The Youth4food project departed from a need Gaziantep, Dénia, Parma, Östersund and Bergen had to inform youth about the career opportunities in the food sector. The main objective of the project has been to identify ways to increase the number of young people who make Vocational Educational Training (VET) in the food value chain their first choice of education. The project had 18 partners and more than 102 people have travelled between the cities. 5 university trainees have been involved. There have been 5 transnational meetings on VET food related topics. The project has completed the planned activities, but the beauty of the projects lies in all the collaboration and plans that have been initiated during this project and that will carry on now the project is completed. In an exchange project you don’t know what kind of new skills, knowledge and contacts that will lead to something else. You can plan activities, but you can never plan the outcome and the positive things that is happens when people meet. Dissemination of results: booklet, report, videos, presentationsSeveral films have been produced, including a series called ‘You+ng heroes’. A booklet about young food creatives in the participating cities has been completed. The report “The future of Europe’s kitchens-recruitment and skills matching” is made. The project has a logo, webpage, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and is found on Instagram and Twitter. A part about Swedish Cuisine is included in the book “Cuisine Cultures in The World” by the Turkish lecturer and author Ceyhun UÇUK. Steps are taken to make the book a national textbook in curriculum for Gastronomy Education. The project has been communicated on several platforms, UNESCO Creative City Network, European, regional and local settings. The project was selected as a best practice for the 2030.LAB call promoted by UNESCO and was presented during the UCCN Annual Conference held in Krakow and Katowice in 2018. A publication regarding the 2030.LAB is distributed to the 180 Creative Cities. In October, 2019 the project was presented in UNESCO headquarter, Paris, on World cities day.Impact: Stronger bonds and collaboration beyond the formal project The project has contributed to stronger bonds locally within and between the participating cities. Participating schools have gained new contacts for international cooperation. They wish to continue their cooperation through exchange, work training and other Erasmus+ programs. Businesses are more aware of and ask for international opportunities. The participating universities have taken the first steps towards a joint master program within gastronomy. Impact: communication of results and influence on policy The challenge of recruiting young people to the food value chain is complex and is not solved in two years, however the project has made a significant contribution and paved the way for more cooperation. The recruitment issues are addressed at the national level in Norway. Results from the project have been communicated to the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and food, as input for an event addressing recruitment for food related VET the Ministry will have during the green week in Berlin in January 2020. Best practices on how to work with recruitment have been registered in the project. Some suggestions for recruitment strategies are: 1) communicate future possibilities after attending VET; 2) improve the information given in schools; 3) use the internet as a tool to inform and create excitement around cooking; 4) get chefs and VET students and teachers to visit lower secondary schools and5) communicate more of the positive sides of the profession, such as the social aspects.VET students and teachersThrough exchange visits students have learned the elements of a restaurant and different cooking techniques. They have learned that food is so much more than the kitchen. Food is culture, traditions, regional gastronomies, local territory and products. The students that visited Gaziantep learned that stereotypes of cities and people are not true. Students cooperated and communicated across cultures. Interaction and culture exchange can inspire to entrepreneurship and innovation. Students can bring with them this knowledge to their future professions. The exchanges have increased the students’ knowledge of the agriculture sector in the different countries. They have seen the importance of local production and local farmers, and increased their understanding of the connection between local production and local gastronomy. The students are familiarized sustainable goals, UNESCO, Erasmus and the different cities in the project. Through their travels and the experience of training in a different country the young people have had the joy of mastering a new situation, to understand their own potential and hence their self-confidence has grown. The young people felt like ambassadors for their UNESCO city. They felt part of something bigger.

<< Background >>CONTEXT OF THE PROJECTThe pace of technological & digital change is having a deep impact on the job market, therefore it is no longer enough for secondary VET systems to equip learners with technical and professional skills&knowledge. The digital transformation of workplaces requires new generations to develop interdisciplinary skills related to:- new digital technologies-transversal skills, such as: research, analysis & interpretation of data; teamwork & communication; problem solving &critical thinking.A further factor of complexity emerges from the increasing urge that EU industry receives from the sustainable production policies, as described by the UN Agenda 2030 Goals and by the European Green Deal. As the VET sector is the main source for the recruitment of the future workforce, there’s an urgent need to train green skills in VET as well, so that VET providers can support & pair the transition towards a greener industrial & manufacturing process.BEACON project addresses such challenges by promoting work-based, digital & green innovation in the curricula of VET systems, which more than other education systems train professionals to be immediately integrated into the labour market.The project envisages the experimentation of new training programs that enhance:- work-based learning, exploiting learning environments that reproduce the work processes- Incidental Learning, according to the informal learning model (Marsick-Watkins,1990) as well as to the problem-based & context-based learning approaches, which address the dynamic and everyday problems of the workplace- new digital technologies, using Beacon BLE technology as low-cost, low power & low maintenance HW devices integrated with a digital platform, a content management system (CMS) hosted on a server, and a smartphone/or tablet app to be downloaded for free by students & teachers, triggering Incidental Learning Paths.- simulation of green production & manufacturing processes in the learning environment, helping VET learners prepare for that sustainability mindset that’s needed for the EU economic growth & a smooth transition to the job marketWBL is meant according to the EU “Council Recommendations on VET” as well as to the EU ToolKit (www.wbl-toolkit.eu):-WBL means acquisition of knowledge & skills through action in a vocational or business context-WBL can take place in a company, or within a school classroom, targeting vocational or job-related learning meeting the needs of EU industry-WBL involves a variety of actors, from schools & training centres to managers and technicians in the workplace.TARGET GROUPS-VET learners in need to gain skills to support the twin digital & green transition of the job market, as well as transversal skills to drive innovation, while also preparing for a smooth entry in the job market-VET Teachers wishing to develop skills to design, test &validate for reuse new work-based & location-based training programs based on Incidental Learning in the workplace using Beacon technology.-VET School's courses of study offering work-based learning paths, to be involved in the experimentation of new training programs<< Objectives >>OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECTThe project aims at supporting VET systems in the development (design, testing &release of transferable OERs) of innovative Incidental Learning programs thanks to Beacon BLE technology.According to the WBL approach, the learning environment will be the work context, i.e. an area of activity with processes, technologies, products&organizational methods, which can be simulated (e.g. laboratories in VET schools), or real workplaces (companies).The training programs envisage that the students, inside a workplace specifically equipped with Beacon BLE facilities, face the solution of critical incidents, suitably prepared, occurring to them unexpectedly. Incidental Learning requires students to tackle problematic situations demanding the activation of critical thinking skills to find a solution.The project envisages the experimentation of innovative training programs based on Incidental Learning in VET supported by the BEACON BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology, deemed as “technology in use” able to combine digital technologies & work-based learning methodology as didactic tools for training and learning, aimed at achieving the following objectives:1)promoting WBL in VET through the implementation of situated learning environments simulating the actual workplace of industrial sectors relevant for the national economy of each country involved2) developing in EQF3-EQF4 secondary VET learners (digital natives), crucial skills in high demand by the current labour market, characterized by Digital Transformation and by recruitment policies looking for both digital and transversal skills, which relate to higher order skills in the digital age (research, analysis and interpretation of information) and to skills enhancing the entry into the job market (teamwork, communication, problem solving) – as the need for transversal skills, critical thinking & creative problem solving is also highlighted by the 2020 EU Skills Agenda, 2.5 “Skills to accompany the green & digital transitions in jobs”.3) enabling the VET sector to align itself to the Green Driver of Innovation, supporting EU business & manufacturing companies in their transition towards carbon neutrality by 2050, through low-energy & emission-free production models & circular economy, thanks to workplace Beacon-based simulation of sustainable production models – as promoted by the 2020 EU Green Deal, setting sustainability goals for all manufacturing sectors, with particular stress onto the energy-intensive ones (textile, electronics, building, mechanics & plastics), in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of UN Agenda 2030.<< Implementation >>Suitable pairs composed of VET providers and companies from the same industrial sector were intentionally involved, looking for country specific industrial sectors, as below:- Italy: FOOD production/ FOOD technology- Romania: ICT & digital services- Spain: Mechanical/Mechatronics/Automotive Manufacturing- Portugal: Textile/Clothes/Fashion ManufacturingIn addition to the 4 school-business pairs, the partnership counts on:- 1 Methodological Partner (Cisita Parma – P2, Italy), expert in the design, experimentation & validation of innovative training methodologies & learning program. Responsible for the design, monitoring & validation of the Incidental Learning Cycle as well as for the Quality Control & Dissemination Plans.- 1 Technology Partner (Baldaque & Alves, P5, Portugal), expert for the development, configuration and customization of Beacon Digital Integrated System.The Project will develop:-Result 1. Development of the full Beacon Digital Integrated System (responsible P5), consisting of:a. Beacon HWb. a digital platform for storage & transmission of sector-specific learning contents (CMS)c. an application for mobile devices (smartphones/tablets/pads) able to receive push notifications from nearby Beacons, downloading multimedia information related to the work-based, context-based Incidental Learning PathPR1 will also design the Incidental Learning Cycle, meant as a training program triggered by an unpredictable event/problem (artificially caused for learning purposes) requiring learners to face different Beacon-guided phases: 1) troubleshooting 2) analysis of the possible causes and search for clues 2) problem solving & testing of possible solutions; 3) validating or looking for alternative solutions 4) discussing the outcomes-Results 2-3-4-5Beacon-triggered, context-based & location-based Incidental Learning Programs. Each one will focus on sector & country specific Industrial Sectors (PR2 Food-ITA, PR3 ICT-RO, PR4 Mech – Spain, PR5 Textile PT), taking place in the school labs, training facilities or company’s workplace. Training activities of each PR will start from the Beacon signals triggering the Incidental Learning Cycle, and will focus on how make more GREEN & DIGITAL (drivers of innovation) any aspect related to PRODUCT / PROCESS / ORGANIZATION (meant as manufacturing context variables, also relevant for the VET sector).<< Results >>BEACON project's results & outcomes will boost the capacity of the whole partnerhip, especially of VET and sector-specific industrial sector, to attain goals set by EU Development Plan 2021-2027 with particular reference to: -WBL training approach, requiring learners to get familiar with the workplace processes, organizational logic & everyday problem solving. The development of work-based skills will benefit: Learners, being able to smoothly transition to the labour market after graduation; VET systems, which will be able to better match the job market demand offering more up-to-date training programs; Business&Industrial Sectors, able to co-design high-demand WBL training paths together with VET providers- Digital Skills integrated with the work-based learning environment, benefitting: Learners, being able to gain high-demand skills relevant for the job market; Trainers & Teachers, being able to upgrade their professional skills gaining up-to-date skills & teaching/learning methodologies; VET systems, which will be able to better match the job market demand offering more up-to-date training programs;- Green Skills integrated with the work-based learning environment, benefitting: Learners, being able to gain high-demand skills relevant for the job market; Trainers & Teachers, being able to upgrade their professional skills gaining up-to-date skills & teaching/learning methodologies; VET systems, which will be able to better match the job market demand offering more up-to-date training programs; Business & Industrial Sector, who will hire well-prepared workforce able to drive the transition to a more sustainable production model.

"CONTEXTA recent research conducted by the ministry of education and EIF (""FoodEdu@School” 2018) has highlighted how, in the Italian school context (but there is reason to believe that the findings of the research may be of interest for other European Countries), education for sustainability through food based on the initiative of the individual teacher, with teaching methods more traditional. In this way didactic uniformity is lacking: a solid approach, based on skills, as well as content, that could be much more effective for the development of educational actions, replicable and widespread, for teaching sustainability to children, through the theme of food and food systems.OBJECTIVESIn order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the didactic action within the school on the theme of sustainability through food, the project aims to qualify the profession of a teacher and provide the tools, procedures and output are able to form in a systematic way, an ever-increasing number of school staff with the goal of ensuring that, over time, a standard of consistent quality and capable of having a significant impact on the full awareness of the students about the benefits of healthy and sustainable, for their own health and that of our planet.NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTSThe participants in the project are:- 35 teachers of Secondary Education of second degree;- 250 students of Secondary Education of second degree (2 classes of 25 students on average for each partner school). The summer schools include the involvement of 10 teachers and 25 students, appropriately selected, in the amount of 2 teachers and 5 students for each partner school.DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIESThe project includes the following activities: - 5 Intellectual Outputs → IO1: Report on the state of the art, education, and sustainability through the food in the school environment; IO2: “Framework of competencies” for the teaching of sustainability through food; IO3: Guidelines for teachers in order to educate for sustainability through food; IO4: IT Platform “Meet&Learn”; IO5: Certification: Teaching Sustainability Through Food.- 3 Management Meetings → Italy, Bulgaria and Greece.- 6 Multiplier Events → Italy (2), Bulgaria, Spain, Latvia, and Greece.- 1 training mobility for teachers in Italy.- 2 Summer School mobility for students and teachers in Latvia and Greece. There are also two cycles of laboratory activity of sustainability education through food conducted by teachers and addressed to students in the Class Group (10 class hours per year).METHODOLOGY TO BE USED IN CARRYING OUT THE PROJECTThe methodology is based on the PRINCE2 model: the project is organized in several stages, in which the activities, are divided, planned and allocated according to the outputs. The project is divided into 3 Macro-phases: preparation; implementation; closure. The phases of the project are of 2 types: - transversal: Project Management, Dissemination and Follow − up Management; - chronologically vertical: intellectual outputs, training activity abroad.RESULTS AND IMPACT ENVISAGEDResults: - the teachers are able to design educational paths in a school environment, using innovative methods and tools (in particular, the use of the platform “Meet& Learn”), as well as through the confrontation with concrete experiences in local communities of origin; - students are able to develop their own critical thinking with respect to the challenges of food and environment in the course, and to act accordingly; Impact: − the improvement of teaching effectiveness in the field of sustainability through the food in schools partner; - an increase of interest of students and teachers towards the issues related to education for sustainability through food;- the development of language skills, interpersonal, intercultural, planning and problem solving, as well as related to the use of particular tools, and multimedia tools (online platform, video production-documentary, digital photography) on the part of students and teachers.POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITSIn the long term, the project aims to generate the following benefits: - increased teaching effectiveness in the field of sustainability through food, thanks to the diffusion of the proposed model on a large scale (at least on the national territory of the partner); - increased awareness on the part of students and teachers on the topic of sustainability on a large scale (at least in the geographical areas of reference: the Baltic Countries, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans);- greater resourcefulness on the part of students and teachers in implementing individual behaviors and collective actions aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles, respectful of our health and the environment, through food."