Project aimed to contribute to the increased employability of young people in partner countries to meet Europe 2020 and respective national targets.Its specific objective was to promote apprenticeships by building partnerships between intermediary bodies, companies, VET providers, public authorities and social partners.Reflecting “Riga Conclusions” deliverable on VET modernisation regarding strong partnership in VET and building capacities of intermediary bodies supporting apprenticeships in SMEs, project helped to better challenge skills mismatch, youth unemployment and company reluctance to take apprentices.The project was focused on two “umbrella” results.I. Partnerships between businesses, VET providers and intermediary organisations together with public authorities and social partners were built and/or further strengthened with the aim of getting more SMEs involved in apprenticeships.Capacities of project intermediary bodies were increased to effectively start and support the building of multi-stakeholder Apprenticeship Partnerships in project countries. “State of the play” review & analysis studies were conducted providing the basis for design and implementation of capacity building activities: study visit in the UK and a training programme regarding advocacy, negotiation, and promotion skills.Thanks to the increased capacities, the key staff in project intermediary bodies is able to effectively facilitate and promote the formation of Apprenticeship Partnerships. In project countries with developing partnerships (Croatia, Slovakia and Serbia) implementation of policy dialogue events (workshops/round-tables/meetings) was initiated with the aim to support the formation and functioning of apprenticeship partnerships. In the UK partnership organisations already exist, so further support was provided through the organisation of an Education-Business Partnership meeting. Consequently, SMEs were able to co-shape future labour force training trajectories, make their voices better heard and enhance their competitiveness in long term by benefiting from better regulated WBL policy.II. Awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships enhanced among target SMEs through the implementation of tailor made attractiveness campaigns. Result was achieved through designing and implementing apprenticeship attractiveness campaigns in project countries.In project countries company awareness and information on available WBL and apprenticeship schemes is insufficient or lacking. Moreover, uncertainty of investment returns makes companies, especially SMEs, less willing to take apprentices.Therefore, the attractiveness campaigns ensured the engagement of target SMEs through support measures that make apprenticeships in project countries more attractive and accessible to SMEs:1. Capacity building based on identified needs and European best practices to strengthen advocacy, promotion and communication skills of target chamber personnel in Croatia, Slovakia and Serbia. Capacitated staff are able to provide informed advice to SMEs on opportunities in the field of apprenticeships.2. Promotional campaigns in all four countries through organisation of dedicated help-desk lines, SMEs open info-days, social media campaigns, as well as a “Trademark” for SMEs engaging in apprenticeships.The project had a major impact on the target group (SMEs, especially those with no or some experience in apprenticeships) both in short and long term contributing to the increased attractiveness and supply of apprenticeships in partner countries. Also, project work produced a multi-layered impact in an effort to ensure sustainability through the inclusion of major VET stakeholders ensuring direct influence on policy making and implementation. Sharing of products with the European level institutions and apprenticeship networks will ensure the European reach of the project.More information on: supportapprenticeships.eu/en/.

"Smart City initiatives and projects become increasingly important throughout Europe for several reasons but basically these projects focus on technical innovations (green urban technologies, ICT) and are often top down driven by investors, global technology concerns or building developers. This approach excludes other urban actors that could play a crucial role for the quality of results and broad acceptance of the solutions for urban challenges. The project addresses the most relevant urban actor groups of the sustainable city as target groups (decision makers in public administrations and enterprises, science, research, NGOs, citizens and civil society organisations) and introduces a training concepts for so called “smart city coaches” with a view to spread this role at different levels of society as multipliers for the development and support of smart cities. Participants: A) Governance level - Decision makers in public administrations (70), Decision maker in public owned companies delivering services to citizens (30), B) Business Level - Decision makers in enterprises (70), Decision makers at ""associations"" level (70), C) Citizens level - People from NGOs, interest groups, associations (140), representatives of ""citizens oriented"" services: schools, universities, etc. (140)Activities and methods: WP1 - PROJECT COORDINATION, WP2 - PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATIONWP3 - EXCHANGE OF PRACTICES: exchange process based on three concept levels and namely practices in the field of smart consumers, smart governance, smart enterprises and how these practices have been (or are) guided/trained (in other words, if a coaching/multiplying approach have been used or structured on top of these three “titles). A 5 days joint staff training event on the state of the art and needs, defining the framework for the development of innovative practicesINTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 1: SMART CONSUMERS, SMART GOVERNANCE AND SMART ENTERPRISES IN EUROPE – OVERVIEW AND BENCHMARKING OF RUNNING PRACTICES WP4 - INTRODUCE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN THE FIELD OF SMART CITY COACHING: DEPLOYMENT OF INNOVATIVE TRAINING MODULES. The project will not only further design these modules but also run a horizontal pilot phase in 3 Level 1 Pilot Countries (Austria, Italy, Netherlands) which will last 12 months). Level 1 Pilot Countries will elaborate and test the concept while Level 2 Pilot Countries (Hungary, Serbia and greece) will be involved in the elaboration process through dedicated sessions but will test the concept only at a second stage. A second 5 days long joint staff training will be arranged for coachers.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 2: CROSS SECTORAL TRAINING MODULESWP5 - RECOGNITION AND DIGITIZATION This part of the project will focus on ""validating"" the concept, the methodology, extend its benefits at Eu level also through Open Educational Resources and a dedicated e-learning platrofm. INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 3: E-LEARNING PLATFORMWP 6 – EXTENDING THE PILOT. In order to extend the impact of this approach and fine-tune it according to other contexts, a second pilot phase will be introduced where the training and its tools will be tested (Greece, Hungary, Serbia). At its end the partnership will work and deliver operational, financial and policy guidelines in order to make replication and extended use of the smart coaching model happen.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT 4: RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATIONAL, FINANCIAL AND POLICY GUIDELINESMain results expected are: a) availability of checklist to identify training needs of the target groups related to smart cities, b) comprehensive list of training needs, c) State of the art / collection of training and capacity building approaches (for adult education) related to smart cities, d) Raised stakeholder dialogue and exchange of experiences and practices. The expected results on completion of the project: a) Development of innovative training concepts leading to high quality capacity building at different levels of society // integrating ICT-learning tools, b) Evaluation schemes of pilot trainings and availability of transferability methods, including a permanent e-learning platform, c) Smart city coaching curriculum for multipliers at different levels of society, d) Availability of protocols, revenue models and policy guidelines to expand the training concept.Short Term impact: mutual and interdisciplinary learning processes, contacts and networkss- increase level of knowledge based on exchange of international know how in smart city training withinLong Term impact: introduce concepts into daily practices, contribute to changes in communities and working environments, introduce training practice into ongoing professional training curricula (enterprises), qualification courses (public administrations) or educational contexts (schools, universities, etc.), increase qualification in future oriented topics andjob opportunities in the mid-term, develop ideas for improving the urban quality of life for (all) citizens."

The project’s objective is the establishment of four cross-border operating “Scaleup Labs”. The Scaleup Labs are based on the ”living lab” concept and support qualifying scaleups in achieving “Proof of Scalability”. This proof is achieved when scaleups comply with all requirements of general technological, market, organizational and investor readiness, their innovation is adapted to specific customer need and successful scaleup-corporate relationship is established. “Scaleup4Europe”: five partners, four ecosystems: • Berchtesgadener Land Wirtschaftsservice, Germany, a regional economic development agency - project lead. • UnternehmerTUM Germany, a leading startup hub of the Technical University of Munich. • Pioneers, Austria, one of the largest start-up and investor networks across Europe. • Pomurski tehnoloski park, Slovenia, a deep tech support ecosystem and member of pan-European Digitial Innovation Hub network Agile Manufacturing and Robotics. • Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Serbia, the association of all enterprises, including startups in Serbia. The project partners propose to set up a Scaleup Lab in each ecosystem for a specific industry vertical. The Scaleup Labs will provide deep tech start-ups with a structured open innovation approach in which they can achieve cross-border market success, through first successful collaborations with corporate customers, investors and/or public institutions. The Scaleup Labs will bring together corporates with needs for innovation, scaleups with matching solutions, experts from research and the European network of specialized Digital Innovation Hubs and other existing services such as the Startup Europe one-stop-shop. The Scaleup Labs will detect innovators and develop programmes for startups ready to provide their solutions to new markets. This includes acceleration tools such as Scaleup Camps as well as Investor and Business Matching Tools to adapt innovations to specific enterprise demand.

EEN Serbia project is successor to EIIRCS and in its course, Consortium partners would continue to provide the highest quality business support services to Serbian SMEs. EEN Serbia is strategically recognized by the Government of Republic Serbia, as an integrated service for development of SMEs sector. The main objective of EEN Serbia is to continue improving competitiveness of Serbian SMEs trough implementation of integrated services focused on innovative capacities, productivity, internationalization as well as to assure information flow about EU market, measures and programs, available EU and national RTD support programs. EEN Serbia Consortium is consisted of 6 relevant, motivated and experienced host organizations with a clear mandate to support competitiveness of SMEs, regional and socioeconomic development, internationalization and export promotion as well as R&D and innovation. Consortium partners cover the whole territory of Serbia, and create the most comprehensive system for providing support services to SMEs, with widest and strongest knowledge, expertise and information base.

"SEED project has gathered 9 partners in 7 European countries: Promotrans (France), IRU Projects (Belgium), POU, EKOmobilis, Oryx (Croatia), COB (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, AMERIT (FYR of Macedonia), TEMPULLI (Kosovo). All 9 partners specialize in road freight transport training. The European directive 2003/59/EC regulates common basic and continuous training - 35 hours every 5 years - for professional drivers to make sure their skills are keeping up with a rapidly-evolving transport environment. The directive has been extended to EU candidate countries. The preparation phase has shed some light on SEED partner countries of South East Europe (SEE): they are at different stages of the implementation of EU directive. Furthermore, shared training and professional practices are lacking in the SEE region. SEED aims to raise the level of professionalism in road transport for both instructors and drivers (the 2 targets of the project) by increasing the level of training and technical skills for these actors operating in a key sector for the European economy. By making the best use of their ""differences,"" skills, knowledge and expertise of the field, the SEED partners have produced a thorough multilingual training program in conformity with the European regulations and adapted to their own transport environment. It contains a core program enriched with partners' own training provisions, videos, driver's and instructor's guidebooks, as well as evaluation tools. These training resources have been tested during the SEED training activities targeted to instructors, then to drivers. These activities have also been the opportunity to promote innovative and interactive pedagogical methods whilst exploring new training and learning strategies in the field of road transport. A National workshop for awareness-building, a EU conference as well as an ATI Regional meeting have been set up in order to showcase the SEED project outcomes, their quality and relevance to the wider community of private and public stakeholders of the road freight transport industry in South East Europe. The positive feedback received from the project partners', instructors', drivers' satisfaction surveys as well as people participating in the dissemination activities augurs well for the project in term of sustainability. By raising the number of qualified CPC Driver instructors and well-trained professional drivers concerned with eco-driving and road safety, SEED has a real added-value for South East Europe, thus contributing to the further opening of the European road haulage market."