6 partners were involved in this partnership : Fédération Régionale des Maisons familiales Rurales (FR MFR) from Midi-Pyrénées (Mipy), Leader Center for Leader Programme and Agricultural Training Methodology (PLZMMC) in Lithuania, Scuola Centrale Formazione (SCF) in Italy, Salford City College in UK, Greek Scientific Association of Therapeutic Riding and Hippotherapy (GSATRH) in Greece and Union Nationale des Maisons Familiales Rurales d'Education et d'Orientation (UNMFREO).This last organisation agreed to be the coordinator of the program. It gathers 430 VET centers, 71 territorial federations and a national pedagogical center. All of them are involved in territorial development and VET training for 70 000 people trained each year.These people have basically a strong link with rural area issues and are mostly geographically or socially isolated (YWLO).The Union deals with issues related to family, youth, rurality, social economy and VET on a national level.Each partner works also for professional integration and VET training for youngsters in rural areas. Beyond each organization and country specificity, the partners confirmed the shared issue and brought some answers.How to adapt VET training offer to changing rural areas ?How can we improve business and training connection in order to offer trainings better business needs ?What are the new trades and skills which are and will be required by the territories ?How to develop new pedagogical approaches and to adapt professional integration and training paths?This base was used to enrich the existing training courses and skills in the 2020 Europe perspective.The project aimed in long term to facilitate youth employment by offering training paths adapted to youth and business needs (Bruges Communiqué).The equine mediation assistant, which was defined during the project is a good example.Final beneficiaries are youngsters, as planned. The equine mediation training delivered in Terrou for French and British trainees with the support of the Greek staff, illustrates that aspect.Participants to the project were stakeholders, territorial dynamics facilitators like VET centers directors or coordinators, European mobility representatives or trainers.The methodological guide on territorial approaches is the final output. A second guide on planification and assessment of social change, and a job description of equine mediation assistant were also produced thanks to the project.It is also important to take in account the new stakeholders’ awareness of what is already done in multi trade activity in the agricultural sector and on the « universal » needs in rural animation. This will be the topic of the next program.Activities implemented are close to the previsions:Kick off meeting in France in Sept 14, including collecting and analyzing methods3 other trainings sessions in Greece, Lithuania and Italy on the 3 focuses agreed by the partners (path, sectors and territory).2016 was dedicated to collecting datas analyzing them and writing the guide. the Rural Territories Itinerant University held in Figeac in July 2016 enabled us to present the results of the 2-year partnership together with the guide but also to explore even further the topic with experts interventions and collective work.The expected impact, beyond the effects already seen, is the developpement of a stronger collaboration between partners, supported by new KA2 on common issues.Results are transferable as other organizations have already used them after the UITR (i.e ; Madagascar, Veneto Region).Each partner strengthened its own methodology about KA2 and is now able to integrate new organizations, as expected.Medium range perspective are:- working on the « rural area trainer », rural animation skills and evolutions in order to -Develop the european dimension in trainings by using ECVETS for instance-Facilitate youth initiatives and broaden the employment opportunities with EU programs support-Improve quality in trainings by strengthening the relations between businesses and training centres starting from the practical guide and UITR learnings-Increase territorial synergy on these topics

Training activities in companies (WEPs) are an essential part in VET and Dual VET European student’s learning process. These activities are increasingly being carried out abroad (within the EU). For this reason, it is convenient to compare the different aspects involved (training activity durability, types and contents of the agreements between companies and institutions, means and criteria to select companies, tutor and instructor coordination, etc.) to improve them. In Europe, there is great concern regarding young people’s unemployment (European average rate over 20%), for it is important to contrast experiences between different countries to improve VET’s functioning in order to improve students' qualification and their subsequent employability.The Project “Improvements in the Management of the Work Experience Placements” has the mission of improving the management of WEP in the countries of the three entities which have taken part in the Project, and in EU. This will contribute to increase VET’s quality and social-educative prestige as well as the number of students who will study VET and Dual VET.The three partners have distinguished profiles, but at the same time complementary, and a common interest: improving WEPs in Europe. - USIE, Inspectors' Union, Spain. The Education Inspectorate is a supervisor and assessor of the management of VET and Dual VET in the educational field, as well as an interlocutor between Administration, the educative community, and companies. - KAIROS Europe Ltd., company specialised in students that perform WEPs in the UK. It looks for companies, controls the teaching-learning process, and performs student’s tutoring. For this reason, this institution is aware of the problems that emerge in WEPs.- SCF, Scuola Centrale Formazione associazione, Italy. Non-profit organization that encompasses entities responsible for 94 VET/Dual centres. It works with youngsters that carry out their WEPs, some of them disabled, allowing us to have a differentiated experience in the matter.The partners have shared a common network of education and labour fields, taking into account VET and Dual VET institutions and companies of the three countries. The Project has lasted for 15 months, with a previous phase and 4 development phases. 3 National Work Teams (NWT) and 3 Transnational Teams plus the Coordinator, each one of them with their own responsibilities, have worked and carried out activities cooperatively according to the established plan.Throughout the Project, 30 activities have been carried out, applying the expected timeline and the Quality Plan, respecting a multidisciplinary perspective, cooperative working, and consensual agreements. The objectives and the Project’s mission are directly related with the expected activities and in accordance with the designed methodology: 1st- Diagnostic, based on evidence (registers, surveys…). 2nd- Analysis of the obtained data to detect proper and mistaken practices, with the objective of elaborating our final outcome:-The Good Practice Guide of WEP Management in Europe.-Political and Administrative Recommendations aimed at educational and entrepreneurial authorities to improve VET’s quality and young people’s inclusion in the labour market.For this, three transnational meetings together with one Training Activity have been carried out, in which all of the NWT have participated, as well as the selected participants by each country. The dissemination activities and the impact have had and will go on having as beneficiaries the members of the partners, as well as the educative and entrepreneurial communities, governmental authorities and other social agents. The impact can be measured by the number of participants through the partner's activities throughout the project, since companies and institutions have been visited in the three countries, interviews to the agents involved in WEP have been done, formative sessions have been carried out, highlighting the Final Conference that took place in Spain in October, which was attended by more than 250 participants. Furthermore, meetings with technicians or relevant people of each country have been held. A specific blog has been created: https://imweperasmusk202.wordpress.com/ a logo, and webs and social networks have been used by the partners (Twitter and Facebook, above all).The Project’s dissemination and sustainability have been carried out and will continue by attending activities (meetings/seminars with institutions and companies, interviews to political and employment officials, etc.), highlighting the Final Meeting, which took place in Spain, the Project’s specific Blog and each partners' webs and social networks.The Project's success will be related to the impact obtained applying the Guide of Good Practices by the institutions and companies, and the Political and Administrative Recommendations through changes in legislation and procedures in labour and education fields.

Nowadays the job market presents several challenges due to the changing demand of a more globalised and intercultural world and the rising mobility of the workforce. Internationalisation of training systems has been regarded as the crucial response to provide young people with key competences, focused on citizenship and interculturality. The European Commission has urged Member States to act in modernising and improving their education and training systems increasing the percentage of learners participating in learning mobility. The financial constraint of EU programmes and schools budget unfortunately allow only a handful of students to participate in a mobility experience every year. There is a need to find new ways of bringing Europe to local learners by introducing more Internationalisation at Home.Furthermore since March 2020 the internationalisation process that VET centers were experimenting in the last decade was strongly affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. VET students' physical mobility is strongly weakened due to the lack of common policy and the widespread restrictions to transnational travels all across the European Union (OECD,2020) . VET providers are in need of new competences and tools to implement virtual mobility, blended mobility and fostering Internationalisation at Home processes.Given this context, the general objective of the project is to strengthen the European dimension of VET centers nowadays strongly affected by the circumstances created by the COVID 19 pandemic by innovating their internationalisation strategies thanks to the use of digital tools and to the development of teachers’ digital competences. The specific objectives are:1 To innovate the internationalization of learning and to make digital some of the activities linked to VET learners physical mobility and to its preparation, monitoring and follow up2 To build capacity to implement tailor made, safer and higher quality international learners' mobility experiences enhancing cooperation between VET schools and families3 To increase teachers competences to develop Internationalization at Home activities and to deal with virtual and blended mobility The project foresees the development of three intellectual outputs related to the specific objectives of the project.IO1: Online Toolkit for teachers aimed to support them in organizing learners’ mobility with a strong digital component, by virtualizing part of the experience. It will be composed of infographics, video tutorials, examples and practices adaptable to each VET center. IO2: E - platform for a tailor made mobility in hosting families. The platform will allow local families to register and signal their availability for hosting learners. It includes the development of video guidelines/tutorials addressed to families for their collaboration with VET schools in setting up transnational mobility activities. IO3: E-learning course for teachers on the Internationalisation at Home. It will be composed of training modules on how to set up learning activities for local learners and teachers with a transnational component, some examples are: use of e-twinning and further online tools, host European students and organise classes/activities for them while they are at school, hosting training courses for European teachers etc. A special focus will be keeped on building capacities to implement blended mobility. The outputs will be tested on 12 learners participating in pilot blended mobility plus others involved through KA1 projects. The project will directly address VET teachers; headmasters; parents; learners; educators; Mobility providers’ staff and will indirectly involve local and regional authorities dealing with VET.In terms of long term impact, all the activities aim to create a sustainable and durable community of well trained VET centers and hosting families, fully equipped and prepared to ensure enriched mobility experiences for their students and to innovate their internationalisation strategies thanks to the use of new digital tools and competences. Nevertheless, raising awareness of how to integrate school’s programmes with transnational activities and provide the dedicated tools will allow improved key competences and professional competences developed by both European teachers and learners.

The project centered on tourism and catering - agribusiness and aims at enhancing the agro-food product and typical gastronomic culture as areas of business development and job growth.The project worked on entrepreneurial skills (creativity, spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship) and technical-vocational competences in the agri-food sector. This promoting the qualification of food micro-processing and the transfer of competences between different cultures and generations as a mean for differentiation of productive activities and for the sustainability of rural economy and tourism related to the promotion of local products, in the perspective of a balanced development of the territory.The project was created by a group of organisations (CEFAL, SCF, AZRRI: Agency for Rural Development of Istrian region, Istrian Region) in continuity with an experience of collaboration between Italy and Croatia started in 2006.In particular, the Key Project Q has activated a cross-border team of trainers (Italian and Croatian), which has carrie out international training sessions based on the exchange of experience in the catering sector. Key Q led to a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by AZRRI, the Tourism Board of the West Herzegovinan Canton (BiH), the Region of Istria, SCF and its members CEFAL, Civiform and Villaggio del Fanciullo, the International Academy of Dairy Art, the Federation of the Italian Rural Associations, Casa Artusi, the Province of Bologna, the school of Tourism and catering of Porec, Pula, Rovinj, the European Network CEC.The project consisted in the following actions:I) PREPARATION AND KICK OFF THE PROJECTII) RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS- COLLECTION OF EXPERIENCES OF SUCCESS (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O1)- ANALYSIS OF SUCCESS FACTORS IN THE QUALIFICATION OF PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O2 -A1)- DEFINITION OF KEY COMPETENCIES (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O2 -A1)III) IMPLEMENTATION :- DEFINITION OF TRAINING UNITS (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O3)- DRAFT OF A METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O4)- DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT O5)IV) FINALISATION AND REVIEWV) COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATIONMULTIPLIER EVENTS IN BELGIUM, FRANCE, ROMANIA, POLAND, CROATIA, ITALYJOINT STAFF TRAININGSHORT-TERM BLENDED MOBILITY OF LEARNERSThe project addressed different target groups:- The direct beneficiaries were:* 95 students participated in the testing of training units, methodological guide and online learning resources in their respective Countries.* 30 VET trainers/teachers from partner Countries (IT, FR , PL , RO, HR) were involved in the project as the protagonists of the phases of research, analysis, development, implementation and testing in their respective Countries.* Managers and supervisors representing the partners in the Steering Committee,- Indirect beneficiaries were:* Other teachers / trainers of the centers involved ;* Local stakeholders who will participate in the multiplier workshops in each beneficiary Country* Other students / trainees (not directly involved in the testing) in VET partner organizations through informal moments of peer educationThe impact at local, regional, national and European level was to promote regional cooperation and active collaboration to support:* The promotion of entrepreneurial skills for job creation and value added productions (especially agri-food) through the exploitation of local heritage and innovation, creativity, spirit of initiative. The new value added products should be in particular quality products, observant of the environment and ethical consumption;* Sustainable economy, with attention to the rural contexts and to the differentiation of food production and catering towards the promotion of Value added services (agro-tourism, work-based training centers, educational farms, etc. . ) .This was done through :* The exchange of good practice with a view to transferability* The joint staff training* Innovation in teaching methods (active methods, flexible pathways)* The recognition of skills, training and career paths of people throughout their entire life.The significant impact on the territories was guaranteed by the fact that the activities were connate with the mission of partners, which are deeply rooted in their territories and connected by stable strategic relationships with institutions and policy-makers that go beyond individual initiatives projects.Partners realized the project's products for using them after their first trial, in their ordinary activities of training and human resource development.

Organisations from this partnership have lengthy experiences in training, consultancy, research, networking and lobbying in the fields of third sector and social enterprises, especially WISE – Work Integration Social Enterprises. We are: A3S Association, a Portuguese research & development association on social economy and social entrepreneurship (coordinator); Arbeit Plus, an Austrian national umbrella network of WISE; SCF a regional Italian training centre dedicated to the qualification and innovation of their member (social cooperatives/WISE), SEE, a social enterprise based in the UK, dedicated to developed and managed training programmes in Europe, Asia and Africa; ENSIE the European Network of Social Integration Enterprises, based in Belgium.We are members of ENSIE, sharing a common mission of social and professional integration of disadvantaged groups. Partners share concerns on the persistent challenges of labour and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, the economic sustainability of social enterprises and social innovation. These are forcing changes in the skills profile required from WISES human resources, from the bottom level of the daily activity (catering/gardening), to the daily follow up of disadvantaged people in integration pathways and to the top management level.The labour inclusion field has been widely developed in the last decades in Europe through the initiatives of social enterprises, also fostered by Active Labour Market Policies promoted by the different states. A wide range of integration models have been developed: therapeutic or occupational schemes; professional training; class room training interchanged with real work context; sheltered work; transition schemes or permanent subsidised jobs.By giving a step forward from previous projects in the field of lifelong learning (namely Grundtvig), partners aimed to establish a comprehensive approach to the European context of the changes in the sector professional profiles and the challenges of its human resources skills development. More than mainly mobility and mutual learning projects we wanted also to work in a more deep level and produce outputs together. Outputs that enable partners and other key stakeholders to go furthers in the training, advocacy and lobbying in the field of work integration of disadvantaged groups.EPP three specifics objectives were: i) to identify commune needs and challenges of training, qualification and certification of skills of professionals working in this sub-sector of social enterprises in EU, ii) to create instruments for intervention in the field of professional qualification of WISE and iii) to lay the foundation for a structured and strategic intervention of medium and long term partnership for advocacy and lobbying on the qualifications of WISE professionalsTo accomplish these objectives we have developed a work stream methodology were all partners have their own assignment role in a set of articulated activities, producing their own outputs and contributing to the output produced by the other partners.EPP produced 4 intellectual outputs: 1 exploratory study on the coaching and marketing functions in WISE in five European countries (A3S); 2 training packages addressed to the professionals carrying out coaching and marketing duties (Arbeit+ and SCF); 1 report to support European and national advocacy and lobbying activities in the field of WISE’ human resources training and qualification (ENSIE). Additionally to the initial plan, the UK partner produced an essay on Professional Development in WISE.The outputs production was based on a methodology of action research focused in ten case studies and in the sharing and debate of the interim results with the key stakeholders, through multiplier events (workshops, professional training and final seminar).Transnational meetings have also played an essential role by providing study visits to the case studies in the five European countries and by providing mutual learning with partners and with national stakeholders.Beyond the intellectual outputs, other important results were achieved by EPP. At the project’ staff personnel and professional level, at the level of partners organisations, at the level of the partnership and at the European level.The direct benefits are the strategies that are being followed after the end of the project such as advocacy and lobby meetings in Austria, training plans in Portugal and Italy, the creation of new section of tools in a web learning platform in the UK or the EPP dissemination by ENSIE. There are also new ideas for European projects to continue EPP work, strengthening ENSIE projects and positions on the WISE human resources qualification and certifications.