Digital technology is a part of our everyday lives, and should be an essential part of our learning practices. Vocational education and training is not an exception. When preparing learning content for VET students, pedagogical and digital competences of VET teachers play an important role in order to produce efficient digital learning content which would be motivational for VET students.The main AIM of the project INLESSON is to strengthen teaching process in the field of professions in beauty sector (beauticians, hairdressers) by sharing international experience and using digital technologies for more innovative teaching practice. In order to reach the project aim, the following OBJECTIVES are going to be met: 1.To develop a structured material that could guide VET teachers to design and create digital learning in the field of beauty sector;2.To increase VET teachers’ digital and pedagogical competences and use gained competencies in practice in order to create efficient digital learning content;3.To test created digital learning content in classes;4.To develop international partnership and increase the capacity of organizations to cooperate at international level.From the beginning of the project, the guidelines on the development of digital content of blended training material for beauty sector and the methodology how to organize blended learning (pedagogical approach) for beauty sector will be started elaborating. It will be a concept how to create digital learning content (digital tools for theory, individual exercises and collaborative learning) and organize/implement blended learning (pedagogical approach) in classes in the field of beauty sector. Moreover, from the beginning of the project the project website will be started developing. The project website will be dedicated not only for project dissemination activities and uploading developed intellectual outputs, but also for using website as a source for guiding how to organize and make digital learning content for VET teachers in the sector of beauty. Later on, it is planned to organize 3 short-term joint staff training events for 36 VET teachers in total based on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework in order to be able to start designing and creating digital learning content on 6 different modules for hairdressers and beauticians. After training activities 36 VET teachers will increase their level of digital and pedagogical competencies, opportunities for professional development, motivation to teach, creativity, competencies in foreign languages, skills to collaborate internationally. What is more, 36 VET teachers will be introduced with a self-reflection tool based on Digital Competence Framework for Educators Framework and had opportunity to use it in order to assess their strengths and weaknesses in using digital technologies for teaching. The strengths and weaknesses in using digital technologies of 36 VET teachers will be identified before short-term joint staff training events and after in order to assess the progress of improved digital and pedagogical competences of VET teachers.Developed digital learning material will be tested and evaluated by at least 200 students and 18 experts in the field of beauty sector. Using digital learning content in organized blended classes will increase a motivation to learn and satisfaction for learning of students of hairdressers and beauticians.Intellectual outputs will be produced in English and will be publically available and accessible to all interested parties. In relation to created digital learning content, the digital formats will be developed in such a way that they will easily translatable into other languages by stakeholders, for example changing the voice-over of an instruction video, etc.

<< Background >>Creating an inclusive learning environment. The needs of our school, the objectives and the methodology of the project was briefly explained in a letter and distributed by different International communication channels. Interested partners could react within the week. More partners than the ones included reacted. The multiple reactions is due to the fact that Europe is a diverse society. Diversity is increasing, and the European Union wants to stress the importance of diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and in the society throughout the whole European Union. In vocational training for adult education throughout Europe, diversity is highly present when intersectional approached. They are the future professionals of those workplaces, they have to be able to adequately and ethically deal with diversity issues. Yet this intersectional approach is present in the target groups of our partners. There is experience from working with newcomers, non-native speakers, to persons with disabilities. This variety in target groups and the best practices explored by the different partners, will guide us towards the intersectional approach of diversity and the design of a diversity sensitive curriculum. Sharing of best practices is needed and because of the difference of target groups this will be eye-opening. The common problem is that a qualitative approach of evaluating the goals of our chosen subject is absent in the context of vocational education. We will use a guideline tested within bachelor and master degree, to reach a diversity sensitive curriculum. The needs of the target groups: The target groups are different for each partner, although within the intersectional approach to diversity as social identity is defined by different aspects, such as gender, social class, ..., they are not. In second change adult education more social deprived persons, different ethnic groups, non-native speakers, newcomers are present in classes. By improving the goals towards a diversity sensitive curriculum we reach the following for our target groups: * mastering general skills and attitudes related to diversity, consider issues form a variety of perspectives, reflect on their own social and cultural identity * by making use of the diverse group composition you create fruitful learning moments for diversity * An inclusive learning environment is crucial to feel confident and unthreatened to learn and develop fully. The student feels at home and are at ease to come up with new and alternative perspectives and experiences.Implementing sustainability in cooking and catering vocational adult trainingThe needs of the partnerships: The farmer to fork strategy is a European strategy that has regional implementations. The key elements of this strategy is similar for all our partners: The call for shorter supply chains have intensified during the current pandemic outbreak. Consumers should be empowered to choose sustainable food and all actors in the food chain should see this as their responsibility and opportunity. It has also made us acutely aware of the interrelations between our health, ecosystems, supply chains, consumption patterns and planetary boundaries. In cooking and catering departments the need to incorporate this shorter supply chain-visions is necessary and socially and economically needed. Each partner is on a different level of implementing this view, but all are aware of the need of this priority. By collaborating by peer assessment with an auditing instrument, a high level of implementation will be reached. The need of the target groups: EU: It is an opportunity to improve lifestyles, health, and the environment. The creation of a favourable food environment that makes it easier to choose healthy and sustainable diets will benefit consumers’ health and quality of life. For all target groups this is a personal need, and they are ready for the cooking trend of the future. Cook Local, live healthy.<< Objectives >>The European context (the Regional context will be explained underneath):1. Creating an inclusive environment in cooking and catering vocational adult trainingDiversity is gaining in Europe. The European commission focusses on the importance of diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and in the society throughout the whole European Union by actions as the Diversity Month. If we want employers who are able to adequately and ethically deal with diversity issues, we have to create an inclusive environment in our education system. In our context we see diversity in an intersectional approach. Intersectionality means that somebody's social identity is not perceived in terms of just one aspect of it (such as gender, social class, religion, ethnicity, sexuality) but that these aspects together shape somebody's perceived and experienced social identity. All these different aspects coexist, mutually reinforce each other and decide the unique social location that an individual occupies. The broader social environment also influences the way a person experiences his or her specific social location in society. It is not possible to provide diversity sensitive teaching and learning without addressing this complex relation between social identities and the organizational and societal context. (Radstake, 2021)2. Implementing sustainability in cooking and catering vocational adult trainingThe Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal. It addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognizes the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. The strategy is also central to the Commission’s agenda to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All citizens and operators across value chains, in the EU and elsewhere, should benefit from a just transition, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn. A shift to a sustainable food system can bring environmental, health and social benefits, offer economic gains and ensure that the recovery from the crisis puts us onto a sustainable path. If we want the Farm to Fork strategy to be successful, the catering and cooking education has to be involved, so the strategy will be adapted in future catering businesses. The concrete objectives: Objective 1: creating an inclusive learning environment in Cooking and Catering vocational adult trainingstudents learn about diversitystudents learn in diversityteaching and learning take place in an inclusive learning environment. Therefore, improving diversity sensitive teaching regards the following categories and is framed in a quality plan and rolled out:* strategy, policy and rationale* exit qualifications and learning goals* content* assessment tasks* teaching and learning arrangements* inclusive environment* teacher competencesObjective 2: Implementing sustainability in cooking and catering vocational adult trainingStudents learn about sustainabilityStudents learn in a sustainability-conscious environmentTeaching and learning take place in a sustainability-conscious environment.Therefore, improving sustainability regards the following categories and is framed in a quality plan and rolled out:* vision and policy* expertise* educational goals and methodology* education contents* result assessment3. Validating both instruments for us in vocational education, to measure sustainability and diversity sensitive curriculum on all levels of an organization.4. From the result of the measurements, proven best practices will be described in a handbook with best practices. Two handbooks, one with the validated instruments and one with the proven best practices will be written.<< Implementation >>Meetings1. Kick off meetingWho: The responsible for katholiek onderwijs in charge of quality care, from each participant the selected person in charge of quality care, the selected person in charge of curriculum and the selected teacher.Place: Bruges, BelgiumGoals: fine-tuning of the overall project, making overall agreements, the fulfilment of all administrative obligations associated with the start-up, setting up the collaborative space and a project plan including time- and budget management. 2. Mid-term meetingWho: The responsible for katholiek onderwijs in charge of quality care, from each participant the selected person in charge of quality care, the selected person in charge of curriculum and the selected teacher.Place: Koksijde, BelgiumGoals: a mid-term evaluation of the project and joint reflection on what we have learned so far. The evaluation of the methodologies, preparing the progress report, preparing the product report.3. Final meetingWho: The responsible for katholiek onderwijs in charge of quality care, from each participant the selected person in charge of quality care, the selected person in charge of curriculum and the selected teacher.Place: Bruges, BelgiumGoals: Making up the end evaluation of the project and joint reflection on what we have learned, preparing the final report of the project, listing up the lessons learned in a final document. Preparing the final product, preparing the webinar and the promotion of the webinar and the product.Trainings1. Training methodology AISHE, training methodology diversity sensitive curriculum, training peer evaluation methodology, training methodology of validating instruments for vocational education.Training 2 - 5 Peer evaluations CVO SVG - peer evaluation ENAIP - peer evaluation Valencia Culinary Centre - peer evaluation MirasMultiplier events: 4 timesObjective: reach out to responsible for quality management, deans and teachers concerning diversity sensitive curricula and sustainable sensitive curricula. Improve integral quality management in Vocational education by using validated instruments to prove your progress towards a sustainable and diversity sensitive curriculum. Best practices that have proven to guarantee progress are given. Target groups: Teachers and responsible quality management in vocational education that want to work with validated instruments and high level quality care and want to reach sustainable progress in diversity and sustainability.<< Results >>Handbook Report of guidelines with best practices to progress sustainability and diversity worked in vocational education.Target groups: Schools for vocational education with low skilled students, who want to improve sustainability into their organization and have a diversity sensitive curriculum. This implies that students learn about diversity and sustainability, students learn in diversity and sustainability and teaching and learning takes place in an inclusive and sustainable learning environment. Elements of innovation.The best practices that proved to be positive in the project and within the context of vocational training to low skilled students will be described.Expected impact: European policy and national policies focus on improving sustainability and diversity sensitivity within society. A lot of text and examples are distributed, but no report that really guides vocational education in the implementing process, offers them all templates needed and proven best practices. This report responds to a great need to channel energy in the right direction rather than setting up yet another project, which turns out not to be sustainably anchored. Transferability. The topics we focus on are hot topics internationally. The guidelines do not focus on the cook and catering education program. The guidelines will describe the implementation of vocational training in general. The best practices on policy, strategy, teaching and learning arrangements, teaching competences are transferable to all kinds of vocational education.Handbook: How to implement a quality framework to measure your evolution in sustainability and diversity in higher education in to vocational education program.Target groups: Schools for vocational education with low skilled students, who want to improve sustainability into their organization and have a diversity sensitive curriculum in a qualitative validated manner. Schools for vocational education interested in a qualitative and validated instrument to measure their progress in implementing sustainability and diversity. Who wants to be sure the implementations are sustainable in a long term. Elements of innovation. No instruments to measure are already validated in a vocational education context. We want to give guidelines to other organizations how to start and process the use of these instruments within a context of vocational education. Expected impact: We want a survey usable in vocational training in general that measures the presence of sustainability and diversity at various levels at one point in time, a process with the goals to be achieved, and where a subsequent snapshot proves whether the goals to be achieved were effectively achieved. European policy and national policies focus on improving sustainability and diversity sensitivity within society. Transferability. The topics we focus on are hot topics internationally. The validation of the instruments for vocational education programs will take place in the 1 year program cook and catering, but the validation will be able to be generalized across all vocational programs.

In Spring 2020, schools around Europe closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Research reports published during this time identified several issues experienced by teachers during the rapid move to online teaching. A survey of 720 Irish, second-level teachers conducted by the TCD team reported that students’ engagement with education decreased significantly during this time. The findings also highlight an associated decline in teaching and learning practices that focus on the development of key skills and competences such as collaboration and communication. This, and other research across the EU, highlights the increased risk of disengagement in schools that serve underrepresented communities, in which existing socio-economic disadvantage is further exacerbated by “digital poverty” among students. Stemming from these research findings, the purpose of this project is to empower teachers to develop pedagogical competences for establishing effective and engaging learning experiences in a digital space, whether as part of a blended experience or wholly online. The project aims to address two key areas: inclusion and digital pedagogical competences, with the main target group being second-level teachers. The approach will be based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework (Cast.org), an inclusive approach to teaching and learning that offers all students an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. This framework offers students different options for accessing, building and internalising learning. It guides teachers to provide multiple means for students to: a) engage with; b) represent; and c) action/express their learning. A key output of this project is to provide a digital overlay to the UDL framework to scaffold teachers’ implementation of UDL principles in remote/blended contexts, such as during school closures. The other project outputs will flow from the development of this digital overlay, to provide further layers of supports for teachers to adopt digital learning principles of UDL. These include: a self-evaluation tool for teachers to identify aspects of the digital UDL framework with which they require support; an associated learning model to support teachers’ creation of digital, UDL activities that include a focus on key skills and competences; Open Educational Resources to scaffold implementation of the framework; and a professional development module which will focus on Area 5 of the DigCompEdu Framework: empowering learners through accessibility and inclusion, differentiation and personalisation. These tools will aim to support teachers and schools to develop inclusive strategies for the digital provision of teaching and learning in their own educational context, with an overarching goal of ensuring high levels of student engagement notwithstanding the mode of content delivery. The project will create a consortium of partners from Ireland, Greece, Belgium and Spain, representing a mixture of second-level teachers and education researchers, with the common aim of harnessing UDL to achieve ‘an EU-wide common understanding of how to make distance, online & blended learning effective, inclusive & engaging' (a strategic priority of the EC Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027). Our outputs will be developed collaboratively across the consortium, with training and testing of the tools to be carried out at 3 Learning, Teaching and Training events. We will then pilot the tools with our primary target group of second-level teachers, and disseminate the results at a series of Multiplier Events and a Project Conference. Throughout the 2-year project duration, qualitative and quantitative indicators will be employed to monitor the progress, quality and expected impacts of the project and its outputs. During this time, we expect the outputs to positively impact ongoing digital teaching and learning of second-level teachers in partner institutions. The development of a related professional development module and associated resources that will be openly accessible on the eTwinning platform and on the project website provides potential for longer-term impact across the wider networks of educators in Europe. All partners’ existing relationships with European-wide organisations such as initial teacher education providers, professional development networks, school principal networks and publications, teacher accreditation bodies and national or regional curriculum development bodies, will be leveraged in order to reach our goals. Funding for this project will therefore provide an opportunity for transnational collaboration and sharing of expertise at a time of crucial importance in educational development. It will allow us to develop outputs to address some of the gaps that have already been identified through the education-related Covid-19 research, as well as to capitalize on the positives that continue to emerge, as a result of the international shift towards increased use of digital learning.

Big changes are happening in all layers of society in Europe. Migration, culture clashes, poverty, unemployment and fast-evolving working places are creating more and more vulnerable groups of people who don’t fit in.To prevent more people of becoming part of these vulnerable groups and to reach out to them who are struggling to climb up the social and economical ladder, we need to invest not only in hard skills but also in their soft skills. Skills such as (but not limited to) communication, teamwork, problem solving, attitude, leadership … are absolutely critical to success in today’s society. Research shows they are the key to empowerment.The project partners in Flanders, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Cyprus and North-Macedonia felt an urgent need to work hand in hand to set up a European project for training and validation of soft skills. The partners in Flanders, The Netherlands, Sweden and Macedonia work with different vulnerable groups of learners: low-skilled adults, migrants, drop-outs and isolated women. The project partners in Portugal and Cyprus are specialized in different domains of professional qualification, training, professional education and validation & certification. In other words, all partners invest in people searching for a better future.The main objective of the project is to increase employability, better social integration and more successful education of vulnerable groups. The KA2-project was therefor called ReTraVaSSEV: recognition, training and validation of soft skills for employability of vulnerable groups. The project had three main goals: 1. perform an international desktop study on soft skills, 2. create a set of training tools for trainers to train the learners (vulnerable groups) and 3. create a set of validation tools.Desktop study O1:Based on several international studies the six partners created during the Transnational Project Meeting in Cyprus (December 2017) three questionnaires: for employers, for disadvantaged adult learners and for trainers in adult education. The international group of respondents was highly diversified by several factors: age, gender, level of education and present employment situation. The questionnaires referred to basic/fundamental skills, people-related skills, conceptual/thinking skills and personal skills & attributes. The questionnaires were carried out in the partners’ countries between January and April 2018.During the Project Meeting in Den Helder (May 2018) we discussed the aggregated results of the questionnaires. This discussion resulted in a selection of six soft skills that are relevant in the six participating countries: intercultural communication, learning to learn, conflict management, teamwork, customer service and motivation.Training tools O2:After we split the soft skills among the partners, we decided to create three training tools for each soft skill. Each partner composed a team of trainers to reflect on the tools. As the tools are meant for disadvantaged learners, they should be comprehensive, low level, easy to use and low-cost. It took us quite a long time to develop these 18 different tools. A first draft of the tools was presented by the teachers during the Learning, Teaching and Training event in Madeira (November 2018). After the Madeira meeting an extensive testing period started in the six participating countries. We either tested the tools in existing classes, or we created special classes to test the tools. Each partner tested its own three tools and the tools of one of the partner countries. The test results were presented during the Project Meeting in Sweden (March 2019). In Sweden we decided that a final version of the tools should be ready before the end of April 2019. As soon as the coordinator had received all the final versions, each partner started translating the 18 tools (working language: English) in the several countries’ languages: Dutch, Swedish, Macedonian, Greek and Portuguese. The translations were performed by our language trainers. During the translating period a first draft of the design was created. The final version of the manual, presenting the 18 tools in an appealing design, was realised in September 2019. Validation tools O3:The validation part was already an issue when creating the tools, but we had not yet created the actual validation tools. The meeting in North-Macedonia (May 2019) brought relief in this seemingly most difficult part of our project. During the Learning, Teaching and Training event in North-Macedonia we decided about several validation tools: portfolio, evaluation form for trainers, self-assessment form for learners, general evaluation form and certificate. Already during the meeting we started creating the validation tools for the respective training tools. We agreed to finish the validation tools by June 2019. Again, these validation tools had to be translated (suggested deadline July 2019) and had to be adapted into the final design.The soft skills manual as well as the validation tools can be downloaded on the project’s website skillsforyou.eu. Dissemination:The manual and the validation tools were presented during an international dissemination event in Brussels (October 8, 2019). The dissemination of the project informed policy makers, principals, staff members, teachers, volunteers, coaches and other stakeholders about the importance of soft skills for employment, social integration and successful education. During national multiplier events (workshops) in every partner's country (October – November 2019), the manual and the tools were presented to teachers working in adult education, regional authorities responsible for education and employment, and regional employment agencies.

I-Motole responded so to the European needs, challenges & policy within Adult Education: Recognition + validation of key competences acquired through non-formal learning as a major challenge (CEDEF OP 2009) covering the settled four common EU objectives to address challenges in education and training systems by 2020: making lifelong learning and mobility a reality, improving the quality and efficiency of education and training, etc.The targeted groups were specially Roma & disadvantaged groups; refugees and asylum-seekers; people with disabilities; people in specific situations of exclusion from learning, such as those in prisons, plus members of deprived communities experiencing poverty and social exclusion.We also targeted educators, trainers, staff, other professionals and policy makers working in adult education once their work affects directly or indirectly our last beneficiary (adult learners).The overall aim of the project was to produce a more effective educational experience for adult learners through effective strategies focused on improving the intrinsic motivation of adults from marginal, vulnerable, disadvantaged groups or situations of social exclusion. Firstly we developed an Analysis research and Needs Analysis (IO1) to identifies the gap between teachers and vulnerable learners perceptions that affects learner’s motivation. Then, innovative methods were developed and included on the Training Package for Adult Educators (IO2) developed. The partnership met in September 2018 in Macedonia (C1) to train each other and go back to each country in order to pilot with Adult practitioners. Adult practitioners involved reported that they feel more motivated and learnt tools to use in their sessions.A Validation Portfolio (IO3) was developed to raise awareness among learners of the competences acquired in non-formal and informal settings. This portfolio also serves as a tool for the educators to track, validate and certify their learner’s knowledge and competences what also enhance the learner’s employability opportunities. The most satisfactory register that we received during the project was from the evaluations results of the 83 learners that had the opportunity to participate, at least, in one of the sessions provided training activity in Portugal in March 2019 (C1). For most of them this was their first experience in such international context. Through the development of the Recommendations (IO4) and the dissemination events, we could spread the Action plan with recommendations to improve Adults Education systems in Europe throughout many different organizations and levels of actions at a systemic level.Each partner held local multiplier events, the Belgian partner hosted the International Multiplier event where we had the opportunity to meet and share with a major number of policy makers and professionals on the adult education field all project developed.Throughout the project lifetime the Online Interactive Portal (IO5) has been enriched with the interactive tools developed by the partners. Those methodologies are online and available to all educators across Europe and behind boarders - they can be used in a variety of contexts of adult education, in any way limited to any particular educational content, being useful for any matter to be delivered by adult educators, whether it is languages, academic subject teaching, practical, vocational trainings, etc..). Among the long-term benefits for adult learners, the opportunity to experience and learn with other peers from other countries provided them self-confidence and an all-new experience as a real feeling about European citizenship. Moreover, they had the opportunity to get to know better themselves, rising awareness of their effective potential and improving their quality of life: their social and civil skills were enhanced.For the staff of our schools and associations, for our local partners, and for all the educators and trainers we are now equipped with luggage of activities, methodologies and tools to deal with adult learners and in how to improve their motivation to keep studying, participating and investing on their future. we had the opportunity to meet other training organizations and schools across Europe; understanding the work they do and how they are doing it; creating and testing new methodologies and activities for adult education; testing our new propositions and mainly enlarging our spectrum of action on the field as enlarging our international network.The project brought more attention to adult education and its importance among our institutions, staff, local partners and policy makers, where there is little investment in innovation. Finally it also made people (organizations and learners) more aware of the possibilities of such projects and about Erasmus+ program.The policy makers that the partnership met were available with engagement, promising an Imotole impact on future policies.