<< Background >>The Centre Forestier and the project partners applied for this project due to the identified need to improve the competences of their VET trainers and to implement in their training new pedagogics producing higher results and higher satisfaction among the trainers as among the trainees.The project is the continuation of the BLEFT project ( Erasmus+ KA2 2018-2021) during which the concept of learner-centric approaches and gamification were learnt by the partners and applied to blended-learning. The project consists in applying those approaches to face-to-face trainings in order to achieve the need identified above.Through the learner-centric approaches, the partners intend to tackle the following difficulties identified during face-to-face VET trainings : -Lack of motivation-Establishment of a participative learning environment-Establishment of a true trainer-trainee connection-Adaptation of the trainings to trainees with different learning styles-Adaptation of the trainings to trainees with learning and concentration difficulties ( DYS, TDAH notably)-Talking efficiently to trainees about safety-Conducting a training course by videoconference-Introducing digital tools in face-to-face trainingsFinally, an ultimate need is tackled through this project : the need to put forward and raise awareness on sustainable and climate-friendly forestry among the population, here more specifically among VET trainees as a part of the population generally not targeted by communication on sustainable forestry.<< Objectives >>By implementing the 2ForT project, the projects partners aim at the following :-Improving forestry trainings in Europe through the use of learner-centric approaches tested and approved for a VET target group-Improving all VET trainings in Europe as the learner-centric methods and tools experienced and promoted through the project are transferable to all VET trainees-A raise of awareness of a new part of the European population on sustainable and climate-friendly forestry and forestry workAt mid-term, the project should produce the following main impacts : 1)Higher quality of forestry professionals, who are more passionate by their job, more efficient and work more safely, thanks to higher quality trainings who really got to them. Resulting in a better adaptation to the forestry sector needs, less accidents and higher recognition of forestry workers due to a high respect of forestry sustainable management and ability to explain what it is.2)Higher quality of professionals coming from VET education, thus satisfying the needs of the professions3)Higher understanding of forestry and forestry work in Europe<< Implementation >>In order to achieve these objectives and desired impacts, the projects partners will produce 4 output results : -A list of methods and tools for implementing learner-centric approaches to VET trainings, experimented and approved-Practical guidelines videos on how to implement those approaches to a face-to-face training session-An online training course for VET trainers on learner-centric approaches, taking support from the list and videos created before hand-A training session curriculum on sustainable and climate friendly forestry and forestry work, designed for VET trainees from divers sectors using the methods and tools worked on during the project, and created in a way to make it possible for any trainer to deliver the sessionThe creation of these output results will be supported by the organisation of 5 transnational meetings and 2 learning activities of 5 days dedicated to the trainers from the participating organisations, during which they will contribute to create the output results while training and learning from each other.The dissemination of the outputs will be done through continuous communication activities as well as through the organisation of 2 multiplier events by partner, one focused on the online training course and the other on the training session curriculum on sustainable and climate-friendly forestry and forestry work.<< Results >>The project partners are expecting the following results and outcomes : -An online training course for VET trainers used and generalised among all VET training organisations-A training session curriculum on forest and forestry regularly used in VET training organisations and pushed forward by local, regional and national authorities due to the importance to educate the population on forestry as conducted in Europe-The strengthening of the forestry trainers’ community created through many projects led together at European level.-The development at mid-term of a VET trainers’ community dedicated to sharing experience, information and improving training skills, that could also lead to the development of new projects

The Forestry EduTrainer project created the first European training for forestry trainers.I/ BackgroundThe project was born from a survey conducted at European level on the forestry trainers’ qualification. Its results allowed the project partners to draw a situational analysis of forestry training in Europe : forestry trainers with comparable profiles ( technical experts who turned to training at one point in their career), diversity in their trainer training ( or absence of specific training), a need to gain more pedagogical and/or methodological competences. The consequences of such a situation: no worker mobility, national ( or binational) training framework, lack of capacities to transmit competences efficiently linked to a shortage of pedagogical/methodological competences, aggravation of forestry work dangerousness. II/ ObjectivesTo solve this problem, Forestry EduTrainer created 6 Intellectual Outputs for the creation of a specific training for forestry trainers, efficient, shared and laid on good practices. These Intellectual Outputs followed the usual order for creating a new training: -Creation of the Competence Standard-Creation of the Training Standard-Elaboration of the training course divided in modules and subobjectives.-Work on the way to deliver the training: transfer of the training course onto a learning platform and creation of digital materials-Experimenting with the training, and training of the future trainers on this training: the EduCoaches-Ensuring the sustainability of the training course and its future developmentIII/ Partnership and participantsThe Forestry EduTrainer project was lead by 7 well-known organisations in Europe in the wood and training sectors:-Le Centre Forestier de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France, coordinateur-Centre Tecnologic Forestal de Catalunya, Espagne-Kuratorium Fur Waldarbeit Und Forsttechnik (KWF) GMBH, Allemagne-Landerbetrieb Forst Brandenburg/Waldarbeitsschule Kunsterspring, Allemagne-Natuurinvest, Belgique-Scuola Agraria del Parco di Monza, Italie-Jyväskylän koulutuskuntayhtymä, FinlandeEach of these organisations dedicated to the project experts in forestry training and/or blended-learning, project managers and technicians in charge of the translation of the training course.Also took part to the project and the experimentation of the Forestry EduTrainer course a total of 31 forestry trainers coming from 6 European countries.Finally, the multiplier events organised by all project partners allowed to target more than 150 people coming or not from the forestry sector or from partners’ countries, potential future trainees on the course thanks to the organisation of events held face-to-face or online.IV/ ActivitiesThe Forestry EduTrainer partners realised 6 Intellectual Outputs by creating and disseminating divers’ surveys and through intense research, and by sharing their knowledge.During the 3 and a half years of the project (prorogation due to the pandemic), the project partners met 18 times, whether online or during transnational meetings.A total of 7 experimental trainings were organised, whether or not funded at European level. They allowed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the training course and work on their solving.Finally, 11 multiplier events were held.V/ Results, impacts and benefits at long-termThe Forestry EduTrainer project has thus succeeded in creating the first European training for Forestry trainers and in ensuring its sustainability.The training answers the needs identified in the situational analysis, by offering to the forestry trainers a singular training in Europe created thanks to collective intelligence and good practices, et mainly focused on the pedagogy and methodology needed in forestry training. The Forestry EduTrainer training is proposed by recognised organisations at national and European level, which will provide it at European scale and work towards its improvement through the sustainability strategy worked upon. Many trainers and/or forestry training organisations have already expressed their interest in the Forestry EduTrainer training.At mid and long-term, the benefits of Forestry EduTrainer will be a better qualification of forestry trainers as well as trainings of higher quality, thus permitting more efficiency and work quality in the next-to-be forestry professionals as well as a diminution of the number and gravity of accidents.

Although blended learning is an education program that is known and used in several domains, it was not yet used -and so very much innovative- in the forestry sector. During this project 21 forestry expert from ES, FR, Au, De and Be have been trained in developping innovative, interactive online learning materials. They have developted digital learning materials for professionals from the forestry sector. The developed digital training modules were combined into so-called “training lines” specifically developed for forestry professionals, covering subjects and expertise that they need today in order to stay on top of knowledge and expertise in their domain. Thanks to the participation of an agogic training expert in blended learning and specialized forestry training institutes (FTI) from different European countries, transnational exchange of expertise -which was necessary to reply to the specific training needs of forestry professionals- was possible.Before this project the participating FTI's mainly developed and transmitted expertise via classical teaching and handbooks. A part of the trainings included already sometimes basic online support (for example with introductory texts, background documents or by making available the presentations used during the training) via their websites. But with this project of Blended learning the European Forestry sector (EFS) has entered the world of blended and online learning. The developed digital learning materials, which are available in different digital formats were widely disseminated amoung the different networks of the participating Forestry partners within this project, in order to make an extensive implementation of online content into classical training schemes possible. Thanks to the experience of Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen, partners have been able to level up their basic online support into professional development of digital training materials on the one hand and online and blended teaching and learning on the other hand. As a result blended learning and teaching has became more commonly used and known in the EFS. This has increased the scope of forestry professionals that could be reached thanks to (partly) online exchange of knowledge. Throughout Europe, forestry professionals have specialties of their own, and innovative techniques arise at local level, specific to the country/terrain conditions/ … Despite the local differences, specific expertise is of high interest for forestry professionals elsewhere in Europe. The use of digital training materials facilitate now the exchange of expertise and the accessibility to knowledge within the sector and between professionals, not only on local or regional level but also on European level and beyond. Professionals are now aible to consult the digital content whenever they want, without traveling, avoiding important investment of money, time and traveling. Indirectly, the results of the BLEFT-project contributes to the greening of the professionalism of the EFS. In addition, professionals can now easily select the training modules replying to their specific need. So thanks to the use of blended learning, several barriers have been reduced. The partnership has developed digital learning materials in English and in the national language(s) in order to overcome language barriers.For an important part of the forestry professionals guidance was necessary in this foreseen digitalization of the trainings and training materials. The national networks of the partners have been used in order to reach the regular clients and well-known contacts of the sector. The existing relation of trust with the sector has facilitated the introduction of this innovative training method. The extended network including different types of actors from the sector all over Europe has spread the project results beyond the participating partners and countries.During the project, a public project website/page and partner networks and regular communication means were used in order to inform interested parties on the progress of the project. The developed project website, which is also published on the European Platform for Project Results, ensures that the developed training lines – consisting of several separate modules in different digital formats - will be publically and freely available, also after the project has ended. Also the guidelines and tutorials on how to create online content have been recorded and made publically available for any other interested party via this platform and via links on partner websites to this centralized platform.

ObjectivesEMOC will develop and define common basic European skills standards and assessment procedures for machine operators referring to different types of machines. EMOC will offer a reliable instrument to verify that an operator has proven his or her skills in a Europe-wide standardised assessment. This will contribute to safety and health in forest operations, to environmentally sound forest operations and it will contribute to increase professionalism and to foster mobility of forest workers across Europe. BackgroundForest, landscape and horticulture operations - green operations - in Europe are carried out to an ongoing growing portion by contractors. Contractors offer their services increasingly all over Europe. This is particularly obvious when storm damage or other disasters lead to a very high labour demand. Operating forest machines safely and environmentally friendly requires high competences. Clients of contractors offering forest operation services have to ensure that a particular operator has proper skills and competences to carry out a task without accidental damages to himself, to co-workers or others and without environmental damages. However, until today there is no pan-European instrument for green operations available which reliably and transparently provides evidence if a machine operator has got the required skills and competences.The project partners who represent training and education organisations from the six European countries Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and one Europe-wide operating organisation EFESC will carry out the project activities in 4 work packages: 1.Opening step is to classify different machine types used in the environmental “green” sector (eg. farm tractor, forwarder, harvester, skidders, riding mowers, etc.) regarding specific unique skills. This leads to the following step to define and develop the skills and competences and to transfer these standards to the different machine types.An overview and mutual extraction of actual applied assessments, tests, checks or selection procedures of certain machines in various countries in combination with defined specific operator skills will be produced. This will be the main basis for WP 2. This work will be carried out by all partners involved; main activities will be adding information about own procedures to a standardised template to get a synopsis of relevant skills for operating different machines. The definition of specific and typical types of machines which can serve as models for subsequent standard development will be the vital base for WP2.2.Partners of training centres will work closely together to elaborate common standards for three previously defined machine types which ensures high quality and integrates national achievements; i.e. integrate procedures and standards which are already used by partner organisations and other actors in the field of training and education of machine operators. This is the core and the most demanding task of WP2. 3.Developing assessment criteria and procedures will start, by identifying the already existing assessment criteria which are used by the project partners. The qualified overview of criteria and procedures leads to the teamwork to find out the common base for an assessment standard which will be defined in order to become acknowledged Europe-wide. 4.The final step towards a fully applicable certification scheme is to define the criteria which EMOC assessors will have to meet to be able to carry out competent assessments. Future EMOC assessors need to be fully familiar with the standards and procedures and have to obtain the skills to carry out assessments that meet the quality requirements. Assessors will be trained to get these competences. This will be done under the auspices of EFESC based on the experience in assessor qualification and training which has been gained in recent activities (e.g. training assessors for the European Chainsaw Certificate ECC). A program of training and tests of assessors will be designed. Training will be carried out at different places (indoor, outdoor, during real operations) depending on the tasks (different kinds of assessments of the different classified machine types).Project resultsEMOC will deliver instruments, tools and procedures for a certificate for European machine operators (EMOC). EMOC will help all responsible players in green operations to employ machine operators which can evidence that they have the skills which are needed for safe and healthy work and for nature and environmental friendly operations.The credibility and reliability of EMOC will be guaranteed by integrating the standards and procedures into the well established management and governance structures of the European Forestry and Environmental Skills Council (EFESC).

The FORESTS FOR HEALTH project idea was born in Geneva as part of the Think Tank on Green Jobs in the forest sector (Team of Specialists on Green Jobs in the Forest Sector - Joint UNECE/FAO/ILO Expert Network).The idea was developed on two observations, which have found some validation through surveys sent among the partnership network :- there is a development of forest-based health and well-being practices in European countries, some being more advanced than others. The idea behind this concept is that human beings can benefit greatly from the forest environment in health and well-being related matters. However these practices are often developed on no empirical science ground, and are being implemented without an understanding of, or respect for, preserving and conserving the natural environment. This is of major concern in light of the burgeoning interest in sylvotherapy and Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) and the need to protect biodiversity in the current climate emergency. At present many practices are taking place in un-adapted forests and/or without adhering to the rules and regulations of the forest environment and its requirements.- As a result of a recent surge in awareness among the general population of the need to protect natural environments, many people perceive the forest as the last refuge of wild nature. Therefore, some people prioritise forests as places to be respected, protected, and above all preserved. This position however is in direct conflict with a true understanding of the forests, and of sustainable forest management which validates human intervention in the forests for a better growth of the trees and sustainability of forest massifs.As a result was identified the need to professionalise the practice and make sure forest understanding is guaranteed while conducting forest-related health sessions. The FORESTS FOR HEALTH project thus aims at the training of “Forests For Health Coaches” with dual competences in forest-health practices and comprehension of forests and forestry. The FORESTS FOR HEALTH Coaches will be trained on a training course created by the project partnership, supported by European competence and training standards, and provided in a blended-learning format. The partnership will thus train FORESTS FOR HEALTH Trainers to conduct the training. These FORESTS FOR HEALTH trainers will themselves have been the first persons trained on the training course content and on the FFH methods for the organisation of forest-health sessions through the conduct of 4 short-term joint staff training events. A total of 9 FORESTS FOR HEALTH Trainers will have been trained throughout the project, as well as 9 FORESTS FOR HEALTH Coaches. Throughtout the project, the person trained pertained to the partners’ organisations and had competences in forest-health or forest and forestry. The project is conducted by a partnership of 9 organisations from the forestry vocational training sector and organisations specialised in the organisation of forest-health sessions. To achieve the goal of the project, these organisations will work on creating :- a competence standard,- a training standard- a training course developed on the aforementioned standards- an elearning platform- a training curriculum and a curriculum for the conduct of forest-health sessions- a strategy for the recognition by national authorities of the training course The impact envisaged of the project is the development and generalisation of forest-health Coaches with a dual competence in forest-health and forest thanks to the FORESTS FOR HEALTH Certificate. Thanks to the development of the training course and European certificate, the project will foster at intermediate and long term the recognition of forest-health practices at European level, the harmonisation of the concept and of its practices, and will contribute to raise awareness on the forest environment, its benefits and its functions.