"The need for Tuscan turistic entrepreneurs is to maintain a high standard of services offered, with a level of quality that will satisfy demanding and well prepared customers (national and international), in order to fight the global economic crisis. The needs of recent graduates from VET schools is to specialize, to acquire new skills on turistic sector by consequence of the potential of job opportunities offered by the sector. These two worlds are the demand and supply to meet that need to find a mutual benefit and profit. For these reasons, the Regional Council of Tuscany, since 2001, has been promoting the programme ""VETRINA TOSCANA"" (Network of enhancement of the typical Tuscan products that involve different economic and institutional actors) and that from three yeras ago included in the Special Programme of Regional Development (PRSE) and considered as an excellent model of communication and promotion of tourism. The project ""Vetrina Toscana in Europa"" (VET -EU) aims to be connected to this regional programme, promoted by the Regional Council of Tuscany, in order to offer the opportunity of an internship abroad to the students of Tuscan Tourism and Catering VET schools, participating to some dedicated training courses carried out within the farmework of ""Vetrina Toscana"" Programme. The VET-EU project is promoted by an articulated partnership of local actors (Tourism and Catering VET Schools institutional bodies, trade associations) and foreign partners. It aims to offer students and recent graduates from VET schools in the turism industry of the provinces of Siena, Florence and Prato, a great opportunity to provide more and more qualified sector services by performing a high quality mobility experience at European level. Participants follow a path of education in the tourism and hospitality industry and be selected from the target group who has already participated in the training activities of the Project SCUOLE VETRINA TOSCANA (sub-programme of Vetrina Toscana). The Project VET-EU, in fact, aims to complete with a foreign mobility experience the training path of a a target of participants, who, having acquired knowledge and professional skills in turism sector, have also carried out an intra-curriculum training path on the valorization of the characteristic of the local products of the the region (elements of Vetrina Toscana Programme). Participants, after their selection carried out by the 7 vocational schools, sending partners of the project, will receive an intercultural preparation as well as being stimulated to self-study on the host country, to improve their language skills and to actively participate throughout the international path. The preparation, therefore, involves multi-disciplinary pedagogical, linguistic and cultural preparation aimed to provide information, even of a practical nature, including various aspects of an internship abroad as well as knowledge and skills useful to a full integration into the context of the host country (e.g. highlights on the cultural aspects of the host country, lifestyles and working conditions). Participants will also be called before departure to deepen their language skills (comprehension , but also oral and written skills). The main expected results from the implementation of the VET-EU project affect not only its marketability within the job market, but also its positive influences on the development of human potential through its features of formal, non-formal (on the job) and informal learning."

Organisations involved in this project: Ayuntamiento de Dos Hermanas as Coordinator and ES Vistazul, IES El Arenal, IES Gonzalo Nazareno e IES Hermanos Machado, CEPA Soc. Coop. And (Proyecto ERGOS), IES Torres de los Herberos, Colegio MªZambrano y Equitación Sevilla SL (Centro Ecuestre Carlos Espigares) as sending organisations. Number and profile of the participants : 44 young between trainees enrolled in any of the Courses with certificate of professionalism promoted by the city council, enrolled in any of the Vocational Centres that take part in this project, in any of the following intermediate educational levels : Microcomputer Systems Networking , Electrotechnical installations, Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals, Machining , Physical Activity in the Natural Environment, Bodywork , Horseback Riding, equestrian training and tourism, and profesional development in Basic Service Administration or Computing and Communications. The age of the participants will be between 18 and 25 and have no previous work experience. 20 posts are reserved for senior students, other 14 posts will be reserved for students recently qualified and the other 6 will be for students from profesional development in Basic Service Administration or Computing and Communications and last 4 for students enrolled in any of the Courses with certificate of professionalism promoted by the city council. Program: Training period of 16 weeks for students newly qualified. Training period of 10 weeks for students who will complete their compulsory Vocational Training period and for the ones from profesional development in Basic Service Administration or Computing and Communications. And students enrolled in CityCouncil Courses Countries: Italy, Portugal, Malta, Ireland and Sweden.The final results have varied from the planning that due to the exceptional situation of the Pandemic has forced to make 5 calls and reconvert PRO places for SHORT and convert the teacher's place for student mobilities. In the end, 43 of the 44 registered participants were sent, with only one cancelled due to restrictions on entry to the destination country by the COVID. From the initial plan of 31 SHORT and 12 LONG stays, 36 SHORT and 10 LONG stays have been carried out (in reality 8 since two participants interrupted their stay in Portugal after a week's stay and resumed it in July of the same year). Initially the distribution by country of the LONG grants was 6 to Italy, 2 to Sweden, 2 to Ireland and 2 to Portugal, and 4 to Italy and 4 to Portugal were carried out; as for the SHORT grants, 18 were planned to Italy, 8 to Portugal and 4 to Malta and 31 to Italy, 3 to Portugal and 2 to Malta were carried out, one of those to Malta being cancelled due to restrictions on entry to Malta by the COVID. Activities to perform: Identification of needs, creation of local network, meetings for the preparation of this proposal, survey on the potential target audience to test project acceptance , creation of transnational networking, information , recruitment, selection and preparation of participants , organization of logistics and paperwork, departure to destination countries, trainings starting and follow up, monitoring, evaluation of participants , validation and certification of students, certificates delivery, overall project evaluation , impact, justification before the SEPIE , employability assessment , dissemination of results. Expected outcomes and impact: For the participants : • Acquire the specific expertise needed in their professional sectors • Have a first professional experience • Get a versatile and multiskilled professional profile, capable of adapting to the specific needs of each company • Acquire / improve knowledge of different languages and cultures of the host countries • know and use different applications of new technologies in the working environment • Knowing the production and management systems in each sector • Acquiring a high qualified training which will enable them to be competitive • obtain an official recognition ( Europass ) through the validation and accreditation of the skills acquired in this period of work experience • Standing out among job seekers when entering into the labour market • on a personal level , improve their skills and individual and transversal competences, strengthening entrepreneurship spirit, improve their ability to adapt to changes. Reduce geographic, linguistic and economic barriers that must be faced when living in a foreign country. For partners and for the coordinator: • Promoting the mobility of our young people • Promoting personal, social and professional development of the participants • Promoting specialized training according to each participant profile • Make the participants know new business organization models, as well as new methods and working tools • Enhance and strengthen the knowledge of foreign languages. Use new technologies as a tool for everyday work • Enhance interest in training so that the rate of absenteeism is reduced. Create a transnational network of cooperation between companies and public and private entities. Enable the integration of our young people in the labor market at local and European levels. Reduce the unemployment rate. Long terms benefits: Strengthen our network and facilitate the exchange of ideas and projects. The partners will increase their network, will benefit from the shared experience will adapt the knowledge they will gain during the mobility to their schools (eg implementation of new technologies or methods of work, introduction of new elements in teaching programs, etc.) and will disseminate the results in other centers. The partners also seek to consolidate its internationalization in mobility projects as part of a long-term strategy. Therefore, we hope that this project will help us to develop our long-term partnership, and in the future we hope to further engage other public and private institutions to participate in future proposals

"One of the central ideas underlying European Lifelong Learning policies is that international mobility should become a natural part of education and training schemes. This helps learners to achieve higher qualification levels which are crucial for a successful first step into the labour market or for career improvements. The EU Member States are fully committed to helping young people take advantage of the opportunities open to them in terms of learning mobility. Young people participating in VET schemes are a particular focus of this commitment, and the Member States recently set a target of enabling at least 6% of all learners in initial VET to have completed a period of VET study abroad by 2020. In line with these objectives and European policies, through MoVET, ITT ""Marco Polo"", ISIS ""Gramsci-Keynes"" and IPSSEOA ""Buontalenti"" aim to improve the quality of education and vocational training, giving a European dimension to the learning paths and thus providing the young participants the opportunity to test and improve their skills: professionalism in the specific areas of vocational education (tourism management and promotion), cultural knowledge and linguistic preparation. This general objective, in line with the ET2020 strategy is pursued through a mobility experience that consists of a learning mobility internship abroad of 4 weeks for 60 students/learners (including 12 learners with special needs) and 40 learners just graduated from the 3 participating Tourism VET schools. The training programme includes an internship in selected companies in the tourism sector, to acquire knowledge and skills within the sectors and compare the various professional techniques, and activities aimed at the inclusion and integration in the context and for the improvement of language skills and to better know the culture of the hosting country. The main expected results from the project include: the rise of the personal and professional skills of the students, and the promotion of key competencies related to the real exercise of active citizenship; increasing the employment potential of the participants, the introduction of innovative training methods as a complement to existing practices and pathways and the improvement of the educational level of technical and vocational schools, the development of relations between the transnational partners and the promotion of processes of cooperation and exchange of good practices between the partners involved, with a significant impact in improving the educational and vocational guidance.The construction of a permanent network of transnational public-institutional organisations and not only, therefore, is one of the main objectives of the project and allows the exchange of experiences and best practices at various levels (technical excellence, best practices in educational policies and governance of the system). The Consortium, with this proposal, therefore, aims to give momentum to the internationalization of institutional relations and cooperation at European level. The opportunities for economic and social growth cannot be separated from the desire to create strong interdependence and synergy between educational and training institutions and strong partnerships with local and foreign business realities.The project is, besides, implemented in an European context considering the European priority and thematic approached such as ""ECVET for transparency and recognition of learning outcomes and qualifications"". The development of the ECVET System began in 2002 after the Copenhagen Process emphasizing the need for a credit transfer system for VET. MoVET is a project based on the concrete responses to the questions of developing ECVET in the European member States and corresponding to the 2009 EU Recommendations on the establishment of the European Credit system for VET. The project works in particular to realise an European area for Lifelong Learning in the Tourism sector.The whole activities are implemented by regarding a strong European perspective which are reflected in all project activities and results. The project aims to increase the knowledge of ECVET and its technical specifications and ensuring that the added value of ECVET is understood and perceived all over Europe."

"The RENADRION Project was born and was implemented in a dual context:1) the NATIONAL NETWORK OF TOURISM AND CATERING SCHOOLS (RENAIA) of which the 15 VET schools involved are members, including the Leading Organisation, IPSSEOA ""CORNARO"", which also holds the Presidency and which represents the most representative associational reality, at national level, of the educational offer in the tourism and catering sector;2) the EUSAIR EUROPEAN STRATEGY (2014-2020), which aims to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of tourism in the ADRIATIC-IONIAN MACROREGION, supporting the development of coastal, maritime and inland tourism, by improving the quality of tourism services and promoting sustainable economic and social prosperity through the growth of professions and the creation of new jobs.In line with these strategies and objectives, RENADRION has therefore offered 120 STUDENTS (of whom 16 with special needs and 15 with fewer socio-economic opportunities) in initial vocational training in the fourth classes and 90 RECENT GRADUATES (of which 12 with fewer socio-economic opportunities) of the 15 TOURISM AND CATERING SCHOOLS involved, the opportunity to carry out a European mobility experience lasting, respectively, 4 weeks and 3 months. In particular, they were participants attending an education and training course (target students) and newly graduated (new graduates) in the tourism services sector and who carried out the relevant professional figure abroad.RENADRION has therefore offered young participants an experience in companies in their field of studies and the opportunity to confront themselves with the linguistic skills possessed and the acquisition of specific job skills. The experience has combined, in particular, the learning outcomes achieved in the educational path with the needs of the labor market in the field of tourism promotion and management and has strengthened the knowledge of development strategies adopted in other contexts in the tourism sector, using the internship experience as a fundamental part of the educatioin and training path.Among the general objectives achieved by the project we can list:- The promotion of lifelong learning as a person's right to increase and update their skills, abilities and knowledge in learning formal, non formal and informal contexts;- The transparency of learning outcomes and the adherence of the training path to the needs of companies and professions in order to facilitate the encounter between labor demand and supply and increase the productivity and competitiveness of the production system;- The usability of qualifications at national and EU level in order to facilitate geographical and professional mobility also with a view to internationalization of companies and professions.The RENADRION mobility experience also developed the transversal skills of the participants, such as the spirit of initiative, the ability to adapt and the ability to relate to and interact with cultural contexts different from one's own.The transparency of learning outcomes in the tourism sector was guaranteed, finally, through the ECVET system and the establishment of a partnership able to work jointly on the units of learning outcomes and the methods of assessment, validation and recognition of skills acquired abroad by participants.These, therefore, the impacts achieved:- Development of skills of the target groups involved (210 young people among students and recent graduates);- Creation of models and training tools of innovative value;- Dissemination of results and training models among the stakeholders of the tourism sector and the VET system;- Making available results and training models for institutions and professionals in local, regional and national territories.The project can therefore be considered exemplary, which can be integrated into the strategic development of each Consortium partner, as well as being transferable outside it, for different aspects:- It created a WBL model with a system of actions aimed at specific training, but also at the global growth of the person. It saw the continuous and active involvement of all the project staff and supervision by the trainers and company mentors; accompanying and tutoring interventions; teaching methods based on involvement, participation, high integration between theory and practice, development of immediately usable practical skills, validation of acquired skills;- It has implemented a system of ongoing and final evaluations, allowing to monitor progress in terms of learning outcomes achieved by the participants, as well as to evaluate, validate and certify them."

"BACKGROUND NEW VECTOR is inspired by the Project ERASMUS+ KA2 SECTOR SKILLS ALLIANCE ""VECTOR"", which defines the training curriculum of the ""DESTINATION MANAGER"", the new professional profile of the tourism sector which will have the task of proposing strategies to manage, enhance and promote tourist destinations in an integrated optics. The DESTINATION MANAGER is one of the innovative professional profile in the tourism sector that is experiencing good employment prospects also because of the strong professionalism that characterizes it. In fact, against a tourist market increasingly competitive, it is necessary innovative professionals who know how to exploit the new opportunities in the sector, while affirming the unique resources of a given territory to meet the demand expressed by the modern tourist. OBJECTIVES In line with the objectives of the EU 2020 Strategy and ET 2020 NEW VECTOR offers young participants the opportunity to test and deepen their curricular competencies: professionalism in the specific sector of TOURISM, soft skills, cultural knowledge and language skills. These general objectives are pursued through a mobility experience which consists of an internship abroad of 1 month for 96 STUDENTS attending CLASSES IV and of 4 months for 64 newly graduated (ErasmusPro Initiative) of the 8 Tuscan VET Schools (Technical Institutes for Tourism and Hotel and Catering Schools). The project also promotes the exchange and transfer of good practices in VET by relating our VET system with the training and employment system to other European countries and contributes to the consolidation of the ECVET System. ACTIVITY 1. Transversal Activities: management and coordination; Dissemination and exploitation of results; Follow up 2. Mobility Preparation: Plan of communication and cooperation; Recruitment and selection of participants; preparation of participants; Learning plan definition 3. Mobility Realization: Internship in the company; Monitoring and tutoring; Project feedback and experience of mobility; Assessment, certification and validation of skills acquired METHODOLOGY in 4 PHASES 1. MANAGEMENT PLAN AND MONITORING: the project is coordinated by ITT ""Marco Polo"" in close collaboration with other 17 partners of the regional Consortium. The Plan is based on the EQAVET quality system and includes specification on: financial arrangements, timing, names of managers / representatives of each organization, responsibilities, roles and tasks, project phases with related milestones, risk management procedures. 2. PLAN OF LEARNING AND EVALUATION: the learning and evaluation plan contains specific references and commitments on transparency and recognition of competences in an ECVET-compatible framework. The documents are: Learning Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The quality of the experience of mobility is controlled through regular evaluation questionnaires filled out by participants, mentors and tutors. 3. PLAN OF COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION: it provides for the involvement of all participants in the partnership with effective tools and rules to maintain a high level of interest on the project. 4. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION: includes phases and methods to be adopted by all partners to disseminate and exploit the project and its results all over the duration and behond. EXPECTED RESULTS a. The development of highly specific and innovative skills in the tourism sector of the DESTINATION MANAGEMENT b. More competitive and greater employment opportunities in the labor market for the participants c. The development and innovation of VET systems IMPACT The project includes a significant impact on the VET Systems through: learning outcomes achievement of participants to mobility; skills acquired from the staff involved in the project; recognition of skills in an ECVET-compatible framework. It represents also an added value and development opportunity for the participating organizations, which will consolidate a new training segment to complete the technical and vocational education and answer the demand of enterprises of high professional skills. LONG-TERM BENEFITS In the long term, thanks to the dissemination tools developed and to the size and importance of the regional consortium, it is expected to have a multiplier effect both regionally, and at national and EU level and the orientation of public policies on the base of the results of the project, using in addition, as a standard model, all procedures and best practices developed within the Project."