaps.The project will thus address the above mentioned needs of increased specialization, clear and unified legislation and better management.<< Objectives >>The general aim of the project U-Mar is to develop the knowledge and the valorization of heritage related to underwater archaeology, through the following specific objectives:1) Training professional figures with specific skills in underwater archaeology, how to valorize it and how to manage these cultural sites. The project will therefore train new experts capable of fostering the touristic offer of these sites from multiple points of view, by setting up an ad hoc innovative training course.2) Developing sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism around underwater archaeology, improving the tourist-cultural offer and expanding the reference target of users. These objectives will be reached also by making underwater archaeology more accessible to people not willing or not able to dive or swim, by creating digital pathways to the sites and by developing interpretation centres on land. 3) Provide guidelines for organizations that want to develop strategies for enhancing the underwater archaeological heritage, with different possibilities of application depending on the context and with a particular focus on the creation of underwater archaeological itineraries, with their specific heritage and on the professional’s skills required.4) Increase knowledge of the underwater archaeological heritage and the importance of its conservation and enhancement, not only by tourists, but above all by young people and local communities living in those territories.<< Implementation >>Project objectives will be reached through the implementation of the following activities, divided into Work Packages:WP1 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT -Coordination, technical and financial managementWP2 - NEW TRAINING COURSE ON UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY FOR CULTURAL OPERATORS-Realization of one Transnational Training for Trainers involving organizations staff working together for the development of:-One New Innovative Training Course on underwater archaeology for cultural operators that will include new innovative subjects for the enhancement and management of underwater archaeological sites;-Realization of 5 on-site testing training in partners countriesWP3 - DEVELOPMENT OF U-MAR E-LEARNING PLATFORM-Assessment and research phase by partners + technical design of the Platform-Confrontation with stakeholders-Collection of information and materials to be uploaded on different Platform’s sections-Upload of contents and launching of the PlatformWP4 - CREATION OF INTERPRETATION CENTRES ON UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY- Research on the state of art -Collection of inputs and materials-Definition of learning pathways and storytelling-Setting up of interpretation Centres-WP5 - COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION - Realization of Transnational and Local dissemination plans-Implementation of communication activities-Organization of multiplier events<< Results >>U-Mar expected results will be following:R1. The creation of one NEW TRAINING COURSE on underwater archeological sites for cultural operators. R1.1. 5 on-site training courses that will take place in each partner country to test the new realized training course and refine/adapt it on the basis of the feedback received from the tests.R2. The setting up of an E-LEARNING PLATFORM to access the training opportunities on underwater heritage, to access information on existing sites and their activities. R3. The development of INTERPRETATION/LEARNING CENTRES on Underwater Archeology along the Phoenicians' Route - Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. Along with these 3 main results, the project will also:- Lay the groundwork for the formalization of a training course specifically designed for those who work or want to work within underwater archaeological sites, to be incorporated into VET programs or other training institutions.- Promote the accessibility of underwater sites to all types of visitors, thanks to the enhancement of digital tools.

The project SUSTAIN IT was fully in line with Erasmus+ priorities and objectives: HORIZONTAL Priority 1 Development of relevant and high-quality skills and competences VET Priority 4 Further strengthening of key competences Horizontal Priority 3 Open education and innovative trainingCONTEXT In Europe, the tourism sector contributes to 12% of GDP and provides 24 M jobs, 12% of total labour force. A priority for the EU is to develop a sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism. Still, despite policy goals and ambitions, tourism is far from reaching its “sustainability potential” due to shortages of skills. There is an immediate need to train new entrants and most importantly retrain people already working in the sector to concepts and practices of “sustainable tourism”. Such needs are best captured by official EU Commission documents: - Agenda for a Sustainable and Competitive European Tourism - How to Better Target Initiatives to Develop Skills in Tourism, 2015 - Mapping of Supply in Tourism Education & Training, 2016 These documents highlight that the EU VET system struggles to provide skills for sustainable tourism and there is the need for innovative and flexible training, especially for micro and family-run businesses. Reportedly, current provision is neither adequate nor practical: many graduates are not “work-ready” because of courses that employers consider too theoretical and of a generalised lack of provision in emerging areas, notably sustainable tourism. OBJECTIVE In this context, the objective of SUSTAIN IT was to enhance the competitiveness of sustainable tourism by developing and delivering innovative, concrete and actionable training. The objective of SUSTAIN IT was to deliver training via traditional means (face-2-face) and the dedicated Open Educational Resource (OER). SUSTAIN IT is highly innovative as it develops and implements concrete training with actionable tools that allow trainees to directly implement sustainable tourism strategies and actions. The multilingual versions of training and tools and OER Distance Learning functionality allows SUSTAIN IT to overcome access barriers. PARTICIPANTS SUSTAIN IT involved 8 partners from 6 countries, all with a strong vocation to sustainable tourism, bringing together complementary expertise and competencies to develop quality results. The partnership involved VET providers (both formal and non-formal), NGOs, associations, public support agencies and businesses active in sustainable tourism. The project involved more than the target of 250 target groups at implementation through the pilot deployment of SUSTAIN IT innovative training and tools. ACTIVITIES a) Developed and maintained the multilingual SUSTAIN IT OER Platform b) Mapped and selected Sustainable Tourism tools, methodologies and techniques c) Developed SUSTAIN IT Training and Tools in 5 languages d) Implemented for Test & Validation the training and tools e) Developed the SUSTAIN IT training and tools in their final validated version f) Mainstreamed SUSTAIN IT across the European VET and tourism sector for adoption and scalability METHODOLOGY SUSTAIN IT relied on a robust methodology combining operational relevance, demand-driven approach and pedagogical accuracy. SUSTAIN IT methodology was worked on by the partners in this order: => we mapped Sustainable Tourism trends, tools, methodologies and techniques => we developed the training material (demand driven) => we did our pilot work for user-based validation =>we finalised the material => we did our full roll-out and deployment through OER RESULTS SUSTAIN IT results are the innovative and practical training and tools for Sustainable Tourism. Our training material is available for FREE and without restrictions in multilingual versions via the OER platform. Both training and platform are a timely and concrete answer to the needs confirmed in our mapping at EU and national levels. IMPACT is as follows: > Participating organisations enhanced their capacity to better serve Sustainable Tourism sector > Sustainable Tourism at systemic level benefitted from relevant, timely and FREELY accessible training and tools, with an OER Platform available to network and exchange knowledge > Target groups gained competences and skills to implement Sustainable Tourism Impact: Local: SUSTAIN IT engaged local stakeholders to produce immediate impact in Sustainable Tourism National: SUSTAIN IT informed “evidence based” policy making and support the sector EU: SUSTAIN IT established a pan-European platform for training and networking LONG TERM BENEFIT In the beginning of the project the Partners committed to maintaining the OER platform for at least 2 years after the end of EU cofinancing for sustainability. SUSTAIN IT mainstreamed its results with VET providers, Sustainable Tourism operators and facilitators to ensure that the tangible results of the project are sustained beyond