<< Background >>The emerging “new” world sweeps away the “old economy” setting a prevailing role for innovation and ICT. SMEs, despite comprising the backbone of EU economy and playing a vital role for its growth and development, are in the midst of this global transition towards a digital and green economy and society lagging behind its tremendous benefits and potential, especially for the micro & small ones and the self-employed. This digital gap has increased inequalities allowing for an increased inclusiveness gap since SMEs make the most of the industrial fabric in many EU countries creating the majority of jobs and being the cement of inclusive and sustainable societies. COVID-19 pandemic has further hindered traditional ways of doing business highlighting their vulnerability and increasing the necessity and pace for change and adaptation to the distance economy disruption apart from the challenges posed by the digital transformation of the emerging 4th Industry Revolution. This unpreparedness of SMEs to harness the potential benefits in productivity and competitiveness deriving from adopting digital technologies for inclusive growth results from their lack of support and orientation to identify their needs or the value proposition and understand the potential game changer the digital ecosystem provides. SMEs are often not aware of innovation potentials, struggle to understand what to digitalize, which technology to use, how to prioritize goals, and which organizational changes (e.g. skills and roles) are required. This highlights the need for systematic guidance through support units.<< Objectives >>Against this context, enabling self-employed, micro & SMEs’ digitalisation with supportive strategies for their introduction and orientation has become centrepiece for inclusive growth in EU. Roadmaps providing step-by-step guidance through the digital ecosystem landscape from simple technologies such as e-commerce, e-invoicing and e-payment to more interconnected systems such as e-platforms and digital marketing and further forward to the new generation of technologies such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Augmented Reality and Robotics with simple, concrete and practical examples and micro-learning experiences can be viewed as top priority and urgent catalyst for uplifting the barriers and constraints SMEs face to grow digitally and optimise their capacity for skills and resources for their digital enablement. #SMEsGoDigital project strategic objectives if to provide this supportive ecosystem in the form of a Tech hub, a one-stop-place for stakeholders providing awareness, orientation and digital competence to guide our target groups, micro & SMEs manpower and self-employed through their digital transformation of their business models.<< Implementation >>The project will deliver four main Project Results (PRs) consisting of a number of tasks and subtasks framed by three multiplier events in the form of Thematic Workshops aligned with certain PRs for feedback and dissemination purposes and the Final Conference for maximization of the project’s impact.The PRs to be developed for #SMEsGoDigital tool are as follows:1.Design of #SMEsGoDigital tool•Design of the #SMEsGoDigital online platformoDefinition of requirements with focus group discussions and extant research identified through literature review;oBlueprint of the online portal functionalities answering the stakeholders’ needs as mapped; •Design of the supportive orientation programmeoDefinition of three-level roadmap towards digital transformation, basic, standard and advanced, with incremental stepwise benchmarksoDefinition of digital transformation mapping criteria and design of digital readiness self-assessment questionnaire •Design of incremental stepwise micro-learning experiences oCompetence-based course design for the SMEs professionals (management and employees) continuous professional development of digital skills and awareness of current trends based on bite-size, practical, real-life examples, scenarios and best practices ->Multiplier Event: Workshop with micro and small SME’s manpower and self-employed to validate the requirements and the blueprint process 2.Development of the #SMEsGoDigital tool•Development of the #SMEsGoDigital online portal•Development of supportive orientation programme•Development of digital skills and awareness e-course->Multiplier Event: Workshop with micro & SMEs and self-employed professionals and stakeholders for feedback on the PR2 deliverables and participatory action plan invitation 3.Piloting of the #SMEsGoDigital tool->Multiplier Event: Workshop with micro & SMEs and self-employed professionals and stakeholders for participatory action plan with applicable implementation of innovation1.Sustainability & Exploitation plan framed with Policy Recommendations->Multiplier Event: Workshop with micro & SMEs and self-employed professionals and stakeholders for launching the #SMEsGoDigital tool (Final Conference)<< Results >>#SMEsGoDigital project is a dedicated online tool tailored to the SMEs requirements for guidance, skills and resources to fuel capitalisation on their digital business models and processes transformation fociusing on the micro and small enterprises and self-employed. An online Tech hub initiative which aspires to develop a single point of entry for businesses combining a competence centre with the required resources for the digital gap via micro-learning experiences to help SMEs to understand and implement Digital Transformation initiatives and practical sector specific orientation provision in one convenient online location providing a holistic ecosystem. This tool will offer a one-stop portal which will combine a platform with resources for knowledge, skills and competences to incrementally develop the SMEs’ digital literacy culture which actually synergises with their practical day-to-day activities and sectorial roadmaps with sequential feasible objectives detecting the current state of readiness for the digital transition and a mix of quick-wins as well as sustainable innovations resulting from their digital upskilling.The digitalisation roadmap via #SMEsGoDigital tool will support and complement digital adoption and diffusion as it will:-create a three-level digitalisation track guide, basic, standard and advanced, to set the foundations for sectorial roadmaps to follow for incrementally increasing the digital capacity;-provide supportive and practical orientation with a digital transformation plan consisting of a readiness questionnaire, current trends awareness with real-life examples and implementation tangible goals demonstration; -increase digital literacy and culture with the upskilling of management and employees depending on the company positioning along the digital transformation roadmap;-offer micro-learning trajectories through participative action plans for stepwise clearly defined and feasible goals towards strategic benchmarks;-foster the transition from brick-and mortar to digital business required for the new distance, digital and green economy-ensure inclusive growth

"The European Council in its informal meeting in January 2012 agreed that Member States should increase ""substantially the number of apprenticeships and traineeships to ensure that they represent real opportunities for young people, in cooperation with social partners and where possible integrated into education programmes"". In addition, according to the newly adopted ""European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships"" (October 2017), European Commission identifies 14 key criteria that Member States and stakeholders should use to develop quality and effective apprenticeships. Among the specific criteria, is made a concrete reference on the necessity to exist a specific procedure for teachers, trainers and in company mentors to ""update their skills and competences in order to train apprentices according to the latest teaching and training methods and labour market needs"". In-company WBL mentors are in the core of quality WBL. However, in-company WBL mentors, in most European countries, lack standardized support and guidance which will set the expectations and boundaries clarifying and ensuring their successful contribution in the learning process. Thereby it poses administrative barriers to achieving the EU's targets for the promotion of a coordinated, unified network system on vocational education and the targets of the LLL-program to bolster cross-border mobility of workers. Based on the above and also the identification of the WBL needs and gaps by NetWBL, there is a significant need for the development of standards and qualifications identifying certain knowledge, skills and competences providing adequate assessment that will lead to valid certification ensuring quality in-company WBL mentorship by enterprises providing apprenticeships and internships. This proposal aims to: -develop ECVET compliant qualifications for trans-sectoral vocational skills, knowledge and competences necessary for qualifying high quality in- company WBL mentorship -boost the skills of in- company WBL mentors, while recognising prior learning which is now underdeveloped and non-qualified, through on-line training based on innovative learner-centred approaches incorporating the use of ICT -develop VET business partnerships for ensuring labour market relevance through high quality WBL provision from companies and accessibility to continuing VET learning -enhance, through a European certification scheme for workplace mentors based on a European skill card for mentors, transparency, recognition and validation of skills and qualifications via innovative e-assessment methods through the development of an online platform dedicated to competences examination -enhance prior learning facilitating the transition from education to work. Under the aforementioned rationale, #Mentor4WBL@EU project's partners were chosen based on their previous or current EU projects' involvement, their skill sets and their ability to deliver the project outputs. The consortium is composed by partners experienced in EU-projects such as, employers organizations (IME GSEVEE), public authorities (OAED), Certification bodies (EFCoCert), SMEs (ViaSyst and C4FF), Universities (BAU) and VET providers (IEK Aigaleo). The methodology followed by the project aims in the fulfillment of a twofold target. The first, to assure the validity and acceptability of project's results among the partners. The specific procedure will be guaranteed through the creation of a Steering Committee composed of project's partners, that will meet on a regular basis (e.g. managerial meetings, virtual workspace). The second to involve as many related stakeholders as possible, in order project's outputs to gain in validity and expertise. Thus, three multiplier events (i.e. United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece) and a final conference (Greece) will take place, in order a broader debating procedure to be implemented. In the framework of the project a number of IOs will be produced: -Course and Syllabus design for WBL mentors -Mentor Certification Scheme -E-course content development and platform -IT platform for online competence certification -Testing of the training and of the certification scheme -Exploitation report Finally and based on the previous mentioned activities, project's main impact can be summarized as follows: -development of skills and competences of in company WBL mentors -Improving the quality of apprenticeship and traineship -Transform of SMEs into quality WBL venues -Boosting of the ""culture"" of cooperation, LLL and certification for in-company trainers based on a common methodology -usage and dissemination of e-learning platform (and course) by the involved partners within national level -certification of mentor competences available in all Europe; - increase number of mobilities of certified mentors in Europe; - exploitation of the mentor certification scheme manual and of the e-assessment platform by other stakeholders (e.g. PCBs, national relevant authorities);"

"The project ""Apprenticeship Inter-network: Bringing together VET institutions and enterprises through a Network of Career Hubs"" (AppInternN) aims to strengthen the links between Apprenticeship, VET and corporate responsibility, inviting employers to offer apprenticeships and jobs to VET students and graduates, as well as share information about the national and international labour markets' state-of-play, current skill requirements and occupational/sectoral developments (including such key issues as reskilling and upskilling). Employers can thus play an active role in the preparation of students and graduates for their future careers. The project is focused on the creation of an online platform titled ""Apprenticeship Inter-Network"", which will host three national Career Hubs (Greek, Italian, and Spanish). Each Career Hub (CH) will facilitate the students' and graduates' search for apprenticeships or jobs through relevant databases, enhance their competences and skills by offering guidance and organizing or announcing special events (seminars, webinars, information events, study visits, presentations, job fairs, etc.), support their contact and collaboration with employers and other labour market stakeholders, ensure their familiarization with important sectoral issues, etc. It is to be noted that, within the context of the project, VET-related institutions and associations, social partner institutes, Municipalities, and Chambers will contribute to the efficiency of Career Hubs by inviting local enterprises, employers and employer associations to join the CH databases in order to be directly networked with apprentices, graduates and future employees. A particularly innovative aspect of the project consists in the establishment of a new intermediary role: that of the “Business Ambassadors”, namely established professionals, employers or other business staff members who will inform/advise students and graduates on current labour market needs and trends, occupational “problem-solving”, business development prospects, etc. The Business Ambassadors will support CHs as volunteers, thus demonstrating both their personal and their businesses' interest in corporate social responsibility.Just as importantly, the project will greatly benefit disadvantaged groups of students and graduates, such as disabled young people and young people living in remote geographical areas etc., who have limited access to labour-market information and the labour market itself. The proposed project can thus be said to constitute a genuinely inclusive form of networking and labour market integration.As stated, all three CHs will be interconnected within the framework of a transnational online platform, titled ""Apprenticeship Inter-Network"" (AIN). Users of each national CH (which will be bilingual: EL/EN, IT/EN, ES/EN) will have the chance to be informed about developments in the other two countries, thus ensuring a direct exchange of good practices, expertise, information and knowledge about work-based learning, Apprenticeship, and labour market integration. Moreover, it is a conscious objective of the project partners to see the AppInternN include more EU countries and relevant institutions in its e-community, which will recognize its practical utility and further contribute to the promotion of Apprenticeship as a way of enhancing youth employability throughout the European Union."

The aim of the Live Skills project was to tackle skills gaps in the Creative and Cultural Sector (CCS) and more specifically in the Audio Visual (AV) and Live Performance (LP) sectors and offer new innovative training to upskill students and cultural professionals in the areas of digital and new technologies, arts management and cultural entrepreneurship, responding to current market needs and modernising VET systems in the UK, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. The Live Skills Alliance was composed of a consortium of nine partners across 4 countries - including expert VET providers in the sector, associations of both employers and cultural professionals, a national accreditation and certification body, a cultural organisation and two European wide associated partners. Live Skills project has designed and delivered three comprehensive and innovative vocational education and training programmes for students and professionals in the Audio Visual and Live Performance sectors, after a thorough research which included desk research, surveys, personal interviews and focus groups, as well as evidence-based process and qualitative findings which identified current trends and skills needs in those sectors in the countries in focus. These results fed into the design of the three new training programmes/curricula, which were then tested through a two-stage pilot of courses and seminars following a blended learning methodology and culminated with a number of short work placements in cultural institutions and creative businesses. More than 655 learners have taken part in the training in the four countries and approximately 100 of them have been offered short work placements in about 25 cultural organisations in Bulgaria, Greece and the UK. The curricula have been made available for free use under creative commons licence on the project’s website that will remain operational for two more years in order to reach and impact a maximum number of stakeholders and learners, alongside with all other resources produced at various stages of the project addressed to students, cultural professionals, teachers, VET providers, employers in the sector as well as education authorities and policy makers. These 200+ free resources altogether, make a significant and holistic contribution to modernising VET education in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the UK and boosting the cultural sector’s capacity to grow and respond to current and future market needs.The project also disseminated its outputs through the organisation of information days, participation in events organised by other stakeholders, a final international conference turned into a webinar during the COVID19 confinement, and the organisation of sustainability taster and demonstration workshops and policy symposia during the last phases of the project’s implementation, engaging other VET providers, education authorities and stakeholders at large. More than 5000 people in the EU accessed information and materials via the project’s events, website and social media pages. A robust Quality Assurance mechanism has accompanied the project throughout, and a Quality Assurance report was one of the project’s deliverables. In addition, an Evaluation and Quality Assurance Panel was formed, which had regular meetings, offering reviews and recommendations for every deliverable of the project, ensuring that the three curricula were of high quality and aligned with ECVET and EQAVET and that accreditation and transferability could be pursued further following the official closure of the project. Long-term procedures for Quality Assurance and accreditation of the curricula were among the outputs and will potentially support recognition and accreditation processes beyond the lifespan of the project. Finally, an Evaluation Report was produced by an external independent Evaluator which has followed the project throughout, and which reports very positive assessment of the project’s achievements and its quality.

"The ET 2020 report “New priorities for European cooperation in education and training” affirms that significant and high quality learning requires ""strong support for teachers, trainers, school leaders and staff who have a key role in ensuring the educational success of learners and in the implementation of educational policies "", together with the need to facilitate learning mobility at all levels. VET institutions need to ensure that their trainers and operators can benefit of a qualitative and sustainable training system to guarantee the excellence in training provision. In the last years, EVTA has been focusing on promoting high quality and excellence in VET provision, working with training centres belonging to member organisations of its network to increase the engagement of trainers, professionals and staff by offering them a systematic framework for their qualitative continous professional development. This strategy led to:- the development of the idea of VET Centres of Excellence (VCEs) (http://www.evtaql.eu/), a place where professionally effective, socially relevant, methodologically advanced VET services take place systematically;- the creation of a Network of VET Centres of Excellence (http://www.evtaql.eu/centres-of-excellence-2/), made up of training centres identified within the EVTA and EVBB networks and selected through specific activities;- the publication of a Catalogue of VET Centres of Excellence, an online tool including study visit programmes for VET trainers and operators proposed by VCEs with a structure of seminars, in-company visits, discovery of the excellences in the territory (http://www.evtaql.eu/catalogue/), developed following the idea of CEDEFOP study visit programmes and Go&Learn initiative (http://www.goandlearn.eu/goandlearn/).The project ""European Trainers' Training for Excellence"" intends to reach VET trainers and staff to increase quality and innovation in VET based on the propagation of the VCEs model and the quality and excellence principles all over Europe. The project will pursue the following specific objectives:1. Promoting professional development of VET trainers and operators through the participation to joint staff training events aimed to discover the VCEs and to pilot their training programmes;2. Promoting the exchange of good practices between VCEs to foster transnational partnerships;3. Consolidating and enlarging the VCEs network including new centres and training proposals.The activities will be carried out around the development of Joint Staff Training events, aimed to pilot training circuits proposed by VET institutions and published in the online VCEs Catalogue (http://www.evtaql.eu/catalogue/). During transnational meetings (TMs), the partners will choose 4 training circuits to be visited and tested during joint staff training events (JSTs). Feedback from participants will allow to draft an advice report including an overall evaluation of the initiative as well as suggestions for further improvements to the training circuits already included in the Catalogue and a sample for new circuits from new organisations.Participants to the project are VET practitioners at all level belonging to member organisations of the EVTA network. The consortium counts on 9 partners from 6 EU countries, which are public organisations, private companies, no-profit association and social partners working in the field of VET at different level. The Steering Committee group will be composed by one training coordinator for each partner and responsible for the implementation of the activities, especially for the organization of TMs, JSTs and related preliminary activities. Piloting trainings will be attended by a group of 55 participants among VET trainers and staff of each partner, carefully selected by each partner according to the coherence between their profiles and the proposed training, and to linguistic competences.The project will result in a strengthened relationship between the training centers coordinators of organizations involved in the VCEs network and in its enlargement to new members. Moreover, thanks to the development of pilotings, a first group of VET practitioners will be trained on Quality and Excellence in VET and training circuits in the Catalogue will be generally improved thanks to the results of the feedback analysis.The project will have an impact not only on the organisations and their employees directly involved in the activities, but also on their colleagues in their training centres and of organisations outside the VCEs networks, thanks to the multiplier effect played by the partners. The link between the project aims and the mission of the partner organisation, as well as the enlargement of the VCEs network to new member will ensure the sustainability of the project. Moreover, the training offer promoted through the VCEs Catalogue will be always guaranteed as excellent, being quality at the core of this project."