"In the document published by the EC in 2012, “Rethinking Education”, the necessity to integrate technology in training centers was already highlighted, insisting on the need of providing trainers with proper training in this regard. Moreover, the Common Framework for Digital Competences for Trainers 2012, published by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport reinforced this argument stating that trainers need to improve their digital competences to normalize the use of technological resources in class. The MOBILE-TECH project wants to contribute to make this a reality.The use of mobile devices for learning is not something new and although there are some experiences of its successful implementation, we have detected some barriers for its implementation in VET:- Most of VET trainers are not aware about the potential of mobile devices as a tool for learning.- Mobile devices, and specifically smartphones, have a bad reputation ""majority of people on Earth believe mobile phones, beyond not being conducive to learning are in fact antithetical to it"" (UNESCO Mobile Learning Week Report, 12-16 December 2011, p.11).- Most of VET trainers do not have the necessary competences/knowledge to use mobile devices for learning (ICT skills, knowledge of the different apps which can be used for learning, how to create/modify their own apps, how and with which purpose to use mobile devices).The aim of MOBILE-TECH project is to encourage VET trainers´ training about mobile learning through the creation of an Open Collaborative Learning Platform. To achieve these objectives, we will carry out several activities which can be gathered in three products:1) “Trainers´ guide for mobile resources to be used in the classroom”. The guide a) describes what mobile learning is and which devices, tools, media, apps could be used in education; b) it offers an illustration of the abundant pedagogical benefits and advantages of m-learning and describes good practices collected in the 5 project Countries (Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Greece and Finland); c) it demonstrates how to plan your mobile learning approach. The guide is available in the 5 project’s languages (English, German, Finnish, Greek and Spanish).2) Development of Trainers´ course “How to develop new training resources and teach mobile learning (m-learning)”, addressed to teachers from VET centres and from other educational fields. The course is divided into 6 modules: 1 - Introduction and presentation of the course for trainers; 2 - M-Learning: definitions, models and pedagogical benefits; 3 - How and in which cases use solutions, tools and applications for mobile devices; 4 - M-learning in practice (how to develop own contents and how and for what to use different mobile devices); 5 - How to take the most of the use of social networks; 6 - Planning m-learning.3) Open Collaborative Learning Platform for trainers. All the project materials will be hosted in this platform. Not only the guide and the course but also different pedagogical materials related to m-learning in the classrooms. The Learning Platform also includes a specific area to share knowledges and information about mobile devices, tools, apps, etc. (M-TECHwiki) and to discuss doubts and questions concerning m-learning (Forum M-TECH).The Training course and the Learning Platform have been tested in partners’ countries. Totally 100 trainers and 150 students participated in testing sessions. Moreover, the platform and the training materials (the guide and the course) were presented in the multiplier events celebrated in all project countries. To ensure the smooth development of the MOBILE-TECH project different key transversal actions were implemented: A1 - Creation of an e-mail distribution list for partner’s communicationA2 - Use of Asana platform for an effective management of the projectA3 - Creation of a Skype group for online meetings - Quality Management Plan, monitoring and preparation of 4 reports (A11, A12, A13 and A14)- Dissemination Plan, implementation y preparation of an intermediate and a final report (A18 and A19)A6 - IPRA - Four financial reports (A7), (A8), (A9) and (A10) A15 - Web 2.0. campaignA16 - Publications in pressA17 - Elaboration of a video presentation of the project.The consortium met in four International Meetings to plan and evaluate project progress: M1-Kiel (Germany), M2-Glasgow (Great Britain), M3-Helsingfors (Finland), M4-Durango (Spain)."

"The rationale for the project was derived from the combined experience of health psychology researchers and practitioners who work for organisations providing vocational training and/or guidance counselling at national and European levels. The youth unemployment in Europe had reached a staggering 23.5% in the EU27. In this unemployed youth group, there is also a subgroup named NEETs – Young people not in employment, education or training, the figure for this group have varied in Europe from below 7% to over 17% in countries like Bulgaria and Spain for example. NEETs are a highly heterogeneous population. The largest subgroup tends to be those who are conventionally unemployed. Some young people are at greater risk than others.Those with low levels of education are three times more likely to be NEET compared to those with tertiary education, while young people with an immigrant background are 70% more likely to become NEET than nationals. Young people suffering from some kind of disability or health issues are 40% more likely to be NEET than those in good health. Being a NEET has severeadverse consequences for the individual, society and the economy.The objective of the project have been to develop a new innovative method of training courses to empower young unemployed individuals and/or NEETs.The partners involved in the project were from Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Sweden, all highly experienced organisations that work directly with the target groups as well as representing countries that has high youth unemployment. The partner from the United Kingdom was engaged as the expert in positive psychology and psychosocial interventions.The specific aim was achieved by using an approach based upon previous work on stress, coping and resilience in health and occupational psychology. In the project, we prepared participants to not only adapt to potentially stressful events and successfully assimilate these, but also to use these potential stressors as opportunities for positive growth based on identification and utilisation of key Positive Psychology constructs and processes. Furthermore, we focused on the potential stressors likely to be encountered by unemployed younger adults seeking employment or entrepreneurial opportunity. It wasseen as necessary to empower young people by creating favourable conditions for them to develop their skills and to work and participate actively in society. This was concidered essential for sound and sustainable economic and social development.This was accomplished by developing a training curriculum ""Be Positive"" in modular form. It was implemented on 100 – 150young unemployed and/or NEETs in the partner countries (AT, BG, ES, GR, SE) and ensured the effectiveness and culturaladaptation. The result was evaluated and modified where required. The final product is available for free via the project website.The impact was the following:- Increased the staffs' awareness of their capacity in the partners’ organisation to act as role models and curators of learningReport Formenvironments which value diversity in appearance and promote social inclusion.- Increased the staffs' awareness of cultural appearance and beauty norms and they way in which different cultural appearancenorms may affect the social integration in our European society.- Provided strategies and resources that can be integrated into current guidance counselling and vocational training provisions- Provided growth and insight for young unemployed and/or NEET via the developed material for young unemployed and/orNEET that will consequently prepare them to handle the current difficult labour market in Europe in the participating organisations.- Furthermore, the training made them more resilient for the psychosocial stress associated with being unemployed and therefore consequently improved their quality of life.- Between 150 – 200 guidance counsellors, vocational trainers or other relevant stakeholders were involved in training seminarsat National Multiplier events in AT, BG, ES, GR and SE.Since the developed program is easily studied via self-directed learning, the organisations that have been exposed to the project via the extensive dissemination/exploitation plan can easily incorporate it and consequently ensure a pragmatic sustainability.The end result was that organisations got a resource that is both sensitive to psychological issues relevant to this group, as well as being constructive and positively focused. Participants are better psychologically prepared both to cope and manage positively with the difficulties of being unemployed/NEET, whilst also being enabled and empowered to identify personal strengths and meaningful goals to facilitate the search for engagement with economically productive activity."

Over 50% of the unemployed are between 16-25 years, so the Spanish youth is one of the sectors hit hardest by the economic crisis, along with long-term unemployed adults. Because young people are also responsible for the generational change, the problem affects not only the present but also the future. At the same time, companies cannot find workers with the expertise they need and graduates of different educational levels do not obtain the preparation required by today's challenging job market. Is in this context in which the growing importance of strategies such as Dual Training can be focused, which is aimed at the professional qualification combining the processes of teaching and learning in the workplace and training centre. It is about encouraging collaboration and participation of companies in vocational training systems, promoting businesses and vocational training centres strengthen their links and promote greater integration of students into employment during the training period.However SMEs, which makes up 98% of European business, highlight the enormous difficulties they have, given their limited structure to accommodate Dual Training students according to requirements of facilities, personnel in charge of student, etc.The metal sector in Spain, for example, consists of almost 100,000 companies that employ more than 1,130,000 people, with significant growth rates in the last 7 years. The metal industry is looking for qualified employees to respond to market demands and therefore it has been estimated that the number of FP students should grow at least 20% to cover the employment offer in the sector during next years.Faced with the demand for a specific sector such as metal, the Dual Training represents the most appropriate model to respond to the needs of companies. However, this sector is made up of 99% of small and micro enterprises that find enormous difficulties, due to their size, to host students in training.Achieving favourable results as in Germany, where 71% of SMEs are authorized to provide Dual Vocational Training, requires that they be provided with enabling tools.ALIANZA project has developed a tool to strengthen the role of SMEs in the Dual Training system, promoting the implementation and use of a management system that facilitates their participation. Our purpose has been to foster strategic cooperation between companies in the metal sector, offering them an interactive tool that allows them to share their characteristics, interests and resources, and find related companies with which to cooperate for the implementation of Dual FP programs with training centers.Although companies are the main target group of the system, VET centers can also use it to connect with companies and offer opportunities for educational collaboration, bringing together the world of work and education around a common goal: improving and increasing employment opportunities for students of vocational training, through practices in a realistic business framework from the point of view of its structure and the sector itself.To achieve these objectives, the ALIANZA team (formed by 2 business organizations, 2 economic research centres and 2 training centres) has created and promoted an online interactive tool that facilitates the meeting between SMEs with similar needs and interests, but also with VET centres, aiming to create partnerships for the promotion of Dual Training opportunities.The platform has been presented to more than 200 representatives of the business and VET worlds and has been tested with 65 companies and 28 VET centres that registered their data and began to build synergies for Dual Training.The assessment of the tool by the target group has been positive and this makes us consider the possibility that this approach, applied in the ALIANZA project only to the metal sector, could be extended to other economical and VET sectors.

The metal sector is in a new socioeconomic reality that needs of the adaptation of companies and workers. It is all about the new scenario of compromise with the future that, facing the reality of the global market, stands up for the innovation and internationalization of its economic network as main competitive strategy. This is why the evolution of our sector should not be limited to the technological sphere or the product, instead it should move ahead in the progressive adoption of new models of management whre training is the key. This sector, which is highly competitive, needs of constant growth on the basis of smart specialization, and this is also the engine of a new model of economic development. The European 2020 Strategy is the response to the structural weaknesses that the crisis has shown in a European economy that has to face big challenges. Europe 2020 means in that sense, an initiative conceived to become reinforced through new formulas that foster the development of an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Taking as starting point that our greatest advantage is on people, with this project we stand for addressing the need of implementing gradually a new model of company through the formation of workers (present and future) without forgetting the connection between company and training, placing people as the real centre of the organization, fostering personal and professional development in a new context of qualifications and constant training, already described by Cedefop in its document “Professional learning in small and medium companies”. Knowledge and talent of workers is becoming an increasingly relevant issue in competitiveness. Collective competences of workers are the main value of the company, so management according to innovative models will gain a crucial role in the success of organizations. The level of qualification will be determinant to access and maintain a job. The new model of business that our sector aims at, needs of organizations that overcome the traditional hierarchy so as to give importance to dimensions like self-management or collective intelligence as tools of crucial importance in the current environment. Actually, the new Agenda of Capabilities for Europe already points out the intention of the Commission to revise during this year the frame of key competences. It is about creating a common vision of the key competences and foster its introduction in the study and formation plans, which is completely in line with the implementation and consolidation of competences associated to shared responsibility models in organizations. To respond to this need for workers and companies, we have developed the Share Training course on management models in the metal company and the Guide to gamified Share activities aimed at developing the skills and competencies of training participants.

"Progress in promoting equality and inclusion is one of the cornerstones of the ERASMUS + programme, especially significant when it comes to vulnerable groups such as the case of immigrants collective, and more specifically young immigrants who are immersed in phases of education and professional training. The reality offers worrying statistics when it comes to assess immigrant students´ performance (lower than the figures for national classmates) and drop-out figures (over the national average in all the European countries). Linguistic adaptation is a central issue in the mentioned educational phases, that can contribute to improve not only the academic results but also social inclusion of immigrant students.However, it requires the design of appropriate environments and teachers prepared to meet the challenges that undoubtedly generates multilingualism. And those are the central targets of MULTIESKOLA project.MULTIESKOLA project is designed to respond to the challenges of multilingualism in educational centres focusing on:- The need of all the students to develop language competences both in mother tongue and in other language to facilitate their social and labor inclusion.- The development of trilingual educational models and excellence models that clearly respond to the current social and labour market demands.- The respect for the minority languages, official and non-official, that coexists in many European regions in educational (formal and informal) environments.Thus, the project main goal was to respond to the new challenges of European schools and i-VET centres by providing resources for the development of an inclusive education and training, from the perspective of multilingualism.The MULTIESKOLA project has clearly targeted the target group of teachers, as well as school directors and I-VET centers. Its development has focused on the design of a Toolkit of educational resources for teachers, within the framework of the priority ""Strengthening the profile of the teaching professions"". This result allows to improve the professional skills of teachers of secondary schools and initial vocational training, promote continuous and peer learning through the creation of a learning environment that allows the interaction between teachers, experts, the educational community in general and representatives of parents, among others.The project was initiated by a team formed by 5 European organizations, directly linked to the field of education and training, thus representing the target groups of the project.The main activities carried out include, first of all, a research phase, with interviews with managers, directors and teachers at different centers, which has allowed collecting ideas and data in each participating country and which has been a key information base for the approach of the contents of the Toolkit.Next, the Toolkit of Educational Resources for Teachers has been designed and developed, a tool that includes four thematic working areas (peer mentoring, Diversity and interculturality, Edutainment and Motivation), and offers training content, practical tools and resources useful in the day to day of the teacher.In addition, the transversal management, evaluation and dissemination activities have been developed. The latter has been especially relevant, and the partners have managed to involve a large number of educational centers and stakeholders in their local and national contexts, thus achieving a significant impact on the target groups of the project.It is interesting to note that, in fact, at the end of the project, there are already a significant number of educational centers and teachers that are using the Toolkit to organize their school activities (curricular and extracurricular ones). The partners are receiving very positive feedback, and it is foreseen that this use will also allow an update and adaptation of the Toolkit to new ideas, needs, approaches, and even thematic areas, in a medium-long term.The MULTIESKOLA Toolkit has from its origin, a vocation to be a living product,open to the contributions that are received from the teachers who use it, and who enrich it with their comments and ideas."