"""E-tool for assessing the professional competences of Car Mechanics in the context of EU experience"" was an Erasmus+ Strategic partnership for Innovation Project. The Project team represented 5 different European countries and consisted of 5 Transport specialization VET institutions and a HE establishment with Technologies faculty Electrical and Automation Engineering study program. Vilnius Car Mechanics and business school acting as a coordinator, Tartu Kutshairiduskeskus, Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional Someso, Zespol Szkol Samochodowych im. Tadeusza Tanskiego, Rhein-Maas-Berufskolleg and Vilnius College of Technologies and Design as partners created an Innovative open resource for users Europe wide- an E-tool for assessing the professional competences of Car Mechanics in the context of EU experience. The partners having a long term experience in the field of work were well aware of gaps and lacks of up-to-date resources, tools, teaching, training and learning materials. The necessity of having a modern, common European framework Car mechanics competences assessment digital tool that would be Online based, freely accessible and reflecting a multifaceted spectrum of car inspection, diagnostics and repair aspects resulted in this Partnership for this Innovative Product. The E-tool for car mecahnics is available at https://vavm.lt/E-Tool-Car-Mechanics/ . The platform has 7 major content parts: 1. Engine, 2. Transmission, 3. Chassis, 4. Break system, 5. Automobile Comfort, 6. Electronic management system, 7. Electrical engineering. All of the tasks focus on Car inspection, diagnostics and maintenance. The tasks include visualized, video supported features in order to make the Tool effective, clear, suitable for both training purposes and examination/competences testing activities. The Content of the E-tool is in the English language - this makes it more accessible for wider range of users and also serves as a stimulus to increase European Car Mechanics' Foreign Profession language learning and skills. A qualified Car Mechanic's one of the high competence features is knowing a Foreign language (English being the most widely spread) for Automobile technical specifications and diagnostics data comprehension. The wide variety of tasks in each Content part, digitalization of the Tool, quality design and the Product's free access on a website Online makes it an appealing open resource contributing to development of relevant and high-quality skills and competences of European Car mechanics. This became a reality through common effort of international group of this Project's researchers and technicians during 1,5 years of Project's duration. Continuous work on an assigned E-tool Content part in national teams, 4 transnational meetings for Project team of creators, regular virtual meetings, work peer reviews, digitalization of the tasks, 5 multiplier events, Project dissemination, advertising of the E-tool and finally its launching in March of 2020 were the main activities of the Project. The experience accumulated by the partnering organizations, qualified staff of profession teachers and professors allowed for the production of such an E-tool for car mechanics to be a quality one and to become a welcome addition to the treasure trove of resources of Transport sector VET or HE establishments, businesses or individuals. The opportunity to work on the Intellectual Output of this Erasmus+ partnership increased the capacity of the institutions invloved, their learners and staff, but also the whole Transport sector in Europe is positively impacted. The entire network of European VET Transport and namely Car mechanics sector benefits from coming into being of E-Tool for car mechanics that is a computer mouse click or mobile device button click away . Car mechanics and automobile engineering profession teachers, professors, learners of any age or stage of education, Transport businesses are now equipped with a new up-to-date technologically advanced Resource. The E-tool for car mechanics will remain available long term on a website platform due to committment of the Project partners to ensure its sustainability and to work towards its updating in the future years as well. Through dissemination work this Product is introduced to the wide public and made known, available to interested parties reaching as wide audience as possible. E-tool for assessing the professional competences of Car Mechanics in the context of EU experience - a tool for every car mechanic to excel and subsequently for every car user to get a better service Europe wide."

BACKGROUND: Starting point for our project “Learning e-Mobility Plus” were the increasing requirements on vocational training in handling new technologies. The digital change and the entry of innovative technologies like electromobility (e-mobility) require new competences from the professionals, which now go clearly beyond the traditional content of VET professions - such as diagnosis and repairing of computer-aided integrated motor vehicle technology. At the same time, vocational training should become more appealing for young people. Thus, vocational schools must respond with new ways of learning and learning content. Main PROJECT GOAL was to show, how innovative technologies could be included in vocational education and how to build up practicable learning environments, by using the example of e-mobility. Further, the project shall show, how to interlock vocational training more closely with higher education/research, to promote mutual learning, to strengthen cooperation of vocational training schools, academia and entrepreneurial practice and to bring forward internationalization - as a contribution to strengthen quality, job market orientation and future viability of vocational education (“new skills for new jobs”).Our project had three TARGET GROUPS:* Trainees (but also students) as learners - they shall use the newly acquired competences in their future working life * Teachers and trainers that shall pass on the new contents* Companies as future employers, decision-makers from politics and economy as well as social partners as supporters for strengthening of innovations and permeability in the education systems9 partners from Germany, Poland and Italy cooperate in our STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP - vocational training institutions, higher education institutions and business associations. With the “knowledge partnership” vocational training-higher education-companies, the central actors were represented in the project, in order to develop and implement a practicable learning environment for vocational training schools and EU-wide applicable cooperation models for the future technology e-mobility.PROJECT ACTIVITIES Key element of the joint work was the development, testing and use of an innovative learning environment for vocational schools. For this, we developed the following products: * Concept and quality indicators for innovative teaching systems and learning environments in the technology sector* Learning models for 3 topics: “Power split in hybrid drives” (Berlin), “Switching from the conventional to electro drives” (Poznan), “Gears in hybrid and differences in technical performance” (Vicenza) - with functional requirement sheets, product specification sheets, multimedia documentations and operable prototypes (e-karts)* Guidelines for using the models in the education* Recommendations for actors from politics, education and economy with regard to the integration of the learning environments as well as their EU-wide transfer and use The development and the testing of the learning environments took place in joint working groups with active participation of the learners.Intensive networking with stakeholders and PR/dissemination accompanied the work on the products. Further, we executed 12 multiplier events in order to make available the project results to a larger group of users and to gain supporters for transfer and implementation. By this, we reached 500 people.With a view on a sustainable anchorage in vocational education practice, stable networks were build up in all three countries. As a RESULT, there is a tested innovative learning environment for vocational training in the area of high-technology that brings together the needs of learners, job market demands and academic know-how and at the same time strengthens permeability between vocational training and academic education. This covers the practical use of new learning models for technology issues in vocational schools that are easy to transfer and to use, qualified teachers, a greatly strengthened cooperation between vocational training schools, higher education and companies as well as an improved transfer of knowledge in the international context. The trainees as end users own new competences in the innovative technology area e-mobility. OUTCOMES: Our project has an effect beyond these results. The inclusion of new technology, praxis-oriented learning models and participative learning forms make vocational education more attractive. The international cooperation with higher education institutions strengthens vocational schools in handling technologic innovations. The new competences improve the employability for young professionals. At the same time they strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs. With these offers, vocational education is enhanced by educational policy-makers. In the medium-term we further expect effects on the job market and in economy (improved service quality for and demand for E-vehicles).

INNOVATIVE & OPEN FOR JOB-RELATED LEARNINGHow do you bring together what does not fit together?The shift in ICT technology is fundamentally changing the economy and society. Software has become the primary driver of the economy’s growth. In the automotive sector, both the entire industry and individual automotive companies are affected. Autonomous driving, alternative drive systems and connected cars characterise the sector. A trend leading to an increasing demand for skilled workers and engineers with ICT skills. The EU education systems (VET & HE) are expected to offer training in new technologies and impart practical digital competences for new technology fields.The aim of Car2Lab was to demonstrate (the automotive sector as use case) how to close gaps in training that emerged with the rapid technological development, and how to enhance vocational training and their orientation towards the future in Europe. The project’s target groups were trainees in automotive professions as users of the new learning models, teachers from VET & HE as well as authorities and regulatory bodies as users of our conclusions and recommendations. An important feature was the particularly close cooperation between VET with science and industry. To achieve this goal, BGZ bundled the expertise of ten partners: scientific institutes, VET schools and companies from four EU countries.They have implemented a set of consecutive activities forming working groups, involving learners in the implementation of the project, development of a digital learning tool for vehicle telematics with a modular curriculum and learning units for use in VET & HE, testing the model with learners, development of recommendations and a concept for permeability between VET & HE. These activities were accompanied by workshops with multipliers & PR actions with the aim to attract supporters (chambers, administrations, companies) in each country and engage with them in regular discussions.A great success of the close collaboration is a learning model for telematics applications in motor vehicles. With innovative teaching and learning tools such as the unique Telematics Box, the project successfully exemplified how a transition from hardware to software could work. We demonstrated how to communicate the basic knowledge areas in telematics and how to design modern capacity building measures. As a parallel outcome, the actions provided instructions for practical implementation. They offer a high applicability since both practical & theoretical aspects have been taken into consideration.The learning model enables practical learning for both trainees & bachelor students. At the same time, the teaching materials ensure the practical application of the technical and didactic instruments for teaching digital competences in VET & continuing education.Car2Lab unfolds its sustainable impact. The project partnership benefitted in particular from the innovative thrust that enhanced the performance of the instructors/specialist teachers as well as the structures and technical equipment of the educational institutions. Since 09/2017 ZSS Poznan has been operating as an industry school; the PSSG vocational school in Vicenza has widely modernised its structures; the automotive engineering bachelor's programme at HTW will place a stronger focus on electrical, electronic and programmable systems in the near future. Car2lab made it possible for learners to discover automotive systems & digitisation for themselves. The demand for training and study courses in the field of new technologies is growing continuously.Car2Lab clearly proves that with the right technical solutions and teaching strategy, good learning performances can be achieved even in the field of complex technologies, without overburdening learners.The teaching tools & the new competencies of the teaching staff proved that teaching digital skills to the learners of the automotive sector is a feasible approach. The Telematics Kit and other project results are in great demand and are already being used at national level (DE; DK; IT; PL) both in training and at university level. They are highly suitable instruments to improving the quality of VET.All outputs are practical & easily adaptable to the EU level (also for related professions). The intensive collaboration between VET, HE and industry has had a positive effect on the improvement of the professional competencies of all participants.Digital change in economy and work environments have a substantial impact on the modernisation of European VET systems. As a result, the demand for innovative learning concepts, such as Car2Lab, is continuously increasing.The longterm benefits are: increased competitiveness of the automotive industry, attractive employment opportunities for young skilled workers, better service quality for consumers, and widespread application of digital solutions, for example to strengthen environmental protection (optimised transport).

"The increasing digitalization of the world of work and the introduction of new technologies, systems and processes are changing the way in which companies work and, as a result, the competence requirements to the staff. New technologies require new skills that significantly exceed the traditional job profiles. The change of automotive companies from repair shops to quality service companies defines the need for technicians with diagnostic and repair skills for computer-aided integrated vehicle technology, general knowledge (e.g. on safety and environmental protection) as well as high methodical competence. At the same time, in view of the increasing shortage of skilled labour, VET must become more attractive to young people - above all through interesting new content, participatory forms of learning and access to innovative (digital) tools in the classroom.This is where our project ""Good Practice on the Move"" starts. The PROJECT OBJECTIVE was to show perspectives for a successful integration of digitalisation and innovative technologies in vocational education – exemplarily for the automotive sector, as a contribution to strengthening the attractiveness, quality and sustainability of vocational education and training, innovation excellence and ultimately the competitiveness of the European economy - in line with the EU's ""Europe 2020"" strategy. TARGET GROUPS comprised the management and teaching staff in VET and higher education, as well as the regulatory bodies. FINAL BENEFICIARIES were the trainees in automotive professions and the companies in the sector.Under the lead of the BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH, the PROJECT PARTNERS - VET schools, universities and associations from seven EU countries (Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Poland) - all with long-term experience and vast expertise, joined forces to bring together a range of innovative materials and tools on digitisation and new technologies tob e used in VET, tested them for quality, practicality and transfer potential along jointly developed indicators and documented them in a good practice catalogue. Joint learning activities in the project (virtual and face-to-face) served mutual learning and supported the competence acquisition of the partners involved. In parallel, we discussed with education stakeholders, researchers, representatives of companies and sector associations as well as public authorities on the institutional anchoring of new digital technologies and digital learning forms in regular education (in curricula and teaching practice), on capacity building and internationalisation of education providers and on the further development of the VET systems. The findings from the work with trainees, students, teachers and stakeholders from education, science, business, politics and administration were and are used for the further development of materials and tools and for the capacity building. Accompanying PR and dissemination (project website and internet presences of the partners, portals, social media, project events, information in networks, etc.) made the project and its results largely visible.The RESULT is a catalogue of materials/tools for teaching new technologies in VET, indicators of good practice, questionnaires and advice on capacity building as well as lessons learned. The participating institutions use the materials and tools in the training and intensify their international cooperation. The improved competences of teachers, the closer cooperation between VET and higher education and the strengthened international exchange provide benefit both to students and teachers.The project has reached 620 people directly & 770 potentially interested. Through dissemination activities, another 3.000 actors have already benefited.IMPACT comprises more understanding of digitisation and its effects, more interest in the training courses among young people and an increase in the quality of VET in automotive professions, further development of occupational profiles, better permeability between vocational training and higher education. And through apporaching the system level, the project also influenced the regulatory VET systems.The LONG-TERM BENEFIT is an economic one, a social one and a societal one: It means increased competitiveness in the automotive industry, attractive employment opportunities for young skilled workers, more service quality for consumers, widespread use of digital solutions to expand functionality and value in use, but also to strengthen environmental protection. Finally, new technologies become an integral part of the society and their command an essential element of quality of life."