BACKGROUND & CHALLENGES3D printing is a cornerstone of the industrial shift towards advanced manufacturing, creating opportunities for employment, value creation, and reallocation of manufacturing production back to Europe. As is the case with any disruptive technology, new needs for skills and qualifications are emerging; 3D printing requires skilled blue-collar employees in manufacturing (i.e. technicians & operators) to acquire new competences. In spite of this, the development of skills required to enter the 3D printing job market is not currently supported by VET programs and apprenticeships that can lead to certification, and applied 3D printing skills remain unavailable to most VET job profiles.AIMThe project tackled this challenge by supporting VET provision to equip technicians & operators with 3D printing skills. The needs of VET providers, learners, employees, and the sector were addressed by: a) matching skill supply with demand, b) increasing employees' employability, performance and job security, and c) strengthening the EU manufacturing sector by valorising investments in 3D printing through a skilled workforce.OBJECTIVES1) to support VET provision of 3D printing skills with guides, resources, OERs, and a hands-on training methodology.2) to identify new occupational profiles in the manufacturing sector, 3) to facilitate and accelerate the integration of new skills and qualifications in VET.4) to contribute to the implementation of EU policies on qualifications, transparency, mobility, and a European Industrial Renaissance, creating secure and sustainable jobs.THE 3D PRISM PARTNERSHIPThe partnership comprised 5 organisations from 5 countries from the world of VET, the manufacturing sector, the EU skills & qualifications accreditation field, as well as learning innovation specialists. The University of Sheffield-Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (USFD-AMRC) leads the research on additive manufacturing and on-the-job training. FLORIDA University is an expert in designing and delivering VET programs and courses. The European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) represents the needs and workplace realities of the manufacturing sector at EU-level. EXELIA is an expert in R&D and delivery of innovative ICT-based methodologies for VET. CIMEA is a public authority active in the recognition of qualifications. ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGY1. Original desk and field research, following the ESCO taxonomy and approach, to develop occupational profiles.2. Definition of learning outcomes, knowledge and topics, program structure and development of a hands-on training methodology to produce VET guidelines for 3D printing jobs in the manufacturing sector.3. Development of learning units, video materials, ICT-based materials and OERs for VET provision on 3D printing skills.4.Involvement of public authorities for the certification & accreditation of 3D printing skills5. Sharing and validation of outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake 3D PRISM results and act as further disseminators.RESULTS & IMPACT1. A compendium of existing and emerging 3D printing occupational profiles in the manufacturing sector, to support VET providers in advancing and developing new offerings and to supplement national and EU-level labour market research.2. A VET programs and courses guide for 3D printing occupations in the manufacturing sector, to improve the labour market relevance of VET provision across Europe.3. 3D PRISM learning units and resources for initial and continuous VET programs on 3D printing manufacturing jobs, to improve the quality of VET provision and provide learners with access to materials to improve their skills and thus employability.4. A recommendations paper and a consultation & action plan for VET providers and public regulatory authorities, to lay the ground for follow-up activities on the certification and accreditation of 3D printing skills courses and occupational profiling.5. An exhibition event in the largest sectoral event in Europe (EMO 2017), two demonstration workshops and three infodays, to reach, train, and involve target groups.POST-PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY1. Development of new training programs and courses based on 3D PRISM outputs by VET providers across the EU.2. Participation of a growing number of initial and continuous VET learners in courses based on 3D PRISM outputs.3. Expansion of the strategic partnership towards a network of collaborating VET and manufacturing stakeholders to reinforce the ties between VET provision and the labour market.4. Further maturing and development of certification & accreditation policies influenced by 3D PRISM recommendations.

BACKGROUND & CHALLENGESThe trend within the European manufacturing sector towards Advanced Manufacturing systems has highlighted the skill gap between workers’ numerical skills and workplace requirements in modern facilities. Workers nowadays are expected to both understand and perform math calculations, and to have a basic understanding of concepts and processes of algebra and trigonometry. This is evident with the proliferation of Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines and processes. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of candidate and existing workers (approximately 20%) have inadequate numerical skills, failing to meet workplace demands.AIMS & OBJECTIVESThe NAMA project aimed to: a) enhance the numerical skills of candidate and existing workers, and b) increase the relevance of initial and continuous VET with the Advanced Manufacturing sector. Four specific objectives have been set:1. To support existing and future training courses and apprenticeships with the development of guidelines.2. To foster the provision of numerical skills to workers, by developing and making available industry-validated open access educational resources and innovative ICT tools.3. To develop, test, and promote innovative mobile apps for improving numerical skills and support personalised non-formal and informal learning.4. To contribute to the implementation of EU policies on mobility and transparency in qualifications.THE NAMA PARTNERSHIPThe NAMA partnership comprised 5 organisations from both the world of VET and Advanced Manufacturing. The University of Rzeszow (UR) is an expert in mathematics teaching and didactic research. The University of Sheffield - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (USFD-AMRC) leads the research in Advanced Manufacturing processes and job training. The European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) represents sector needs at EU-wide level. PROMEA is an expert in R&D and delivery of innovative ICT-based methodologies for formal & informal learning. The Lifelong Learning Centre of New Technologies in Lodz (CKUNT) has significant experience on post-secondary VET courses and practices, specialising in developing training curricula.ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGYNAMA was engaged in the following activities and methodological approaches:1. Production of VET guidelines with specifications on how to address numerical skills needs in Advanced Manufacturing, through field and desk research, involving members of target groups (learners, VET providers, sectoral stakeholders, & policy-makers).2. Development of learning and (self-)assessment materials for the improvement of numerical skills, fostering both formal and informal learning. The partnership employed an adult learning pedagogy, focusing on the contextualisation of materials with workplace tasks and requirements, under EQF/ECVET standards.3. Involvement of policy-makers for the certification & accreditation of numerical skills, through the endorsement of NAMA results by sectoral stakeholders. 4. Sharing and validation of outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake NAMA results and act as further disseminators.RESULTS & IMPACTThe NAMA project has had the following results and corresponding impact: 1. A VET guidelines report and Handbook for trainers to increase the relevance of VET offerings with the labour market, supporting the offerings of VET providers.2. Four sets of learning units, a Massive Open Online Course, and 2 mobile apps to empower initial and continuous VET learners with numerical skills required in the workplace, and motivate low-skilled adults/early school leavers to seek participation in VET.3. An exhibition event in the largest sectoral event in Europe - EMO 2015 and focused meetings promoting the NAMA results (Info Days and Training Pilots).4. A Memorandum of Understanding endorsed by 27 sectoral stakeholders, and a sectoral position paper which was read by 17 policy-makers, supporting their sector-related VET policies.POST-PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY1.Development of new training courses based on NAMA materials from VET providers across the EU.2.Participation of a growing number of initial and continuous VET learners in courses based on NAMA outputs.3.Expansion of the strategic partnership towards a network of collaborating VET and Advanced Manufacturing stakeholders, including enterprises, in-house training centers, and large VET providers with manufacturing infrastructures, to reinforce the ties between education and the labour market.4.Further maturing and development of certification and accreditation policies influenced by NAMA recommendations.

GREEN – GreeneR EuropEan vet Network proposal aims to identify, develop, test and assess innovative policy approaches for a “Greener” education that have the potential of becoming mainstreamed among systems, countries and contexts, to improve education and training systems, as well the effectiveness of policies and practices in the field of education and training across 6 industrial sectors (Automotive, Energy, Batteries, Defence, Maritime and Additive Manufacturing).GREEN will contribute to foster Green skills in the VET sector, by setting core green skills for the labour market and support the green transition across different economic sectors, by integrating this set into VET curricula as well as into training of teachers and trainers and professional development.Through the twinning of entities working on education, training, research, policy making and industry, GREEN will be capable of gathering the needs and best practices from different perspectives to enable the recovery and just transitions to digital and green economies, thus promoting innovation, creativity and participation, as well as social entrepreneurship in different fields of education and training and across industrial sectors towards the Green Transition. Transnational cooperation and mutual learning on forward-looking issues will be established amongst key stakeholders, empowering them to develop innovative solutions and promote the transfer of those solutions in new settings. Other specific aims are: to change mind-sets and prepare the workforce from different sectors within a multidisciplinary green and digital scope; to develop a cutting-edge Green curriculum, with teaching and learning methodologies that meet the industry needs; to develop student-centred approaches and flexible educational pathways; to boost a cross-fertilization of knowledge among universities, VETs and enterprises; to boost innovation in manufacturing, especially related with Circular Economy and Sustainability.

The MachinE Tool ALliance for Skills (METALS) intended first to map out and identify skills needs in the European machine tool sector, studying which technology areas would become more prominent and where more competences would be needed. Second, it aimed at preparing online learning materials in line with the emerging technologies identified.To this extent, in the initial phase of the project, the consortium conducted surveys, interviews with experts and desk research and concluded that additive manufacturing is a technology area that would prominently impact on the skill set of the European machine tool workforce between 2015 and 2025. On the basis of these findings, the consortium then prepared a European machine tool skills panorama concretely presenting skills needs in key areas of the advanced manufacturing process (such as design, operation and maintenance) within this time span This panorama paved the ground for the development of a curriculum on additive manufacturing at EQF level 5, whose final version included 27 learning units (26 in the English version) divided along three main knowledge areas: work process-oriented area, additive manufacturing-specific area and entrepreneurship-oriented area. Based on this curriculum, METALS partners prepared e-learning materials meant to address the current and future skills gaps in the European machine tool industry, particularly in relation to additive manufacturing technologies. These learning materials were prepared with significant focus on clearly defined learning outcomes and made freely available in English, Italian, German and Spanish in the project e-learning platform (https://metals.mobil-lernen.com/en/elearning). The array of project results has been endorsed by a variety of leading actors in this community, including additive manufacturing machine producers and universities.