<< Background >>The Retail sector supposes the second largest service sector in the EU, employing 29 million people (8.6% of total employment) and contributing 11% to the EU's GDP. The sector is mainly composed by SMEs, from which 18% are self-employed. Furthermore, it is estimated that the retail sector adds value in the amount of €1 trillion to other sectors like wholesalers, transport, finance or manufacturing, a 10% of total EU amount, according to the European Commission. Retail sector is thus a key driver of economic growth in the long run for its importance boosting internal demand and consumption, as according to the European Commission, households spend one third of their budget in retail shops. Moreover, it has an impact on quality of life in EU citizens, as well as being a key driver of competitiveness, growth and innovation. However, productivity and dynamism in the EU sector has lagged behind in comparison with other sectors and other economies (for instance Japan, US or China), a situation that threatens the sector’s stability and importance. According to the European Parliament, globalization will force actors from this sector sooner or later to internationalize due to the competition and the lack of protection in the domestic markets. This trend was largely accentuated with the COVID-19 pandemy and mobility / shopping restriction, which were accompanied by the explosion of e-commerce. Thus, the internationalization process is becoming crucial for European SMEs in the retail sector, as it supposes an opportunity to obtain additional capacity, strengthen their financial position, achieve innovation, increase revenues, diversify risks and attract talented workers. Even when the EU Single Market gives access to 500 million potential consumers, still few EU SMEs decide to go international, either inside or beyond the EU, as the literature shows relatively low rates of exports (inside Europe and beyond) from EU retails, which shows that the EU still has much room for improvement. This situation is caused by barriers retailers face related to the internationalization process. As such, partners have observed among the major issues: - Disinformation of international markets. The lack of knowledge about local business practices as well as insufficient analysis of markets.- Difficulty of identifying foreign business opportunities and potentially beneficial synergies with local business.- Lack of a solid distribution channel that could guarantee optimal provision.- Limited internal structure regarding human and financial resources, managerial attitudes to growth and training.- Lack of experienced departments (marketing, logistics…) to overcome foreign barriers like culture, linguistics or legal problems.- Reluctance from local business to provide SMEs guidance and representation.From the analysis above, we deducted a clear need for training in the internationalisation field for professionals and future professionals from the sector.<< Objectives >>START- “Improve Internationalization Skills of SMEs in Retail sector” project aims to improve internationalization skills of SMEs in the retail sector in order to encourage retailers to develop their business in international markets. The project will provide experienced retailers and youth or unemployed interested in retail for career development with tools for enhancing their competences in internationalization and achieve required knowledge to be capable to develop a competitive strategy entering in a foreign market. Retailing sector is a low margin business from which benefiting from economies of purchase, supply chain investments and technologies for boosting productivity can only be achieved by large retailers. For SMEs that operate in mature national sectors of the economy, gaining productivity and competitiveness is a tough fruitless work. Reaching foreign markets present an opportunity for diversifying economic activity, decreasing risks and taking advantage of an unexplored market, widening target and market share. The main objective of START project is to help current and future professionals from the retail sector in developing an international strategy for their business, thanks to a proper training able to guide that path and the successful implementation of the internationalization process, using the latest technologies available. In the detail, partners have formulated 4 Specific Objectives that they wish to address:Specific Objective 1: Define the professional profile of an internationalization manager of SMEs in the retail sector that will support further training in this field. This profile should become a standard of reference while talking about internationalization training for retail. Specific Objective 2: Train entrepreneurs, start-ups, and decision makers from retail SMEs with key competences and skills so that they can extend their implementation internationallySpecific Objective 3: Train young and unemployed people seeking for new job opportunities in the retail sector, giving them a strong plus-value on the job market. Specific Objective 4: Increase the digital literacy of learners to ease the distance learning process and for an optimisation of the use of e-commerce technologies to further develop small retail businesses.<< Implementation >>The START project brings together 5 partners from 6 countries and regions that are particularly concerned by the fashion industry: Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Poland, Romania and Cyprus, while meeting the required skills to implement such action, with partners being business support organisations and experts in internationalisation, business management or VET education. Together, they will address: - Experienced retail entrepreneurs, needing to renew their skills and up-skills to develop further their SMEs toward international practices, integrating digital, social, and economic factors.- Youth, especially low-skilled youth or unemployed, providing them new knowledge, skills and competence in international retail business management to develop new career opportunities. - Supporting stakeholders for the exploitation and mainstreaming of the training to be developed. During this project, partners will implement the following activities:- Development of a mobile report about the skills needed by retail SMEs when deciding to internationalise according to representatives from the sector (entrepreneurs and trainers), in the view of developing a professional profile and associated standard of competences and an online training course answering to the international training needs. - Piloting activities will be implemented where the different target group will meet and increase their respective skills. At least 200 individuals will be trained during the projet life. - Dissemination events, that will be organized in each country at the end of the project as a way to promote the results achieved in a sustainable way. - ICT will be used as a catalyst for the project activities impact. - Our activities will be transnational, being in line with an international scenario for smart growth.- And of course, all those activities will be supported by an efficient management system that will itself be designed with the idea of optimisation of resources, transnational meetings and virtual meetings, online dissemination strategy, the use of online management tools, and a continuous reporting effort to spread our achievements.<< Results >>As a main result, our partnership expects to raise the level of competence of retailers and future retailers from all over Europe in the field of internationalisation, bettering our chances to deliver our products on larger territories in the context of globalized markets. This result will be achieved through the production of 2 main results: Result 1 : Mobile report about the skills needed by retail SMEs when deciding to internationalise according to representatives from the sector. This report, established on the basis of large scale questionnaires and focus groups is aimed at delivering a profile of the needed competence to properly internationalise a retail business. It will give us a better understanding of what are the training needs observed on the ground. This report will be accompanied by at least 10 best practices of retail SMEs internationalisation. It will be delivered in a digital format for a higher diffusion and impact. Result 2: START training courseThe START training course will be an online open educational resource that proposes to fill the gap observed in retailers competences profile. It will address topics such as retail sub-sectors market trends, fairs and commercial missions, e-commerce, etc. At least 4 full training modules will be developed and 20 retail entrepreneurs and 20 future professionals from the sector will be trained by each partner (total 200). Thanks to this, partners expect to achieve significant impact at local, and further national and European levels, supporting retail SMEs to open their horizon towards new market niches that were until now non-explored, making full benefits of e-commerce technologies.

<< Background >>Throughout the European Green Deal, education is a central component to achieving the EU’s climate targets, in the ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 (Green Comp, 2020). The need to transition towards more environmentally sustainable modes of production and consumption has become imperative, for developed as well as for developing countries (UNESCO, 2017). Sustainable Development Goal 9 includes the target of upgrading infrastructure and retrofitting industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes by 2030. Sustainable Development Goal 12 includes the target of achieving the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030. The transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy requires systemic changes that will result not only in new products and services but also in changes in production processes and business models (UNESCO, 2017). This greening of the economy will inevitably change the skills required and the tasks involved in many of the existing occupations (European Commission, 2020).<< Objectives >>RetroVET project objectives are to:- Contribute to develop and promote a green culture among VET establishments- Close the green skills gap between VET centres that have successfully adopted green skills implementation practices, by facilitating the integration of amongst VET centres which have not embraced ICT practices- Develop a collaborative European Green Skills VET peer mentoring and performance improvement tool/frameworK- Capitalise on existing European vocational training networks multiplier structures and regional hubs to mainstream ICT skills change in VET centres across Europe- Promote and facilitate green skills learning through cross-curricular collaboration and remote peer-to-peer learning amongst European VET centres, practitioners and wider stakeholders<< Implementation >>The RetroVET project will support the fight against climate change and promote the benefits of an environmentally sustainable approach to vocational education and training through the “Green Elements”: 1) Green VET Strategy, 2) Green VET Approach 3) Green VET Skills and Knowledge. These elements cover each of the key VET centre stakeholder perspectives and aims to provide a holistic, inclusive approach to the “greening” of existing European VET. RetroVET directly supports The European Green Deal as a new growth strategy and recognises the key role of VET institutions to engage with learners, parents, educators and the wider community on the changes needed for a successful transition to become climate neutral by 2050. Linked to the priority above, RetroVET aims to adapt VET to labour market needs as we consider the future needs of the European labour market by supporting the development of a set of innovative tools which will inspire VET centres to offer a balanced mix of vocational skills linked to existing and evolving jobs and working methods as well as key green skills competences. The RetroVET project directly contributes to innovation in VET through the development of the project results which will be a unique set of tools in European VET, which by their very nature and purpose will also continue to support innovation in VET through the involved stakeholders. In this way, RetroVET adapts the VET provision and jobs of today, to address the needs of the future European labour market, increasing long-term employability and sustainable careers for VET graduates, and raising awareness of the European approach to climate change and sustainability through Green Skills.<< Results >>Through the four project results, the project will produce the following key deliverables:1. Report on Green Skills integration in VET2. RetroVET Interactive Benchmarking Tool 3. RetroVET Platform & Matching Tool4. RetroVET Facilitator eCourse

<< Objectives >>The main objective of SUSNET is presenting best practices concerning sustainable collaboration and training partners about how to create effective partnerships that support the achievement of SDGs within sustainable local, national and international networks. For this, we will:- Define sustainable topics, providing a comprehensive panorama of sustainable collaboration.- Provide Best Practices for creating sustainable networks- Better knowledge about engaging stakeholders in sustainable ways.<< Implementation >>We will implement 3 main activities:Elaboration of a Sustainable Concept Guide, that defines the main areas of application of sustainability for companiesProduction of Best practices Guidelines: a compilation of exemplary sustainable networking activitiesProduction of a stakeholders guide oriented toward the creation of sustainable networks engaging their communities in collaborative sustainable practicesFor each one of these activities, a training mobility will be organised by one partner.<< Results >>As results, we expect to:- Better the knowledge about the areas of application of the sustainable goals in collaborative frameworks for SMEs, entrepreneurs and others from our networks- Increase partners’ internal capacity of creating partnerships that contribute to the UN sustainable development goals, by applying conscious criterias that foster the responsible behaviours and reduction of environmental impacts- Impact positively our communities by committing them towards similar journeys

<< Background >>The rapid development of information and communication technologies, combined with socio-demographic changes, puts people aged 50+ and low-skilled or low-qualified adults under much more pressure than ever before. In order to keep up with the changes, it will be necessary both to have an appropriate level of media literacy to avoid digital or financial exclusion and to limit the chances of professional or social exclusion. As media convergence progresses, so does the convergence of competences. Media convergence is nothing more than a combination of media, telecommunications and information technology. As these areas overlap, there is also a process of convergence of competences, i.e. the combination of media, information and digital competences.Support and involving adult educators in the project activities is crucial, as they should actively support adult learners in acquisition of new skills. The aim of MCRE project is to foster adult education, to increase they media literacy and critical viewing, and to increase the adaptability to the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic among the people with fewer opportunities (low qualified persons, unemployed youth, adults at poverty risk, etc.) and adult educators from RO, PL, IT, CY, ES, PT. The project aims to support adults in analysing information so that they can be more resilient to fake news and disinformation and equip them with tools (mobile application) to analyse fake news.The planned to be developed results are clearly coherent with the selected priority: The MCRE e-book will be a collection of content that will enhance the necessary critical thinking skills of the European community (and in particular the target group of this project) in order to improve their ability to process information from different media.The MCRE mobile app, which will consist of action cards and quizzes on how to analyse the information you receive and be more resilient to fake news.The project will lead to the results highlighted in the chosen priority: stimulate European awareness and empower people, regardless of social and cultural background, to be successful innovators in their local environment; enhance skills development and competencies that reinforce creativity; contribute to sustainable development and social inclusion. With the development of information and communication technologies and the amount of information transmitted and received by an individual, the importance of having adequate media literacy will increase. Thus, the lack of such competences will be an important barrier which we should counteract. To this end, the following thematic areas need to and will be covered:• efficient search and organisation of information, as well as assessment of the reliability of sources,• principles and forms of communication through the media and action in online communities,• the meaning of words, images and sound, as well as the function of media messages and the culture of communication,• media ethics, seeking answers to questions about good, evil and the limits of freedom in the media, netiquette, etc.• media security - anonymity, privacy and basic principles of safe use of the media,•analysis of fake news •recognising and responding to disinformationEven though project will be implemented for the target group in just 6 countries, its main outcome is addressed to adults from across the European Union. Promotion and exploitation of results is one of the crucial areas of the Erasmus+ project lifecycle. In MCRE project framework, advanced and accurately addressed promotion activities<< Objectives >>By implementing this project the partners want to achieve the objectives for the target group:-To increase the critical thinking skills of the project target group-To increase the critical view skills of the project target group-Increased skills of the project target group regarding media literacy-Increased skills of the project target group in analysing received information-Increased knowledge of fake news and how they work-To increase media literacy -To provide target group with online tools which support their fight against fake news-To provide the target group with examples of fake news analysis to support their understanding of how to analyse it-Provide the target group with a project tool (mobile app) to support their activities in analysing fake news-To provide the target group with quizzes as an element of combining learning with fun -Provide the target group with an infographic with a report on the state of knowledge of the European community about disinformation and fake news-To provide the target group with reports on the state of the European community's knowledge about disinformation and fake news-Provide educators with materials to use in their activities-Support both low educated adults as well as educators by providing them with the necessary educational materials-Support the European community in the fight against fake news-Provide a common communication message so that the target audience understands that scientific organisations agree on the right answers to fake news-Support adults in analysing information so that they can be more resilient to fake news and disinformation and equip them with tools (mobile application) to analyse fake newsBy implementing this project, the partners want to achieve their own objectives:-Partners will improve their skills in presenting information and fighting fake news-Support their educational activities with the materials produced by the project-Learn about the state of the art of fake news in Europe-Learn about the importance of critical thinking and a critical view in the fight against disinformation-Acquire new European contacts and broaden their portfolio -Strengthen their skills by preparing modules<< Implementation >>The project partners will carry out a series of activities related to the implementation of the project. As part of the project, the partners will carry out a piloting session for both results created.-For the first result, the partners will conduct two piloting sessions:Piloting will consist of testing sessions of the prepared materialsWithin the piloting each partner will conduct 2 meetings:1. with VET educators - 10 people per organisation2. with representatives of disadvantaged people (50+, low educated adults, unemployed) 15 people per organisationsBased on their comments, the content of the e-book will be reorganised and will be adapted to the comments of both target groups. In this way, the MCRE project consortium will be sure that the content prepared as part of the first result meets the requirements (both in terms of content and language used) for the target group of the project.-For the second result, the partners will test the mobile application among the target group of the projectThe partners will prepare a pilot session for the application among the local target group. Within the piloting, each partner will prepare an event with at least 30 participants. During the testing the technical and educational possibilities of the prepared result will be presented. Based on the feedback, the partners will adapt their national language versions of the resultAs part of the project each partner will hold a Multiplier Event. The project coordinator will gather 60 participants on his event and each partner will gather 30. There will be 4 project partner meetings:-Curta de Arges (RO)- 2 days - Kick of meeting. Partners will get to know each other and plan the first activities of the project. -Nicosia (CY) - 2 days - Partners will discuss the work on the first result so far and plan the work on the second result-Valencia (ES) - 2 days - partners will finalize the first result and discuss the work on testing the second result-Perugia (IT) - 2 days - closing meeting where partners will summarize the work done in project The project will also include online meetings to complement communication between the partners. This meeting will take place between physical meetings or as needed. All these activities are aimed at ensuring the highest quality of the results prepared in the project. The success of the project will depend on the proper conduct of these events.<< Results >>The project will produce two main project results:-MCRE E-book-MCRe mobile appThe first result will additionally produce:-Country reports-InfographicBesides, the project partnership will prepare promotion materials to reach the largest possible audience. As part of the project promotion, the following will be produced:-LOGO – Within the project, the project partners will prepare a logo which will be visually attractive and will be coherent with the project theme. The logo will have a very important function in the project promotion. First of all it will appear on every result, promotion material etc. and will be the main source of the project recognition by the target group. The logo will be designed during the first 3 months of the project and from then on it will be used by all partners to promote the project activities. -LEAFLETS – The leaflets produced within the project will focus on a graphical representation of the problem and will provide information on the results of the project but also will promote the fight against disinformation among the European public. Their aim will be both to promote the project and its results, but also to raise awareness of the problem of fake-news and disinformation. This will allow the target group to take an interest in this issue and find out more useful information. The leaflets will be available in English and Polish, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. In the project lifetime 4 leaflets will be produced by partnership. -NEWSLETTERS – The project will produce 4 newsletters. One every 6 months. They will be aimed at presenting project activities, informing participants about the progress of work, informing about promotion events, testing, partnership meetings. The newsletters will be available in English and Polish, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. -WEBSITE – A project website will be created within the project. It will be the place where information about the project, project partners, information about results and promotion materials. The website will be available in English and Polish, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian.-SOCIAL MEDIA – In order to promote the project online, the project consortium will carry out a proactive promotion campaign on 3 social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They will post there various information about the project activities, but also the consortium will share there interesting articles, films, academic publications, applications that can support critical thinking skills and analysis of fake news among the target group.-PLANS – Within the framework of the project several plans will be created to support the work of the project partners.Management plan - Supporting the project management process so that partners maintain clarity of vision throughout the project. Within the plan, the partners will agree, among other things, communication channels, consortium meetings, project plan and timetable, dealing with issues, deadlines for deliverables.Promotion Plan - The project promotion plan will support the project promotion campaign in order to make promotional activities as effective as possible. Within the promotion plan, the partners will prepare an action strategy, define online and offline activities, create a promotion scheme divided into weeks, define precisely the groups to which they will target their promotional actions. Quality Plan - will be a plan for maintaining the quality of the project and produced results. Within the framework of the plan, partnership will establish objectives of quality assurance, collaboration quality, quality assurance framework.

"<< Background >>B-ECO is an EU wide partnership project designed to identify core and innovative learning methods that best encourage success in competencies and skills (based on EntreComp) related Continuous Improvement Skills, and innovation activities for VET trainers in the eco-entrepreneurial sector and entrepreneurs, potential entrepreneurs, unemployed people, & start-ups.The EC sees entrepreneurship as acting upon opportunities and ideas and transforming them into value for others, which can be financial, cultural, or social. Our entrepreneurship policy aims to support companies, in particular SMEs, throughout their life cycle, promoting entrepreneurial education at all levels, as well as reaching out and encouraging specific groups with entrepreneurial potential ('Supporting entrepreneurship', EC, 2021). However, although the entrepreneurial sector needs to be boosted, especially by providing modern and innovative training to the future & potential entrepreneurs, as a society, we should not forget the fight against climate change & pollution. The environmental crisis is worsening each year, forcing the companies to be greener to counteract the greenhouse emissions and not incur more damages to the environment. The greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 units) in the EU for 2018 were the following: CY 153.8, SL 94.4, GR 90.8, PT 118.9, IT 84.4, PL 87.4 (source: EEA, 2021). Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a central objective of European policies to limit global warming and climate change (EC, 2021); that is the reason why the EC is implementing different initiatives & legal tools as the '2020 Climate & Energy Package' or the '2030 Climate and Energy Framework'.About eco-innovation, it was below the average in a lot of European countries in 2018 (being EU average 100, Cyprus 56, Poland 59, Greece 75, Slovenia 94, according to the EC). Moreover, most of these new eco-companies fail during the first two years of life (in the EU the new business rate was 3.2% while the discontinuous rate was 2.6% in 2014; GEM Global), and many potential entrepreneurs have a high fear of failure. While there has been a wide focus on promoting entrepreneurship among the European Union, the different facts that make those entrepreneurs fail almost as much as they create are still very present, and it is essential to fight them to increase the success of start-ups in the EU, and especially eco-entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are an important pillar of the EU economy, and it is essential to provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed; B-ECO would not only train them in important competencies and skills (based on EntreComp), and tools but also with the ability to become innovative and to stand out in the market instead of drowning on it. According to the EC: ""By supporting new processes, technologies and services that make business greener, eco-innovation helps Europe optimise its growth potential while addressing our common challenges.""Through the guide of experts in this area, our partners will contribute with their wide experience finding best practices, case studies, lessons learnt and future opportunities. During the project, we will deliver training and practical managerial education among training providers from partner’s countries through an innovative training focused on eco-entrepreneurship, innovation and management on eco-businesses, and a new and innovative e-learning platform oriented to create a unique space of shared knowledge and experiences between course users. This innovative training course will function in both ways, 2 to be delivered by trainers & 2 independently as online course to help us reach the highest possible quantity of users. Our strategic partnership will focus on promoting access and learning through Open Educational Resources (OER), supporting ICT in VET field to improve and extend the offer of high-quality learning opportunities tailored to individual trainers by including innovative ways of delivery.<< Objectives >>Through the guide of experts in this area, our partners will contribute with their wide experience finding best practices, case studies, lessons learnt and future opportunities. During the project, we will deliver training and practical managerial education among training providers from partner’s countries through an innovative training focused on eco-entrepreneurship, innovation and management on eco-businesses, and a new and innovative e-learning platform oriented to create a unique space of shared knowledge and experiences between course users. This innovative training course will function in both ways, 2 to be delivered by trainers & 2 independently as online course to help us reach the highest possible quantity of users. Our strategic partnership will focus on promoting access and learning through Open Educational Resources (OER), supporting ICT in VET field to improve and extend the offer of high-quality learning opportunities tailored to individual trainers by including innovative ways of delivery.<< Implementation >>All major expected results are listed & detailed in of the project results (please refer to the Implementation section) and are part of: R1 The Eco-entrepreneurs Training Course Structure Development R2 Didactic materials for VET TeachersR3 Case Studies Collection “Greatest hits”R4 Social Eco e-Learning Platform Additionally, the B-ECO project foresees a set of management, dissemination, monitoring & evaluation and coordination results, namely:<< Results >>1. Project Management: - Project Roadmap, which will include the partnership agreement, detailed work plan (including information about project meetings, project activities and tasks), detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of each partner involved, and listing of project indicators and impacts to be achieved; - Project Management Handbook which will compile all necessary management and reporting tools to be used by the partners, including templates for quarterly reporting, contacts from the Staff team allocated to the project, guidelines for management, administrative work and financial control; - Interim and Final Reports: following the format requested by the Executive Agency, the Interim and Final Reports will be written by the coordinator with the support of all partners and will be submitted to the National Agency. 2. Monitoring and Evaluation - Quality Management Plan, which will describe the quality-check procedures that will be implemented to ensure high quality of the project achievements (results namely) and consistency of the work performed within the project. It will also include a description of the actions that will be taken to guarantee the efficiency and quality of the project outcomes and procedures; - Coordination and Partnership Quality Reports will be tools for assessing and monitoring the quality of the project activities and results according to defined methodology and strategy; 3. Dissemination - Dissemination & Communication Strategic Plan: it will outline a set of dissemination activities including (i) Project dissemination strategy addressing the best way to promote the project; (ii) Project dissemination materials inspired in the technical proposal and on the intermediate project results; (iii) Definition of channels for communication and establishment of a differentiated mailing list of target groups of stakeholders and interested parties. All partners will be invited to either contribute to the list or to take care in forwarding project communication to their contacts. The partners will also perform “project networking” continuously."