"The project “S.E.E.D.S. - Strengthening knowlEdge and compEtences to Develop new Skills ""(2018-1-IT01-KA102-006370) was developed by UNCI Agroalimentare with the help of the national Consortium and its varied foreign partnership. Agri-food and Tourism, Trade and Marketing, represented the reference sectors of the project and its VET actions. The project actions were aimed at 111 young graduates from school curricula related to the sectors above mentioned: Agriculture, Agri-food and Agro-industry; Administration, Finance and Marketing, Tourism, Food and Wine Services, and Hotel Hospitality. The mobility experiences promoted were long-term (4 months - ErasmusPro). In total, 52 male and 59 female candidates, aged between 19 and 22, were selected, coming from different Italian regions: Campania, Veneto, Tuscany, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Liguria, Sicily, Molise and Marche. The training activities developed under the form of an internship in host companies chosen on the VET learners’ specific features (aptitude, as well as professional needs).The objectives and impacts achieved by “S.E.E.D.S.” were the following:- consolidation of an organized and defined VET cooperation made up of the right social actors (VET schools, public authorities, trade associations) capable of supporting young people in their accessing the labor market.- implementation of 111 mobility experiences in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Malta, and Spain, for the enhancement of technical-scientific skills relating to the professional sectors of reference (100% of internships, in fact, were perfectly in line with the profile of the selected participants).- growth in the employability level of the young graduates who took part in the mobility (15% of beneficiaries entered the labor market following their Erasmus internship by securing a job position either in their host companies or new businesses belonging to the same professional sectors).- enrichment of linguistic and managerial skills for the Consortium members and all the representatives engaged in the project design and implementation; improvement of the language skills of direct participants through the OLS platform (more than 95% of learners declared an improved language knowledge in a second European language).- acquisition of more in-depth knowledge about the European funding mechanisms (many consortium schools, during the months of management of ""S.E.E.D.S."", participated in the Erasmus+ Program for the promotion of initiatives related to Key Action 1 - Mobility for school staff; UNCI Agroalimentare itself has obtained the Accreditation to the new Erasmus 2020-2027 Program under the Key Action 1 to continue supporting the mobility of VET Learners.- greater integration of the operating systems of different organizations related to VET with the aim of increasing the quality of training courses and feeding pedagogical research activities (the foreign receiving organizations were able to better investigate the management dynamics underlying the Learning Outcomes monitoring, evaluation and recognition mechanisms; on the other hand, the companies hosting the internships gave its internal teams a crucial contribution towards their internationalization)."

Soft skills are recognized to be the success factor enabling individuals’ well-being, self-confidence, autonomy and responsibility, the fulfilment of education/social and professional lives, career development and higher income. However, the set of soft skills is often referred to be as non-measurable skills by conventional tests or exams, as they include a wide range of skills related to the individual mindset, such as: capacity building, learning to learn, persistence, resilience, creativity, self-discipline, self-reflectiveness, acting autonomously.Considering this, the VET_GPS was launch aiming at developing and presenting a wide set of tools, guides and materials addressed to trainees, VET managers, VET counsellors and VET trainers/teachers, fostering the holistic development of trainees. The project was focused on the trainees' soft skills acquisition, development and assessment, essential for their personal development, social participation and workplace success (holistic development).Involving 8 partners from 5 Portugal, Spain, Austria, Italy and Belgium, during the 26 months of the project, the consortium had the opportunity of structuring, testing and validating the following main results:• “Guide for the integration of the Soft Skills in VET offer” (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) addressed to VET managers to support them in the definition of a strategy for the assessment and development of trainees’ soft skills.• “Soft skills self-assessment too”l (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) – Online questionnaire to support young trainees in the assessment of the level of development of their soft skills.• “Success@work manual” (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) – Addressed to trainees, providing 25 activities that can be easily implemented by them in different places, that can support them in the acquisition and/or strengthening of their soft skills; • “Soft Skills Profile” (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) - A structured interview scheme for counsellors to support them in the communication and explore of the trainees’ results from the questionnaire mentioned above.• “Training course for VET Professionals” (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) – Allowing them to develop knowledge and competences to integrate strategies and activities in their sessions/schools, fostering the assessment and development of trainees’ soft skills, according to the project’s methodology.• “Youth Empowerment Handbook” (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) - Designed to inspire and support VET trainers in the identification and definition of practices and activities to be implemented in their daily classes, fostering the assessment and development of trainees’ soft skills.• Quality Framework for the Cooperation in VET System (EN, PT, ES, DE and IT) - Document with quality standards and examples of good practices for the establishment, reinforcement and maintenance of VET-Business Cooperation in the VET system.All these materials were prepared, tested and validated by VET managers, counsellors, trainers and trainees at the national level and are available for download in the project’s website - https://www.vetgps.eu/ - in English, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Italian.

<< Objectives >>Our objectives for our contribution to the European strategic priorities:* Increase the knowledge of how to create a hydroponic lab at the basic level * Increase knowledge of what digital tools to use teaching hydroponic cultivation, cooperative projects & smart remote working* Establish a long term European partnership in hydroponics* Increase experience of & readiness for transnational partnership cooperation * Dissemination of project results at local, regional, national & European level<< Implementation >>Conduct Learning activity 1 - Buidling a hydroponic lab Cond. Learn activ. 2 - Hydroponic gardeningCond. Learn. activ. 3 - Hydroponic farming & entrepreneurshipCond. Learn. activ. 4 - Scientific & digital components in hydroponicsCond. the digital workshop for learnersCond. Digital Forums 1-4 Cond. the digital Final Conf.Publish 4 web articles/partner Cond. digital project meetingsProj coord.Proj progress & evaluationWriting proj. final report<< Results >>- Knowhow about how to build a basic hydroponics lab - Increased knowhow about the Global goals, hydroponics, digital tools for teaching hydroponics and for remote working and collaboration- Increased readiness to conduct KA1 and KA2 Erasmus mobility and partnerships- Needs & idea for a new Erasmus Collaboration Partnerhsip in hydroponics and digitalisation- An established long term European partnership in hydroponic

Young people today lead varied and active digital lives, using the internet -and especially social media- to explore, connect, create and learn in ways never before imagined. However, social media is a double-edged sword and our young people are increasingly exposed to online behaviours that erode their confidence, interpersonal relations: online peer pressure and abuse, the search for aesthetic perfection, the over-sharing of personal information, the “echo chamber” effect and risks of radicalization all pose serious risks to the development of positive, confident, active young citizens. In addition, research shows that the complex social situations presented by social media require young people to have not only basic technical competences but also more highly developed critical thinking skills, as found in a media literacy approach. For these reasons, the aim of the Healthy Social Media project is clear: improve the ability of young people to critically assess and engage with digital and social media they are consuming and creating to become responsible, confident, digital citizens. In order to achieve this, we believe that suppliers of nonformal education to the youth sector have a key role to play. However, today’s adult youth leaders and trainers are at a disadvantage having grown up in a pre-digital world. Healthy Social Media projects has successfully completed as of 30.04.19. During the project timeframe all required targets have been completed as follows:IO1 Needs Analysis Study This Intellectual Output is complete, available on Dropbox and project website. All translations for IO1 have been completed and are all live online - http://www.healthysocialmedia.eu/social-media-study/IO2 HOME Open Educational Resources. All partners have agreed that Intellectual Output 2 is complete, fit for the purpose and no adjustments are required. Final Open Educational Resources in all partner languages are now available on Dropbox, Nearpod and project website. All translations for IO2 have been completed and are all live online - http://www.healthysocialmedia.eu/social-media-study/IO3 Phone APP All partners have agreed that the Intellectual Output 3 is complete, fit for the purpose and no adjustments are required. All translations for IO3 have been completed. According to partners‘ comments the quality of HOME App is very good and should be fit for the purpose, additionally MMS has created excellent resource.Project Management managed by NLDCHP via its participation in all project meetings and its robust financial management expertise.Quality Management & Evaluation managed by Drustvo SPES quarterly reports for the 8 quarters were produced on basis of survey monkey results- results show consistently that all partners(8) are fully familiar with their roles and responsibilities. Project communication has been handled efficiently and effectively in disseminating information and directives. Partners (8) have been able to complete all planned activities in accordance with the timetable. “This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to be involved in some international work that is both rewarding and provides tangible outputs-learning resources and phone app to share with young people and educators alike - this is a luxury not often enjoyed by the CVS sector.“Dissemination & Sustainability activities managed by EfVET through a partner dissemination template top capture all dissemination activites. 4 Ezines produced during project timeframe and the production of 2 project videos, one for multiplier events and one for continued promotion of HSM objectives. To check unique visitors to websitesDownloads of app from itunes/playstore/project websiteContact form enquiries5 Mulitplier events have taken place as per project targets- in total 217 stakeholders from key youth organisations, VET, NGO's and public bodies in social development policy & practice- exceeding our target by 11%. 82% of respondents to muliplier evaluation were satisfied with events. Over 50% of respondents felt their expectations had been exceeded. Over 65 % of respondents stated that they were informed and learned about the goals of the project HOME at the conferences that were held. 52 out of a total 62 respondents stated that they will continue to use the resources and tools in the future. In the light of the foregoing, it can be concluded that multiplier events have been carried out with a very high level, being especially significant the impact they have had.As will be clear from the above the impact of this project has been seismic both in the partners regions but cumulatively as a whole. The project was timely and relevant at a time when even expert opinions are often contradictory, providing some much needed tools that can guide educators and young people alike through the social media maze.

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transition within VET, leading to a steep rise in online/remote teaching. Despite the many positive aspects of this catalytic change towards digitalization, the speed of the transformation has left little time to address the risks involved. Teachers in particular face a higher risk of digital overload or burnout than ever before. Long hours sitting in front of artificially lit screens, improvised home settings, the challenge of communicating effectively online and the constant flow of communications from bosses, colleagues and students present them with a radically new set of challenges. Growing scientific evidence from workers in digital environments has shown that unconstrained use of devices can have strong negative consequences. Multitasking and constant notifications are associated with lower levels of creativity and concentration, the difficulty of effective interpersonal communication causes higher stress, while heavy screen use is linked to eyesight problems and headaches . Collectively called “technostress” these issues are caused both by the technology AND by organisational expectations, and lead to deterioration in productivity/performance and in employees’ mental and physical health. Our Partner organisations report VET schools suffering staff shortages and increasing levels of absence due to digitally induced stress and it is not surprising that as far back as 2016 the influential JISC framework placed five other digital capabilities within the overarching capability of digital identity and wellbeing. TARGET GROUPS / NEEDS For this reason, Digital Balance targets two groups a)VET teachers. In 2019 only 39% of teachers in the EU felt well prepared for using digital technologies in daily work and the EC’s recent consultation on Digital Education Action Plan showed that more than 50% of respondents plan to further enhance digital skills in response to the Covid crisis.b)VET management and department heads (often teachers themselves). Their work is diverse but they share a common challenge: how to optimise digital teaching and the use of technology without compromising staff’s performance and wellbeing. They need greater awareness and knowledge to lead change in organisational policy and practice.OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIESWorking with these two groups, our objective is clear: design, develop and implement a new approach to train VET teachers, leaders and managers in digital wellbeing. The end result will be to improve educators’ own digital competences, while also boosting the capacity of VET institutions to manage the digital transition in a way that marries high quality teaching with the wellbeing of those involved. Our specific objectives are: a)Produce 3 new resources that enable the integration of policy and practice to support digital wellbeing for teachers and encourage proactive behaviour at personal level. Namely; IO1 Digital Balance Analysis Report, IO2 Digital Wellbeing Resource Park, IO3 Digital Balance Empowerment Programmeb)Rigorously use, test and refine the resources in collaboration with 72 managers/department heads and 96 teachers, optimising their effectiveness and readying partners for immediate implementation.c)Ensure strong uptake of the resources with a persuasive dissemination campaign so that 840 VET managers, department heads and teachers use the resources in the project lifespan, with hundreds more after completion.IMPACT:Digital Balance will boost the capacity of VET institutions to manage the digital transition in a way that marries high quality teaching with the wellbeing and long-term productivity of those involved.The project makes a clear contribution to targeting organisational level change across a wide range of different types of VET organisations and the dissemination strategy will target regional and national stakeholders and policy makers. For this reason, we are sure that Digital Balance can contribute to substantial change in our wider VET systems at regional and national level AND ensure that VET is not left behind by other sectors which are more digitally competent.At national and international level, Digital balance is a very timely and relevant project in light of the Digital Education Plan, especially components of digital readiness, and in light of the ongoing work to define, build and evaluate digital competences in education. Dig Comp, Dig Comp Edu and Dig Comp Org have been circulating as frameworks for competence development for many years now, but their impact has been limited, especially in VET. Recently digital pedagogical competences have been advanced, but wellbeing and professional digital competences are often left out. Digital balance will address this gap and enhance the practical value of the frameworks to the lives of teachers and VET institutions.