Before the pandemic, in the Slovak republic, car industry was and still is the key industrial sector. Car producing companies and industrial parks create 200 000 work places, which creates 9% of the total employment rate. Car production subsequently requires other experts, who sell the cars and provide high quality services. This area offers more than 10 000 additional job opportunities. However, with fast changing technologies and innovative solutions it becomes difficult to follow the needs in this industry in terms of qualifications needed. In the time of project submission, in Slovakia, there were 14 000 qualified workers missing on the automotive work market (TASR 2017, Feb 27th). The above numbers affect also vocational education system, setting up concrete requirements for: - Qualified VET teachers and practical workshop leaders in 87 schools in Slovakia, providing relevant training programmes in automotive professions (ISCED 3C), (ISCED 3A) - Necessity of Innovative, up - to - date, high quality teaching materials reflecting the work market needsIn March 2015, before STEP AHEAD I project submission, SŠOA DA carried out the online research, targeting 87 secondary schools in Slovakia, from automotive professions. From 71 respondents, 78,9% confirmed the need to integrate the topic of trends and innovations into current school curricula. 94,4% expressed their interest in the new teaching methodologies and 93% interest in interactive online resources. Also, strong interest and need for teacher training was confirmed through STEP AHEAD I. the project preceiding STEP AHEAD II, where 24 training participants and about 70 conference participants from both SK and CZ expressed their interest and need for similar kind of learning opportunity. STEP AHEAD II, therefore, built on the real and concrete needs confirmed by 71 respondents of the online research (2015), as well as by 94 STEP AHEAD I. project participants (2017), while providing one of the possible solutions to actual situation. In STEP AHEAD II, in addition to providing intensive teacher training programme, we developed 2 main outputs: O1/319 Interactive learning screens, structured in 13 online modules, in each of 5 language versions/EN,ES,FIN,CZ,SK, focused on concrete topics of the new trends in Automotive industry O2/13 support teaching methodologies/lesson plans related to concrete topics of innovations; and other support materials, related to the topics, most of which cover also environmental aspects, that become really crucial:•CAN NETWORK (FINLAND)•ELECTRIC CARS (SPAIN)•FULL HYBRID (FINLAND)•TRUCKS – FUEL CONSUMPTION (CZ)•TRUCKS – EMISSIONS (CZ)•TRUCKS – HYBRIDS (FINLAND)•GPS MONITORING, TELEMATICS (CZ)•AUTONOMOUS CARS (SK)•BIOFUELS (SK)•HYBRID BATTERIES (SPAIN) Project outputs were developed in partnership of 5 institutions: SSOŠA DA Bratislava, replaced later by SOS Vranovska (SK), INAK (SK), KOMTES (CZ), APAGA (ES), TTS (FI). All partners provided expert supervisory on the concrete topics on automotive innovations. Project directly targeted the group of teachers from secondary automotive schools in all partner countries, staff members of partner institutions, representing work-based settings, and indirectly students in the schools where developed materials will be used, as well as all the teachers who will use them. During project implementation, there were alltogether cca 50 participants who attended 3 training programmes and 70 attended conferences. We believe that project, contributed to increase of quality of VET in Slovakia and the Czech republic as well as Spain and brought a positive experience for Finnish participants, too.

<< Objectives >>To creating booklets and worksheets about Robots, Simulation Software and Programming. Increasing the digital dimension in VET.To bring innovation to vocational education with the educational materials to be created.To ensure that every stakeholder learns at least one robot simulation and programming software.To meet the needs of the labor market by increasing qualifications.To realize inclusion and diversity by enabling disadvantaged students to take an active role in the project.<< Implementation >>We will implement 3 Learning/Teaching/Training activities. These are as follows;We will create the Robots and Programming Language section in the booklet at the first L/T/T activity We will create the Explained of Robot Simulation Software section in the booklet at the second L/T/T activityWe will create the Explained of Mechanic Simulation and Faults section in the booklet at the third L/T/T activityWe will carry out training activities for Vocational Education Providers.<< Results >>By enabling real-time simulation programs to take place in vocational education, we expect to reduce dependency on material and create equity and inclusion for all students.We hope that our Robotic Booklet / Worksheets will be used for many years in VET.We hope to get one step closer to the manpower needed by the labor market.We want to understand the importance of international cooperation and bilingualism.We look forward to seeing the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ projects to everyone.

Aims fo the project:- Make up a digital guide on good practices for training apprentinces considering both formal and informal training institutions. The idea is to benefit both employers and students, strenghtening the link between teaching, training and working. We want to establish high quality rules to avoid apprendices training to focus on low skill jobs or on a poor training process causing a damage to their reputation. In addition, we want to offer a way to excellence as qualiting training processes can also contriute to foster active citizenship and social inclusion by integrating people from different social and personal origins within th labour market. - To create a network of good practices as apprentices training is concerned by including the participation of all partners in the project and any other institutions who apply for being a part of it. The lenth of the project is thought for two years. Within it we will include three transnational meetings and three training activities. The working team is formed by the coordinator Asociación de Profesores Técnicos y de Enseñanza Secundaria de Automoción de Galicia and the following partners:IEK Kavalas (Greece)Ortakoy 80. Yil Mesleki Ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi from Ankara- (Turkey)ISIS D'Aronco from Gemona del Friuli -( Italy)Centro Formativo Provinciale G. Zanardelli from Brescia - (Italy)Jelgavas Tehnikums from Jelgava - Latvia.1.2.- Reserach on the following aspects of apprentices training:17 fields of work are established to produce the good practices guide about apprentices training process. - Legislation - Companies and schools agreements.- Learning outcomes in the training process.- Pedagogical Support- working place- Remuneration or compensation- Social protection.- Working, health and safety conditions.- Regulatory framework- Companies support - tutors training- Flexible pathways and mobility- Career guidance and .- Career guidance and self-awareness.- Transparency- Quality assurance and apprentices monitoring- To ensure equal access- Support services to implement apprentices training systems- Self-awareness.The dissemination plan of the project includes social networks, employers, apprentices and social agents meetings, written media. By means of the European network of good practices on apprentices training we will establish the sustainability of the project. We will continuo working with this tool after the project finishes by incorporating any other new institutions which will strengthen its usefulness. We will also add new working fields on it such as the apprentices mobilities and the teaching staff mobilities within the UE.

"As teachers in public Secondary and Vocational Schools we have noticed the urgent need to pay attention to our younger students with special needs to learn efficiently, as they are constantly kicked off from the oficial educational system, just because of their special requirements. They are usually sent to Initial VET programmes, but although our laws mention ""inclusion"", these programmes are not really inclusive. They are not useful, as they do not offer our students the possibility of a real learning, to remain for longer periods within the system. Unfortunately, they are neither prepared to access our current labour market. From our teaching perspective, the curricular materials we have for these students do not fit their needs. They are usually motivated to minpulative activities , but not really for passive, rote learning. However, the publishing companies provide schools with useless books which are not useful with these students within the classroom. This situation causes frustration and continuous worries for teachers. Some of them have recently shared this feeling with other teaching professionals from different European countries during KA1 mobility projects. Moreover, from companies perspective, having agreements with our schools for internship programmes, they are really worried about the fact that our curricular materiales are not updated to allow our students to get the required abilities to work at their companies. Once again, these books do not fulfill the companies requirements for qualified workers.For all these reasons, we consider ourselves ready to take action and try to change this situation. We suggest designing and manufacture inclusive curricular materials for these students. They have to be as simple, interactive and attractive as possible, so they can contribute to cause the required motivation for them to finish their Inicial VET programmes. At the same time, they help their teachers to get motivated aswell. Among teachers, we usually share some individual activities which are successful within the classroom with these students. Now we propose to gather all of them, coming up from different schools and different countries, as our main objective is to help the development of high quality skills and competences for our teachers and students. Moreover, We want to offer them all to the rest of the society, where there are some professional groups clearly not updated to fulfill their jobs, and not ready to start a traditional training. We want to offer our inclusive materials to them in an open learning format (SPOOC) . On the basis of this common need, shared with hundreds of teachers from our association, we have chosen to make a proporsal for a first try of designing inclusive materials focusing on the Automotive branch of Car Maintenance.We detail here our open learning format proposal, which has to be plural, inclusive and offering constant updating, by means of ICT, manufacturing inclusive materials on a digital basis, designing a digital book (including 3D patterns, and models to be printed on 3D to favour ""learning by doing"")We assume that the option of ICT complements the topic itself: the electric vehicle."

The following objectives have been proposed in the project:- To create a new teaching methodology with the development of electronic books by students.- To establish a group of significant practices into the professional family, in this case, transport and vehicle maintenance, in electronic book format.- To create a virtual library with the books realized.- To establish a work methodology with which you learn by working, always real work.- To network with the project partners to share knowledge, experiences and establish mobility projects for students and teachers.A fundamental element in the project has been the contribution of the partners from their experience in other training systems such as Dual training, which we consider essential to establish a network.This project involves a vocational training center fromCzech Republic (Stredni skola polytechnicka, Olomouc), one of Poland (ZSSiLnr2 w Warszawie), one of Croatia (Elektrostrojarska obrtnička škola), one of Estonia (Kuressaare Ametikool), one Italian company ( AUTORIPARAZIONI MULTICAR S) and the Association of Technical and Secondary Education Teachers from Galicia who acts as coordinator of the project.The content of the project is based on designing a series of significant practices into the family of Transport and Vehicle Maintenance with a methodology of learning by working and using the development of electronic books of these practices as another motivating element for the student.The work has been done about:Use of carbon fiber in the repair of the bodywork and other vehiclesRepair and maintenance of enginesThematic of transmission and braking in vehiclesDiagnosis of vehicles.Chassis of vehicles.Each partner has carried out a series of tasks, has received online training about the edition with electronic books by the coordinating partner, who always supported their tasks.The partners have implemented the new didactic in the classrooms with the highest level of school failure.An important diffusion of the results has been carried out in the educational centers and companies, once the project has been finished, we continue working with the tools used during the project, which we consider that in a long term it will create an important impact in the students and teachers of the partner centers.The sustainability of the project is ensured by continuing the use of tools for editing books and the willingness of the partners to continue working on another project that has as a starting point the development of all products in electronic book format.It will establish a short-term benefits with the use of the editor in the day-to-day of the classes and in a long term incorporating more groups to this didactic each year.