The main goals of the EUROSTUDENT VII Project are: a) to deliver valid, high quality data on the socio-economic background and living conditions of European higher education students, in order to contribute to understanding and furthering the social dimension in the European Higher Education Area at institutional, national, and European level; b) to provide a broad policy-relevant cross-country comparison of data on the social dimension, delivering high-quality comparable data in line with international standards for comparative data analyses, and data of high political relevance in close cooperation with decision-makers and stakeholders.in Italy as well as other participating countries, both researchers and policy-makers are involved. This constellation of research and policy-makers assures that the development stage of the Project adequately takes account of the methodical and analytical challenges involved in fulfilling the goal of evidence-based policy. Close cooperation among participating countries ensures the comparability and interpretability of the data for the different national contexts. The EUROSTUDENT VII Project will build on previous experience within Eurostudent Network, to create and utilise reporting structures that are informative, sound and are able to facilitate policy evaluation and discussions on further developments.

The main goals of the Eurostudent VI project are: a) to deliver valid, high-quality data on the socio-economic background and living conditions of European higher education students, in order to contribute to understanding and furthering the social dimension in the European Higher Education Area at institutional, national and European level; b) to provide a broad policy-relevant cross-country comparison of data on the social dimension, delivering high-quality comparable data in line with international standards for comparative data analyses, and data of high political relevance in close cooperation with decision-makers and stakeholders. In Italy as well as other participating countries, both researchers and policy-makers are involved. This constellation of researchers and policy-makers assures that the development stage of the project adequately takes account of the methodical and analytical challenges involved in fulfilling the goal of supporting evidence-based policy. Close cooperation among participating countries ensures the comparability and interpretability of the data for the different national contexts. The Eurostudent VI project will build on previous experience within Eurostudent network, to create and utilise reporting structures that are informative, sound and are able to facilitate policy evaluation, and discussions on further developments.

<< Background >>The Council Recommendations on promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad was the main reference of AdReN, to foster the automatic recognition of academic qualifications and qualifications giving access to higher education in the Adriatic region started by the coordinator and some partner countries in 2018 of the AdReN network.<< Objectives >>The main AdReN objectives were: promoting automatic recognition of academic qualifications, upper secondary qualifications giving access to higher education and study periods abroad and supporting the significant role that NARICs play in developing fair, transparent and automatic recognition practices. This includes improving the links and dialogue with policymakers, higher education institutions and relevant stakeholders, but also coordination and good practice among the NARICs.<< Implementation >>The project lasted from September 2020 to August 2022. The AdReN project activities and deliverables has been completed, in some cases reshaped (especially for meetings in person) as the project has been partially influenced by the spread of COVID-19. The scope of the table of comparison of qualifications in partner countries has been enlarged to the countries of the region and the publication on Substantial differences and TNE was divided into two for the relevance of the topics.<< Results >>-AdReN website-Table of Comparison of qualifications of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia-“Match your qualification”: not foreseen by the initial project plan, it is meant to a target that is in need of information concerning the comparability of qualifications but is not expert of the sector-“Substantial differences in 4 countries of the Adriatic region”-“Transnational education in 4 countries of the Adriatic region”-AdReN Secretariat

BACKGROUND & CHALLENGES3D printing is a cornerstone of the industrial shift towards advanced manufacturing, creating opportunities for employment, value creation, and reallocation of manufacturing production back to Europe. As is the case with any disruptive technology, new needs for skills and qualifications are emerging; 3D printing requires skilled blue-collar employees in manufacturing (i.e. technicians & operators) to acquire new competences. In spite of this, the development of skills required to enter the 3D printing job market is not currently supported by VET programs and apprenticeships that can lead to certification, and applied 3D printing skills remain unavailable to most VET job profiles.AIMThe project tackled this challenge by supporting VET provision to equip technicians & operators with 3D printing skills. The needs of VET providers, learners, employees, and the sector were addressed by: a) matching skill supply with demand, b) increasing employees' employability, performance and job security, and c) strengthening the EU manufacturing sector by valorising investments in 3D printing through a skilled workforce.OBJECTIVES1) to support VET provision of 3D printing skills with guides, resources, OERs, and a hands-on training methodology.2) to identify new occupational profiles in the manufacturing sector, 3) to facilitate and accelerate the integration of new skills and qualifications in VET.4) to contribute to the implementation of EU policies on qualifications, transparency, mobility, and a European Industrial Renaissance, creating secure and sustainable jobs.THE 3D PRISM PARTNERSHIPThe partnership comprised 5 organisations from 5 countries from the world of VET, the manufacturing sector, the EU skills & qualifications accreditation field, as well as learning innovation specialists. The University of Sheffield-Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (USFD-AMRC) leads the research on additive manufacturing and on-the-job training. FLORIDA University is an expert in designing and delivering VET programs and courses. The European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) represents the needs and workplace realities of the manufacturing sector at EU-level. EXELIA is an expert in R&D and delivery of innovative ICT-based methodologies for VET. CIMEA is a public authority active in the recognition of qualifications. ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGY1. Original desk and field research, following the ESCO taxonomy and approach, to develop occupational profiles.2. Definition of learning outcomes, knowledge and topics, program structure and development of a hands-on training methodology to produce VET guidelines for 3D printing jobs in the manufacturing sector.3. Development of learning units, video materials, ICT-based materials and OERs for VET provision on 3D printing skills.4.Involvement of public authorities for the certification & accreditation of 3D printing skills5. Sharing and validation of outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake 3D PRISM results and act as further disseminators.RESULTS & IMPACT1. A compendium of existing and emerging 3D printing occupational profiles in the manufacturing sector, to support VET providers in advancing and developing new offerings and to supplement national and EU-level labour market research.2. A VET programs and courses guide for 3D printing occupations in the manufacturing sector, to improve the labour market relevance of VET provision across Europe.3. 3D PRISM learning units and resources for initial and continuous VET programs on 3D printing manufacturing jobs, to improve the quality of VET provision and provide learners with access to materials to improve their skills and thus employability.4. A recommendations paper and a consultation & action plan for VET providers and public regulatory authorities, to lay the ground for follow-up activities on the certification and accreditation of 3D printing skills courses and occupational profiling.5. An exhibition event in the largest sectoral event in Europe (EMO 2017), two demonstration workshops and three infodays, to reach, train, and involve target groups.POST-PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY1. Development of new training programs and courses based on 3D PRISM outputs by VET providers across the EU.2. Participation of a growing number of initial and continuous VET learners in courses based on 3D PRISM outputs.3. Expansion of the strategic partnership towards a network of collaborating VET and manufacturing stakeholders to reinforce the ties between VET provision and the labour market.4. Further maturing and development of certification & accreditation policies influenced by 3D PRISM recommendations.

The Bologna Implementation Report 2018 identified that actual recognition practice falls short of expectations with regard to transparency, consistency and fairness. The I-Comply project aims to address this, by building further on insights from previous project outcomes, notably the FAIR project.The FAIR project showed that recognition infrastructures are important elements to achieve actual implementation with the LRC, even more so than legal provisions. The aim of I-Comply therefore was to strengthen the national and institutional recognition infrastructures to achieve practical compliance with the LRC.As a first step, the infrastructures of 5 countries were evaluated against the LRC: Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Italy and The Netherlands. Next, roadmaps with actions to improve the situation towards compliance were designed through a process of peer review. These also served as KPI’s to measure the progress in the project. The implementation was supported by a process of peer counseling between the 5 countries.To assist the implementation and to identify models of good practice for strengthening the infrastructures in the EHEA in general, three PLA’s were held on 1) strengthening the infrastructures in HEIs, 2) the implementation of special procedures, and 3) Automatic Recognition. The project worked with a Steering Group form 4 countries (Denmark, Estonia, France and Norway) and in close cooperation with Thematic Peer Group B of the Bologna Follow-Up Group.The main results were:1)Structural reform towards practical LRC compliance in 5 countries;2)Delivery of 3 PLAs, including an approach to a shared understanding of the concept of Automatic Recognition.3)a European Exploitation Seminar to exploit the project results.4)A final report to disseminate the project results, including many examples of good practice in improving recognition practice.The impact is 1) systematic change towards compliance with the LRC in the 5 countries, 2) peer learning for all members of Thematic Peer Group B and 3) new insights and a compendium of good practice ready to use for all EHEA members.