<< Objectives >>The general AIM of the project is to support the internationalisation process of VET- at the three levels of teachers/trainers-learners, VET provider organisations and regional VET systems- by using the full potential of digital transformation opportunities, and thus increase the attractiveness of VET and its capacity to support the internationalisation process of the economic systems.<< Implementation >>Develop indicators and diagnostic capacity to accompany the internationalisation process of VET systems (teacher and trainers/learners, VET providers, regional VET systems);Jointly develop a competence framework instrumental to internationalisation of VET systems and a dedicated multilingual learning platform to support the development of the identified competences for teachers and trainers, managers and internationalisation staff in regional development agencies and VET policy agencies<< Results >>A VET Internationalisation Benchmarking on line system, a competence framework for VET Internationalisation of teachers, managers and policy makers, a training path and Open Educational Resources available on a digital plattform, internationalisation Plans for each of the participating VET Providers and methodological guidelines for reproducibility, Blueprint (strategies and best practices) to support the integration of VET into territorial development and innovation systems.

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.

"Conceived in 2015, F4G has developed and tested an innovative training model that can be easily transferred to VET systems that complement post-secondary level technical training (V EQF) and VET pathways, in order to improve the ability to communicate agri-food innovation, create a more dynamic market and improve social acceptability. Statistical analyses confirm the untapped SMEs’ competitive potential of innovation in the Mediterranean area, downgrading the characteristics of Mediterranean products and productions to a peculiarity linked to the territory. Objectives: A) develop a set of technical and transversal skills to promote a bottom-up approach to innovation and the development of co-design in order to accelerate the transfer of available innovation and improve the impact on the specificities requested by the market. B) define the prototype of a training course that is complementary to higher technical education, fostering the collaboration between different disciplines (C) update and produce learning methods to address product design competences with aspects relevant to the dialogue between industry and consumers, including social and ethical issuesPartnership: 8 bodies ranging from VET, companies and Universities from three Mediterranean countries: Italy, France and Spain that operates in different fields such as:Training, delivered by ITS Tech & Food of Parma (IT) in the heart of the Food Valley, by organizing biennial courses to train specialized technicians and offer them immediate employment opportunities in strategic sectors of the local productive fabric. Innovative teaching, represented by the expertise in Flipped methodology of DISAFA - University of Turin (IT). Research, Innovation and Competitiveness, IRTA (ES) public body of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action of the Regional Government of Catalonia. Scientific communication delivered by OPGA (IT), a body involved in the research, study and dissemination of scientifically-based information on issues related to the production, consumption and abuse of alcoholic beverages. With respect to the the EEIG, all the functions related to didactics, Research and Scientific Communication are also delivered by ECOTROPHELIA. Companies: Birra Menabrea (IT) and CASA MAS (ES) are the companies that have contributed to the development and testing of the F4G training model, allowing to identify didactic contents consistent with the training needs of the technologists in productive and innovative contexts. SFC (IT) has coordinated the partnership, based on its expertise in the governance of complex projects for the development of human capital and business competitiveness.The project activities and the main outputs were divided into 4 phases: 1) Analysis of emerging communication skills and innovation in the agri-food sector. The output coincides with the IO1. 2) Elaboration of a training course in Flipped Classroom mode and experimentation of the course. The IO2 output describes the platform, available on line. 3) Creation of Co Working Lab as a methodology of the F4G training model. The IO3 output reports the results. 4) drafting of Design Guidelines in Flipped Classroom to increase the replicability of the F4G model in VET paths. The IO4 output coincides with the Guidelines. The project results were reached by achieving what was foreseen in the proposal:- Processing of 4 intellectual outputs, each translated into 4 languages: English, Italian, French and Spanish- Application of the innovative Flipped Classroom didactics in learning paths for adults in the agro-food sector- Elaboration of a F4G training model, divided into a Flipped section available online and a workshop section called Co Working Lab- Activation of a network able to adopt the F4G model and implement further developments of the modelLong-term benefits: learning of innovative teaching methodologies by the trainers and designers involved and permanently engaged in the structures of the project partners, with the reuse of the Flipped methodology. Recognition of ""Communication of Innovation and Social Acceptability"" among the items for the elaboration of start-up proposals in the framework of the ECOTROPHELIA competition. The solution makes the results of F4G applicable even beyond the time limits of the project and stably focuses the attention on the subject. Involvement of ITS Tech & Food in agro-food innovation contests, opening the challenge to students and teachers to integrate teaching with problem focused methodologies, the basis of the Flipped methodology. 3 proposals out of the total of 10 evaluated at Ecotrophelia - CIbus 8 May 2018, were presented by the ITS."

"<< 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;"

"""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."