The project responds to the extraordinary situation in education, which arose from the long-term closure of schools and educational institutions. This situation had the greatest impact on quality in terms of practical training and vocational training. The inability to practically try or practice working with tools, devices and technologies has caused a rapid fall in the level of training quality of future employees - students and graduates of secondary vocational schools. Teachers and masters of vocational training are looking for substitutes for vocational training in a virtual space, but such a substitute for education is not systematic and of good quality. The biggest obstacle is teachers' lack of skills to work with digital tools and virtual platforms. The problem is that in the development of digital education, the greatest attention has been paid to improving digital tools and disseminating content provided digitally. However, a key aspect of the widespread deployment of these tools in school education is the readiness and ability of teachers to use these tools. This is the issue of the OnlineVET project.The project wants to contribute to increasing the quality of digital education by creating a methodology for teachers how to teach online and also focuses on creating 3 digital courses focused on working with CNC technologies, milling and turning and work on automation lines. The innovativeness of the courses will be in the transferability of know-how to all EU countries and at the same time in the fact that the functional amendment of these practical online courses will be the Methodology, Manual and Training Program aimed at teachers to help them apply these courses in practice.The partnership consists of 4 partners from Slovakia, Germany and Greece.

"<< Objectives >>Objectives:- Increase the attractiveness of the VET sector- Achieving Sustainability in Education- Standardize the procedure of ""greening"" of a VET provider- Supporting the implementation of the EU VET policy<< Implementation >>1. Identification of current state of play2. Formulation, Finalization and Presentation of a set of criteria3. Piloting of criteria in VET Schools in Greece and Austria<< Results >>- One compendium of best practices in EU level- One set of criteria for the Certification of Green Education Centers in Europe.- One report with the findings of focus groups regarding the formulation of the UNESCO-UNEVOC criteria - One online workshop- Two pilot implementations of the criteria in Greece and Austria"

The project sets out to develop a framework and tools for the operationalisation of a feedback loop involving graduate data collection, data processing and adaptation to constantly shifting labour market environment by VET providers themselves. This objective is driven by the need for VET providers to strengthen their capacities for independent self-adaptation (effectively exploiting advantages of flexibility, local market intelligence, proximity to communities), through efficient graduate data handling and processing, within processes of alignment with labour and other market needs. Simultaneously, the project adopts an integrated approach aiming to promote harmonisation of such feedback loop practices and resources across VET contexts and the development of international standards, data sharing, co-processing and transparency in implementing them.InTheLoop4VET forms a partnership of leading institutions in the field of vocational education, and research to meet the objective of increasing the involvement of VET providers in feedback loop design, development and implementation. The partnership is composed by three VET providers – Folksuniversitetet (SE), Ernestas Galvanauskas (LT), CIPFP Valle de Elda (ES), an EU-wide association representing VET providers (EVBB, DE) and a research organisation with cross-sectoral research expertise (PROMEA, GR). Bringing in a diversity of capacities and organisational experience, InTheLoop4VET project encompasses capacity development activities on graduate data generation and use, institutional adaptation, development of digital feedback loop supporting tools and networking for data sharing and interoperability of feedback loops.The methodological approach is modular in design in addressing distinct stages required for setting up a feedback loop mechanism at VET provider level, based on generating and using graduate tracking data and market intelligence in a targeted and combined provision adaptation approach. The approach is bottom up in valorizing the potential of micro-reforms implemented independently by VET providers with increased data handling skills for responding to market needs and aligning its provision means and content accordingly.The consolidation of the InTheLoop4VET framework in complementarity to existing EU-wide QA frameworks and arrangements will bring added value derived from the empowerment of VET providers in the relevant decision-making processes and consultations. The dissemination of the InTheLoop4VET framework and tools - developed as context-specific and amenable to harmonisation at the transnational level – is foreseen to be impactful for the majority of VET schools beyond the partnership countries, increasing their flexibility, competition-drive and synergistic profile in effecting adaptation to evolving socio-economic needs. Finally, through the non-proprietary digital resources that the project is going to make available, we facilitate the establishment of common reporting standards and sustainable outlets for sharing tracking and adaptation data.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global socio-economic crisis, affecting the health and jobs of millions of citizens, and entailing school closure worldwide. The sudden transition from traditional teaching and learning to digital classrooms did not leave place for carefully designed online learning experiences that would allow learners to fully benefit from the digital transformation of education. VET has been particularly affected by the school closure and the transition to emergency remote teaching as its distinctive work-based learning feature has largely been interrupted, putting practical training and the acquisition of skills for VET students at a considerable disadvantage. Virtual learning environment requires teachers to demonstrate advanced digital skills and confidence in applying web-conferencing solutions. In addition, VET teachers need to coordinate, create and share training material for work-based learning with workplace mentors. In 2020, the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on vocational education and training called for increasing the digital readiness of VET providers through the promotion of digital and participative learning environments, accessible tools and versatile digital pedagogies. The Council Conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future from 2020 also recognised the importance of key competence development, as well as teaching contemporary VET skills. Well before the COVID-19 disruption, TALIS 2018 confirmed that the use of ICT for teaching represented the second highest priority for professional development of teachers. This project responds to the need for innovative, digital teaching approaches, such as simulations, augmented/virtual reality, or artificial intelligence, to train practical skills in VET sectors that took the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis – tourism, hospitality and transportation. The project aims to develop a methodological framework and pilot an online training course to support VET teachers in the application of digital technologies to sector-specific skills training in digital or blended learning environments. Target participants are 40 VET teachers who will pilot the online course and engage in a peer review evaluation of the coursework. Project activities and methods include a review and an analysis of needs, required skills and challenges for teaching in a virtual environment, as a basis for the development of a conceptual framework and guidelines on digital pedagogy in VET with a strong focus on work-based learning. An outcome-based, modular curriculum for an online course on digital pedagogy will allow awarding ECVET. In line with the curriculum, an online course and supporting open source course materials and learning scenarios will be developed. To ensure the quality of project results, the project will propose methodology for assessing training outcomes of VET teachers, as well as a peer review procedure for validating the final coursework. Teachers at VET providers in each participating country will pilot the course and engage in peer evaluation. Finally, a dedicated online platform will allow the delivery of the training course and offer assessment tools, open training resources and interactive features.The key expected results involve strengthened digital competencies of VET teachers and increased self-confidence in designing outcome-oriented, stimulating skills training in VET, introducing innovative project-based learning, and balancing online and in-person instruction. The project will equally strengthen international cooperation in digital transformation of education and advance the inclusiveness of VET by developing open source methodology for further transfer and adaptation. In terms of impact, the improved competences, motivation and self-efficacy of VET teachers to create and deliver training in a virtual environment would positively reflect on the quality of remote work-based teaching and learning in VET, as well as their cooperation with workplace trainers. VET learners would particularly benefit from more creative and meaningful learning experiences, and the improved quality of practical skills acquired through distance VET. Based on the positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning at their institutions, VET providers would increase their digital readiness and ensure the transfer of competences, pedagogy and technology across their institutions. In terms of long-term benefits, an innovative, open-source framework and course carries a high multiplication potential for transfer and adaptation by education providers, workplace trainers, policy makers and other stakeholders on both national and European levels, in VET and beyond.

Transnational mobility has over the last decade become a household byword in VET policy discussions not only in EC context, but also at national and regional policy level. Nowadays, being increasingly employed as a pedagogical tool in formal and non-formal contexts, issues of quality in mobility become a pressing concern. Although considered quite important it is very difficult to pin down precisely what good quality in mobility actually means. Here comes the correlation between quality and quantity: the more is known about quality and how to achieve it, the more confident and effective organizations can be in their efforts to reach out and offer mobility experience as a meaningful opportunity for strengthening future employability and personal development. According to EC Mobility Scoreboard that monitors progress in IVET mobility based on 10 key action areas, the average EU performance for 2016 in terms of ensuring mobility quality is considered unsatisfactory. As regards partners, only Lithuania and Italy performed very good in mobility quality, followed by Germany and UK classified as performing good, and last in the ranking are Bulgaria and Portugal with no data provided. Given this conceptual problem and relying on EP Resolution of 12 Apr 2016 on Erasmus+ and other tools to foster mobility in VET, STAYMOBIL concept was prompted by the importance of: +a common European education area grounded in a strong mobility component for developing stronger European identity and enhanced citizenship +improving VET mobility programmes so as to deliver added value for all participants as regards qualifications, recognition and content +improving social responsibility (SR) skills as part of mobility learning outcomes. Thus, STAYMOBIL project sets the overall aim to improve quality assurance in transnational VET mobility through socially responsible behavior of all VET mobility actors, thus promoting and further developing quality in mobility and sustaining learning outcomes. Specific objectives ~to provide mobility organizers with an innovative framework to assess, monitor and promote QA and sustainability at all stages of VET mobility ~to foster mobility organizers to verify and continuously improve quality of mobility activities through the development of a new to date practical approach for self-audit ~to enhance applicability and facilitate transferability of the project innovative approach through the provision of a set of recommendations, strategies and good implementation practices ~to enable mobility users to assess their SR performance as essential part of learning outcomes, thus increasing broad awareness of good ethical and socially impeccable behaviour during mobility. Project is aimed primary at: 1.Mobility organisers: +VET institutions, sending and/ or receiving VET learners and staff +Intermediary organizations involved in mobility +Companies providing mobility placements 2.Mobility users +VET learners (apprentices and VET students) +VET staff (teachers, trainers, etc.) 3.VET policy makers at national and EU levels. Within project lifetime 4 IOs will be developed: 1.Reference Framework for Sustainable Transnational VET Mobility setting up a series of quality indicators to assess, monitor and promote QA and sustainability at all mobility stages. 2.Practice Kit aiming to verify, assess and improve the quality of activities provided at all mobility stages based on O1 quality indicators matrix. It will comprise: Guidance Manual for Implementation, Evaluation and Review, Web-based Self-Audit Tool and Progress Portfolio. 3.Recommendations Booklet providing guidelines for applying and facilitating transferability of O1&O2 outside project consortium. It will comprise: Good Practices Dossier; Strategy Cards for Successful Employment of O1&O2 and Tips Packet for Enhancing Transferability. 4.Performance Skillbox serving to raise awareness, evaluate and enhance mobility users’ level of SR before and after mobility as essential part of learning outcomes. To ensure visibility and encourage wider uptake of project IOs a series of multiplier events will be held: 1.Small-scale conferences in 5 partner countries to popularize the project to relevant stakeholders 2.Open Event in Brussels to gain wider publicity of project results and attract the attention of EU authorities and VET related alliances at EU level 3.Final Conference in UK aiming to spread information to a wider audience about the project results, seeking further exploitation of project IOs and follow-up activities. STAYMOBIL project will result in raising the issue about common understanding of ‘quality through SR’, provision of high quality mobility and higher level of satisfaction from the experience, thereby sustained learning outcomes and increased number of mobility organizers and users, contributing to European internationalization of VET organizations in Erasmus+ Programme countries and creation of a genuine European labour market.