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"REASON FOR THE PROJECT: With the new priority of the European Commission of bringing manufacturing back to Europe their will be a huge need for qualified personnel. Also, the EC has identified advanced manufacturing as key for this ""re-manufacturing"" of Europe. This will require that VET providers and HE Institutes work together to answer the needs from industry. In order to allow this collaboration between VET and HE the first step is to ensure the transferability of people between these two educational ""paths"". The HE&VET project will focus on the need of qualified personnel in joining technologies, however, always keep in mind other manufacturing technologies to ensure an higher impact.AIMS & OBJECTIVES: The project aims at promoting the collaboration between VET and HE. This objective will be achieved through the development of a methodology and tools to allow the transferability between VET and HE. CONSORTIUM:The consortium is constituted by five partners. TWI will act as Project Coordinator, in direct contact with the National Agency from UK. EWF is the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting, with a Training and Qualification network covering 31 member countries that will be essential in the implementation and dissemination of the HE&VET project results. Two of the partners are the welding institutes of Portugal (ISQ) and UK (TWI), which have strong knowledge and expertise in training and qualification at a sector-based level. Universidade de Lisboa has expertise in collaborating with VET providers and in developing courses that combine HE with VET.All partners also have plenty of experience in the implementation and training using European Harmonized Guidelines.OUTCOMES: The objectives will be achieved through the definition of a methodology and tools for the transferability between VET and HE. For this purpose, at the start of the project, a study will be carried out in order to understand the specific requirements in terms VET and HE transferability in different countries and in different industries, where welding plays an important role. This will allow the development of a methodology in line with the requirements of the different countries and industries.IMPACT: The project results will have an impact in the manufacturing industry. Considering that the European metal working sector which accounts for over 87€ billion of value added to the European economy, as well as over 2 million jobs, it is clear to see that the impact of this project is assured."

At application time, spring 2016, over 1.1 million people – refugees, displaced persons and other migrants – had made their way to Europe either escaping conflict and serious threats in their country or in search of better economic prospects. More than 60 million people are today forcibly displaced as a result of violent conflicts and natural disasters. The refugee routes have changed during the project’s life time, but still with a common European challenge in how European governments are willing to share the burden. One of the RefuSkills project partners, Turkey, is now serving as a buffer according to the agreements between EU and Turkey.The project consortium comprised 14 partners from 9 countries. The partnership included partners with critical first line experience from reception of refugees and other migrants, and others from handling applications for transit or residency.The RefuSkills project aimed to use the Skillsbank experiences with structured Learning Outcomes in EQF and ECVET format to meet the immediate needs for a rapid competence assessment and a documentation and declaration of skills, competences and certifications of great value to the individual migrant, the recipient country, and to the host community.The main objectives were:1) Establishment of an easy-to-use mechanism, the RefuApp, to give refugees/migrants an opportunity to document their skills and competences (in their own language) by using basic ECVET and Learning Outcome principles2) Facilitation and reduction of processing time in the handling of refugees’ and asylum-seekers’ residence applications, and identification of appropriate/relevant individual career pathways towards employment and training3) Improving the recipient countries’ possibilities for a fast identification of migrants’ skills and competences, and thus for a facilitated integration and participation in work and capacity building programs4) Exploring the possibility of issuing a “RefuPass” stating the individuals competence portfolio based upon Learning Outcomes extracted from Skillsbank and the RefuApp Skillsbank (Leonardo da Vinci 2011 project) is the basis for the RefuSkills technical developments. It is a multilingual web-based toolkit targeting career guidance, recognition of prior learning and individual training support. It is based upon Learning Outcomes and uses principles from EQF and ECVET. The interface is presently available in 14 languages, AR, BG, DE, EE, EN, ES, FR, IT, NL, NO, PL, PT, SI, and TR. The system aggregates Learning Outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and competences into logical units constituting full qualifications. Skillsbank furthermore offers a Recognition of Prior Learning assessment module where each Learning Outcome can be self-assessed by individuals. Subsequently assessors can validate and conclude with a consolidated assessment to be included in the individual’s competence portfolio.The RefuSkills project has used the Skillsbank options as the RefuApp for a “self-declaration” by the migrant to be matched against selected qualification descriptions defined by partner countries as relevant: cooking, serving/waitering, office work, hairdressing, welding and sales clerk. In addition to these occupations, a section for Core Work Skills / Transversal Skills is available.The Arabic option makes it possible to create bi-/tri-/quadri-/multilingual versions of qualification requirements. The migrant will use the most relevant language for the self-assessment input, whereas the hosting side can work in an available parallel language version.After the self-assessment, several options are available:•The migrant can use a print-out as a self-declaration against a competence profile;•The self-assessment can pass through an external assessor to be formally validated against qualification requirements;•After the external assessment the migrant may have a “compatible qualification document” as a competence passport according to qualification requirements and standards; or•Have a basis for career guidance and further training – formally in a training institution or in the workplace.Depending upon type of output required in a national or a sectoral setting, the output documents are linked to the Skillsbank database for an automatic merge of information into the new layout. This applies to developed documents as well as to a Europass CV or other existing formats and will be extended with a “RefuPass”.The main project steps:•Initial surveying/mapping of refugee status in all partner countries•Identification of Key Competencies expressed as Basic Skills, Transversal Skills or Core Work Skills and Competencies•Identification of the most relevant/requested vocations/occupations and the respective qualification matrixes•Development of ICT solution, the RefuApp, integrated with Skillsbank modules, new documentation, and use on tablets and mobile

A. CONTEXT Project idea was born from consideration that:• 7.5 million NEETs (aged 15 to 24) in EU27;• High number of small and medium theatres in Europe, that can offer employment to young technicians, but cannot afford to hire different technicians for each different backstage function;• No available adequate training for all-rounder backstage technicians, but only focused training in single areas;• Theatre production is an attractive sector of employment for the youngsters and it is an activity, which brings them self-confidence, soft skills and ability to teamwork.B. OBJECTIVES • Efficient professional all-rounder backstage training for NEETs with or without basic knowledge;• Online ICT tools for facilitating target group’s employment opportunities by improving their knowledge, skills and competences. • Working mobility of people by creating an ECVET Training Course with recognized Learning Outcomes on EU level; C. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS1. 48 youth attended the e-learning online course, after having passed the entrance test. At closure of each unit, they attended the final test and obtained the Attendance Certificate if result was positive. 28 obtained Attendance Certificates for single units.2. Out of these: 8 were with fewer opportunities: cultural, economic or geographic obstacles.3. 8 certified attendants enrolled in European Online Database of Qualified Professionals. 4. 12 attendants with best results participated at transnational mobility (2 months), where practiced knowledge acquired during e-course, and received Europass Mobility Certificate successfully finishing internship abroad.D. METHODOLOGY AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIESProject Management is divided into 3 major phases:1. Preparation;2. Implementation;3. Closure and follow up.During Implementation:a. Project Management (included IO6 “Project Data Management”), quality assurance and evaluation: cross-cutting activities lasting all project life span: 5 Steering Committee Meetings plus an extra one.b. 6 chronologically vertical project stages: at the end of one stage, the following starts; outputs of a stage are inputs for next one:1. IO1: Need Analysis Report;2. IO2: European Professional Qualification Curriculum for Theatrical Technician Profession (EQF Level 4)3. IO3: Course Manual;4. IO4: E-learning platform;5. IO5: Online Database of Qualified of Theatrical Technician Professionals.6. Learning/Teaching/Training Activities (long-term mobility):C1. Training activity [IT];C3. Training activity [BG];C4. Training activity [DE].c. Dissemination activities are cross-cutting: start at first months of implementation and last beyond project’s closure: IO7: Manual for reaching and approaching NEETs (Best methods and how to implement them):IO8: Project Website.E. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF RESULTSProject’s results:1. Need analysis report;2. EPQC for the profession of Theatrical Technician (with 9 Units);3. Course Manual content (with 7 Units);4. Website;5. E-learning Platform;6. European Online Database of Qualified Professionals;7. “Manual for reaching and approaching NEETs” (Best methods and how to implement them);8. 4 Multiplier events: 2 in Italy, 1 in Germany and 1 in Bulgaria for a total of 240 participants.F. IMPACTLocal: 15 local stakeholders; 10 young professionals; 10 NEETs per partner;Regional: 4 Regional Administrations; 20 stakeholders, 15 young Professionals; 15 NEETs;National: 3 EU Member Countries and 1 EEA and EFTA; 50 national stakeholders, 40 professionals and 30 NEETS, 8 people with fewer opportunities;European: involved European member states plus 2 more (Romania and Ireland)G. LONG TERM BENEFITS- enhanced employment chances for NEETs as qualified backstage technicians;- online free ECVET training tools for improving competences;- European Online Database of Qualified Professionals supports the labor market between Backstagers (trained thanks to the project or professionals) and small and medium theatres/event organizers. Project is easily replicable in other contexts and EU Countries, increasing possibility of multiplying actions and effects reaching new and larger segments of beneficiaries.Partners will assure the financial sustainability of project outputs: Course Manual; e-learning platform; Online Database of Qualified Professionals; project website.The European Network for Backstage Technicians and Event Organizers will assure the institutional and social sustainability of project outputs as well as follow-up actions for assuring new long lasting benefits.

Built on a concept of maternal resilience, capable of breaking the stereotype about mothers at work, the overall MOM project has been aimed at empowering unemployes mothers, appraising the skills that woman naturally learn during motherhood, in an employability perspective. The specific MOM’s aim was to enhance, transfer, adapt and exploit the method carried out by Piano C with a target of unemployed mothers, then design an European innovative training program to turn parental skills into job skills, assessing it according to the ECVET framework. MOM’s set of competences comes mainly from a non-formal learning process. One of the project main result has been making these competences visible, validated and recognized in order to capitalize the learning results.The second, aim was to create a platform where unemployed mothers and caregivers can find open training tools aimed at reinforcing their employability, assessing and enhancing their motherhood competences and developing other professional skills. Thanks to the MOM Platform the target groups can join a peer community where find learing resources, motivation, information, suggestions and opportunities aimed at fostering and reinforcing their presence in the job market.MOM's target groups are mothers that lost their jobs due to maternity; women who face difficulties in finding a job; women returners; single mothers and pregnant women who want to reinforce their competences for a future job.Motherhood is still seen as a “period of crisis” within companies and even within people themselves. The percentage of women that don't go back to work after the maternity is high in all the involved countries, motherhood is either managed with attention and care, but with high costs or it is considered as a phase of professional and personal weakening.However, there is plenty of scientific and sociological evidence demonstrating that motherhood is a moment of intellectual development, skill growth and explosion of energies. If only for the simple fact that nature is concerned with propagating life and therefore it endows new mothers with enhanced abilities and survival instincts.Moreover, there is a clear affinity between the complex environment that a parent needs to manage within the family (regarding the intensity of the relationships, the development of authority, the desire for habilitation of others, and motivational and listening skills) and the modern workplaces. The MOM main activities have been: - enhancing the MOM method with a target group of unemployed women; - designing a EU training program to turn parental skills into organizational skills, assessing it according to the ECVET, making competences visible, validated and recognized; - making the innovative method free available and easily accessible to the target group, through open, free online resources;- promoting the MOM approach and training resources through dissemination activities and multiplier events across the involved countries and beyond;- continuously monitoring the quality of the MOM outputs in order to adjust and improve them by the end of the project.In terms of results and impact, MOM reached the following goals:- design of an innovative training path and programme, including smart tools to be available in an open platform, including tools to assess the competences (MOM Curriculum, MOOC for mothers, MOOC for trainers, MOM platform, ECVET Integration);- implementation of the MOM programme in 5 countries (Italy, UK, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria);- 137 women that attended the MOM pilot training path;- 76 trainers that learned how to implement the MOM training with the target goups;- More than 400 women registerd in the platform to attend the MOM training path;- More than 25.000 reached by social media;- More than 5.000 people reached by social media ADV;- More than 39.000 people reached by individual partners' networks (Online and offline).In the long-term, the MOM method will change the paradigm of motherhood in the workplace in a revolutionary way. All the resources are also in English to allow the spreading of the contents and tools in other countries. Indeed, all partners are committed at keep animationg and promoting the MOM platform and all related resources after the end of the project. With this aim, a Partnership Agreement has been signed by all partners. MOM started to radically change the perception of the maternity as a way to reach a set of skills and essential competences related to organization, problem solving, mediation, communication, leadership. On the other hand, MOM started to change existing views and stereotypes within companies (foremost with managers) and also in wider public, making the maternity leave and maternity as such seen as a period of growth, also professionally. Finally, this will increase the employability of women who are now discriminated.