<< Background >>The context from which the idea for the project EupTrain emerged, came from common identified needs of European organizations in the field of adult education in terms of personnel development. Trainers of low-skilled adults (EQF level 1&2) are confronted with various issues working with this target group across Europe. This was identified through a series of surveys which were developed and conducted in the participating educational organizations and was based on qualitative interviews. The interviewees were qualified trainers of low skilled adults, who shared their experiences working with this target group in terms of their daily personal and professional struggles they experience during the training. From this a questionnaire was developed and completed by 85 trainers for adult education (working in the partner organizations) in order to assess the situation in the participating countries. The questionnaire results showed the need for transnational knowledge exchange of methods especially suitable for the group of low-skilled adults as for example in terms of group dynamics or conflict management.<< Objectives >>The objective of EUpTrain was to create a transnational network between Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Romania in order to share Europe-wide knowledge between organizations specialized in adult education through exchange of experts and the development of a sustainable handbook comprising transnational good practices and methods for trainers working with low-skilled adults. The target group of this project were trainers of low-skilled adults, with at least 2 years of working experience (certified language trainers AND a) trainers in adult education OR b) trainers in cultural integration and orientation OR c) trainers for basic skills). EUpTrain implementation was carried out in a spirit of professionalism, open communication and trust between partners, with a strong commitment to cooperation, knowledge-exchange, well-defined roles and responsibilities related to the division of tasks. All requirements for monitoring, evaluation and feedback were taken care of to ensure the quality of the final results and partnership.<< Implementation >>EUpTrain activities included:= 3 transnational project meetings (first 1 online due to COVID 19, 2 on site) attended by a total of 23 experts (up to 15 trainers (possible as it was online) and 8 project managers)= one knowledge exchange workshop with the main goal to filter out examples of good practices from all participating organizations and to show international differences, new opportunities, new ways of work and different methodologies in training of low-skilled adults (19 trainers and 8 project managers with pedagogical background)= based on the workshop results: creation of a handbook (translated to all partner languages and English) containing 16 best practices, 2 from each country, and 8 methodologies<< Results >>The results of EUpTrain are a 40-page long handbook (translated into 8 languages, 7 national languages and English) containing the results of knowledge-exchange activities, specifically a collection of concrete examples of international best practice examples and methodologies for trainers working with low-skilled adults. This varied collection of best practices and methodologies is making the project results valuable for other European countries as well. The handbook is accessible online and free of charge for all partners and other organizations. Through the dissemination of the handbook, trainers who work with low-skilled adults in all of Europe who are not participating in this project, also benefit from the project results and are be able to increase their knowledge and expertise. Additionally, the creation of a transnational network between the partner organizations ensures the sustainability of the project results. The overall aim of the project was to promote networking and synergy-creation on European level and to increase the knowledge exchange and the collaboration of trainers working with low-skilled adults and of organizations in the field of adult education in Europe. The mid-term impact was to establish synergies and to build bridges between these different organizations with the resulting long-term impact to contribute in this way to increase the education level and therefore lower the unemployment rates of low-skilled adults in Europe.

<< Background >>The school subjects were influenced in different scale by the switches between online and in-person education. Compared to the lessons mainly based on reception of information and development of understanding such as natural sciences or requiring presenting a written solution such as mathematics, the humanitarian lessons were deeply affected by the limitations in the interactions among students and the teachers. In this way, many taught subjects such as native language, literature, history, ethics, etc. were prevented from exercising necessary expression and communication skills of students within interactive discussions. Such forced students` position of passive listeners caused decline in their motivation for study and decreasing the commitment during the lessons. Furthermore, the ongoing process of alternating online and in-person education continue to devaluate students‘ engagement because of changes in periods of low activity in home sessions and periods of active presence in classrooms. In this regard, it is necessary to implement an approach to increase commitment of students by acknowledging them with the importance of their expression skills on humanitarian topics for their future career, and by observing and reflecting on their behaviour in class.Active discussions and class interactivity develop students’ social skills, positive behaviours, and capabilities— all those crucial for future citizens. Students need a supportive surrounding and a safe learning environment in which they can socialize and build communication and expression skills. In a virtual classroom, it is extremely difficult, or even impossible to monitor, nor to give the tutor an adequate assessment of the level of motivation to the student. Therefore, there is the need of development of new indicators, accustomed both to real and virtual classrooms, which could help the tutor monitor and raise the level of motivation of the students.The project is oriented to the following needs:- To address the negative impact of the simplified conversation through online platforms very often leading to monologue lecture and preventing multidirectional share of views thus making the students passive listeners for long time.- To address the impossibility for asking embarrassing questions and to remove the false sense of mastery of the situation with the students when everyone responds in a one-by-one mode and has sufficient time to consider the answer.- To address the scarcity of suitable digital devices or stable Internet connection faced by disadvantaged students by adapted appropriate exercises and off-line sections.- To raise the students’ level of motivation and responsiveness by minimizing cases where they stay anonymous behind their switched off cameras and microphones thus making them more socially sensitive and responsible.- To express the continuity of the online classes with traditional ones in terms of active participation and commitment.<< Objectives >>The project envisages two areas of interventions. The first one concerns development of communication and expression skills done within humanitarian lessons. Education process is not limited to only transfer of knowledge, but it is also a comprehensive social process that allows students to learn through interactions with their teachers and peers. The second intervention is oriented towards improvement of monitoring students’ level of engagement and raising commitment. In classrooms, tutors often can closely monitor a student’s level of motivation by their participation, attention to the subject, and extent of distraction. On contrary, during online teaching this was hampered.The general project objective is to address deficiencies during online education in terms of developing communication and expression skills within humanitarian school disciplines focusing on disadvantaged students falling behind and getting them closer to their peers.The specific objectives are:- Provision of guiding materials for students adapted to those with poor skills.- Equipping teachers with applicable pedagogical approaches and supporting thematic sets.- Raising attractiveness and efficiency of the training on humanitarian subjects by production of interactive and visualized elements.<< Implementation >>The planned activities are according to the Work Breakdown Structure of the project and will encompass:= Project management- General management of the project - Organization and hosting of transnational partner meetings- Internal information flow= Development of the Project ResultsPR1 Student`s Booklet about communication and expression skills on social topics and the linkage with future professional realisationPR2 Teacher` Handbook on observation and reflection techniquesPR3 Toolbox for observation and reflection in online and present education= Sharing and promotion activities, external communication and publicity measures= Quality assurance and evaluation- Quality of the elaborated training materials in methodological and content related aspects- Internal quality assurance in project administration aspect= Involvement of associated partners= Multiplier events = Activities towards exploitation and sustainability<< Results >>Besides the development of training materials as results, the project will:- Outline areas of intervention in concrete taught subjects and lessons in compliance with the existing formal curricula.- Address the lack of multi-directional interaction within the class and the teacher in online environment.- Introduce and pilot techniques for monitoring engagement and stimulating commitment.- Strengthen the aspect of educational inclusion among the targeted students with main focus on the disadvantaged ones in order to prevent falling behind.- Ameliorate the specific preparation of the students in need on humanitarian subjects and making it equal as much as possible of those not facing social or technical challenges compared to their peers.- Enhance the preparation for keeping commitment in switching in-person and online environment by teachers and students through introducing adapted measuring applications.- Provide tailor-made learning materials to improve social interaction aspects and specific skills and knowledge for future society oriented professionals.- Stimulate the school teachers and students to enter into contacts with people from abroad.- Establish multilingual online platform for exchange of knowledge, advice and feedback.- Strengthen the understanding and skills of students in areas such as multiculturalism, diversity, successful employment, active citizenship, social inclusion, equal opportunities and managing of personal change.- Support the diffusion of the offline lessons and self-study approach into mainstream educational programs concerning subjects related to public speaking and audience proficiency.- Provide support by business world and experts in social field towards raising motivation and outlining the perspectives for joining such fields by future graduates.- Stimulate exchange of views on obstacles in proper qualification on social and humanity subjects.

<< Background >>Our society is facing, among others, a variety of unsolved social and ecological issues. Moreover, current COVID 19 health crisis has created another set of problems, with a sudden impact, which calls for immediate reaction. Many of the current approaches to these challenges enforced especially by public and third sector are non-satisfactory, non-flexible, or not fully sustainable.Social entrepreneurship, involving private individuals and organizations taking the initiative to address social challenges in their communities, represents one of the ways to tackle the problems. Although growing in significance, social entrepreneurship does not exploit its full potential. Some of the challenges it faces are related to policy-making and other legal aspects, challenges related to institutional and operational support and challenges related to low social, educational and cultural awareness of the field and its ecosystem, including motivation aspect of becoming a social entrepreneur.Local governments, as a natural places, where all information flows and relevant contacts meet, represent one of the key players with potential to tackle the challenges mentioned above. However, it turns out the municipalities have little immediate knowledge of the practical issues involved in establishing and running social enterprise and its benefits and support it can create.<< Objectives >>ActSEnt project drives from the potential and challenges described above with following main OBJECTIVES:1.To promote social entrepreneurship among young people and local governments’ structures and create connections within the ecosystem2.To increase social entrepreneurship skills among young people through tailored trainings, developed and implemented in close cooperation with municipalities,3.To improve readiness and response of municipalities towards social entrepreneurship initiatives4.To achieve sustainability of project and its outputs through provision of replicable methodology and possible local and regional policy reforms<< Implementation >>There will be 7 project Key Activities (KA) resulting in 2 main resulting outputs• KA1: Regional analysis and Common framework•KA2: Methodology and training material development•KA3: Train the Mentors•KA4: ActSEnt social entrepreneurship trainings•KA5: Regional multiplication events•KA6: Policy recommendation and Action plan•KA7: Management, Publicity, Dissemination<< Results >>There are several expected results:•Minimum of 100 young people attracted to the concept of social entrepreneurship, trained in this field and having prepared social enterprise business plan with potential of its realization,•Improved interpersonal skills, work-readiness, self-recognition and expertise of 100 young people, which is utilizable also in their other job careers, if they choose so,•Increased interest, attraction and motivation to start social entreprise from other young people outside the project thanks to positive influence from their peers and publicity and dissemination activities,•Established cooperation and contact network between and within the groups of trained social entrepreneurs, municipalities, partnership organizations and other key players within a broader ecosystem, fostering social entrepreneurship,•Municipal recognition of social entrepreneurship benefits- at least 5 municipalities will become more open towards the concept, adapt their own policies and processes for social entrepreneurship support and development, including 10 skilled mentors (2 per municipality) and full analytical and methodological background and training toolkit to continue with the project activities even after its completion,•Increased interest, attraction and motivation to support social entrepreneurship in other municipalities outside the project and players within an ecosystem thanks to positive influence from the ActSEnt best practice and publicity and dissemination activities within the project.

"<< Background >>There is 97% of small businesses out of all companies in Europe. (Eurostat, 2020). The European Commission's report ""Gender Smart financing with women, opportunities for Europe"" explains that women are no longer beneficiaries of social transfers, but are becoming a driving force in a sustainable business ecosystem. Eurostat (Eurostat, 2018) reports that women in Europe are significantly less likely to opt for self-employment than e.g. men. The challenges that discourage women from entrepreneurship and self-employment are multifaceted and tied to human capital - e.g. women have less entrepreneurial experience than men, less social capital (smaller, less diverse networks, connections to funding), less knowledge of entrepreneurship and finance, and there is a negative perception of women entrepreneurs in society and politics, including tax systems and family policies . Very interesting is the study by Leitch et al. (2018), which explains that women entrepreneurs do not ask - they do not ask for advice, for external financing, because they believe they will be rejected because bankers perceive them as less reliable, which can also lead to business loss. According to the OECD survey, women entrepreneurs work in the personal service sector (e.g. hairdressing, beauticians, beauty services).MIITR and Inno Hive have many years of experience in banking, personal finance, entrepreneurship and innovation, digitalization, etc. So, we decided to check the actual situation on the ground, in Maribor and Larissa. We prepared questionnaires and during June-Oct 2020 we visited hairdressing, massage salons, businesswomen who do eyelashes, nails, pedicures. We received a response that they would need additional knowledge of entrepreneurship, including digitization, preparation of annual reports, account management, understanding of finance, interest, financial products for entrepreneurs,… and would be happy to participate in the activity.Training of women entrepreneurs in the field of entrepreneurship and finance actually makes a difference as it allows understanding the principles of entrepreneurship, risk management, saving in times of crisis, avoiding unmanageable debt and taking care of proper business operation, personal financial security and financial security of the company. Poor financial decisions can have long-term effects on individuals, their families and society. Low financial literacy is also associated with a lower standard of living and negative effects on the psychological and physical well-being of women entrepreneurs. The European Commission document “Proposal for a Council Recommendation on Vocational Education and Training (VET) for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience SWD (2020) 123 final, 1.7.2020” states the goal - promotion of equal opportunities and inclusion of women in VET.<< Objectives >>The project goals are comprehensively set. They reflect the real challenges in the labor market and policy directives, as well as the real needs of women ""micro"" entrepreneurs, which we noticed in previous interviews with them. The goals are designed to create positive effects for individuals as well as for the organizations and other stakeholders involved.The goal of EnFinCap is to empower women (independent) micro-entrepreneurs with competencies, knowledge and self-confidence to take responsibility for their lives and create a secure future for themselves and their families. Therefore, EnFinCap needs to be seen as a key long-term investment in human capital for our common good.Specific (implementation) objectives of the project:1.map existing competencies in partner countries on entrepreneurial and financial ""literacy"", existing competencies, knowledge (50 women entrepreneurs will be involved in each country); women entrepreneurs will also define their competency needsKPI: 4 competency folders / 200 completed questionnaires, which will be combined in t.i. current situation report2. a platform (with an e-course) that will ensure that women entrepreneurs acquire knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of entrepreneurship and financial literacyKPIs: 1 platform with integrated course, 1 e-textbook (see PRs),> 32 entrepreneurs with obtained certificates3.create training materials and develop and implement a platform and course through ""short-term staff training"" 32 women entrepreneurs and 20 individuals - staffKPIs: successfully completed activities and acquired knowledge, competencies, skills (> 32,> 20)4. perform multiplier eventsKPIs:> 160 participants5.dissemination (n> 1000)6.sign MoU (n> 3)<< Implementation >>To solve the project challenges, the consortium decided to develope approach methodology based on change theory. It consists of planning changes from the initial state to the goal, which allows filling gaps and exploiting the synergies of partners. It is based on three developmental stages: 1) Problem analysis 2) Finding solution / design 3) Impact.In accordance with the methodology, EnFinCap includes - the problem analysis phase - modeling the national aspect in the field of training, competencies, use of materials, mapping formal and informal training opportunities for women entrepreneurs and defining gaps (PR1). Based on PR1, we will prepare content drafts of the course, e-textbook and learning platform (PR2). This will be followed by improvements based on user contributions obtained by project events and learning activities (C1, C2). E1-E5 (multiplier events) will be implemented in the final phase of PR2-PR3 development, as we will use the obtained information and data to optimize PR2-PR3. E5 also represents an international conference in Slovenia. Dissemination and promotion will begin with the start of the project and will continue throughout its life cycle. We will maintain the sustainability and continuation of the project on several levels - accessibility to project results (website, promotion), inclusion of results (e-course) in educational activities of partner organizations, on the personal level of participants - new knowledge and competencies, which will improve micro-entrepreneurs on the one hand and education and training processes on the other.<< Results >>The expected results will be implemented within the three main types of project activities on which the project is based:- project results- multiplier events- Teaching / training / learning activitiesMain expected results of the project:a) project results1. 4 mappings (in all partner countries) about the existing knowledge and competencies of women micro-entrepreneurs, which will be further used as a knowledge base on the basis of which we will develop innovative approaches, training content. Mapping will help us identify needs and gaps.2. Development and design of training (digitalisation of business, legal formal aspects of business, accounting, taxes (liabilities to the state), VAT, annual reports, loans, interest, financial risks, savings for the ""crisis period"", etc.), e-textbook3. An interactive learning platform that includes attractive and innovative training materials, videos and is based on the principles of micro-training.4. Approx. 20 qualified mentors (staff members) on training in Greece - familiarization, training and use of a test version of the developed material, platform.5. Approx. 32 women entrepreneurs involved in the pilot experience (in Austria), with improved knowledge and competencies on entrepreneurial and financial literacy. It will also be a unique opportunity to interact, discuss, share experiences and carry out learning activities together with women entrepreneurs from different cultures.6. CCa. 160 individuals participating in project events.7. Creating and disseminating learning activities with videos (YouTube, social media) to support the learning of trainers, professionals and entrepreneurs8. Innovative, flexible and easily flexible training with a planned e-platform and e-course that allows for appropriate integration into other training / learning programs.9. Certificates for recognition of competencies (> 40)b.) Results for target groups (as well as e.g. staff to be trained)1. New and improved competencies and knowledge, as well as improved digital skills2. Increased ability to run businesses, finances, maintain a good financial position and avoid insolvency.3. Increase enthusiasm and motivation to improve business and personal life.4. Encouraging women entrepreneurs for interdisciplinary thinking, creativity, innovation and new approaches to understanding and managing business and finance.5. Certificates on training recognition.6. Empowering staff (teachers, mentors, ...) for training on entrepreneurship and finance, using digitization.7. Opportunities to connect with VET organizations, NGOs, experts, etc., enabling the exchange of knowledge, good practices8. Improving language skills and cultural diversity.c.) Educational and other results:1. Promoting lifelong learning, using digitization.2. Enrichment of existing e-learning platforms, with new and innovative concepts and content (also for partner organizations)3. A new e-learning option that could later be integrated into the VET process in partner countries4. Enrichment of formal and non-formal training.5. Promoting effective international integration with the participation of promotion institutions7. Maximize the dissemination and sustainability of project results.8. Increase motivation to improve personal and family well-being (financial stability of women entrepreneurs).9. Strengthening exchanges between partners involved.10. Enhancing the effects of existing knowledge of partner institutions."

"<< Objectives >>The project Digital Finance 4 Youth, aims to train youth workers, and key stakeholders of youth across Europe, especially those in deprived areas, to understand why it is so important to teach relevant digital financial education to our youth. Research shows money problems are the second biggest contributor to poor mental health amongst youth, through this project, we will aim to train youth workers and impact the youth by providing them with a good foundational education in financial intellect<< Implementation >>The following activities will be implemented during this project;Project ManagementSharing and Promotion activities3 x TPM in Sweden, Austria and Hungary4 promotion events1 International Conference Work packages to produce: a Handbook/methodology, training curriculum with learning outcome matrix for Youth workersb. A Mobile App for training the youth in gamification methodologies. c. Toolkits for Youth pros and a set of online toolkits for Youth leadersd. Dissemination of results<< Results >>1. An online toolkit for Youth pros and skilled youth workers looking to upskill youth's knowledge in basic money management and finance intelligence2. An open-source Mobile App ""Young Money"" that will allow Educators, Employers and Youth pros to experience, understand and practice essential skills with youth and teach them financial intelligence in a gaming environment. The game will have various life scenarios.3. Methodological manual and a Youth curriculum targeted at Youth decision-makers"