<< Background >>Young Innovators fostering citizen Engagement for sustainable and fair Transformation and Innovation (YETI) explores how the Young Innovators program could be a platform for citizen engagement. Citizen engagement is crucial in order to get sustainability transformations going. The current youth are the residents of the sustainable neighbourhoods of the future, but barely have a say in how those future neighbourhoods look like. That is why this Erasmus+ project focuses on the role of students in citizen engagement, treating young people as stakeholders in the transition to a better future for society, and strengthening the collaboration between youth climate organizations in different countries in which the Young Innovators program is being executed. With this project, we want to give young people a voice and inventory their opinions in an EIT Climate-KIC education program, Young Innovators, currently running in a number of EU member states.<< Objectives >>The YETI project consists of three project lines. The first line focuses on power to the people and starts with the observation that there is a lot of resistance to sustainability transitions from citizens, especially in getting the energy transition going. This takes many forms; protests against windmills, but also citizens protesting against the energy transition of their homes. We do not think that this is strange, because we noticed that often, the task to be the first ones to have sustainable houses are put on the poorest groups that already have enough problems. We want this transition to become more inclusive and fairer and therefore, we want to focus on citizen engagement with the YI program. Together with our students, we want to think about how to include people in such a way that their other needs are also met. The second project line focuses on power to the youth and revolves around the notion that to create a better future for society, the real stakeholders that should be concerned are young people and not the people who are currently in leading positions. We want to give the young generations a say about their own future. This is a really important issue within the Young Innovators program and we believe that it is essential to make the needs and interests of the youth a primary concern. Therefore, we want to explore how young people can have an influence on decision- making. We also want to ask young people what they want to learn and we want to find the right educational methods to teach them. The third project line focuses on power to the youth through climate action. We want to explore how the YI program can cooperate with youth climate organizations. We also want to help connect young climate organizations to each other. We believe that it is important for young people to be independent and powerful changemakers. Therefore, with this project, we also want to stimulate international interactions between the participants of the YI program. To achieve this, we want the youth to have a say in how the Young Innovators program is organized. In this way, the Young Innovators program can be a platform for youth to organize their own future.<< Implementation >>YETI will be a cooperation between four different countries in which the Young Innovators programme is carried out. The duration of the project will be three years. We will facilitate a digital platform where discussions, the exchange of knowledge, and regular updates will be monitored. On this platform, teachers and students will be stimulated to evaluate their experience and learn from each other. Through action-based research, we will explore together with teachers, students and actors from outside the classroom how the Young Innovators program can be a platform for citizen engagement. The project consists of three learning cycles. In the spring of 2022, the experiences with and opinions about citizen engagement of teachers and students are harvested and then used as a starting point for developing an approach for the Young Innovators season in 2022. In the spring of 2023, the results of the new approach are evaluated and used for improving the methodology. This will happen again in the spring of 2024. At the start of 2025, the results of the whole project will be evaluated and disseminated. During the project, there will be three physical, two-day gatherings. The actors from the four countries will come together in a central place that can be reached by train. In these two-day gatherings, teachers’ and students’ experiences with using the Young Innovators program as a platform for citizen engagement will be evaluated and discussed. We will use a design-thinking inspired method of diverging and converging problems to come up with solutions. Subsequently, we will use our lessons-learned to co-create tools and methods that help use the Young Innovators program as a platform for citizen engagement. In the end of the project, the lessons learned will be fully integrated into the Young Innovators program.<< Results >>We expect that our project will enable the Young Innovators program to teach students about using citizen engagement to tackle climate and environmental-related challenges, which is described in the European Green Deal as ‘this generation’s task’. Through visual thinking and participatory techniques, Young Innovators offers teachers and students a methodological approach and entrepreneurial mindset they need to really change our economy and society. The European Green Deal argues for ‘active public participation and confidence in the transition’. Therefore, our project aims to add the transdisciplinary dimension of citizens to sustainability education. By educating students to be strong and independent changemakers with citizen engagement capacities, there is the opportunity to engage and mobilise local communities to collaborate on creating real, workable solutions to local climate challenges.

<< Objectives >>The project aims to:1.build environmental awareness to encourage SMEs to look for innovative solutions leading to green transformation, bringing value to their organisations & business environment2.develop SME leaders & staff competencies allowing them to start changes & become agents of environmental change in their organisations3.develop VET educators sustainability competencies & equip them with tools to support adaptation of their training offers to SMEs’ needs in green skills development<< Implementation >>Activities:a.Partners’ & SMEs’ competency gaps analysis; knowledge sharing & mutual learningb.Building environmental awareness at the workplace through gamification; designing & developing gamification as a web based app; evaluationc.Supporting VET educators & change leaders in SMEs green transformation with the Guidance Tool (pr-eco SME good practices & guidelines how to use digital tools for green skills development)d.Sharing & promotion of results online & offline (6 national conferences)<< Results >>Main results:-report on SME & VET educators competency gaps regarding green transformation-Workshop for Partners’ staff members & educators on green economy & designing digital educational solutions for long term habits development-Shift2Green Gamification app w/content & VET curriculum-Guidance Tool to start SME ecological transformation w/methodology for VET educators for developing digital-resources-based curricula for green skills development-2 Tools for SME eco-transformation promoted.

Green Public Procurement (GPP), the purchase of goods, services and works by governments and state-owned enterprises respecting sustainability criteria, will be increasingly used by all level of governments in order to achieve the European Green Deal challenge and international targets on circular economy. As highlighted OECD (2019) to address barriers and realise the benefits from GPP, the need to increase the engagement of a variety of stakeholders and “develop a procurement workforce with the capacity to continually deliver value for money efficiently and effectively” do not affect only public officers. Companies’ participation in the adoption of strategic policy objectives for sustainability is a key factor to set a realistic path to make “Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050”. GREENER aims to support companies' participation in GPP with systemic effectiveness on the conditions of sustainability and business competitiveness. To do this, the skills of middle management and the more traditional profiles of the administration need to be updated. A systemic action of renewal of the VET paths addressed to these profiles is the priority of GREENER project.The objectives of GREENER are:1. Improve the skills of procurers and administrative profiles focusing on SMEs, with regard to GPP criteria, including ecolabels, material passports, product eco-design and design for recyclability, extended producer responsibility, waste prevention, packaging material and sharing, collaborative economy, reuse, and refurbishment; 2. Enhancing the responsiveness of curricula of traditional profiles, such as administrative professionals working in SMEs tendering departments, to the future demand of skills (upskilling – reskilling training path)3. Increasing the employability of VET students facing the global challenges 4. Improve regional actors’ readiness and create knowledge awareness on the influence of green public procurement on the adoption of sustainable consumption and production patterns by businesses operating in the region;5. Foster the VET attractivity relaunching the close cooperation between VET, public administrations, government agencies and bodies established to support SME development and SMEs, the Transparency Tools for skills validation and trainers’ capacity to apply an international mindset for education.GREENER’s partners define a strategic partnership among Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, including: VET Providers, who works in close cooperation with national employers' associations. They are CLEANTECH (BG), BCO (BG), SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria (IT), CETEM (ES).UNIVERSITIES specialised in Sustainable Management as is Scuola Superiore S. Anna (IT)DECENTRALIZED AUTHORITIES, through ACR+, international network of cities and regions sharing the aim of promoting a sustainable resource management and accelerating the transition towards a circular economy on their territories and beyond.GREENER will involve:- a direct target defined by a transnational group of procurers, responsible in implementing circular public procurement processes (5 per each country) and administrative profiles workers involved in tendering processes, as accountants - administrative staff – purchasers (10 per each country). They will be involved in the project activities and in the training piloting phase, aimed to foster the transferability of GREENER curricula in the I-VET and C-VET existing offer. - an indirect target, made of its wider stakeholder community, constantly involved in the assessment and validation of project activities and Intellectual Output. At least 10 persons from each country will participate in the community, being: Manager /Middle Management from both SMEs and large enterprises, VET Experts, Sustainable management researchers, policy-maker relevant for Education & Labour as well as for GPP. Impacts on VET Innovation and Companies’ engagement in GPP will be reached through the following results:- IO1 Design of a common skills framework for professionals in circular and strategic sustainable procurement. It will enhance the responsiveness of curricula of traditional profiles to the future demand of skills, as well as increase the employability of VET students facing global challenges- IO2 GREENER e-learning platform completed by the Report “European Training Curricula for GREENER Administrative and Middle management in companies” will contribute to improve the skills of procurers and SMEs administrative profiles with regard to GPP criteria- IO3 Training Course will develop, through an extensive pilot testing phase involving 40 learners, a modular training program adapted to local industry stakeholder needs- IO4 GREENER Toolbox for the development of I-VET and C-VET programs will focus on developing a toolbox to support the development of I-VET and C-VET programs to help companies successfully apply for tenders that incorporate GPP requirements.

Industry 4.0 is changing the world as we know it, requiring a higher level of digital literacy across all roles and industries. Vocational education is a key element of lifelong learning systems, which equip citizens with knowledge, skills, and competencies. To meet the demands of the changing labour market, VET educators must also undergo some changes since they play a crucial role in appropriately skilling the workforce of the future, through the development of their digital literacy. However, we are currently experiencing a unique state of affairs, in which students often have greater digital competence than some educators. So far, VET education has mainly been characterized by face to face and Work-Based-Lessons, thus this imbalance was partially concealed. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this gap strikingly apparent, with many excellent teachers struggling with technologies that young people are already familiar with. The whole educational procedure is forced to rapidly and drastically adapt to the new circumstances of delivering training from distance utilizing the vast wealth of digital educational tools. In this context, it is imperative not to leave VET educators to face the problem on their own, but support them in acquiring the digital skills needed to smoothly continue to provide their educational work. The solution to the problem is to design, develop, and implement a structured training path on acquiring and strengthening digital skills in which the target group will be the VET educators. To achieve the aforementioned goal of the implementation of a structured training path, a consortium made up of 7 participants will constructively cooperate, everyone, contributing by its experience and expertise. The participants of the consortium are mentioned below briefly:1.Panepistimio Ioanninon (Greece) is a large Higher Education Institution.2.Transport and Telecommunication Institute (Latvia) is a modern university of applied science.3.Sistemi Formativi Confidustria (Italy) is a joint-stock option consortium.4.Cleantech (Bulgaria) is a business network focused on clean technologies, innovation, and sustainable development.5.Styrian Technology Park (Slovenia) is a non-profit organization. 6.Diavalkaniko Kentro Epicheirimatikis Anaptyxis AE (Greece) operates in continuous education and training since 2006 7.The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (KRIB) has the status of the national representative organization for the Bulgarian business.The implementation of the project includes a variety of activities being carried out. The project has been structured in 7 phases, closely connected to the development of the intellectual outputs, which will be carried out through the 24 months project period. The phases are as follows: 1.Developing and distributing an assessment tool for VET educators’ digital competence.2.Designing and implementing the training path for the strengthening of VET educators’ digital skills.3.Study of the current situation in the Green Economy sector, creation of the syllabus of the Green Economy courses, that will be used in the pilot testing, and didactic material design and production.4.Development of the VOOC platform, integration of the learning content, and quality assurance of the platform5.Train the trainers intensive workshop, that will be addressed to representatives from all partners, who will be familiarized with the environment of the e-learning platform and will acquire basic skills on digital technologies, so when they go back to their home countries to be able to train their VET educators to utilize the VOOC platform, as well as to act as multiplier factors for the dissemination and sustainability of the INGENIOUS project.6.The final release of the platform and the implementation of pilot testing from VET educators.7.Evaluation of the effectiveness of the whole project. The goal of the project is to develop an innovative training model for detecting and assessing the digital skills of VET educators and offering a well-structured training platform and program which can enhance their digital competence. In that sense, by adopting DOL methodologies, the smooth continuity of the VET educational system in relevant emergencies like the one we live at present is secured. Besides, the whole process of VET educators’ digital skills acquisition that constitutes a constant demand for fully implementing the vision of Industry 4.0 is accelerated. The implemented training platform will be freely accessible by the educational community to use and constructively contribute in order to ensure its sustainability, efficacy, and functionality. We envision that the outcomes of the project will act as a legacy for the future and motivation for undertaking similar actions.

<< Objectives >>The PowerUp project aims to: - make VET more relevant to former fossil fuel power station workers;- facilitate the development of flexible VET programs in line with the needs of the local economy and businesses;- inform the local community about the positive aspects of the energy transition in place;- provide an IT tool as an innovative and flexible solution to local job hunting; - improve collaboration between VET providers and businesses to offer job opportunities in new sectors.<< Implementation >>The PowerUp project’s methodology is based on a participatory approach, which engages directly with the target groups in all stages of its implementation. WP2 will embark on desk and field research leading to the creation of a good practice guide. WP3 will entail the development and piloting of a curriculum and training materials.WP4 will entail the development of a job-hunting platform.WP5 will comprise all the dissemination activities and elaboration of policy recommendations.<< Results >>The expected results of the PowerUp project during the project’s life are:WP1: Project Management and Coordination led by SYNCNIFYWP2: PowerUp Good Practice Guide led by NUP, AUP and UOPWP3: PowerUp E-Course led by INE/GSEE, CTBG and PfSDWP4: PowerUp Job-hunting Platform led by INE/GSEE and SYNCNIFYWP5:Dissemination and exploitation led by NUP, AUP and UOP