"<< Background >>The Covid-19 pandemic caused a major disruption in education systems around the world and most of the work with an impact on education shows that student learning losses, particularly in those coming from the most disadvantaged families, were very significant. However, learning difficulties and losses are not an evidence only during the pandemic period, but have always occurred in the teaching and training process, arising from situations of absence from school activities motivated by prolonged illness or accident, lack of interest and motivation. some youngsters, in general those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, belonging to families that are culturally, socially and economically destroyed, but also from migratory processes and ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. They are generally young people who demonstrate behaviors outside the expected standard, leading mostly to dropping out of school and reluctant to the entire teaching / learning process. The title of the project ""No One Stays Behind"" refers to the basis of the project. This, because what is intended is that through informal and non-formal learning (and even when associated with formal curricula), motivation for learning is promoted, consequently improving competences, skills and attitudes of youngsters in VET education, especially in the target groups with fewer opportunities, promoting sustainable growth, ensuring equality and social inclusion, through activities/ instruments capable of filling gaps (educational difficulties often associated with personal circumstances, among others), that these young people demonstrate in the acquisition of knowledge during the performance of the education and training system. and that often leads to the early abandonment of studies. It is intended, therefore, to reduce the so-called NEET (young people who do not work, do not study or undergo training), encourage entrepreneurial attitudes, as well as to create innovative pedagogies that will make vocational education more attractive and encourage the evolution of the classic curricula through increasing digital skills, both for trainers/ teachers/ technicians in VET education, and for students studying in their vocational option, promoting new practices and methodologies of an inclusive nature, promoting skills that lead to the internationalization of vocational education to students and teachers. This project is the result of several contacts, whether with partners from other Erasmus projects in common or from participations in training and/ or meetings of an international nature, in which several elements of each partner have already addressed the theme that will be developed here as being a concern and above all a need, transversal to all. All were even expressing some suggestions for measures capable of easing the problem and, above all, enhancing the attractiveness of VET teaching. For example, the participation of some common partners in the KA220-Schools 4.0 project, from which a Pedagogical Innovation Reference for the 21st Century Student emerged and good practices are presented through the use of AI supported digital applications as well as based in the theory of Multiple Intelligences. These will be included in the activities of the Summer School Workshops, as well as “Mathematics at the service of Robotics” (building of robots by students in the consortium of a ongoing KA202 Erasmus project), they leveraged new needs and perspectives able to enhance these tools. Hence, the objectives and results of the project are in line with the achievement of the 2030 European Strategy priorities and with the ones from the Erasmus program itself, acting on the great issue of Inclusion and Diversity, promoting the digital transition, and meeting the priorities of the education and vocational training sector inserted in the strategic vision of the construction of the European Education Area through the European Education Plan, in its six dimensions.<< Objectives >>The project aims to develop proposals of innovative instruments, of digital nature and practical application, based on the STEM/ STEAM methodology, mostly of a non-formal nature, which will develop transversal skills that will be the “empowerment” / leverage so that the process of transfer of knowledge and essential learning is carried out successfully. It will be oriented especially for young VETs, mostly from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, who, due to demotivation and/ or lack of emotional stability, including the consequences caused by confinement and consequent distance learning, are far from educational success and close to school dropout (originating NEET- young people who do not work, study and do not undergo training), without often realizing why. The Summer School Workshops (STEAM base) –Sciences, Technologies, Engineering, Art and Mathematics around which activities/ materials/ forms of control and evaluation are proposed based on everyday situations that youngsters will have to respond to, to solve, to intervene and to investigate. Another Eco/ Social Workshop will also be included, to work on issues of volunteering, SEN, community support and/ or the SDGs - Sustainable Development Goals. These Workshops will constitute the so-called Summer School, with Mentoring programs and will be based on a strong component of digital skills development, aimed at teachers, technicians/ mentors and students/ youngsters in VET systems. Through these tools, capable of causing impacts regarding empowerment in the target group and, also, replicated in groups of the surrounding community, contributing to the pursuit of European policies and in line with the 2030 Portugal Strategy national policies and priorities, the European Education Area, in accordance with the European Framework for Quality and the EQAVET system, in favor of sustainable competitiveness, social justice and resilience. In concrete terms we have: Obj1- To determine the starting point and motivation of these young people departing from a self-assessment through a digital app Obj 2- To increase the pedagogical, social, and digital training of VET training agents, defining the role of the Mentor, proposing training, activities and making the assessment of the set of minimum skills required to participate in the mentoring program through a “pocket” e-book - easily readable, practical, and operational, Obj 3- To support the mentors in the project’s feasibility by presenting the steps to be followed for the implementation of Summer School, defining the functional structure and the Workshops to be implemented, with activities, virtual and digital scientific experiences, of practical cases already tried successfully and the respective evaluation process Obj 4- To evaluate and improve the presented tools and methodologies through the creation of a digital platform, meant to measure the effectiveness and usability from a quantitative and qualitative results analysis.<< Implementation >>In addition to the normal management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation activities resulting from a strategic partnership project, the planned mobility activities are: TM1- in March 2022 in Belgium, organized by the partner EfVET - will serve to clarify, enrich and ratify the responsibilities of each partner, to gauge the methodologies of communication and data processing and, mainly, to readjust the initially foreseen timetable, to reinforce the administrative and financial responsibilities, to approve the Communication and Dissemination Plan tools proposed by EfVET, to trace the implementation of the European vocational schools (associated with EfVET) diagnostic survey. There will be present 2 elements from each partner and this activity will last for 3 days. TM2- in November 2022 - to be held in Italy / Sicily - to reflect and assess project’s results by each partner, to reaffirm the planned dissemination actions and others that will emerge during the project and above all decide on sustainability of this work in articulation with other Erasmus projects, or not, that arose leveraged by this project. There will be 2 elements from each partner, preferably 1 linked to the project management and 1 associated with the development of the R1- R4 Results. It will last for 3 days. TM3- in July 2023 - to be carried out in Portugal - evaluation of the project's implementation cycle, preparation of the Multiplier Event, mainly to review each partner’s general dissemination plan and to decide on the future results’ sustainability to all European partners, proposing its adoption as a preventive measure in European education policies. 2 elements of each partner will be present for 3 days. Short-term training activities for staff - LTTA - May 2022- LTTA in Slovenia - training in STEM / TEAM methodology with sharing of non-formal education technical and methodology specialists. In view of the interest in the theme, this activity will have the participation of 4 persons per partner and will last for 5 days. - September 2022- LTTA in Cyprus - educational staff short-term training, with the participation of 4 elements addressing essential content for the the Mentor’s Manual e-book, with experts in non-formal learning Mentoring practices. It should be underlined that this is the more experienced partner in the application of Mentoring in the teaching-learning process. Participation of 4 persons per partner lasting 5 days. - November 2022- TPM2, in Italy / Sicily- project evolution’s analysis, each partner’s task accomplishment and possible improvements/ changes to be introduced, analysis of the financial fulfillment as well as of the contractual and administrative obligations of the partnership. 2 persons per partner for 3 days. - May 2023 - LTTA in Turkey - training in digital instruments - “Digital platforms for evaluating results: how and for what purpose?”, the program will have more specific content to be presented according to the specificities of the R4 results, since this partner has revealed a great deal of experience in building digital platforms, evidenced in a common project, in which EPATV also participated. 4 persons per partner preferably connected to the project management, and involved in the results R1-R4. In addition to these, we will also have the Multiplier Event for sharing, evaluating and disseminating the results of the project.<< Results >>The participation in an Erasmus project, by itself, always leads to results, some more tangible and capable of being measured than others, more intangible, that will only be felt over time and presenting some difficulty in enumeration. As an international partnership it will improve the language skills of the participants, as well as, professional and personal skills, among other benefits. Promoting, as well, the awareness of European values and policies that lead us to a more active, fair, inclusive and resilient citizenship. More specifically, in addition to the indirect impacting results, the following are scheduled: - To reduce early school leaving and to recognize the skills acquired through informal and non-formal learning, of students/ VET youngsters belonging to the group with fewer opportunities and unmotivated for the knowledge acquisition process. - To produce innovative practices’ pedagogics, instruments and tools, focusing on the STEM/ STEAM methodology and on digitization, with easy practical application, aimed at promoting leverage with positive and lasting effects in the recovery/ consolidation of learning (especially non-formal) , focusing in target groups with fewer opportunities and demotivation for the teaching-learning process, especially for VET students, enhancing success for knowledge transfer, in order to promote sustainable growth, ensuring equality and social inclusion in accordance with European, national and education policies for 2030. Simultaneously, the project aims to improve the digital and pedagogical skills of teachers and technicians from VET institutions so that they become promoters and agents of change towards youngsters of secondary age, as well as in the surrounding community, with potential intervention at European level education and citizenship policies. In what concerns final results, we have foreseen the following digital results, which correspond practically to each of the formulated objectives and that result from the listed needs: Innovative and transferable results: - R1- App for android and IOS with digital motivational animation content, self-assessment of the youngster's starting point in view of the skills worked in the different Workshops, through a quantitative and qualitative results analysis. - R2- e-book – “The role of the Mentor ... in 1 minute!” (guidelines, competencies and database for general assessment and immediate online results) - R3- Digital guide – “Summer School ... implementation and constitution manual” (with virtual scientific experiences, practical cases of proven applicability (by VET educational agents) using digital platforms and proposed activities with respective evaluation. - R4 - Digital and interactive evaluation management platform to assess usability based on the results’ quantitative and qualitative analysis, in order to sustain a proposal to be made to Education responsibles (via associations, Education ministry, Public Offices) so that this methodology is included in the VET Education and Training system as a non-formal learning unit. These results are intended to be a means for ... and not an end in themselves. They can be used individually as innovative tools to increase the attractiveness of VET education option, as well as their interconnection and interdependence towards its impacts. They constitute a methodology to be replicated in the success of vocational education and training of any educational institution or other, with a European dimension."""