Enhancement of WBL models is the objective of numerous cooperation agreements between European states and it is also a goal of the EU Commission. This has led to initiatives such as the “European Alliance for Apprenticeships”, which was launched in July 2013. Work-based learning in all its forms is a flexible VET model that serves the various interests of society. WBL experiences represent a fundamental tool for the development of key competences in dealing with working changes and ensuring employability. It has been highlighted the strong educational value of such experiences as they enable the acquisition of knowledge and competences, additional to those obtained through the ordinary training curriculum, as well as of intercultural and language abilities and skills, attitudes towards change and “international competences”. TRAM-WEB project improves transnational WBL for learners by creating and validating a WBL implementation model engaging companies, schools and VET organisations. Through its focus on educational opportunities and career advancement in the labour market, TRAM WBL project has the potential to turn entry-level work experiences into career opportunities, thereby increasing learning and improving student retention and education progress. The mutual business-school support of a WBL model helps create a community-wide environment of collaboration and cooperation. TRAM-WBL project has implemented a platform to provide support to international mobility within formal learning pathways. The platform may be used for the management and administration of international mobility activities offering support to learners, teaching staff and host companies in a way that should ensure that the full value of international mobility experiences is achieved. It offers a consistent framework for mobility. It includes: quality assurance elements; shared references which can be considered as a “common body” of learning outcomes related to a qualification which is applicable across countries; eligibility criteria, which are to be met by institutions that want to join the network; templates for LA, MoU and PT.The project management activities included the organization of a kick off meeting, 4 transnational meetings and a final International conference.TRAM-WBL partnership consists of 11 partners from 7 different countries:FONDAZIONE CENTRO PRODUTTIVITÀ VENETO–IT is a Foundation promoted by the Chamber of Commerce of Vicenza and other 4 Chambers of Commerce and several Business Associations.ASSOCIAZIONE STUDIO L&P–IT carries out researches, surveys, studies on the industrial sector. CESPIM - CENTRO STUDI PER L'INNOVAZIONE D'IMPRESA–IT (agency for SME’s innovation) is a technical structure of CONFAPI (Italian Confederation of the Small and Medium Enterprises which today represents more than 90.000 associated enterprises employing about 1 million of workers). ISTITUTO GUGLIELMO TAGLIACARNE–IT is a training and socio-economic research Foundation, established by the Italian Union of the Chambers of Commerce. UFFICIO SCOLASTICO REGIONALE PER IL VENETO–IT represents one of the regional branches of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. INTERNATIONALER BUND E.V., IB SÜD–DE belongs to the Internationaler Bund, one of Germany’s largest non-profit organisations for training, youth work and social work. INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE–PT is the biggest Portuguese technological infrastructure and the second biggest VET player in Portugal.BIEDRIBA EUROFORTIS–LV promotes continuing education of schools and enterprises, supporting development of hard & soft skills.OBCHODNÁ AKADÉMIA DUDOVA–SK is a Business Academy, an economic school.FUNDACIÓN PARA LA FORMACIÓN, LA CUALIFICACIÓN Y EL EMPLEO EN EL SECTOR METAL DE ASTURIAS – ES promotes training and professional qualifications, as well as labour improvements, for the industry –metal sector in particular. CHAMBER OF CHALKIDIKI – EL is a consulting and advisory body of the state, aiming at the local economic development. The project has given the opportunity to:- explore companies’ required support for effective student learning in WBL environments abroad and to develop information and guidance materials and tools for employers, students and schools/VET providers teaching staff;- support schools/VET providers on how to improve integration of WBL into school-based practices or how to innovate existing WBL practices;- promote school and business collaboration on the provision of WBL meanwhile enhance cooperation in areas such as curriculum design, career guidance and mentoring and results in better value for money, /resources/technology are shared with employers;- identify and disseminate effective institutional policies and practices in engaging and developing the “employer role” in providing successful WBL learning environments.

"In recent years, tens of thousands of migrants and refugees have sought asylum and international protection in EU countries. They want to become an integrated part of European society, and this poses new challenges for the people who work with them. In order to be able to deal effectively with ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, professionals need new skills and competencies. In the context of the general rules of the European Community for dealing with migration, the @MigrationSpotlight project has developed and implemented training modules, activities and materials for those working with refugees and migrants - social workers, educators, psychologists, doctors, NGOs and charities. The aim is for them to be sufficiently prepared to work in culturally diverse environments and in a multilingual environment, through targeted knowledge of cultural identities to be able to effectively achieve intercultural interaction. The created training methodologies are based on the creative approach; the project changes the philosophy of training of workers with migrants and refugees, which directly affects the integration of migrants in European society. The project is implemented by five partner organizations: Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation Alef - Bulgaria, FERDINAND PORSCHE FERN FACHHOCHSCHULE GMBH - Austria, UC LIMBURG - Belgium, EDEX - EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE CORPORATION LIMITED - Cyprus, EPIMELITIRIO CHALKIDIKI - Greece. To achieve the objectives, the partners carried out a number of research activities - surveys, field studies, analyzes of existing training programs, identified needs and prepared reports outlining how intercultural competence activities should be developed. Four basic pools were identified, on which all activities and programs developed in the project are based: (1) Intercultural knowledge, (2) Interpersonal skills; (3) Team efficiency; (4) Cultural empathy.5 main products have been developed:1.Research report - published on the project website - http://atmigrationspotlight.openedict.eu/2. „Train the Trainer” Program - 4 theoretical models and 60 practical exercises based on culture and different arts. It is published in a booklet in five languages - English, Bulgarian, Greek, Flemish and German. It is available on the project website.3. Guidelines for intercultural mentoring and an interactive tool - designed to shift learning policy and practice from ""advice and guidance"" to ""learning conversations"". 4. Online platform for hosting shared virtual environments - an interactive tool in which 50 mentors and mentees can communicate simultaneously, individually and in groups, exchange views, information and support materials, plan and conduct online meetings, which was especially necessary during the restrictions of COVID-19 - http://104.248.203.74/The products developed under the project were tested in different types of activities:1. Multiplayer events - in Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Austria in the presence of nearly 120 participants2. Online mentoring procedure - lasted two months with the participation of mentors and mentees from the five partner countries3. Two-day online training, based on the ""Train the trainer"" program, mentoring procedure and guidelines for using the online platform with the participation of specialists from Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Belgium and Cyprus. Feedback was received from the users of the products, on the basis of which they were improved and adapted according to the educational needs. All project results are available in English, Greek, Bulgarian, German and Flemish on the project website, its Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationSpotlight-2324742070895688/ or through the printed editions - booklet, leaflets and etc. The project has had an impact on all levels of European space - local, regional, international. The main target groups manage to apply the developed practices and strategies and to upgrade their intercultural competencies, which helps them to successfully deal with the cultural, religious and linguistic diversity of refugee groups. The availability of materials and the completion of the project help to create a learning environment that meets the needs of all migrants and refugees. The project also has an impact on migrants and refugees themselves, promoting their equal treatment and inclusion."

Project “BRANDING Mentoring - Brand building of EU Enterprises through Mentoring” aimed to recruit experienced entrepreneurs in order to mentor, support and guide less experienced entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, executives of SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups in regards to cultivating and enhancing their skills and competences related to branding techniques and strategies, marketing of their products and services, as well as their overall extroversion and business acumen that leads to successful business results and practices.An innovative element of the project is that all of this is done by trained mentors.To do so, the project commenced with primary research that will helped contact and identify both stakeholders interested in participating in the mentoring process as receivers (mentees) as well as those interested to participate as donors (mentors).It explored the needs of the target groups and identified good mentoring practices.Next, the project partners designed and developed the Mentoring Handbook that clearly describe the innovative mentoring methodology to be followed and, after training the selected mentors and matching them with the prospective mentees, mentoring schemes were initiated with a specified timetable and quality assurance guidelines.As the result of the implemented project activities the introduction of mentoring, other formal and non-formal elements of training increased the branding success of the beneficiaries’ organizations, at the same time to establish a novel learning approach in the specific countries.The 7 project partners came from 5 different countries (Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Poland and Slovenia) and are all either experienced business support organizations, or Chambers of Commerce. Therefore, the impact of all produced materials, deliverables and methodologies are maximized, not only through the implemented multiplier events and dissemination activities, but also through the partners’ own existing networks of members and overall stakeholders within their regions, but also beyond. Moreover, the fact that all produced main outputs are freely available in all partners’ languages and in English allows them to be transferred into other contexts and environments with ease, further enhancing the project’s sustainability potential.

The overall objective of this project is to develop export-oriented entrepreneurship skills of VET learners via open access training modules. Entrepreneurial candidate VET learners who are equipped with export skills will be much more preferred in business life, and these learners will contribute to the economic development of the country. Therefore, this project will integrate vocational education with the real sector. In order to move to export-oriented VET and to improve the export of the countries, the capacity of VET learners should be built. In order to achieve this goal, the specific objectives of the project are -to conduct the current situation and needs assessment analysis of VET learners, -to prepare a training curriculum including training of trainers about export (training materials for trainers and learners), and -to develop digital applications (web and mobile application) for learners for easy access to information. -to prepare a policy report as a strategic road map for policymakers to encourage the use of these outcomes in vocational education.Target groups of the project are VET learners and trainers. Since all the outputs will be prepared for utilization and benefiting of VET learners, they are among target groups. Furthermore, they will be able to enhance their entrepreneurship skills through benefitting from these intellectual outputs. Because they will gain very crucial information about export in addition to their sectorial know-how. Hence, they will establish their own businesses, and improve it thanks to gained export knowledge. Additionally, VET trainers are among target groups because the training curriculum will include training of trainers in order to provide a good training process. Training materials for trainers will be developed.With the advancement of technology and the expansion of digitalization, trade channels also vary from traditional ways to e-commerce. This change is much faster with the development of mobile and cloud technologies. In this context, it can be much easier for companies to reach international markets from regional ones. However, the competition conditions are becoming more and more difficult. Because many companies from many countries have the ability to reach international markets with new technology possibilities. Within the scope of the project, necessary information and technology infrastructure for different trade channels, different cultures, different economies, and different companies in different regions, will be discussed together with international partners. It is possible for companies to survive under competitive conditions and to make sustainable trade only if they play the game according to the rules. The needs for trained human resource for micro export will be analyzed in different countries and the analysis will be produced to address all target groups.1.The current situation and needs assessment analysis for VET learners will be conducted. National reports will be involved. (Intellectual Output 1)2.The curriculum about export for VET learners and trainers (training materials) will be prepared. (Intellectual Output 2)3.Digital applications (web and mobile application) for learners will be developed for easy access to information. It will be necessary for facilitating the process of documents needed in the export process and creating a flexible learning process for continuous development. (Intellectual Output 3)4.By developing these intellectual outputs Open Access to Materials, Curriculum and Applications will be ensured.5.By organizing 6 Multiplier Events in each partner country, it will be ensured that the project will reach the target groups.6.A report will be prepared using professional and methodological instruments for policy makers to encourage the use of these outcomes in vocational education. (Intellectual Output 4)There are 9 partners (applicant and 8 partners) from 5 different countries. The partners are different types of institutions such as VET school, university, education center, SMEs, chamber, NGO, Institute for business education. Therefore, it can be said that the partnership is established to form a complementary consortium which means each partner will contribute to the project in terms of its experience, knowledge, the field of work, and background. Except applicant and Partner 7, other partners have experience in Strategic Partnership projects. There will be 5 transnational project meetings (TPM) in each partner country during the 24-month project duration. Each partner’s staff will participate in these meetings. The delegation of each partner will be constituted of 2 staffs who will be responsible for the related intellectual outputs at that time.

Urbanization rates are gradually rising and it is estimated that by 2050 around 80% of the world’s population will live in cities, while the total population of the earth is expected to increase by 3 billion. This upward trend can lead to food shortage, as arable land already cultivated to cover these feeding requirements amounts to 80% of available farmland. Through smart farming though, larger food production is possible because the production can take place during the whole year without interruptions, while weather conditions in many cases have no impact on it. Apart from a possible future food crisis that may arise from poor environmental management, another issue that arises is that of high pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels due to the transportations; it is estimated that the produced goods travel thousands of kilometers on average before they reach our table. Smart urban farming will also automatically nullify the distance from the production site to the table, providing a green solution to the above problem. Cultivation methods vary from crops in soil, terraces, gardens and balconies in our personal space to crops in community public spaces and gardens in suburban areas. We will focus on smart farming methods such as aquaponics that is the cultivation of fish and plants together in a constructed, recirculating ecosystem utilizing natural bacterial cycles to convert fish waste to plant nutrients. It is an environmentally friendly, natural food-growing method that harnesses the best attributes of aquaculture and hydroponics without the need to discard any water or filtrate or add chemical fertilizers. It enables growing food for oneself, the community, or for the market without the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides, while using the least amount of resources, thereby leaving the smallest carbon footprint. In addition, aquaponics is suitable for environments with limited land and water, which makes it an urban-friendly technology as well as a sustainable farming technique. This modern idea of smart farming, whether it is performed in greenhouses or through indoor techniques, can be optimized by utilizing the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all environmental factors i.e. temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, pH, etc. can be controlled and automated based on the Industry 4.0 trends.Most importantly, smart farming systems do not require much prior expert knowledge in order to start your own cultivation; it requires resources like a backyard or a rooftop, and a hands-on approach combined with the right skills. Nevertheless, in most countries throughout Europe, they are still in an infantile stage, even though it is rapidly developing during the last few years. Especially concerning the project’s participating countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Cyprus) where farming and fishing are two very important – yet not as modernized – industries, new smart farming methods cannot be located in many curricula of VET organizations or HEIs, nor are there many large-scale establishments, either for profit or non-profit.This is why the partners have come together to establish the “Smart Farming 4.0 All” consortium, in order to conduct extensive desk and field research addressed to a wide variety of relevant stakeholders and professionals, to create a Smart Farming Handbook and disseminate it freely to everybody interested, and to develop specific training curricula that will be utilized to train experts from the participating organizations as “carriers” of innovation, in order to be able to spread and mainstream this novel method back to their regions. Therefore, the project will have a wide consequent impact to different sectors and countries that, nonetheless, face similar challenges. Also, taking under account the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the project’s implementation will provide a common set of tools that will be addressed and disseminated to everybody interested to – literally – get their hands dirty: young and adult students, entrepreneurs and fellow professionals, academics, trainers and even policymakers will be presented with the project’s results and the ability to utilize them, each one for their respective purposes, but always with a view to sustainable development.