The PuRPOSE project’s main objective is to promote research attractiveness in the fields of entrepreneurship and management studies by developing new training approaches and tools in order to contribute to overcome obstacles such as lack of interest, network, knowledge and skills that prevent students from engaging in PhD studies. The private sector will be strongly involved in the project in order to increase relevance of activities, favor a practical approach and allow students to develop their network.The project will go through three phases:-A development phase during which the partners will carry out an inventory and analysis of existing good practices, define strategies and create the tools for increasing research attractiveness-A pilot phase where the tools and concept created will be tested on Master’s students during the learning teaching and training activities carried out.-An analysis of the tools and concept created following the experience of the pilot phaseThe first intended result is an analysis of good practices and obstacles in partner HEIs. This output will lead to the development of strategies and recommendations for fostering research attractiveness and to the refinement of the MiniLabs pilot concept.The second intended result is the “MiniLabs pilot concept”, a comprehensive Learning, Teaching and Training concept. This MiniLabs pilot concept will be based on a series of principles, tools and training methods with the aim of favoring research attractiveness for Master’s students. It will be conceived as an idea to help trainers provide an attractive and innovative pedagogical approach to give students the necessary skills, knowledge, interest and practical know-how to get involved in research/PhD studies after their master’s degree. The MiniLabs will include two main features: collaborative work by international student teams on research projects through online and face to face coaching, and an online training module in the form of a series of videos.The third intended result is the MiniLabs Guide for promoting research attractiveness. The analysis of the MiniLabs pilot concept will lead to the production of a guide for promoting research attractiveness that will be easily transferrable through the consortium’s networkIn terms of long term impact, the final expected results are the dissemination of the MiniLab's guide for research attractiveness, the replication of the MiniLabs concept and the creation of a European network working on themes revolving around research in entrepreneurship and attractiveness, exchange of good practices and encouraging research in management studies involving external actors.

This is a new and innovative project which is based on the need to enhance the youth work skills of young people and youth workers in a multi-media context. The world of multimedia changes rapidly. Youth workers need to understand and capture this environment to ensure relevance and ongoing enhancement of the young people they work with. In turn, young people need to be supported to use their skills in this virtual world of communication to enhance and not isolate - to develop associations with each other both virtually and also in real time. This project will bring three groups of young people together within a moderated online progressive gaming environment to develop technical and collaboration skills as well as encouraging engagement with and an understanding of the communities in which they live. Participants will work together to locate, design and construct the town, researching and negotiating the various considerations and dilemmas inherent in such a project. The work will be undertaken within their country teams and in collaboration with the teams in the other two countries. Participants will base the designs on replicating buildings in their own towns, thus encouraging them to get out and learn about their own built environment. They will also be encouraged to research the housing of vulnerable groups, refugees, travellers, disabled people and the homeless within our communities. The project will then expand in year three creating a multiplier effect across the partner countries as 3 new groups are introduced to the concept and encouraged to create their own versions of youth town bringing the project directly to another 30 participants and 6 youth workers, in each country. Towards the final stages of the project, once the platform and the methodology has been established, each participant will be encouraged to invite 10 of their friends to visit youth town and to learn about the project, this will directly access 300 people in each country. The final conference will be an opportunity to launch the methodology to youth work organisations and other relevant stakeholders. A community of youth work practitioners will be encouraged through the project website as will interaction between a growing number of young players on the games platform and the social media.The training methodology will be:Based on non-formal education principles
Encourage self-directed learning
Include reflection
Rely on peer-to-peer learning and sharing
Incorporate experiential learningDirect accredited training programme through LIT RATIONALEThis project addresses the fact that increasingly young people are spending significant amounts of their time playing online games and investing much of their creativity, their personal and collective identities in computer gameMcGonigal points out that, “every single day, gamers worldwide spend a collective 30 million hours working on world of warcraft (the largest global MMORPG)” McGonigal (2011;60). Statistics for Minecraft, while not available would be consistent with this scale. According to Ceclie Peasce this intensive, prolonged, interaction can generate a strong sense of community and collective identity which she describes as a ’CoLiberation’, Pearce (2006). This ability to play with, and assist friends in such a casual and accessible manner builds the social connections of players and, according to McGonigal (2011:87), helps address the decline in social capita within “real world” communities.This project will seek to address the prolonged and sometimes obsessive exposure by young people to unmoderated negative behaviour in games by designing a game based on youth work values and approaches. This project seeks to address the decline in civic engagement by young people and seeks to implement the recommendations of recent European Commission JRC research on the use of games for social inclusionTrasnational Rationale, The transnational element in this project strengthens its appeal and benefits to young people and enhances its potential as a youth work tool across the EU

SchoolBreak's main objective was to exploit the educational advantages of escape rooms. Escape rooms are a relatively new entertainment form in which small groups of players work together over a set time to solve puzzles - and escape a real life locked room. Educational advantages relate to their motivational impact (e.g. challenge, group work, competition, story immersion) and their educational methodology, partly based on cross-curricular skills (e.g. experiantial, problem-solving, cognitive activation). On this basis educational escape rooms (eER) can also be designed to meet specific curriculum goals.From this two partial objectives of SchoolBreak are derived: - providing easy to play educational escape rooms for different topics (taking into account the topical specializations of the partner organisations)- providing a framework for the usage and design of eERs by teachers and students - mainly for secunday education. On the project website - combined with additional information and resources - SchoolBreak offers a set of 25 eERs, plus 17 translations into other partner languages, plus 1 in an additional online-version.Also on the website SchoolBreak presents five manuals in five languages (English, German, Spanish, Italian, French):#1 Using escape rooms in teaching#2 Designing educational escape rooms (i.e. by teachers)#3 Learning through escape room design (i.e. by school students)#4 Puzzles and other things to unlock#5 Plot-Puzzle for Educational Escape Rooms DesignAdditionally introductory videos in German and Italian.SchoolBreak was heavily affected adversely by the covid-crisis. The original plan to work with school students became very difficult for most partners. If there was face-to-face teaching at all, externals were often not allowed to enter schools and most of all teachers set other priorities than testing new training methods. Therefore SchoolBreak targeted more teachers and teacher trainees and disseminated more via digial media. The extension of the project until Aug. 2021 did not change the situation significantly. Overall the outreach into schools was not as systematical as intended. In a number of international, national and regional workshops and courses more than 54.000 teachers and teacher trainees could be reached.The exploitation of results by the partners is going on this way also after the project lifetime.

CONTEXT/BACKGROUNDSubstantial research shows Outdoor Learning (OL) to be highly successful and sustainable in nurturing transversal skills crucial for employability, active citizenship, and personal wellbeing. Nevertheless, hardly any country embeds OL systematically in formal or non-formal education. The NEF+ consortium partners have been working together since 2018 using an OL model to promote transversal skills in young people. To mitigate impact of Covid-19, digital learning solutions have been devised which produce unexpected added value from the combination of OL and digital learning. OBJECTIVESNEF+ will augment these insights and good practice within the Consortium and among VET practitioners and experts on regional and EU level. The project creates professional development opportunities on OL for VET, e.g. through a digital open access repository with self-led learning materials and best practice guidelines on OL for VET in non-formal education and workplace settings - with a special focus on ways to digitally enhance OL. To achieve sustainable impact, the existing New Education Forum (NEF) network will be expanded and digitalised to enable professional development, knowledge exchange and lobbying of (digitally augmented) OL for VET beyond the funding period. PARTICIPANTSNEF+ serves three beneficiary groups: 1) VET educators - in and outwith the Consortium members' institutions - active or interested in OL for VET (min. 300 educators engaged in NEF+ online and live knowledge exchange activities).2) Experts (professional associations, OL training institutions, good practice providers) contribute to the state-of-the-art knowledge base and the network (min. 60 new members, i.e. 20% increase of current network).3) Decision-makers on regional and EU level carry forward OL for VET sustainably on a wide scope (support of min. 2 EU institutions, 180 attendees at live/online multiplier events).ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGYTo achieve the objectives, the NEF+ Consortium:•Moves the existing NEF network online and expands it through digital engagement tools for professional development, knowledge exchange and networking. •Provides an open access digital repository for information on OL for VET, incl a summary of existing research on OL for VET and ways of digital enhancement of OL and VET. •Showcases OL for VET Good Practitioners who achieve significant impact on employability and citizenship. •Obtains sustainable commitment of regional and EU policy- and decision-makers for NEF+ and OL for VET beyond the funding period.•Conducts live/online events in Brussels connecting all target groups in networking, knowledge exchange, and lobbying. The project combines digital engagement and live knowledge exchange and networking tools. The state-of-the-art is elicited through a traditional, interdisciplinary literature review, a scoping exercise for good practice, and expert discussion in the online network. EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACTThe main results of NEF+ are:•A digitally enhanced network for (NEF+ Consortium and other) educators and other stakeholders interested in OL for VET, sharing and expanding the state-of-the-art in (digitally augmented) OL for VET•An open access online repository with OL for VET-related resources•A summary of existing research and list of indicators to self-evaluate and identify ‘Good Practices in OL for VET’•Information on and insights gained from at least 10 Good Practitioners in OL for VET•3 regional plus 2 international multiplier events (over 300 participants total)•Guidelines for implementation of OL for VET The impact envisaged of NEF+ is that at least 10 regions in Europe (start to) implement OL for VET in Europe, and at least 300 educators have started or expanded their practical use of OL for VET in their work practice. In addition, the networking opportunities are expected to spark inter-sectional collaborations on OL for VET and beyond.LONGER TERM BENEFITSThe NEF+ online network will continue to provide professional development on OL for VET for educators in the Consortium member institutions and beyond. Inter-sectorial knowledge exchange and collaboration between different stakeholders and professionals will improve the educational landscape and state-of-the-art in using OL for VET in Europe. Furthermore, interregional and transnational cooperation between public authorities in education (especially VET), training and youth will be established and strengthened. This will help to raise the ratio of youth in employment, education and training, especially during and beyond the pandemic. Widening and refining the use of OL for VET and ways to digitally enhance it will also bring about the other benefits known of OL – for health and wellbeing, environmental protection and social equity – thus making active and effective contributions towards no less than three UN Sustainable Development Goals.

<< Background >>Taking into consideration the proposal for a Council Recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness, and resilience, as well as the updated European Skills Agenda, the Osnabrück Declaration focuses on four primary areas for the years 2021 to 2025: 1. Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET 2. Establishing a new lifelong learning culture – relevance of C-VET and digitalization 3. Sustainability – a green link in VET 4. European Education and Training Area and international VETEurope is facing unprecedented changes and challenges thrown into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. New technologies, new business models, digitalization, artificial intelligence, demographic and climate changes, and the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 demand flexible responses from VET systems, with appropriate methodologies to foster resilience and responsiveness to changing societal and labor market needs. VET providers play a fundamental role in this scenario: as stressed by the Council Recommendation of 24 November 2020 on Vocational Education and Training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (2020/C 417/01), high quality and innovative vocational education, and training systems provide people with skills for work, personal development, and citizenship, which help them to adapt to and deliver on the twin digital and green transitions, to cope with emergency situations and economic shocks, while also supporting economic growth and social cohesion. In this context, PI-VET intends to provide VET teachers and trainers with an innovative methodology and tools to co-create with their learners and external stakeholders learning programs that inclusive, digital, green, and more responsive to societal and labor market needs. The project activities and results address the following needs:- support the reform of VET providers toward more inclusive practices, empowering them to innovate their pedagogical approaches and learning materials to meet the learning needs of diverse VET learner groups, as well as enhance skills for digital transformation for both VET teachers/trainers and learners, and support the integration of environmental-friendly means of teaching and training (needs stressed in the “Communication on Achieving the European Education Area by 2025”, EC, 2020); - provide VET trainers and teachers with access to online learning resources and content that are relevant, interactive, and easy to use (need identified by the 2020 Public consultation); - support the development of VET systems that are proactive and flexible in supporting broader innovations for social and environmental sustainability objectives, and support the involvement of all the stakeholders who have an interest in quality and innovation in VET in shaping VET Provision, in order to anticipate skill needs of fast-changing labor market scenarios (needs stressed in the latest report of the ET 2020 Working Group on VET on “Innovation and Digitalisation”);- support VET providers in the development and improvement of their digital skills. Educators and trainees in VET do not meet the demands in digital skills to adapt to the digital transformation we find ourselves in and, consequently, make the most of the new pedagogical approaches and technologies. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how many VET teachers struggled to teach online, confirming the finding from the 2018 TALIS data that around one-quarter of upper secondary VET teachers did not feel prepared for the use of digital technologies in teaching.<< Objectives >>GENERAL OBJECTIVES- To design an innovative methodology and tools to let VET providers co-create with learners and external stakeholders learning programs that embed inclusive, digital and green practices and that are more respondent to societal and labor market needs. The activities of the 7 Work Packages (WP) are willing to achieve a unique co-creation model for VET; - to digitalize VET training for trainers, giving them not only tools, but methodologies, guidelines and platforms for being used in their daily work in a collaborative manner;- to foster the involvement of all the stakeholders who have an interest in the innovation and quality in VET at a national and international level (e.g. companies, institutions and policy-makers, organizations representing the business world, VET centers, students, families, NGOs, youth workers, trainers, business, etc.) to shape VET provision through a virtual cooperation platform and a Public Ranking Tool. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES-To create the pedagogical materials for VET providers to design more innovative learning programs involving digital, green and inclusivity; those material will include methodology, tailor made guidelines and digital tools, co-created with 200 VET providers of the participating countries during a virtual Knowledge Fair;-to create at least 5 different Sustainable Learning Canvases to let VET providers collaboratively create innovative sustainable curricula using the power of co-creation and visual thinking;-to increase the awareness of 700 VET providers and 180 business representatives from partner countries about the use of innovative education and co-creation to promote quality developments in partner countries and Europe, within 30 months;-to support VET providers in gaining knowledge and skills to increase digital, green, and inclusive transformations in their own centers and practices;-to extend the cooperation of VET with relevant stakeholders such as local and regional companies, work organizations, public institutions, to give participants better opportunities towards employment and shape programs that are more respondent to societal and labor market needs; -to develop an international cooperation platform (Public Ranking Tool), with a system of votes to foster the attractiveness in VET and societal engagement.<< Implementation >>WP1 – Project Management and Implementation. It includes all the task aimed at an effective implementation of the project, its objectives, and the coordination of the activities of the WPs. WP2 – Quality Assurance and Evaluation. Tasks of control, monitoring, evaluation of the quality of all the activities developed. WP3 – Sharing and Promotion. Dissemination of the project and promotion among the target groups. WP4 – Methodology for Sustainable Learning Programs (R1) Creation of guidelines (principles, tools and practices) for VET providers to create autonomously innovative learning programs that are inclusive, digital, green and able to provide students with lifelong learning skills. (T4.2) Performing online surveys to collect data of the needs the methodology should address. (T4.3) Open knowledge fair, to virtually exchange good practices and knowledge among VET teachers and trainers. Four pavilions with 50 places for educators each (Categories: Inclusion, Digital transition, green transition, and ecosystem building). Using virtual networking rooms guided by 2 experts each. (T4.5.) Creation of the Methodology content and development plan thought meetings and individual work assignments. (T4.4) Data analysis of the Fair results elaborated by the partners researchers, with the aim of improving the Methodology. (T4.6) Publication of the Methodology in the project website, E+ Project Results Platform and on the public Google Drive folder. WP5 - Sustainable Learning Canvases (R2). Activities focused in creating Canvas models by the VET providers in a collaborative way with the trainees. They will use new learning programs based on the Methodology: toolkit of visual charts and guidelines. (T5.2) 5 Co-creation labs (inclusion, digital, green, ecosystem and integration). With 65 participants per lab (30 VET trainers, 30 business representatives and 5 facilitators per project partner). Creation of the work groups, and a virtual platform with Virtual Collaboration boards. (T5.3) Analyzation of the results of the labs between the partners experts. (T5.4) Developing a HOW-TO guide on how Canvases should be designed. (T5.5.) Publication of the guide and Canvases. WP6. PI-VET Platform (R3) Creation of an online platform for supporting VET providers in the creation of sustainable learning programs. Design (T6.2), development (T6.3) and development of the algorithm (T6.4.) of a platform that will allow to key search canvases models and online resources (according to the theme chosen), so VET teachers and trainers can develop their models. 20 VET trainers will ensure its functionality. (T6.5.) Incorporation of user manual and video tutorials for VET providers to navigate the platform. (T6.6) Validation and refinement of the platform by the partners during the duration of the project. We will invite the trainers participating in the requirement gathering workshops to test the platform. WP7 Public Ranking Tool (R4). Developing a Ranking tool that will allow learners, employers, trade unions, and other stakeholders to shape VET provision, by ranking the programs and providing feedback. Preparation (T7.2) and development (T7.4) of a European competition of co-created VET programs/courses. Approximately, 10 applications per participating country. (T7.3) Creation of the Public Ranking tool that will host the competition. (T7.5) Surveying participants to assess effectiveness; (T7. 6) data analyses of the competition results; and (T7.7) publication of a study on the results of the application of the PI-VET methodology in VET centers. Five multiplier events in each of the participating countries, broadcasted on the project website and social media channels, will support the sharing and promotion of the project and its results.<< Results >>WP1- PM&IMPLEMENTATION/WP2 - QA&EVALUATION• Improved governance and management capacities, as well as capacity to operate at a transnational level, for the participating organizations and their staff; • high standards for project processes, outputs, and outcomes and improvement of risk and quality management practices and processes.WP3-SHARING&PROMOTION • Project Visual Identity Kit & Website. • Outreach and engagement of min. 6500 Education and Training providers not directly participating in the project activities (as min. 100 people involved in knowledge transfer events; min. 300 people reached through newsletters, min. 500 reached via traditional media and min. 2000 on social media channels; min. 3000 visits to the project website; min. 450 through the E+ Results Platform; min. 150 through direct presentations), and therefore transferred project knowledge, solutions, and know-how to other organizations and educators at local, regional, national, and transnational level, development of new cooperation and partnerships with other VET at national and EU level, increased awareness of educators and organizations on the opportunities of the E+ Programme. WP4-Methodology for Sustainable Learning Programs•Methodology for VET providers to co-create with their learners and stakeholders innovative learning programs that are inclusive, digital, and green, and more respondent to learners' and labor market's needs;•increase in awareness, knowledge and know-how regarding inclusive, digital and green teaching and training practices for min. 200 VET providers participating in the Open Knowledge Fair and Online Survey;•increased innovation and attractiveness of VET providers’ programs; WP5-Sustainable Learning Canvases •Set of 5 Sustainable Learning Canvases (R2) •How-to Guide for VET providers to make effective use of the CanvasesFor VET providers participating in the co-creation lab (150 teachers/trainers) and for those who will adopt the platform:•enhanced inclusive education, gender sensitivity and equality within their courses and programs; •increased adaptability of their teaching and training practices to the green and digital transitions; •increased know-how to develop cross-sectoral cooperation with relevant stakeholders to favour the continuous improvement of their teaching and training practices, and ease the transition of their students to work; •increase in the innovation and attractiveness of VET education and training programs; •increased VET providers' competence and motivation in their profession. WP6- PI-VET Platform•PI-VET Platform;•1 algorithm to scrape relevant online resources for VET providers;•1 user manual and 5 video tutorials to use the platform;For VET providers participating in the platform's design and validation (100) and for those who will adopt it during and after the project:•strengthened capacity to co-design with their learners and local ecosystems high-quality programs tailored to current societal and labor market needs, also remotely. •capacity to integrate practical digital tools to innovate their learning programs with more inclusive, green and digital practices; •increased quality and effectiveness of distance learning practices;•Increase in their learners' engagement and motivation in learning.WP7-Public Ranking Tool •Public competition guidelines and rules system •Participation of min. 50 VET providers in a EU competition •Public Ranking Tool available during the project and beyond •Final research to assess the efficiency of the PI-VET model and improvementsFor VET providers participating in the EU competition (min. 50) and for those who will adopt the Tool:•Increased attractiveness of their learning frameworks;•Increased cross-sectoral cooperation and partnerships at EU level for VET providers and stakeholders that will engage with the platform;•Increased learners' motivation and interest in learning;•Boosted international exchange of good practices.