Day in, day out, we see the impact of our modern-day way of life on the environment, an impact we have been ingnoring for decades. Luckily more and more people are realizing that we need to act now and that we can all help to reduce our impact on the environment. Today there are challenges for each and everyone of us, in each and every field. More and more hairdressers and beauticians see and feel the growing impact of chemical products not only on the environment but in their private lives as well: on their hands, arms, respiratory tracts, etc. They, sometimes radically, change their path and choose to start working with eco-friendly non-toxic products, followed or urged by their customers. This project directly supports many of the goals in the EU Agenda 2030 for Sustainable development. By developing and taking into use more ecologically friendly methods and substances in the hair and beauty sector we reduce the ecological footprint of the industry at the same time as workers and clients in the hair and beauty sector do not get exposed to toxic or damaging substances. All partners - being reference schools in their own country - share the same ambition to focus on this eco-friendly path as we think it should be our main goal and common duty to prepare the next generation of professional hairdressers and beauticians for the eco-friendly challenges lying ahead. The last two years, in our 'Training Today Tomorrow's ECO Hairdressers' project, we focused on the exchange of good practices and innovative approaches in haircare. Today, as demand, interest and awareness are still growing, all parties feel the need and desire to extend and broaden our project. We would like to introduce an additional partner, Srednja Frizerska Sola in Ljubljana, to join our project, thus adding a lot of expertise and know-how when it comes to hair treatments and the use of natural oils. We would also like to broaden our scope to hair AND skincare as we feel both fields go hand in hand and cannot be seen apart from one another.Our project focuses on two main objectives:- We broaden and deepen knowledge, competences and skills of teachers and students in eco-friendly hair- and skincare. Skillful teachers and learners lead to a modern and professional school environment with integrated good practices and innovative methods and approaches.- Development of new innovative, eco-friendly education courses on 1) Ecological hair colouring, 2) Ecological Haircare and 3) Ecological skincare. We see these programmes as a result of our benchmark, a collection of the best and most recent innovations and practices in both haircolouring/hair and skin treatment.In the first year of this project the first 2 meetings/activities (to be held in Gent in autumn 2020 and Helsinki in spring 2021) will deal with the practical organisation of the other 4 meetings. Two teachers (not necessarily the same) of each school will meet twice to prepare the student workshops/education programmes focusing on the exchange of experience and know-how, the development, transfer and implementation of innovative practices, the practical organisation of the workshops/courses and the concluding dissemination seminar. During the third meeting in the first project year and all 3 meetings during the second project year (to be held in all 4 participating cities) our attention shifts to our learners as we transfer experience, know-how and innovative practices from teachers/experts to learners. Our focus will be on the practical part of the job. It is important for our learners to do, experience, feel, test and treat people in practice. We also take into consideration mixing learners from different cultural backgrounds and emphasize learning of the culture in the spare time at each workshop week. Six students from each school will take part in every new educational course for five days. These vocational education students are primarily aged 17+ and have sufficient English language skills to take part in the project. As we aim to reach a broad dissemination, students cannot take part in project weeks more than once.The impact and long term benefits of our project - and more specifically our education programmes - will lead to:- the increase of quality of education and training, combining higher levels of excellence with increased opportunities for all, bearing in mind it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for the majority of our learners, not in the least from a financial and social-cultural point of view.- education better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market (specifically the sector of hair and skincare) and closer links to (potential) business partners and clients.- improved skills and competences, not only job-related but also entrepreneurship, an increased competence in foreign languages, a greater understanding to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity and last but not least an increased environmental awareness

Small and medium sized businesses in the service sector stands for an increasing part of employment in Europe. Entrepreneurship has been integrated in the curriculum across Europe and is an integrated part of almost all education programmes. Entrepreneurship education and programmes mostly focus on one country and one field. The aim of this project is to develop new innovative business ideas with service design by blending business ideas from five countries; Finland, Holland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden, and three different fields; hairdressing, media and fashion & clothing. The project comprise 7 different schools. About 120 vocational students and 20 teachers will participate in the project.In addition to blending business ideas from different countries and fields the project focus on future skills in sustainable development and circular economy as central themes. A good life is no longer achieved by simply producing more and more goods. How do we move to a circular economy, in which consumption is based on using services – sharing, renting and recycling – instead of owning things?, this is a question that every future entrepreneur should be able to answer (www.sitra.fi). The project also benchmark and develop new methodology and pedagogical tools for entrepreneurship education.A central theme is also aim to increase language skills, promote intercultural communication, develop intercultural sensitivity and teamwork skills for students and teachers participating in the project.