<< Objectives >>The main objective of MareLaw is to provide guidelines for the harmonisation and adaptation of the programs and literature in the field of maritime law, through enhancing teaching and digital competencies of academic staff and creating unified digital teaching materials according to the SCTW Convention that address environmentally responsible maritime industry. This would increase the quality and capacities of maritime universities and ensure the common level of skills among seafarers.<< Implementation >>Project will analyse academic background and teachers' competencies and implement focus groups to identify existing approaches and teaching materials of maritime law courses and to analyse and improve learning outcomes for maritime law courses. Based on the results, project will implement activities enhancing digital and professional teaching skills, create guidelines for future harmonisation in maritime law courses according to STCW Convention and develop new digital learning materials.<< Results >>Project will develop reports (report on academic background and teacher's competencies of maritime law; report on analysis of teaching approaches and teaching materials and on analysis and improvement of learning outcomes of maritime law course; report on study visit to EMSA), guidelines (for harmonisation of maritime law course curriculum) and teaching materials with exam questions and self-assessment forms. It will also implement capacity building workshops and dissemination events.

Blue economy represents 5.4 million jobs and a gross added value of just under €500 billion yearly. As part of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy (2012), it aims to strengthen the potential for jobs and growth of EU's seas. This requires investing in a well-skilled workforce to meet the labour market needs. However, coastal communities are often isolated with limited access to technology, public infrastructure, training opportunities, lack of financial resources for local start-ups, lack of coherent marketing strategies and the inability to diversify activities to overcome seasonality, which limit the sector’s capacity to create sustainable jobs. Various EU studies emphasise that the maritime industry does not currently provide to professionals the potential for different careers opportunities in the sector.PESCAVET’s main objective is to create favourable conditions for increased opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship in the pesca-tourism sector and to contribute to the development of coastal communities in the Mediterranean and Black sea basins. The main target group addressed are professionals either currently employed in or/and unemployed desiring to enter the pesca-tourism sector wishing to develop their competences. The latter is a relatively new concept of fisheries related tourism aiming to support the supplement incomes of fishermen and their families and to provide knowledge on mechanisms for creating attractive activities for tourists visiting the coast.The project aims to contribute to society awareness about the problems of the marine sector and traditional fishing culture and to the improvement of entrepreneurial skills via the implementation of a benchmark exercise on new processes and marketing techniques for designing, promoting and review of products or services in pesca-tourism (IO1), the creation of a Gateway for technical support with specific training and coaching activities (IO2) and the development of an e-course on enhancing entrepreneurial skills in pesca-tourism (IO3).The PESCAVET project brings together 4 partners from 4 countries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins (LV, IT, CY, BG), dealing with Blue Economy, providing a coherent response to the challenges faced by the sector, complementing existing initiatives developed by various stakeholders.The total number of people, who will benefit from or will be targeted via the project activities during its duration, is moderately estimated at approximately 5000 people. Partners in each country will aim to achieve, as much as possible, the number of such beneficiaries and, in general, of people informed about the project, its objectives and results attained. It is expected that this will contribute towards greater awareness of the issues with opportunities to develop the needed competences for the up skilling of professionals working and/or wishing to enter the blue economy sectors.The implementation of the aforementioned actions is expected to result in the:• Change the way of thinking of different communities in the Mediterranean area and Black Sea, to a more comprehensive approach, establishing the pesca-tourism concept in one of the most attractive areas in Europe;• Boost the sustainable economic growth of the European maritime sectors, upgrading the services of the marine environment, its resources and the cultural heritage in the most sustainable way.• Improvement of the employ ability skills related to fisheries related tourism and competences of professionals planning to choose a career path in this field;• Increased awareness of pesca-tourism potential and increased visibility and attractiveness of blue career opportunities not only for professionals but for the wider public;• Increase of the awareness of benefits from the modernisation and transformation of the pescatourism sector for society and the local economies;• Building and strengthening partnerships between the organisations participating in the project; This project will also include 4 transnational project meetings that will contribute to the preparation, implementation and evaluation phase of the project. All information gathered and the promotion of the project itself will then be uploaded on the Gateway. Multiplier events and a joint staff training are also foreseen. Furthermore, the Consortium will deliver an Action Plan for presenting the project results offered for further valorisation of PESCAVET and specific recommendations for further development of new training courses and the PESCAVET Gateway sustainability.Considering that the identified challenges and needs regard not only the participating countries in specific, but the majority of EU countries and that the efforts of the EC targeting the maritime sector aim the whole of the EU, the aim of the project should be treated trans nationally.

MareMathics is an Erasmus+, KA2, Strategic Partnership project with the aim of supporting the creation and implementation of innovative practices in mathematics education for students of maritime studies across Europe, promoting cooperation of respective institutions, peer learning and exchange of experience among teaching staff.In contemporary mathematical classrooms at maritime universities, students learn early on that study of mathematics is realized by sitting still, filling out worksheets and by following mathematical procedures that are rigid and set in stone. Mathematical problems and procedures presented to students are mainly oriented to solutions of mathematical problems that are in general unrelated to the student's later seafarer profession. Consequently, the perception of mathematical education by many students at maritime universities is that knowledge of mathematics is not essential for advancement of their future seafarer careers. This fosters the lack of students’ interest for mathematical education, and is characterized by low success rates at mathematical exams, sometimes as low as 8% success to fail ratio. Furthermore, because many of courses at maritime universities rely on prior knowledge of mathematics the lack of fundamental knowledge of mathematics is the main cause for low success on these exams and it is the cause of high drop-out rate of students at maritime universities. For example, in 2017 about 50% of first year students dropped out from the study of navigation at Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Split where most of the drop-out students listed the mathematics as the main cause for the failure. The similar problem is reported by maritime universities in Croatia, and partners' countries: Poland, Estonia and Latvia.In previous cooperation among higher education maritime institutions involved in this project, it was agreed that the students of these study programmes have shown difficulties in completing their tasks within this subject and statistics, showing therefore both low success rates, as well as learning outcomes below expectations. Motivation is not showing high levels either and consequently, teachers of mathematics are willing to search and explore new teaching tools and methods to change these trends.As a result, project envisages support for teachers of mathematics at maritime study programmes, in the form of innovative teaching methods, using contemporary IT and communication tools.Project Partners:P1 University of Split (Faculty of Maritime Studies), CroatiaP2 Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Maritime Academy, EstoniaP3 Latvian Maritime Academy, LatviaP4 Polish Naval Academy, PolandP5 Toni Milun– Independent Microenterprise, Croatia

Our coasts and seas have the potential to deliver growth and jobs in the coming years. In order to achieve Blue Growth, the European Commission's long term strategy to further harness the potential of Europe's oceans, seas and coasts, for sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors, highly qualified and skilled professionals are needed. Yet many Blue Economy sectors are experiencing difficulties in finding the right employees for highly qualified technical positions – and most sectors expect these difficulties to continue throughout the foreseeable future. The proposed project brings 5 key partners from different countries (located in the Mediterranean Sea, Iberian Sea, Baltic and Black Sea) which cover all EU seas and are dealing with Blue Economy and Education, providing coherent response to the challenges facing the sector by complementing and adding value to existing initiatives by Member States, regions and other stakeholders. The main target group the project is addressing professionals working in blue economy sectors, (such as coastal, cruise tourism, Maritime Safety and Security and Greening Maritime Transport and Fisheries Monitoring and Aquaculture) wishing to develop their competences, VET Participants, unemployed people, as well as students searching for education in the areas of blue economy field. The overall objective of the BLUES is to promote the development of blue economy in the partners countries, strengthening cooperation between industry and education, to fill the skills gap in this sector (Training Course on Maritime Safety and Security and Greening Maritime Transport (IO1), Training Course on Coastal and Cruise Tourism (IO2), Training Course on Fisheries Monitoring and Aquaculture (IO3) and to raise awareness of Blue Careers and tools through the creation of a dedicated One Stop Shop Portal, which will also accommodate among other the e-learning component of the project (IO4). This project will also include four transnational project meetings that will contribute to the preparation, implementation and evaluation phase of the project. All the information gathered through this project and the promotion of the project itself will then be uploaded on the One Stop Shop Portal. Multiplier events are foreseen in Greece, Cyprus, Latvia, Spain and Bulgaria. Furthermore, one joint staff training activity in Spain for 10 participants in order to be trained as regards to testing and operating the BLUES One Stop Shop Portal as well as delivering the Training Courses will take place. Through the implementation of this project the partners aim at contributing significantly in enhancing the opportunities for up-skilling VET learners and professionals working in the field of blue economy sectors (such as coastal, cruise tourism, Maritime Safety and Security and Greening Maritime Transport and Fisheries Monitoring and Aquaculture) both nationally and at EU level, as well as for other members of the target group. The project will aim to boost opportunities for people in these areas by bringing them together with experienced entrepreneurs and stakeholders thus creating new partnerships for business and business support providers. The total number of people, who will directly benefit and indirectly benefit from or will be targeted through the project activities during its duration, is moderately estimated at approximately 3000 people. Partners in each country will aim to achieve, as much as possible, the number of such indirect beneficiaries and, in general, of people informed about the project, its objectives and results attained. It is expected that this will contribute towards greater awareness of the issues with opportunities to develop the needed competences for supporting the up skilling of professionals working in the field of blue economy sectors. The project aims at supporting professionals, students and unemployed in the Blue Economy industry to: • Acquiring new tools and knowledges upon Blue Economy sector; • Improve the professional skills and competences; • Enable a full understanding of possibilities and barriers associated with combining blue economy sectors (such as coastal, cruise tourism, Maritime Safety and Security and Greening Maritime Transport and Fisheries Monitoring and Aquaculture). •Improve professional’s income; • Increasing opportunities for professional development; • Improve the position of the target group in the labour market; • Strengthening of occupational/career profiles of job seekers and young professionals; • Better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications in Europe and beyond.

<< Background >>The European Green Deal officially set as key fundamental priorities for the European Unions’ strategy the focus on green skills, sustainability, environment awareness and fight against climate change, across all unions’ areas and sectors. This paradigm entails a growing demand for green skills throughout most economic sectors, as well as a prevalence of debates on how to achieve the transition to a green economy. Every job is going to have to contribute to making the economy more sustainable and for that Education and Training have a straightforward role. In effect, implementing green skills in VET provides an enhanced means to equip youth and adults with the skills needed in the changing world of work, including the knowledge and competency requirements to make the transition to green economies and societies. Sustainable and green education is therefore essential for institutions to train individuals on these requirements.Green Diving rationale was built having in consideration three needs’ levels:1)European relevance and need expressed in the field of green skills and sustainability capacitation of educational actors, including in the field of Maritime training at various levels (capacity building, resources provision, curriculums update, structures and processes greening…) – confirmed on by key studies (Cedefop, UNESCO, UNEVOC) and projects (MATES, SKILLSEA, ONBOARD);2)Observance of such macro level need within partners involved in this proposal (assessed through a need analysis questionnaire, available in annex);3)Consequently identification/confirmation of target group needs both within VET partners schools, as well as others not making part of this consortium (assessed also through a need analysis questionnaire, available in annex). These needs are reflected within the following Green Diving target groups:•VET teachers/trainers that teach maritime pathways (navigation; ports and shipping management; naval engineer; marine engineer; naval administration; or related courses like electrotechnical; engineering pathways which can lead into maritime). •Initial VET students/trainees (aged 15-25) in a VET Maritime Pathway.•VET maritime school leaders.In particular the project will meet the needs of the targets as follows:•Green Diving will mitigate VET Maritime teachers need to better and efficiently integrate green and sustainability principles into their vocational education and training classrooms. This need will be answered through the provision of a comprehensive set of pedagogical materials and tools that focus on green skills development, as well the support provided to VET teachers in the use of these new materials (R1,R2).•The project will also contribute to lessen the need of VET teachers to acquire specific green and sustainable skills adapted to their sectorial field. This will be achieved through the development of an appropriate offer for professional development of teaching staff on green skills and innovative sustainable methods (R2).•By equipping VET teachers with the appropriate resources and competencies, Green Diving will additionally contribute to narrowing the existing gap of students/future professional skills, in the sense that will meet the need of further green skills provision during training. (R1, R2).•The project will further contribute to meeting the need of improving educational institutions structures, which take into consideration rational use of natural resources and protection of the environment, through the development of a collaborative action plan on greening Maritime VET (R3).•Further, the project will contribute to the narrowing the need of attracting a younger workforce to the maritime sector and raising its public perception (SKILLSEA) by developing resources that foster blue sector employability and opportunities layout (R1).<< Objectives >>Green Diving has the twofold objective to 1) develop sustainability and green skills in maritime VET, by working on VET students’ level, as well as VET teachers/trainers and school directors, 2) the elevation of VET and Maritime professions attractiveness among school communities. Aligned to such mission, the specific objectives are:•Promote sustainability, climate change awareness and green skills connected to the maritime sector, namely among both VET teachers/trainers, as well as VET students.•Support the professional development of VET teachers and trainers, contributing to higher quality education by updating teaching methods with a focus on green skills and sustainability.•To strengthen the capacity of school directors to deepen knowledge on sustainability and green school transition. •Significantly increase students’ sustainable competencies, thus qualifying them to the growing needs for green skills in the Maritime job market.•Reinforce collaborations between different educational levels, as well as different stakeholders such as educational actors, business and others.•Improve the attractiveness of VET and public’s perception of the maritime sector and its professions, contributing to ocean literacy and the sustainable management of the ocean.Such objectives will be reached through the development of 3 main results:•R1: Digital Toolkit for Green Skills•R2: Green Skills Course for VET Teachers Professional Development•R3: Action Plan for Greener VET Maritime Schools<< Implementation >>To ensure common understanding by the consortium to meet the aims and objectives, the project implementation is built in various methodological phases which are transversal to all three results:Phase 1: Ideate & Co-Create This phase refers to all tasks and processes necessary to design and develop the pedagogical resources, tools and materials, as well as the training contents and the action plan. Such activities will set the scene in terms of fundamental knowledge, competences, skills and resources on green skills which targets wilk develop throughout the remaining project activities. In particular, this phase encompasses: •T1.1 Design the digital toolkit prototype (M1-M3)•T1.2 Develop the digital toolkit resources, materials and tools (M4-M10)•T2.1 Development of the training programme (M10-M11)•T2.2 Development of the modules and support resources (M12-M15)•T3.1 Protocol for action plan co-design (M16-M17)•T3.2 Co-development of the action plan (M18-M20)Phase 2: Capacitate & Implement After the development of innovative and educational tailored pedagogical resources and materials on green skills, as well as the online training course and action plan, Green Diving will initiate a pilot and a training process which will allow the targets to both acquire new green skills, as well as consolidate them through active implementation. In particular, this phase encompasses:•T1.3 Pilot the digital toolkit in schools/classrooms (M11-M14)•T2.3 Train the trainers and school leaders (M16-M19)Phase 3: Validation & Fine-tune•T1.4 Fine-tune the digital toolkit (M14-M15)•T2.4 Fine-tune the training course (M19-M20)•T3.2 Stakeholder’s validation workshops (M21-M22)•T3.3 Fine-tune the action plan (M23-M24)<< Results >>Green Diving outcomes and results will be developed within a framework of 3 key results (extensively described in their respective sections):R1, Digital Toolkit for Green Skills: development of a digital toolkit for green skills, which includes the creation of an adapted green skills referential, a set of materials, resources and tools for teachers and students’ use and a guiding e-book. R2, Green Skills Course for VET Teachers Professional Development: creation and implementation of online training course for maritime VET teachers and school directors will be developed in order to actively capacitate them to foster green skills, sustainability, and climate awareness. The course will include a training programme and support course materials.R3, Action Plan for Greener VET Maritime Schools: co-designing of an action plan for greener VET maritime schools which will define measures, steps, initiatives, changes needed and action lines to answer such changes in light of greening and sustainable processes. In particular, R1 includes the following specific results:•A digital toolkit on green skills for Maritime VET, counting with resources in 6 languages•A green skills’ maritime referential•An online green skills competition•VET attractiveness info sessions guidelines •At least 10 VET lesson plans developed •A guiding toolkit e-book•A pilot phase in 4 schoolsBesides these main results, R1 foresees to involve 8 VET Maritime teachers which will pilot the resources in their classes, thus reaching an average of 120 students. These students will produce a complementary result: organize 4 VET attractiveness info sessions.Specifically, R2 will produce the following results:•A training programme•An online training course with 6 modules for VET Maritime teachers and school directors in 6 languages•A training support pack.•A training deployment on maritime VET green skills, sustainability and attractiveness This result expects the involvement of a total 40 VET teachers, which will additionally produce the following result: 8 green skills lesson plans.Similarly, R3 will produce a set of results: •A co-design protocol•4 VET school working groups•An Action Plan for greener VET maritime schools•4 validation workshops This result expects the involvement of a total 8 VET teachers and 12 VET students, which will additionally produce the following result: 4 working groups short reports.Green Diving will additionally promote the following intangible results which are intrinsically related to competences development in each target group:VET Maritime Teachers•improve cognitive skills necessary to deal with the consequences of the climate crisis and thus that are closely related to green, environmental, climate and ecological awareness;•develop green skills which will enable them to act as “green agents”, efficiently passing them through their teaching to their students;•develop the ability to integrate green skills and sustainable competencies development into diverse classes/subjects;•acquire new teaching resources and skills on green, sustainability and climate awareness trough capacity building processes.VET Maritime students •increase capacity to include environmental concerns alongside others (such performance and safety) in taking decisions;•improve cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal green skills necessary to deal with the consequences of the climate crisis and thus that are closely related to environmental, climate and ecological awareness;•significantly increase their green skills, being able to apply them during their daily professional tasks.School directors:•Develop environmental, green and sustainable awareness;•Deepen knowledge on sustainability and green school transition. •Improve skills allowing them to define and implement an action plan for Greener VET Maritime Schools.