The 21st-century challenges – globalization, information overload, rapid changes, virtualization – leads to more and more requirements for learners and educators. The skills that learners need to contribute effectively to society are in constant change. Professional development, at all points in a teacher‘s career, is necessary to keep up with changing research, tools, practices. Most institutions and training organizations look much the same today as they did a generation ago, and educators/trainers themselves are often not developing the practices and skills necessary to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. They see the necessity to enter the e-learning market and change their profile but they are often afraid of such change -especially mature educators- or the training available do not offer the clear move to e-learning with a simple explanation, good tasks, examples, exercises and comprehensive for trainers knowledge necessary for DL. The project is the response to the lack of programs that offer new skills to the trainers/educators/mentors who work in a traditional way and would like to acquire new skills connected with e-learning and DL. The trainers/educators/mentors with experience usually are afraid of entering new areas and using new tools that require IT knowledge. The outbreak of the coronavirus has shown to the world how important competencies that allow teachers to conduct classes online. The closing of thousands of educational institutions has opened up many opportunities in the implementation of online education, on the other hand, it excluded those working only with traditional methods.The problems of online education and staff skills are particularly important. Poland, Lithuania, Greece and Romania lack experienced trainers who can smoothly pass from traditional teaching to DL (e-learning). The ratio of educators who can be at the same time mentors and trainers is very low and it is about 11% (Lithuania), 14% (Poland), 15% (Greece), 14% in Romania compared to the European average (EU 27) of 32% (Istat, 2016). There is a very poor stat. data referring to trainers' and educators' qualifications and specializations as there are no such registers at the national or regional level. It is connected with the fact that a part of trainers and educators are freelancers or work in education besides doing professionally sth else.Main aims:• Enhancing the quality training of trainers/educators/mentors in DL• Exchange of best practices of partners org in DL• Fostering the provision&assessment of trainers’ key-competences: DL and e-learning training abilities&digital skills which are included in curricula• Introducing, developing&promoting innovative methods&tools in training by supporting personalized learning approaches for trainers/educators/mentors, teaching them ICT in an accessible way offering OERvia platform, open&flexible learning, virtual mobility by introducing an e-learning platform open to all trainers• Promoting cross-border cooperation in education&learning via e-learning as all partners will work on DL and e-learning• Enhancing the professional development of persons working/active in education by offering them new competencies&ability to work on-line by changing their profile • Increasing quality&range of training, ICT-based methodologies&use of OER– by introducing new methods, tools, e-learning, personalized teachingThe project reached the mature people who are trainers/educators/mentors who used to work in a traditional way and wanted to acquire new skills connected with e-learning. Over 300 people participated directly in our events (2x dissemination events in each country, and 4 DE instead of the conference in Poland, one pilot training course in each country). Indirectly, with the help of dissemination tools, we reached approximately 3,000 people presenting our activities. By publishing products on the E+ platform, we expect to reach more people.During the project, a platform was created that included instructional videos, transcripts, quizzes, visual materials, and manuals on how to switch from traditional to online teaching. The project also created a handbook presenting how and how to teach trainers and educators new digital skills.During the project, people had the opportunity to work with new online tools and learn to use in everyday work. This knowledge will be transferred to the oasis used in class. Project recipients were both interested in switching to online teaching and creating classes that combine traditional methods and the virtual work of learners.As a result of the project, the participants acquired new ITC competencies and learned how to train others with similar tools. Our materials are available under free licenses, so anyone can use them in the future.

The participation of older people in society is increasing every year in Europe. The 21st century is commonly identified with the constant development of new and modern technologies. Life increasingly requires openness to change and innovation. To keep up with change and continuous social integration, the idea of lifelong learning is more important than ever before. It is also important that the availability of IT devices is becoming easier and greater. However, a small number of seniors can handle new technologies efficiently. That is why our main goals were- Increasing the number of elderly using innovations (Internet, ICT devices, printers etc.) in daily life,- Enhancing the senior participation in activities connected with new technologies & decreasing their fear about using Internet,-Introduce, develop &promote innovative methods&tools in training by supporting personalized learning approaches for seniors, ICT in an accessible way for seniors,- Enhance professional development and increase quality&range of training for people active in elderly education by offering new competencies&ability to work with a diverse group, especially seniors,-Foster equality&inclusion in education&training, to enable quality learning, promote active participation of elderly in the society-Promote intergenerational integration by exchanging crucial experience &skills of these groups and increasing cooperation among these groups: young teach elderly & vice versa and promote youth participation in the adult education-Exchange of best practices of partners organization in senior education The Senior NewTech project was a response to the needs and helped create a beneficial, international environment for the joint creation of the SNT program and implement all objectives.At the beginning, partners from 4 countries - Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia - shared their responsibilities and each chose a Senior New Tech course topic to work on - basic computer skills, information searching, online security, online shopping, online booking, online banking, social media. After the organized training in Lithuania, scenarios of classes on these topics were created for trainers of the elderly.During the project, we trained over 80 people 50+ in the use of new technologies, basic and safe computer and internet use.Seniors have gained knowledge about computer skills, safe internet surfing, online search, online shopping, online booking, using online banks, and using social media. The seniors got a certificate of completion of the course, training materials. A collection of all training topics was also created for seniors in the form of a Handbook.The Handbook is designed for learning basic computer skills - is written in plain and intelligible language, words and technological issues are explained, contains a lot of pictures and print screenshots of examples. The publication is available for everyone to download from the project website and EPALE website. In addition, several seniors conducted workshops for young people on 8 topics of forgotten skills:Crocheting, Cooking, Broidering, Herbalism, Knitting, Basic Tools using, Creative recycling and Folk and paper cutting. More than we expected people took part in these workshops - over 25 young people.Thanks to this part, seniors could develop additional skills, strengthen intergenerational exchange and feel constantly needed. Scenarios were also created for these workshops (also available online). Each partner promoted the project in the media, organized 2 multiplier events and sample trainings. A summarizing conference “New Approach to Senior Training” for over 90 invited guests was held in Poland at the end of the project in November 2019. Three transnational meetings took place during the project in Czech Republic, Slovenia and in Poland. In Lithuania, 16 participants attended Joint Staff training .The project encouraged many senior citizens to become familiar with the topic of new technologies. Thanks to trainings that took place under the project, we have increased the number of seniors using new technologies, operating the computer, actively using the Internet, communicating via the Internet. Seniors overcame the fear and fear of using the computer and use it in their daily activities.Thanks to the training that took place in Lithuania, appropriate practices and forms of work with older students were developed. Our trainers have developed trainers' skills, expanded the range of skills and methods in delivering the trainings to seniors, and learned new methods in teaching seniors. A common scenario template was developed that trainers could use during training. In addition, the trainers shared, and constantly share, the knowledge acquired during the training during various dissemination activities. Each organization plans to include training for people working with seniors on a permanent basis.

The knowledge, skills and attitudes of each of Europe‘s 6 million teachers are of great importance. The quality of their teaching has a direct effect upon learner‘s attainment. The demands made on educators/teachers are increasing and changing with every year as they are called on to play a key role in modernizing education. To be able to do that, they need to develop their own knowledge and skills.Our project's main objective was retaining older teachers/trainers, who was our target group, in employment through the provision of appropriate educational opportunities supported by innovative learning methods.Partnership united 5 experienced teams from institutions providing distance and adult education what enabled to ensure high quality of project implementation and its results mentioned below. The coordinator was Plunges suaugusiuju svietimo centras, partners were European University Cyprus, Ostra Grevier Folkhogskola, Sweden, Institute E-seniors, France, BalkanPlan, Bulgaria.The project created and proposed four intellectual outputs:O1 - State of the Art Report about Digital and Soft skills Training for Adults.O2 - Digital skills training course consisting of 6 modules in all languages of the partnership which can be taken by all interested educators or learners at their own pace, convenient time an absolutely free. The Digital skills training course is supplemented with the unit of lesson scenarios, lesson plans or ideas how creatively use the digital tools in education in partner languages and English suggested by learners during the pilot courses.O3 - Soft skills training course consisting of 6 modules for self paced individual learning of a person in English, Lithuanian, French, Greek, Swedish, Bulgarian languages with theory and practical exercises to train skills and the possibility to self-evaluate the progress. O4 - Open and Free Multilingual platform for collaborative work online in six languages: English, Lithuanian, French, Swedish, Greek and Bulgarian and on all kind of digital devices: personal computers, tablets, smart phones.Main activities which were undertaken during the project to attain more impact and get better results in the project were as follow:The short-term joint staff training in soft skills & use of the collaborative platform (total 12 persons) was implemented in October 2017. The training was validated with the certificates of the institution and mobility Europasses were issued.1 multiplier event in each partner country was held from April 2018 to October 2018 where over 150 stakeholders from local organizations were presented the Skills Up project outputs and outcomes.Online international pilot training in digital skills with 12 participants was implemented from November 2017 to February 2018. After the completion of the course the knowledge gained was validated and participants got the certificates with 2 ECTS from the Distance Education Unit of the University. 5 national pilot trainings in digital skills in all partner countries were implemented from May 2018 to September 2018. The total number was 115 participants and they got the certificates of the institutions.Online and face-to-face international pilot training in soft skills with 12 participants was organized from October 2017 to December 2017.5 national pilot trainings in soft skills involved 125 learners which was more than we had been planning in the application.Expected results and impact was visible improvement of educators' professional competences, intellectual thinking, practical, transferable skills: the ability to plan & deliver trainings using ICT tools creatively responding to the changes of the modern world; increasing educators' motivation of using languages and ICT in communication and obtaining international experience in professional development; new and modern cooperation between the organizations which led to new project of cooperation & exchanging experiences in non-formal education for disadvantaged groups.