In Digi4Adults, Adults Acquiring Digital Skills (Erasmus+ K2), there are five adult learning organisations in the partnership, two of which provide vocational adult education i.e. Tampere Adult Education Centre (Finland) and BFI Wien, Vocational Training Institute Vienna (Austria) and three of which basic and secondary adult education i.e. VUC Storstrøm (Denmark), Sundsvalls Kommun Adult Education (Sweden) and CEPA San Bartolome de Tirajana (Spain). The objective of Digi4Adults (Adults Acquiring Digital Skills) is to create an international on-going collaborative grassroots approach for trainers in adult learning in developing and sharing methods of teaching different aspects of digital competence to adult learners in need of such competence to improve their skills for life and their employability. The aim is to enhance the digital competence of trainers and their ability to apply methods of teaching digital competence. The project collects and develops methods adapted to adult learning which allow the development of various aspects of digital skills, and which are suitable for being embedded in most types of adult education. The approach integrates digital skills in learning the actual learning content and has similarities to content and language integrated learning, (CLIL), which in our case would turn to Content and Digital Competence Integrated Learning, CDCIL. In addition, the project pays attention to the organisational level knowledge management issues by adopting a model of a peer support in taking on new skills. The novelty of Digi4Adults is to adopt a wider (not focusing only on technical skills) and context and needs driven. in a way more functional, definition of digital competence which emphasizes its’ transversal nature. This approach brings the needs of the trainers to the light as a starting point. Generally, the focus and training for enhancing trainers digital competences is less transversal and needs focused. Digi4Adults in innovative in taking a grassroots approach in supporting the acqusition and develpment of digital skills together with peer teachers/trainers in other partner countries. Trainers work in transnational peer pairs using English not necessarily part of their local work routines as a trainer in adult learning. The need for enhancing digital competence is noted e.g. in the European Commision’s Open Up Education Initiative (2013) which points out that 70% of teachers wish to get more training in developing their ICT-skills and that there are not yet enough teaching content and applications in differrent topics in different European languages. Teachers and trainers are the primary target group of Digi4Adults. As teachers gain more confidence and competence, adult learners benefit in acquiring skills required in increasingly more digital working life. Trainers in adult learning organisations can play a key role in helping to meet the needs of the 64% of disadvantaged people i.e. aged 55+, low educated, unemployed or inactive who have insufficient level of digital skills. They give training in basics skills not only for inclusion in society but also to improve the employability of adults. Digi4Adults addresses the lack of collaborative methods on learning digital skills, which are predominantly conveyed in a manner of conventional staff training. In addition, the trainers are encouraged to develop content and digital competence integrated learning methods in collaboration with the adult learners, hence supporting the teacher's role shift from a leader to a facilitator where applicable.As the main output, the project produces the Digi4Adults Caselet Track, an ongoing blog-based and peer-supported collection of caselets (mini-cases) including methods for content and digital competence integrated learning, available for all interested trainers in all project languages. The blog is linked to European open educational resources on adult learnings (Open Education Europa and EPALE). A Digi4Adults Training Scheme and Digi4Adults Model for Digital Competence Development (as chains of peer trainers) with focus on systematic organisational competence development are also available through the blog. The Digi4Adults project activities towards the implementation of the intellectual outputs are designed so as to integrate the impact on digital competence development at various levels (local, regional, European), on various target groups and audiences throughout the project implementation not only at the final stage of the project. The impact is aimed at becoming sustainable by implementing some activities several times in order to create continuity, on the one hand and, to increase familiarity, on the other hand. Sustainability is built in the project design and implementation towards the completion of outputs.

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

"DIG IT 2 is continuing the work of the previous project, DIG IT, in promoting ownership of shared values, equality and non- discrimination through innovative and integrated approaches. DIG IT covered a variety of topics which link to labor market issues, youth unemployment, early school leaving, entrepreneurial learning and implementing digital tools and social media into education. DIG IT specifically targeted students and it continued the ""Repérer-Réparer-Raccrocher"" (RRR) Project (2013-2015) which aimed to prevent dropout. DIG IT 2 follows the same steps with additional activities such as teacher training and elements of career guidance and entrepreneurship education integrated in the project activities. Students, educational and student services staff from Finland, Greece, Germany Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania will work together in 5 workshops and 2 transnational meetings. The number of stakeholders who are affected by the execution and outcomes of the project are significantly larger than in previous project. The number of partner organizations has grown and more units inside organizations are taking part in the project. Together approximately 100 students and 40 staff members will be participating in the project workshops. Participating students are of all ages and diverse cultural-socio-economic backgrounds; this diversity underlines that lifelong learning is a way of thinking, praising learning in all ages. Students will visit enterprises with a specific theme and create a digital story of the experience. Each country will introduce an inspiring keynote speaker with entrepreneurship/ start up theme.The key element is the method of Digital Storytelling which is used as a way to reflect, document and share the workplace visits students execute during the transnational events. In DIG IT 2 the work place visits concentrate on the element of entrepreneurship. Visits will be executed in small innovative enterprises, where one-to-one encounters between the entrepreneurs and the students will happen. The topics raised during DIG IT will be further enhanced in DIG IT 2: How to provide skills for employability, how to bring the learning experience closer to the reality of the working environment, how to enhance students and educators entrepreneurial skills and labor market knowledge (Riga 2015).DIG IT 2 will add new elements such as team coaching, entrepreneurship training and career guid-ance in the project activities. Team coaching professionals will help the participants see learning in a new way and teachers will be trained in the fundamentals of team coaching. Team coaching will be brought into project activities. Team coaching relies in the key factor that work acts as a way to include all the team members in the activities and in learning. Team coaching principals value all individuals and recognize their diverse contributions to the work. Team coaching enhances many skills: the ability to communicate, listen and share, to work cooperatively and work together towards a common goal. Team coaching promotes democratic values, fundamental rights, intercul-tural understanding and active citizenship. DIG IT 2 promotes and flourishes the entrepreneurial spirit, which we think is something everybody has inside them. It's a way of thinking. This sprit encourages participants find new ways to their own career. Entrepreneurship coach will be actively involved in the project. Career counseling professionals from participating countries will be sharing their best practices in the project workshops. Multi professional team will form a way to collaborate, share expertise in coaching.Special attention is given to the development of social, civic and intercultural competences, online safety, digital well-being in order to tackle discrimination, bullying (including cyberbullying), fake news and other forms of online misinformation. In the core of the team learning are “dialog training sessions”, discussions in dialog circles, which follow these four team coaching principals: 1. Listen 2. Respect 3. Wait for your turn 4. Be sincere when you talk.The results can be seen in changes in individuals; in the way they work, collaborate in everyday life and also being able to work in an international environment. The process of empowerment in individuals, includes encouraging and developing the skills for self-sufficiency, independent decision making and the way students approach learning. Partnership between educators, students and the labor market will strengthen. Teachers will learn how to integrate new technologies in their work. Teachers will gain theoretical and concrete knowledge of new innovative pedagogical approaches such as team coaching and entrepreneur-ship education. These new approaches will advance learners’ critical thinking skills and prepare learners for twenty-first century competencies and skills."

The project ensured that teachers were trained as intercultural mediators, to better understand the cultural issues that foreigners bring with them and become able to effectively transmit the elements of the host culture. This is a fundamental step to ensure the effectiveness of intercultural communication, knowledge and skills. Intercultural learning is of great importance, due to the movement of migrants to Europe and extremely important for teachers of migrants. Increased number of migrants is entering several countries in Europe where there is little or no experience in receiving them and how to solve problems in the classrooms attended by students from different cultures. It was urgent to support teachers and students by helping them understand cultural differences. Intercultural understanding supported teachers offering high quality teaching, deal with complex classroom realities and adopt new methods and tools. Special attention was paid to the integration of refugees and recently arrived migrants. Therefore the role of the teacher and volunteers, connecting people of many cultures, is vital. The objectives were to:- support educators towards a better understanding of interculturalism, share best practices and methods in teaching adult migrants and refugees between different European countries and help with changing problems due to migration into opportunities. - reinforce network between our institutions with the aim of sharing knowledge and experience and increase our capacity to operate at a transnational level. 97 individuals from seven countries participated in the activities. Invitees included, about 50 people participated in each event, or around 350 people who spread the knowledge. All the coordinators, teachers and volunteers were experienced in the field of adult education but with different experience of teaching migrants and refugees. Most of the partners had previously taken part in EU projects. Some have experience of cooperation with volunteers.The main activities were in the form of research and sharing of best practices in the field of interculturalism. Each partner was responsible for finding quality material / topics in order to share their best practices with the others. Also, each partner organization discussed what could be improved and which lessons could be learned from other partner organizations. Each partner was also responsible for the preparation of a conference/seminar/workshop which was focused on certain predefined topics within the field of Adult Education. A mixed-method approach was used, sequently applying a combination of research methods and workshop activities. It was designed around a series of interrelated activities among the partners leading to a common goal: increased quality and intercultural awareness of teachers and volunteers in the field of adult education with the purpose of becoming a good and active cultural mediator between migrants and the local society. Results were discussed during activities and amendments made. The results of the project are:An interactive project website with the opportunity for teachers, volunteers and learners to upload materials, find information and tips about new knowledge of interculturalism, andragogy, and new teaching methods, such as the story line and story-telling. Also, how to use digital devices in adult education, the European Framework Certification and CIS Certification for migrants and refugees. In addition to that, how to use work practice as a means of teaching and assessment as a tool for introducing the local school system to migrants. Another factor is how to become familiar with methods of using volunteers in non-formal language teaching and better communication skills in a foreign language for the participants. The general impact is: Increased quality of education and training - Increased knowledge of transversal skills, social-, intercultural- and language competences - Increased critical thinking among teachers and volunteers - Use of learning outcomes when describing and defining qualifications - Strategic and integrated use of ICT and educational resources in education - Increased motivation for English language learning and development of communication skills among participants - Intercultural communication skills and intercultural understanding - Reinforced interaction between different practices. Budget control was the responsibility of the project leader. It was monitored closely that the funding was spent according to plan. Monthly there was a check on the actual status of the budget. During activities its status was on the agenda. Dissemination is a key factor in the longer term benefits of the project. Besides introductions within the partner institutions and relevant organizations it was done through the partners´ websites and/or other social media available to the partners.