Eldicare 2.0, as the continuation of the Project Eldicare: Matching Skills in a growing European Silver Economy, aims to strengthen the cooperation among sectoral partners on elderly care and educational providers in healthcare, as well as to update the occupational profiles and competencies of professionals in the elderly caregiving sector, by providing a sectoral skills long-term strategy that will tackle skills gaps on the labor market and anticipate future skills. In parallel, its specific objectives include the a) up/reskilling of the elderly care professionals, b) upgrade the existing and emerging Occupational Profiles with up-to-date and essential skills for the elderly care practitioners, c) establishment of a joint methodology for addressing future skills needs, d) enhancement of the quality and the attractiveness of training in the health care sector at a European, National, Regional and Local Level. In order to achieve these objectives, the following activities will be implemented:-Definition of a forward-looking Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy for the elderly care sector-Development of a set of up-to-date Occupational Skills Profiles for elderly care practitioners-Design of modular competence-based training curricula for the reskilling and upskilling of elderly care practitioners based on the new Occupational Profiles-Pilot delivery of Trainings-Offering hands-on solutions to generate long-term impact and sustainability in the elderly care sectorIn the consortium, we are going to involve Educational Providers of Healthcare Trainings (VET & HEI), Market Representatives (elderly care nursing homes, EU Associations) and Partners that provide specific expertise. We are going to train 850 learners, while 60 mobility flows will be implemented. Inter alia, the following results are expected: Blueprint Report on the future Elderly Care Providers, 6 Competence Based Curricula, Policy Recommendations, updated Occupational Profiles in caregiving sector.

"The goal of the project was to innovate the educational curriculum for vocational education of adults - namely managers in social services. The need to implement the project resulted from the growing demands for quality care for the elderly, taking into account demographic changes, population ageing and the specific needs of older people and persons with disabilities in Europe. The original curriculum was administered by the European Association for Directors and Providers of Long-Term Care Services for the Elderly (E.D.E.), which merged with the European Association of Housing and Services for the Ageing (EAHSA) during the project. This created a new umbrella organization called the European Ageing Network (EAN), which is responsible for the accreditations and certificates after successful completion of the new education program. The original curriculum was created in the 1990s and last revised in 2008. This current form was inflexible and did not reflect new trends. It contained 9 modules and the manager had to complete 600 hours of full-time education and 200 hours as e-learning or elaboration of a project plan. The goal of the project was met. A written curriculum was created in a modified structure that is modular, flexible, divides education into 3 levels and at the same time reflects the trends of the 21st century in the field of long-term care. As the modified educational program is offered again throughout Europe (EAN has members in 25 European countries), universal conditions for registration and obtaining the 1st level (BASIC) have been set. The ADVANCED and PROFESSIONAL levels are then ready to reflect more on national specifics and alternative forms of teaching - such as conferences, study trips, seminar work, elaboration of project plans, etc. According to the project application, the expected scope of the curriculum was 30 to 50 pages, however, the final number of pages is 80. This scope therefore exceeded the original expectations. The innovated curriculum was created in cooperation with 7 partners. The partners act either as umbrella organizations in the field of social services or as providers of vocational education of adult. The largest number of partners was from Austria, as it is here that most managers hold the ""original E.D.E. certificate."" The development of the curriculum took place in Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania also with the participation of local experts (directors of social services, professors, local government representatives), who participated in focus groups. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the project had to be extended by 3 months, and the curriculum also took into account the aspect of distance learning, which was the only option in many sectors in 2020. The principle of training according to the new EAN educational curriculum is such that the provider of vocational education offering a course for managers in soc. submit their content (curriculum) to the EAN or the authorized national association and they will compare it with the EAN curriculum. If it is suitable both in terms of content and in terms of time allocation and teaching forms, such an educator is granted accreditation. At the end, the graduates of the education program will receive an internationally valid certificate proving their knowledge, experience and qualifications for the discharge of a leading position in social services facilities. The curriculum is freely available on the Internet in English in two variants: 1) The entire 80-page version - its concept is intended mainly for EAN and national associations (they can assess the quality of education if approved), and 2) a brief version in a promotional brochure format. At the end of the project, the partners organized dissemination conferences and workshops, at which the participants were acquainted with the curriculum itself, as well as with topics that are current and relevant for the social services sector and their management."

CONTEXT/BACKGROUNDRapid digital transformation offers European member states a unique opportunity to turn population ageing into a pathway for growth. The Silver Economy Study of European Commission estimated that by 2060 at least one in three Europeans will be over 65. Moreover, in the Eurostat’s study “Ageing Europe: looking at the lives of older people” it has been underlined that two fifths of people aged 65-74 years old had never used even a computer. Within this context, learning is no longer confined to a specific phase in our lives, but rather it has become a dynamic process covering all stages of life. Bridging the digital divide between generations, is perceived as the potential approach to meet every day needs of older people. ICT4Elders is the answer towards transforming elderly peoples’ lives by improving their well-being as they will be able to use the Internet and access services ultimately aimed for their well-being. Our project proposal fosters innovation by ensuring that elders could have the appropriate information needed. OBJECTIVES (O) (additional to the ones analyzed in the previous section): O1: Promoting ICT education and lifelong learning of older adults;O2: Increasing motivation through guided learning;O3: Give elders the opportunity to progress and have a quality life via active ageing and being drastic members of the societyO4: Provide elder care givers the opportunity to upskill their knowledge and competences in their work fieldO5: Assist Active ageing organizations and nursing home in providing elders and their families services of high qualityTARGET GROUPS 1.Elder care givers & companions 2. VET Trainers3. Elders more importantly those over 704. Families 5. Active Ageing Organizations6. Nursing Homes7. NGOs on social inclusion RESULTS(Countries of implementation: Czech Republic & Greece)1 developed training curriculum for elder care givers and companions1 developed guidance scheme for eldersMore than 60 elders are going to participate in the guidance provisionAt least 20 elders participated in the social experiement More than 500 elders are going to benefit from the projectMore than 60 elder care givers are going to have been trained on the features of the ICT4Elders framework, using the training scheme developed through this project.IMPACTElderly People • Acquisition of new skills & competences necessary for following the changes of everyday life in the age of Information • Tools for understanding the harms and dangers of the Internet and the creation of coping mechanisms with fraud such as fake news, scum and hate rhetoric • A pathway to Social Inclusion, through taking advantage of the opportunities the Internet provides, for socializing and interacting with other people • Confidence boost in handling everyday tasks and activities that include a good understanding of digital applications • Protection of this vulnerable demographic group from various harms (health issues) with the use of modern technological innovations that they can use as self-help mechanisms Partners organisations Nursing homes• Create better working relations, links and networking opportunities with other organisations increased both nationally and at European level • Establish a staff with increased skills and competences to assist elder people• Elderly care institutions have access to an integration training method for the Social Inclusion of the elderly in a society dominated by the internet • Sectoral stakeholders get direct access to well-trained elderly care providers, meeting their standards and tested in practice • Sectoral stakeholders shift their focus on innovative technologies and digital applications, staying relevant in the market competitionElderly care providers • Acquisition of innovative and practical skills useful for their work via their participation in innovative teaching and learning methods • Possibility of certification to the individuals who successfully complete the project training

<< Background >>Project objective is to create vocational training program for HR managers in social care to supports the inclusion of foreign workers in the social care sector who have difficult conditions when entering the labour market, for example due to language and cultural barriers, but also due to the lack of confidence of employers in their ability and prejudices from other employees. The project will seek to remove barriers for integration of foreign workers by preparing guidelines and recommendations, as well as training programs for managers of social care providers. The project seeks to promote equal opportunities and access to well-paid jobs for foreign workers working in social care area.<< Objectives >>The project focuses on educating employer representatives, such as manager and HR managers of social care providers employing foreign workers to be able to understand specific need foreign workers have and to know how to approach those needs.The training program will be developed in two ways. First will be an online version. This version will be more basic to be suitable for an online environment, but will contain an online testing and if successfully passed, it will generate a certificate. An online training program will be designed in 5 language mutations and placed on the web site of the project to be easily accessible to all who are interested across Europe. It will include video tutorials, examples of good and bad practice, etc. to be as useful as possible. Second will be a vocational curriculum for a full-time teaching with recommended length of 8 to 16 hours of interactive teaching plus 4 hours of individual mentoring. When both training programs are finished, they will be “tested”.<< Implementation >>The outcomes contributing to the specific objective of the project will be: a) Analysis in partner countries (PR 1); b) Guidelines and recommendations (PR 2); c) New training programs (online and full-time for managers, HR managers and HR agencies (PR 3).<< Results >>This project’s objectives are to contribute to inclusion of foreign workers creating 3 tools that will help CEO, HR managers and managers to approach foreign workers, to understand their specific needs, help them to become a recognized member of the “core team”, be integrated in the labour market and gain and raise all needed skills. The tools are: Creation of guidelines and recommendations, online training program, and full-time vocational training program curriculum in 5 languages.

<< Objectives >>The Europe Fit for the Digital Age priority sets an ambitious plan for the digital transformation of modern societies. However, digital literacy and access to digital services becomes a need with social relevance, amplifying social inequalities and the marginalization of older persons who lack digital literacy. This project aims to introduce a rigorous human rights framework in the training activities within informal settings for digital literacy among older persons.<< Implementation >>The St@ndByMe project aims to support practitioners in the field of adult education (i.e., teaching older persons the use of ICTs) and care (especially long-term care) in professionalizing their work according to the European human rights framework for digital inclusion in older age. The proposed activities include a variety of training activities for practitioners, educational material that can support their work, an enhanced community of practise, field-testing the resources, and dissemination<< Results >>Through the proposed activities, the St@ndByMe project aims to a strengthened and more skilled community of practitioners that implement in informal settings training activities for ICT skills development to older persons, within rigorous human rights framework for the underlying training activities. Indirectly, the project aspires a more effective social participation of older persons within digitalized societies by paying attention to their human rights in digitalization.