"<< Background >>The project is carried by partners experienced in European projects and very close to the companies. It is also fully anchored in the regional innovation strategy with a view to specialization smart technology in the AURA region, including the areas of activity: intelligent and efficient systems,digital and benevolent systems, to which mechatronics belongs.We have developed a great interest with our previous European projects (Woodigital, EQ-wood and Cookleeco) and the agility provided by digital modular training. This dual learning system is a source of innovation, and facilitates the skills development of trainers to help them catch the opportunities offered to mechatronics with Industry 4.0 (big data and IoT, new and advanced materials, circular economy, between other).Our project also creates a virtuous circle with a project led by our Italian partner Confindustria concerning the up-skilling of technicians in mechatronics.Known as an actor of change, the IPRA / MEDEF AURA is very attentive to strategic sectors and we are doing our best as a professional organization to offer new approaches and experimentation in order to facilitate the activities of companies in the Auvergne Rhône region. -Alps. By offering businesses and vocational training organizations in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, the opportunity to participate in European projects is to enable them to- Gain height by devoting time to a collective project- Open up to new partners- Benefit from an enriching professional and personal experience.Cooperation projects, which affect a more limited number of companies, are most often attractive to structures particularly oriented towards innovation and experimentation, which wish to feed their reflection on their own practices, in particular on HR topics. (recruitment, training…). These are generally companies which are already particularly invested in the field of education, training or research, and for which cooperation projects constitute an opportunity to ""widen their center of interest"".Industry, which has become 4.0, accompanied by strong expectations in terms of digital and green transformations, requires a constant review of teaching methods, such as training techniques in mechatronics. This context disrupts the expectations in terms of skills expected of professional trainers. We have chosen to work in the application context of mechatronics, because it represents an essential discipline of modern industry. It shakes up professional training and leaves companies with no solution to their recruitment problems.However, the shift to online learning in the local or distance STEM environment is forcing teachers to adapt their practices and get creative to keep students engaged, as home and its many distractions have become. a classroom - most often - without an environment conducive to learning (silence, collective work ...). - the pandemic has recalibrated the way teachers divide their time between teaching, engaging with students and administrative tasks.The training modules, accompanied by our guide to good practice, will aim to progressively capitalize on skills:- allow individual, social and salary recognition, with the short-term acquisition of skills that strengthen employability;- combine both professional experience anticipation and reactivity- Offer new training opportunities for VET institutions.<< Objectives >>In order to achieve our ambitious objectives in the complex and rapidly growing environment of mechatronics, we will create 2 tools to support trainers in following the needs of companies in terms of innovation in this rapidly advancing technical field. After having collectively developed the professional skills profile of trainers in mechatronics, we are going to develop a guide of good practices to help them to develop agile and innovative training courses close to the company's expectations. Finally, we will develop training modules to support the development of the skills of trainers.For all stakeholders in the mechatronics environment, our project will open up new opportunities to “get out of everyday life” and provide interesting perspectives, from both a professional point of view (work on themes relating to their activity, business development) and personal (meeting with European partners from a different culture, trips abroad, etc.).<< Implementation >>The stakeholders in our project have very varied profiles and functions, and companies are able to provide added value such as:• Operational knowledge of their sector of activity enabling them to take a look at the relevance of the content and methods of the projects;• A direct link with certain target audiences of the projects (employees in their sector of activity), which can, in particular, allow them to test the tools developed;• The ability to develop technical solutions (eg: development of an online platform, mobile application, a virtual reality module, a website, etc.).• The development of knowledge, skills, and tools that impact business practices over the long term.For trainers and member of our consortium, participation in the development of content brings different types of benefits, such as:• Acquisition of practical skills: Creative work is an opportunity to develop practices, and to use techniques and approaches that would not necessarily have been used otherwise (videos, interactive platforms, educational approach via storytelling, etc.);• Knowledge acquisition: the research and discussions between partners that are carried out in the context of content development are enriching for stakeholders, and allow them to gather knowledge on a variety of topics related to their sector;• New internal tools: development of training tools and materials intended to be concretely integrated into the practices of trainers and companies. Their participation is therefore a source of development in terms of representations, practices, skills, and knowledge.In the end, the impacts of these projects are generally perceived over the long term.<< Results >>At the heart of the project is strategic knowledge management by:- by organizing a feedback loop, the consortium is committed to maintaining strategic links to further strengthen synergies between the scientific universes of mechatronics;- being involved in a lasting cooperation, the partners have produced new knowledge that needs to be studied thanks to additional resources, facilitating a process of knowledge transfer between education and companies for mutual improvements.- the agility of the development of learning modules by trainers, Digitronics strives to indirectly strengthen the employability and key skills of young people. In addition, our modules are intended to be digital in order to be available to SMEs and to strengthen the effectiveness of training systems that are more useful for the market;"

Green Public Procurement (GPP), the purchase of goods, services and works by governments and state-owned enterprises respecting sustainability criteria, will be increasingly used by all level of governments in order to achieve the European Green Deal challenge and international targets on circular economy. As highlighted OECD (2019) to address barriers and realise the benefits from GPP, the need to increase the engagement of a variety of stakeholders and “develop a procurement workforce with the capacity to continually deliver value for money efficiently and effectively” do not affect only public officers. Companies’ participation in the adoption of strategic policy objectives for sustainability is a key factor to set a realistic path to make “Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050”. GREENER aims to support companies' participation in GPP with systemic effectiveness on the conditions of sustainability and business competitiveness. To do this, the skills of middle management and the more traditional profiles of the administration need to be updated. A systemic action of renewal of the VET paths addressed to these profiles is the priority of GREENER project.The objectives of GREENER are:1. Improve the skills of procurers and administrative profiles focusing on SMEs, with regard to GPP criteria, including ecolabels, material passports, product eco-design and design for recyclability, extended producer responsibility, waste prevention, packaging material and sharing, collaborative economy, reuse, and refurbishment; 2. Enhancing the responsiveness of curricula of traditional profiles, such as administrative professionals working in SMEs tendering departments, to the future demand of skills (upskilling – reskilling training path)3. Increasing the employability of VET students facing the global challenges 4. Improve regional actors’ readiness and create knowledge awareness on the influence of green public procurement on the adoption of sustainable consumption and production patterns by businesses operating in the region;5. Foster the VET attractivity relaunching the close cooperation between VET, public administrations, government agencies and bodies established to support SME development and SMEs, the Transparency Tools for skills validation and trainers’ capacity to apply an international mindset for education.GREENER’s partners define a strategic partnership among Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, including: VET Providers, who works in close cooperation with national employers' associations. They are CLEANTECH (BG), BCO (BG), SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria (IT), CETEM (ES).UNIVERSITIES specialised in Sustainable Management as is Scuola Superiore S. Anna (IT)DECENTRALIZED AUTHORITIES, through ACR+, international network of cities and regions sharing the aim of promoting a sustainable resource management and accelerating the transition towards a circular economy on their territories and beyond.GREENER will involve:- a direct target defined by a transnational group of procurers, responsible in implementing circular public procurement processes (5 per each country) and administrative profiles workers involved in tendering processes, as accountants - administrative staff – purchasers (10 per each country). They will be involved in the project activities and in the training piloting phase, aimed to foster the transferability of GREENER curricula in the I-VET and C-VET existing offer. - an indirect target, made of its wider stakeholder community, constantly involved in the assessment and validation of project activities and Intellectual Output. At least 10 persons from each country will participate in the community, being: Manager /Middle Management from both SMEs and large enterprises, VET Experts, Sustainable management researchers, policy-maker relevant for Education & Labour as well as for GPP. Impacts on VET Innovation and Companies’ engagement in GPP will be reached through the following results:- IO1 Design of a common skills framework for professionals in circular and strategic sustainable procurement. It will enhance the responsiveness of curricula of traditional profiles to the future demand of skills, as well as increase the employability of VET students facing global challenges- IO2 GREENER e-learning platform completed by the Report “European Training Curricula for GREENER Administrative and Middle management in companies” will contribute to improve the skills of procurers and SMEs administrative profiles with regard to GPP criteria- IO3 Training Course will develop, through an extensive pilot testing phase involving 40 learners, a modular training program adapted to local industry stakeholder needs- IO4 GREENER Toolbox for the development of I-VET and C-VET programs will focus on developing a toolbox to support the development of I-VET and C-VET programs to help companies successfully apply for tenders that incorporate GPP requirements.

The lineal economy model take-make-consume-dispose is a reflection of a time when resources and energy were believed to be unlimited and easy to obtain and there was no awareness of the serious environmental consequences. Currently, the Circular Economy (CE) is proposed as the logical and viable alternative, which corrects the main problems of this linear scheme. CE refers to a production and consumption system that creates as little economic loss as possible, and where the majority of the products and resources used in production processes can be reused and recycled. This changing products’ design and production processes could help to minimise waste and increase the potential of unused resources, and thereby, have a positive environmental impact.[1],[2].The EC stress that “transition to a more circular economy requires changes throughout value chains, from product design to new business and market models, from new ways of turning waste into resource to new models of consumer behaviour”. Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a waste-as-resource business models aiming to use waste a resource promotes cross-sector and cross-cycle links by creating markets for secondary raw materials.[3] This system approach to a more sustainable and integrated industrial system could contribute to resolve the development and environmental challenges articulated in SDGs.Consequently, the main objective of the project is to develop a new professional profile, the INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS FACILITATOR towards the design of a common curriculum and learning approach on. This IS facilitator would be responsible of different tasks: to conduct analysis in its area of influence, to define and promote synergies between companies from different sectors, to capitalise on the benefits of EC principles implementation, etc. The INSIGHT project will bring together an innovative Consortium made up of 6 partners from 5 European Countries (Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Romania and Italy): VET providers, research centres, SMEs and non-governmental associations) with wide experience in IS and Education. To this end, the INSIGHT partnerships have defined the following specific and SMART objectives (SO):SO1. To design and develop a Joint Curriculum (JC) for developing and fostering new skills on VET students with the participation of stakeholders and education expertsSO2. To deliver the JC on e-learning platform and project it under open licensesSO3. To develop a blueprint strategy and governance guidelines to include ISSO4. To equip VET users and other target users with the right skills and knowledge about IS from today and tomorrow and to foster a sustainable and innovative developmentSO5. To create new job opportunities for people with the necessary skills (soft and technical ones)SO6. To boost new business related to IS fulfilling the principles of the Circular EconomyTo carry out these objectives, Consortium will carry out the following activities:- An training path definition which encompasses a key study based on current knowledge, skills and qualifications regarding IS and a Joint Curriculum to define the necessary learning outcomes, methodology which cover previous identified gaps.- The creation of learning and training materials together with methods, pedagogical approaches and tools.- The implementation of a training and collaborative e-learning platform to ensure that all materials developed are certainly deployed by creation an open online course.- The definition of a blueprint and the deployment of its action plan for the transformation of VET programs towards IS.The project will carry out its own assessment, and a wide D&E Plan to spread its results among as many interested parties as possible. INSIGHT will also address transversal skills such as entrepreneurship, innovation and digital competences.In terms of long-term benefits, INSIGHT project will increase the labour market relevance of VET position and will reduce skills mismatches and shortages among the identified target groups (VET students, industry experts, workers, trade associations, research centres, etc.)Results will strengthen the duration and training path or workers, equipping them with all necessary competences and skills to develop a high-quality job in the target sectors defined. Therefore, by supporting lifelong learning and fostering a new educational initiative that will offer learners the possibility of enhancing their skills and acquire new knowledge that will broaden the talent pool and allow them to be better equipped to fabricate future CE business strategies. Consortium believes in the INSIGHT direct impact in our economy, society and environment because they majority of the circular solutions are not in the origin sector.[1] COM (2015) 614 final[2] Johnsen, I. et al. The potential of IS as a key driver of green growth in Nordic regions. Nordregio[3] [3]EEA Report No. 2/2016

Specific aim of the project was to spread and promote in Europe a new professional curriculum, namely the European Expert in Social Innovation incubation (ESII). Social innovation processes rely on the inventiveness of citizens, civil society organisations, local communities, businesses and public servants and services. They are an opportunity both for the public sector and for the markets, so that the products and services better satisfy individual but also collective aspirations. But this inventiveness needs to be directed and guided towards market-relevant initiatives, to become social businesses, i.e. enterprises with a positive social impact.Who can offer this guidance and facilitation service? The European ESII, a professional in virtual incubation, that provides expert consulting and tailored workshops to help social entrepreneurs and innovators build the skills, strategies and networks they need to succeed. In different contexts in Europe, there are some consultants dealing with social innovation incubation, although a common training path is missing and the profession of ESII is not recognized. This hinders the transparency of competences and creates barriers in the mobility of individuals within the European labour market. In addition, the lack of a recognised profession in this field, means a shortage of competent and qualified experts able to unleash the potential of emerging ideas and initiatives, allowing the creation of social changes and social businesses.Organisations working as consultants, training providers, incubators for traditional business, should get prepared to also support social entrepreneurship and scale up social innovation initiatives, in light of the primary role that social business plays in the economy and in society.Hence, in order to favour mutual recognition and transparency of competences, the project will develop:1. The ECVET competence profile of the European ESII2. The curriculum of a training course for ESII3. A procedure for the recognition of competences 4. Guidelines for the accreditation of organizations carrying out training addressed to ESII5. A comprehensive training course to become ESII, accessible online as Open Educational ResourceThe direct target group includes all existing incubators, chambers of commerce, consultants and business support service providers, as well as students in business and economics, that will benefit from a free training course to help them acquire skills and competences recognised at European level for the experts in social innovation incubation. Indirect target groups are all the stakeholders that may exploit the outcomes for training activities and internal staff professional development: VET providers, universities, local authorities, traditional businesses (that may be interested in creating links and synergies with social enterprises).The direct target groups and organisations will be involved in various phases of project activities: the initial in depth-research to design and implement the ECVET profile, the training delivery and pilot test activities, the events and dissemination activities.It is intended to directly involve at least 300 people and 20 organisations per country, for a total of 1500 beneficiaries.Thanks to dissemination and exploitation activities, the consortium aims to reach about 5000 people in Europe, counting also on the European networks the partners belong to, such as the European Business Network, which has a direct interest in exploiting the results within its members (more than 150 business innovation centres). The main tangible results will be:1. the implementation of the ECVET system to the field of social innovation incubation, a growing sector in Europe lacking a common framework for transparency of competences. 2. An innovative learning environment to train ESIIs, through an interactive platform offering educational materials and simulation toolsThe expected result is to favour the acquisition of new competences in terms of social innovation incubation and facilitation by the actors offering support to business and local development. The project will provide new opportunities for economic growth as the partners’ networks of business support services acquire the new knowledge and skills delivered through the project to help social enterprises evolve and grow. On a national, European and international level the project will influence policy and help to shape the future of social entrepreneurship. The impact is translated into new businesses thereby reducing systemic unemployment, which results in new employment opportunities for the long term benefit of citizens.As for systemic impact, the project intends to give a boost to social innovation in Europe, in order to contribute to Europe 2020 objective of making the European economy intelligent, sustainable and inclusive.

"""Who trains in small and medium enterprises: characteristics, needs and way to support"" [Cedefop 2015] highlighted how the trainers received little attention in the company and how their potential as multipliers on increasing the participation and quality of the VET offer remains untapped. The number of different standards of competence required for CVET trainers, together with the heterogeneity of corporate training approaches, limit the transnational mobility of the Trainer profile, reducing the opportunities for growth of these professions.SEniors Learning Value aims to design and test new ways of recruiting and training trainers and mentors among senior workers, who can thereby develop skills and competences according to a personalized learning pathway. The profile of Senior Learning Facilitator can be used both in the organisations from which they come (e.g. for apprenticeship in companies) as well as in other contexts that make use of work based learning (VET Providers, Territorial Research Centres, Competence Centres, etc.). The SEAL project is aimed at leveraging the capital of know-how represented by senior workers, with very advanced levels of technical skills that can facilitate learning processes at work. The project includes following main actions:- the definition of a European framework of competences for the SLF - an open access online platform where tools for self-assessment of learning facilitator capacity will be available, together with teaching aids for the improvement of SLF training, guidance tools on how to activate work-based learning experiences- pilot training activities, together with the activation of learning paths dedicated to 80 senior workersThe project brings together different approaches that aim at a common objective: the development of individualised training pathways, through access to MOOC and Open Educational Resources available from previous Erasmus + projects; interventions for the application in a work context of the skills learned from SLFs. The SEAL project foresees the realization of workshop activities in which the SLFs and the trainers designated by the project partners will participate, together with other stakeholders and policy makers active at local, national and European level in the definition and monitoring of work-based learning processes.A robust phase of stakeholder engagement and conslutation will accompany all phases of the project to validate the project results, ensuring their sustainability and immediate transferability into VET Provider management systems and facilitating dialogue with work-based learning systems."