"<< Background >>DIGI LIVES gathers research, public and private organisations from Denmark, France, Latvia and Italy in a consortium who will take on a new, innovative digital approach towards inclusion and diversity to prevent student dropout, including newly started students during covid-19 lockdown as well as those at risk of drop out before the pandemic lockdown. In this project the three participating VET institutions from Denmark, France and Italy all have immanent needs to strengthening inclusion and diversity among students at study start and prevent dropout, which is a problem that all three organisations struggle with. Acute needs The national drop out rate from VETs in Denmark is approx 50 % https://rn.dk/regional-udvikling/analyser-og-rapporter Leading partner in “DIGI LIVES“, TECHCOLLEGE states in relation to the drop out statistics and the student consequences of distance learning:”TECHCOLLEGE has a slightly higher drop-out rate of students during the basic programme compared to the national average. With this project, we therefore wish to focus on initiatives and digital tools that can contribute to increased retention as early in the educational process as possible and also to help students starting their studies during covid-19 lockdown as well as those in the risk of drop out before the pandemic.” (Line Vinterberg, TECHCOLLEGE)VET-partner, IAL FVG, experiences the same needs in their home country. Italy is in the top 5 of countries in EU with the highest % of ELET. With almost 14 % Italy is over the benchmark of less than 10 % to be achieved by 2020 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Early_leavers_from_educationIAL FVG faces the problem with first year students drop outs and the effects of distance learning: “The problem of dropping out in the first years is high in general even if we often welcome students who ""leave"" the paths of education .. we welcome them in the first years. With COVID 19 this problem has increased,” (Marianna Muin, IAL FVG)At partnering VET in GIP–FTLV de Bourgogne in France as well as nationally, the need is present. In France the national drop-out rate in the VET-system all trainings combined, was 13.71%. The Dijon academy (GIP) is slightly below the national rate at 13.25%.http://ijse.padovauniversitypress.it/system/files/papers/2016_3_14.pdfThus, GIP-FTLV needs the prevention of ELET still to be a priority. As part of the dialogue between the Ministry and the academy, the General Inspectorate (national level) would like to see the prevention of school dropout in the vocational system remain a priority and is particularly interested in the creation of learning communities on this subject.https://www.ac-dijon.fr/mission-de-lutte-contre-le-decrochage-scolaire-mlds-121920Meet the needsThe consortium partners have teamed up to meet the needs above. In this rather unique consortium of experienced, diverse partners there is a strong and firm believe that we can “make a difference” for European VET-students by creating and produce an innovative Digital Toolbox to be implemented and used by the future generation of students at the participating VETs and in Europe. Now more than ever is it important to reach out to the target group in “DIGI LIVES” and addressed in the Digital Toolbox: •First-year students including students starting their studies during covid-19 lockdown as well as those at risk of drop out before the pandemic•EducatorsWe will be innovate throughout the project. From co-creation methods and accompanying research (UCN) to inclusive content of tools (NLP Aalborg/ Center for Unges Livsmestring) that focusses on supporting and strengthening students’ life-coping skills and competencies at study start, along with VR/AI technology partner VIVIDLY delivering design, architecture and tech-solutions. This will meet the needs in innovative digital ways made for VET-students of the future generation.<< Objectives >>The following objectives for “DIGI LIVES” will be achieve by implementing the project and will positively contribute and have an impact in a longer term. The “DIGI LIVES” project aims at having a main objective and six additional subobjectives:The project’s main objective is to develop an innovative digital toolbox with a focus on study start, providing an online space for 16-24 yr. old students including students at the risk of dropping out of education to help them remain in education/ training, to acquire unformal qualifications as well as to integrate into education structures and to assist with socialization and life-coping skills building an inclusive, diverse social and educational school climate. In regards to the main project objective above, the project will also have the following subobjectives:•Develop and provide digital teaching materials and methods for students to strengthening competences in the form of life skills to better cope with personal, interpersonal and social challenges to further inclusion and diversity and prevent mental health issues and drop outs from the very start of VET•Provide solutions to tackle immanent problems at the VETs with students dropping out, especially by focusing on strengthening the “school climate” at study start to be including and diverse at the participating VETs in a Covid-19 age•Actively co-create and develop with educators and students a more inclusive unformal educational curriculum that will support digital student and peer learning at VETs •Give all students knowledge and an unformal educational digital toolbox from which to face issues, often refer to as “soft skills”, at school that is not a part of curriculum but never the less play a crucial role in students’ daily life•Strengthen educators’ digital competencies and skills and to provide educators with more inclusive user-friendly and easy-accessible digital tools that will reach a diverse range of participants with all backgrounds•New transcultural cross-country competencies and best practice exchange between VETs.<< Implementation >>""DIGI LIVES"" has three phases that will lead to the overall project result of a digital toolbox:1, Development and production2. Testing and assembling3. Implementation of the digital toolboxThese are the project activities that will lead to the implementation of the digital toolbox:WP 2Digital toolbox – Development of cross-country methodological framework gathering tools (co-creation)Responsible: NLP Aalborg/CFULWP 2.1 Establishment of Stakeholder panels (students and educators) at each VET to explore and co-create on the methodological framework gathering tools WP 2.2Stakeholder panels co-creating on cross-country methodological framework gathering tools in online workshops (NLP Aalborg/CFUL, UCN, Vividly) WP 2.3Production of materials and content of methodological framework gathering tools to be integrated in the digital toolbox.WP 2.4Development of “Educators’ manual” for use of the digital toolbox.WP 2.5Assembling the digital toolbox – integration of W.P.2 & W.P.3WP 3Digital toolbox - Digital design/architecture of tools and software development (co-creation)Responsible: VividlyWP 3.1 Establishment of Stakeholder panels (students and educators) at each VET to explore and co-create on digital design/architecture of tools and software development WP 3.2Stakeholder panels co-creating on digital design/architecture of tools and software development in online workshops (Vividly, NLP Aalborg/CFUL, UCN) WP 3.3.Development and production of digital design/architecture of tools and software; an easy-transferable, responsive CMS-based website to be used on multimedia devices, WP 3.4Create a graphic multimedia design and easy-accessible functions for toolbox. Control of European standards for GDPR-protection and standards in all digital contentWP 3.5Assembling the digital toolbox – integration of W.P.2 & W.P.3WP 4 Accompanying research, youth perspective report and research evaluation (co-creation) Responsible: UCNWP 4.1: Process, facilitation and data collection guide for panel discussions design and distribution WP 4.2: Panel discussion, results documentation in accordance with the data collection guideWP 4.3: Youth Perspective Report (baseline) based on coding and analyzation of panel discussion results/data sets from VETs. WP 4.4: Design of 2 questionnaires for quantitative evaluation based on the Youth Perspective Report. WP 4.5: Distribution of questionairres amongst participants in the testing phase of project result 1 & 2 (Cf. project results)WP 4.6: Accompanying research evaluation report. Data from the questionnaires is coded and analyzed with the Youth Perspective Report as baseline. WP 5Testing, Sharing & promotionResponsible: IAL WP 5.1 Testing of cross-country methodological framework gathering tools & digital design/ architecture of toolsWP 6 Implementation of the digital toolbox Responsible: GIP-FTLVWP 6.1Pre-preparation of strategic implementation plan at each VETWP 6.2 Pre-preparation: Collection of data from the partnering VETs with timeline, educators, starting classes etc.WP 6.3Discussion and exchanging practices to secure implementation locally (Pre-implementation transnational meeting at GIP-FTLV)WP 6.4Set up and coordination of 3 local planned multiplier events at the participating VETs (Results and findings in 6.3. implemented)<< Results >>Results during the project: • Youth Perspective Report (Research baseline). Based on the activities of • Peer learning experiences from workshops with stakeholder panels of students and educators - included in the Youth Perspective Report. • Secure, CMS-based, responsive website for the digital universe/ toolbox. • “Educators’ manual” for the use of the digital toolbox. • Innovative cross-country methodological framework gathering tools. • Graphic multimedia design and architecture of tools. Key Results at the completion of the project1. Cross-country methodological framework gathering tools with focus on students start including newly started students during covid-19 lockdown as well as those at the risk of drop out before the pandemic lockdown; 2.Digital design/architecture of tools and software with focus on students start including newly started students during covid-19 lockdown as well as those at the risk of drop out before the pandemic lockdown;1 and 2 will assembled and combined constitute the Digital Toolbox3. Accompanying research evaluation report The project results will generate the long term outcomes as followed: • strengthened digital capacity of partner VET organisations. • students and educators coownership in the digital toolbox because of the development, testing and implementation process where students and educators are involved as co-creators. (stakeholder panels). • new transcultural cross-country competencies and bestpractice exchange between VETs • higher rate of satisfied students and • higher % of students maintain their educationand graduates. • positive branding for VET education institutions. • Contribution to the Regional strategies of partnerorganisations on reduction of ELET/ESL. Hereby the recommendations from the Region of North Jutland: • Contribution to the EU target of 10% ESL, • Higher attention to tools that strengthen mental health, and reduction of NEET; • A safety net for at-risk learners in general education, offering an alternative pathway and securing their retention in, and graduation from, education and training; • Offer a more practical, work-oriented route towards a qualification, and can attract earlyleavers back to education and training. • Providing a digital toolbox that will contribute with the new innovative cross-country - digital methodological framework to the already existing toolkit to tackle early school leavers from CEDEFOP. This will be done at the end of the project period through NLP Aalborg’s Ambassador of CEDEFOPs toolkit."