<< Background >>Rural communities are small in size, sparsely populated, distant from population concentrations, and do not offer enough educational opportunities or practice (traineeship, learning by doing…). Classes in rural schools are relatively small, and teachers tend to report satisfaction with their work environments and relatively few problems with discipline.Students' motivation to learn is low because they do not have confidence in their future, do not have enough positive role models through learning and possibilities for traineeship or learning by doing. They have to work hard and make sacrifices just for the opportunity of an education.Teaching methods are more diverse, but new approaches that encourage participation and active learning are not widely spread. The project’s main objective is to use the opportunity that digitalizion offers, and to equip teachers from rural areas with techniques and skills for more participative teaching and the use of the innovative methodology of a digital traineeship. Through an innovative model of Digital Traineeship, schools will now include mentors (entrepreneurs and managers) into the mentorship work with students. These entrepreneurs will help the student learn skills they need but also give them empowerment so that they can explore more opportunities for themselves.What is really important is that these needs come from all sides, employers, students and teachers. -Employers are having problems finding qualified workers. -Students are not motivated for learning because they don't see a point of what they learn. -Teachers try to show them as realistically as possible what their job should look like, but they are not really in a business environment. Traineeships are extremely important to the development of a young person’s career and their personal progression. The Traineeship programme includes a work placement, work preparation training, on the job training with the employer and under some circumstances a vocational ‘taster.’ Through traineeship, students can work on their communications skills and relationship building with their mentor. This relationship will help them develop active listening and attention to their co-workers that will benefit their personal and professional growthWe see Digital Traineeship as a perfect solution for the students in remote (rural) areas. -The trainee is not required to attend the physical location where they work, but rather work on a specific project, related to the study and requirements of the company providing mentoring.-On the other hand, mentors will have an opportunity to help young people to gain skills that the labor market needs, without leaving their offices.With new teaching methods and more practical work, students will be better prepared for the labor market.<< Objectives >>In the past, there has been a significant divide between those who live in rural areas and those who live in urban areas. For example, studies have shown that children from non-urban populations are less likely to be enrolled in higher education programs like vocational schools. This is largely due to the fact that these students often lack access to accurate information about their educational options as well as difficulties transporting themselves and their families long distances for school visits. In some countries, especially in Eastern Europe, even if usually the educational levels are quite high, there is still a problem of illiteracy that affects mainly rural areas. Moreover, the quality of education is lower in rural areas due to both education infrastructure and level of qualification of staff. Many schools need rehabilitations and building endowments, also according to didactic needs. Usually ICT is very scarce and equipment for vocational and apprenticeship education is obsolete or missing in rural schools. Project will introduce innovative approaches that go beyond the formal education sector and improve the quality of VET in rural areas.Our vision is to raise the competences of VET students in remote (rural) areas through developing mentoring and traineeship systems in the digital environment.By implementing the project, we will achieve at least 2 highly important objectives for VET schools in European rural areas. By the end of the project, further results will be achieved:-Developed and implemented Digital mentorship/Traineeship that encourage participation and individual development of VET students in rural areas-Increased community and business sector involvement in VET education for more practice and learning by doing approach in rural areas-Improved inclusiveness of students from rural area and make VET system more sustainable<< Implementation >>Here are the steps for the development of the project:S1:Research and gathering of good practices, available options and curricula under digital mentorship and traineeship strategies. This initial research will involve exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory study using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The Qualitative method that will be employed includes interviews, while the quantitative approach will involve both students and teachers to express their views.S2:Analysing the data collected, listing the key findings to form a consolidated report and analyse the identified gaps. This will be the base for developing the processes needed in schools and mentors to support all steps required in digital form. Processes are required by implementing the Mentoring portal and developing the Competence and Skills matrices of target groups involved.S3: Based on the findings, we will develop a Skill Matrix for all three target groups. These results will be evaluated in focus groups with the help of external experts and finalised in the final DigTrain methodology.S4: Skill matrices will define the structure of Digitrain educational content, educational goals, and topics to form the base structure for the development of the program. Data collected from previous steps will be utilised to create a draft. Again, focus groups of experts will check the structure and give feedback before developing content and teacher training programmes for teachers, students and mentors.S5: All prepared materials will be supported with a training preparation set: surveys, checklist, assessment tools, feedback forms, described methodology, training plans, lessons, guidelines and other didactic tools to allow easy implementation in any VET organisation. S6: Meanwhile, the development of the mentoring portal is already in effect, implementing all prepared processes into digital form, easy to be used by VET schools, mentors and students. Portal will be put in the first test phase with some initial projects, repairing all bugs and then put into the actual pilot phase.S7: Prepared methodology and training materials will be checked on LTT in Porto, Portugal. Here we will educate country promoters who will later organise pilot education phases and help in implementations. Participants will also provide feedback for improvement. S8: Pilot testing phase of teacher training, students training and mentors training. This piloting will test the training programme, skills of the country promoters educated in the LTT and give feedback for improving the training programme.S9: Pilot implementation of the digital traineeship portal and all involved processes in VET schools, mentors, organisation, and VET students. It will take ten weeks and will be an important test for the project. In this period, mentors will need to submit their small projects for students, students will be applying and be involved in traineeship under the mentor's guidance, and all documents will be signed.The pilot implementation of a digital traineeship portal and all the processes involved in VET schools will be put to the test. Mentors from both private and public institutions need to submit their small projects for students, while students should select projects and apply. The 10-week test pilot will be an important milestone. All documents are signed between mentor//student with guidance from the respective school's facilitator or VET teacher.<< Results >>Outcomes of the project: • More chances for students from the rural area to become a skilled worker and to improve their future possibility to learn and work • Elevated competencies of VET students in remote (rural) areas through digital mentoring and traineeship system developed by the project • Improved teachers' competencies to improve students' mindset and motivate proactiveness in everyday life, starting with traineeship searching. • Improved digital competencies of teachers • Implemented systems of digital mentoring and traineeship, helping in small steps to the digital transformation of VET systemsTangible results of the project: • State of the art analysis of good practices of digital mentorship in Europe • Developed competence matrices of VET teachers, students and mentors in companies for the implementation of sustainable digital mentoring systems • Developed methodology for digital mentorship • Educational content designed for upskilling students, teachers and mentors based on the competence matrices • The developed teacher training program, mentoring training programmer and students lessons • Guidebooks for teachers, students and mentors • The online digital mentoring system will allow VET schools, VET teachers, students and mentors from companies working togetherResult 1 - Digital mentoring and traineeship methodology development In this PR, partners will analyze prior research, praxis and case studies about VET education in rural areas and digital traineeship possibilities. Examples of good European practice will help them get better insight into this complex problem. PR will be developing the processes required to find mentors, negotiate on mentorship, sign contracts, deliver offers for mentorship on the designed portal for students to find them and create Competence and Skills Matrix, presenting skills needed to complete any given task. Developed content will be checked and commented on by the experts in the field and academics, giving us feedback and proposals for improvements. These necessary analyses will allow us to finally create digital mentorship processes and prepare the final methodology.Result 2 - Development of educational content about Digital mentorship and traineeship based on the developed competence matrixThe goal is to prepare educational content based on prepared competence matrices for all target groups. Ready content will be checked in focus groups by field experts and then finalized by all partners. Prepared content will be used to prepare the Train the trainer's program for teachers, prepare student lessons, and prepare training programs for Mentors. This content will be checked on LTT in Cyprus.Results 3 - Guidebooks for VET schools, VET students and mentors in companiesWhile teachers, trainers and students understand better opportunities for cooperation on raising students skills, motivation and working together, they still need precise instructions on how to implement it. The general goal of this PR is to prepare convenient manuals on using our methodology, different good practices, techniques and approaches for all our target groups.Results 4 - Online digital mentorship, traineeship and talent searching portalPR will develop and implement a Digital mentorship portal, which connects all three target groups into one seamless process. Based on existing developed methods and training material, the partnership will do a user's needs analysis to build the portal. Here companies can post small projects for a traineeship program targeting students with skills in demand by industry partners. Student applicants are responsible for submitting an application form inviting them to submit their resume and any required documents from VET schools. The automated workflow is designed so every documentary requirement is fulfilled before accepting applications, making it easy for each applicant to find what they need without hassle!

"There has been considerable interest and research into the consequences of plastics and microplastics in the environment and the significant threat to the environment and human health. Our project ""The impact of plastic"" identifies the key challenges faced at a local, national and global level and explores the solutions. We want our students to gain knowledge of the background to this global environmental challenge, to explore the causes and effects locally, nationally and internationally and to offer viable solutions or alternative more eco-friendly actions. We already know that young people express concerns about environmental issues and this project provides them with a deeper learning experience, a chance to work with peers from other schools and to take part in purposeful practical fieldwork and education visits. Students from each of the six partner schools will take part in short term mobilities to study the impact of plastic in more detail. The project is divided into four stages: *a focus on how plastics are designed and manufactured * the uses of plastic * the problems faced as a result of overuse, waste management and pollution * global responses and solutions to re-use, replace or eliminate the need for plasticThe participants will carry out research using IT skills with specialist teacher support and take part in field work investigations and laboratory work with Science teachers to establish the scale of the problem. Students will use a range of skills to present their findings via the project website and e.Twinning.Learning activities will include a study of polymer structure, the development and structure of microplastics, nano plastics and micro beads. More specialist studies could include the synthesis of plastics, the advisability of using 3D printers in schools, using plastics for packaging and the burning of waste plastic for energy generation. Schools will contact their local/ regional university and environmental groups to communicate with people directly involved in research and action and may visit national parks and areas of scientific interest including lakes, rivers and coasts to see evidence of impact on the environment. They will investigate local and national businesses utilities and establish if or how industry is responding to a global environmental issue. During the project each school will send five students and two teachers to attend the short term mobilities in the six participating schools. Each mobility will provide an opportunity for showcasing work undertaken in each school including a review of manufacturing processes, uses, disposal and solutions. Each school can undertake to work on a mini project and present their findings using their communication, presentation and language skills. Schools will use e.twinning as a tool of communication and to share results. The learning activities in each school and at short term student exchanges have been carefully sequenced so each student can understand the life cycle of plastic and its inherent problems. Activities are designed to present young people with a real world problem and an opportunity to discuss and propose solutions. We hope the project helps our students to be better informed and better equipped to have the confidence to speak and express their opinions with fresh ideas and open minds. Joint collaborative work within a shared European dimension presents young people with a chance to work with their peers from other countries in Europe and this could not be achieved any other way."

"""Who do we think we are?"" explored culture, stereotyped attitudes to migration and challenges intolerance of difference. ""Human beings cannot help but learn from the culture or cultures of the communities within which they grow up"" Renato Rosaldo (1993). Groups of up to 5 students and 2 teachers from a range of backgrounds and experiences from each participating school in UK, Germany, Spain, Poland, Lithuania and Croatia, took part in transnational learning and transnational meetings in order to promote cultural and linguistic diversity.Our project addressed five themes:1) Who are the young people in your school community? Students collected and present data about how they describe themselves and conduct interviews in the local community to define their culture. 2) Who do we think ""they"" are? The participants identified groups from within and outside Europe in order learn more about the wider local community, challenge stereotypes about partner countries ie their established cultures and those of new arrivals.3) Each partner school presented how young people express themselves in art, music, language, faith, dress, interests and big issues and investigate ""What is the youth culture in your country?""4) Parents and the wider community were invited to contribute via interview and survey to ""Is youth culture in conflict with the wider society"" as students explored how their youth culture may conflict with adult culture in the partner country.5) Is there a shared culture? Students learned together about Europe, the EU and considered whether Europe has an identity crisis or is socially cohesive.With an over -arching theme of social inclusion, the project promoted positive attitudes to diversity. It provided groups of less advantaged young people with the chance to live and work alongside their peers in European schools and live with their families for short periods of time. It challenged their attitudes to family life, education, mobility and provided opportunities for engagement in the cultures of the local community of the host school. The participants learned more about their own community and culture as well as experiencing life within another culture during their transnational visit. By showcasing a broad range of European culture we enhanced skills and attitudes to equip young people to be work ready and live in a global community. We encouraged our students to appreciate the multiple cultures of Europe and overcome the obstacles and misunderstandings often resulting from lack of access to information and opportunity.Our project aimed to: overcome linguistic and national barriers and celebrate cultural diversity raise awareness and foster curiosity about others,encourage creative and innovative skills in young people and value learning. During the three year project, students accompanied by a teacher from each partner school took part in six transnational learning activities in UK, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Spain and Croatia. The teachers attended and contributed to four transnational planning and training meetings and had the opportunity to visit European schools, sharing ideas and teaching methodologies with their project peers and colleagues. Results will be available on the project website and on the Erasmus+ dissemination platform and resources including online survey templates, monitoring questionnaires, town guides, Euro Youth Culture passports, country presentations, a Euro Youth Culture Glossary and films and a photo gallery. These can be be available for use in other European institutions."