Crafts act as an important buffer in economic downturns and play a central role in providing VET on the job, both highly relevant for the transition from education to employment and to ensure a qualified workforce. In the last two decades, some traditional Crafts have declined due to mass production and rising consumerism. Others have evolved, embracing the digital age, particularly in marketing their products and engaging with new clients, collaborators and audiences. Furthermore, the traditional distance between craft sectors and ICT technologies is disappearing. The new generation of high tech digital tools and cutting edge machinery, like 3D printers, is transforming and leading the applied arts and craft sectors to a new digital age. To lead this transformation Europe needs to count with skilled handicraft teachers and trainers, equipped with the necessary competencies and resources to integrate these digital tools into innovative ICT based teaching and learning practices. VET teachers and trainers in craft sectors are usually handicraft professionals with expertise in their respective areas, and teaching in VET craft courses is frequently a secondary occupation. In many EU countries, initial teaching education is not compulsory for these VET teachers and trainers or some minimum training is required. They tend to acquire their teaching competencies through their teaching practice or through some continuous VET courses on train the trainers, usually not adapted to the specific needs of teaching crafts. The situation with regard to the training on ICT-based teaching skills is even worst, due to this lack of training opportunities and because many traditional Crafts do not use ICT and, as a result, neither handicraft teachers and trainers use ICT for teaching VET. The consequence is a lack of innovative ICT-based teaching practices in traditional handicraft VET, losing all the potential benefits of using ICT in education. The aim of this project has been to support the professional development of handicraft teachers and trainers in Europe in their transition to the digital age by improving their teaching competencies on innovative VET education through ICT based methods and tools. The project has prepared handicraft teachers and trainers to adapt also their teaching practice to the next generation of high tech digital tools and cutting edge machinery, like 3D printers, vinyl cutters or laser cutting and engraving. To this purpose, an alliance of Craft sectors organizations and VET experts and providers from 7 countries (Greece, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and United Kingdom) have worked together to lead the project and co-create and test the following innovative methods and freely accessible OER: - A European ECVET Curriculum (IO1) on ICT skills for teaching Crafts. - Training Modules (IO2) on ICT based teaching methods specifically adapted for Crafts. - An innovative Mobile Instructional Learning APPs (IO3) designed to train handicraft trainers and teacher to use and design their own Mobile Learning APPs (IO5) for teaching Crafts. - A Multilingual e-learning platform (IO4), with innovative e-Learning courses and OER on ICT-based teaching methods for Crafts. - A Guide for validation, certification & accreditation (IO6) of innovative teaching learning methods through ICT in VET for craft sectors in Europe. Handicraft teachers and trainers are the main target users of the project products and final beneficiaries are craftsman students, learners and apprentices. During the life time of CRAFTS 3.0 project, the partnership have directly involved 99 handicraft teachers and trainers (32 partners staff / 42 experts involved / 25 target users in pilots), 125 I-VET and C-VET craftsman students, learners and apprentices (in pilots) and 500 stakeholders. A wider audience of more than 1000 recipients has been reached at local, regional, national and European level through all the partnes dissemination activities. The project applies European frameworks and instruments, like EQF, ECVET, EQAVET, Europass and EPALE, to promote and boost transparency and recognition of competences and qualifications, transnational mobility and the transferability of the project outputs to other Craft and VET organizations at local, regional, national and European level, with the support and active cooperation of a network of key associated partners and relevant stakeholders involved during the project. CRAFTS 3.0 supports the professional development of handicraft teachers and trainers in order to improve their teaching competencies in innovative education through ICT. The project has proved to have a direct impact in the improvement of the ICT skills of handicraft teachers and trainers. The long term impact envisaged is a strengthening of the VET system and programmes to fully exploit the potential benefits of ICT to support the transition of handicraft teachers and trainers to the Digital Age in Europe.

Crafts and SMEs act as an important buffer in economic downturns and are much more reluctant to dismiss employees in difficult times. Crafts also play a central role in providing VET on the job, both highly relevant for the transition from education to employment and to ensure a qualified workforce.At the same time, a lack of innovative schemes to valorise the know-how and experience of senior craft persons has been identified in South and Mediterranean countries, together with the need to foster professionalism of younger generations, to ensure that valuable skills are not left to disappear.The last two decades some traditional crafts have declined due to mass production and rising consumerism, leading to a devaluing of craft as a practice and reduced sharing of traditional crafting skills. Others have evolved, embracing the digital age, particularly in marketing their products and engaging with new clients, collaborators and audiences.Based on this previous diagnosis carried out by the project partners, there is a clear need to: (i) transfer the know-how of the older generations of craft practitioners to a new generation of craft learners, on one hand, and (ii) improve the use of digital technologies in the sector, what requires to improve the digital competences of both practitioners and learners, on the other.An Intergenerational Learning approach combined with the use of smart and friendly digital technologies to support the teaching learning process could be the common pedagogical answer to meet the two previous needs. It could be also a good option to improve and extend the supply of high quality learning opportunities tailored to the needs of individual low-skilled or low-qualified adults, enhancing at the same time their digital competences.Furthermore, according to the New priorities for European cooperation in education and training, validation of non-formal and informal learning, as well as facilitation of transparency and comparability of qualifications across Europe, should be promoted. The aim of RENEVAL project is to design new training pathways in craft sectors based on intergenerational learning, putting in contact craft professionals with low-qualified young adults in order to offer, to both of them, new opportunities for the up-skilling and validation of competencies, supported by accessible and easy to use digital tools, including game-based learning apps and multimedia tools, like video tutorials and video case studies. To do so, an alliance of 6 organizations representing Craft sectors and Adult Education experts and providers from 5 countries (FR, PT, SP, GR and IE) will work together to design and co-create new training contents and innovative digital tools addressed to Adult Educators in order to support Intergenerational Learning and validation of skills in craft sectors through digital technologies, including:- A Training Curriculum on intergenerational learning and validation of skills in craft sectors (IO1)- A Digital Gamification Tool (IO2) and a Digital Assessment Tool (IO3)- A Training Tool and Evaluation Method (IO4) - A Set of Instructional Videos (IO5)Target users of RENEVAL are adult educators and the project will involve directly 73 (18 partners staff /30 experts involved / 25 target users in pilots). Target beneficiaries are low-qualified young adults and adult craft professionals, and 200 will participate in the project. 450 stakeholders will be directly involved and at local, regional, national and European level. The project will reach a minimum audience of 1000 recipients through the project dissemination activities.The low-qualified young adults will find new and motivating ways to learn, tailored to their needs, and to acquire skills for jobs in the craft sectors, developing, at the same time, employability skills for their social and labour inclusion. On the other hand, the adult craft professionals will have the chance to improve their digital skills by learning to use and apply digital tools to support young adults in their learning pathways. The project will use European frameworks, such as EQF and ECVET, to promote new learning pathways and boost transparency, recognition and mobility in Europe. Key Craft and Adult Education stakeholders involved in the project will support the dissemination of products and mainstreaming of final results. Adult educators and other personnel will develop their competences and will count with innovative tools to support adult learners through Intergenerational Learning and validation of skills in craft sectors through digital technologies.The envisage long term impact of the project will be a strengthening of the Digital skills and the Adult Education systems in Europe

<< Background >>The furniture sector is a very relevant industry within the EU, composed mainly by SMEs. Industry 4.0 and the related digital transformation have a strong impact on this sector, as they imply a series of challenges and significant changes along its whole value chain. To transform this into real opportunities we need companies able to successfully design, lead, implement their digital transformation. There is a clear lack within the furniture sector of managers able to carry out these tasks.<< Objectives >>DITRAMA aims to produce a new joint curriculum for the Digital Transformation Manager new occupational profile; create the related training materials; and deliver an open, online, interactive training course. Workers and students will acquire knowledge and skills needed by EU SMEs to successfully understand, lead and carry out the digital transformation within their company and facilitate the SME to exploit the opportunities it offers. It aims as well to strengthen sectoral collaborations.<< Implementation >>Twelve partners, following knowledge and skills needs fine-tuning, produced a new joint curriculum for the Digital Transformation Manager and validated it among sector stakeholders. They delivered the related training materials and an interactive and innovative MOOC. They tested it through an open Pilot Course and collected the feedback for its adjustment and improvement. They organized multiplier events and a successful large online final event for results presentation and dissemination.<< Results >>DITRAMA successfully involved along the project hundreds of experts and stakeholders to deliver a validated joint curriculum for the Digital Transformation Manager and produced an innovative MOOC with 100 training pills and customizable training paths for EQF 4 & 5, which was tested by 384 learners in a pilot course. Involving EU sector stakeholders, it created the DITRAMA National Networks and established long-term collaborations within them and with other ongoing sectoral initiatives (ALLVIEW)

FUNES [FUrniture New European Skills 2020] has stemmed from a latent need that wood and furniture companies are enduring. In the last 10 years, there has been a vast myriad of changes related to globalization, new ways of working, new consumer habits, product customization, etc. The rationale of the project was to solve this need that current and future workers bereft of, which was covering those skills that they are in need of acquiring, in order to develop a work with a optimum level of quality and standards required by their companies, due to new scenarios.Consequently, the aims of the project were to determine the emerging skills demanded by companies in the furniture industry regarding new scenarios, as well as developing an e-learning training material that will be facilitated to the target in order to achieve these new skills. As regards the partnership, it was ambitiously composed by seven multidisciplinary participants that create altogether an initiative with synergy: AIDIMME (Spain) and COSMOB, (Italy) which are Technology Institutes specialized in the wood and furniture sector, specialization that also shares the Technology Institute ITD (Poland), focused on the wood sector; Vocational Education and Training Centres, such as and CFPIMM (Portugal); Enaip Lombardia Foundation (Italy), an acknowledged training agency that delivers a wide variety of high quality training courses and services for the workforce; FEVAMA, a business association in the wood and furniture sector; and InnovaWood (Belgium), which is an umbrella organisation that integrates four European networks in the Forest, Wood-based and Furniture industries into a more effective mechanism to support innovation in these sectors. Thereupon, these activities carried out: - European mapping of the current situation in the furniture industry;- Definition and development of future scenarios; - Compilation of those skills demanded by companies in the furniture sector in the new scenarios;- Development of a self-assessment skills system; - E-learning training course;- Pilot test;- Pilot testing results and improvements.These activities will lead to European analyses and studies about what concerns the wood and furniture skills in the future scenarios, as well as potential training course with its validated pilot test with target members. The methodology used was through questionnaires for the research activities; an e-learning course hosted in a training Moodle platform for elaboration the training course and pilot testing.The impact envisaged has been multiple. From the sectoral point of view, this project has facilitated the knowledge that will constitute those new competencies that the current and futures workers of the furniture sector need to have to face new challenges, in the same way to the furniture Vocational Education and Training. This project provides information on the new needs of the market of work in the case of the furniture sector. The training material allows workers to expand their knowledge, and with this information, FUNES is promoting PROFESIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPORTUNITIES, leading to establish future strategies or activities that will allow companies to undertake in order to face prospective scenarios.

The EU furniture manufacturing industry makes a significant contribution to the European economy: 1 million jobs in 120.000 enterprises, mainly micro and small sized, generating an annual turnover of around € 100 billion. Although EU furniture manufacturers have good reputation worldwide regarding design, only a few companies are trendsetters while most of companies, especially SMEs, are followers. In the highly- competitive context that furniture companies are facing, they need to be more creative and entrepreneur, meaning not only starting new businesses but being able to commercialize new valuable products and services. The main objective of FACET project was the development of new and innovative methods to further strengthening creativity and entrepreneurship in VET programs in the furniture sector, both for initial VET and continuous VET and having into account work-based learning. The new training improved the ability to generate ideas, to come to better ideas and to turn ideas into action in order to achieve real and valuable products/services/business models. Target groups of the project are: • Professionals in the furniture industry dealing with innovation (Designers, CEO, marketing managers) • Design, wood engineering and business students • Teachers of design, business and furniture-sector related VET programmes The project consortium was a combination of furniture sector industries associations (DID and ACN); furniture-related VET providers (CFPIMM, UNIFI and UTBV); an entity which is both a furniture industries association and VET provider, who has also experience in creativity and entrepreneurship application in the furniture sector (CENFIM); a consulting and training company with expertise in entrepreneurship and in the recognition and validation of learning outcomes (EUROCREA); and an ICT company experienced in e-learning and gamification for training (CCS). Additionally, UEA (European Furniture Manufacturers Federation) is committed to collaborate in the project dissemination as an associated partner. The project developed intellectual outputs regarding creativity, entrepreneurship and their application in the furniture sector which were and are free accessible from the project website: - Curricula - Online course - Work based learning tool - Guide for trainers The project started from the study of the qualifications and occupations of the furniture sector in order to define learning outcomes to be covered by the furniture sector creativity and entrepreneurship curricula, with the feedback from furniture industries employees. Then, the curriculum was created defining units in detail: generic title, ESCO profiles/qualifications, EQF Level, learning outcomes, procedures and criteria for assessment and ECVET points. Once the curriculum was ready FACET Online Course was developed creating the contents, transforming them into interactive learning objects and games, integrating them in an e-learning platform, implementing a badges system. A final test was run with target users, collecting their feedback and improving the output accordingly. A work based learning tool was also created and a badges system was implemented for the recognition of skills as the tool is being used. A final test was run with target users, collecting their feedback and improving the tool according to the test results. A guide for trainers was developed explaining how to use both the online course and the tool for training and how to assess the corresponding learning outcomes, including best practices collected from the outputs’ tests. Once all project outputs were created, partners held dissemination workshops in their countries in order to spread the results of the project and to get feedback from stakeholders. Additionally, during all the project lifetime wide dissemination was performed and also an exploitation & sustainability strategy was developed, together with the project management. It was foreseen to involve some of the target users directly in different activities in the project: to give feedbacks, to test the online course, to test the work based learning tool and to involve people to participate in workshops in order to know the project’s intellectual outputs and give their feedback. As the main result we got increased innovation in the furniture industry and improved level of skills that favour innovation and employability in the sector among furniture professionals at local, regional and national level. FACET training fostered creativity and entrepreneurship skills of professionals of furniture companies, resulting in new products which are in line with the changing population structure, lifestyles and trends, as well as in new business models and supplier-consumer relationships.