"The project Training Activities for the Development of New Enterprises is designed starting from the needs of the area and the problems that young people from Calabria have to face with reference to the inclusion in the labor market. In this context, ""T.R.A.D.E"", it is a great opportunity for / the younger generation (VET learners) increasing professional skills in tourism and agribusiness fields for to allow the younger generation to create enterprise. In line with the European Development Plan Shared by All Members of the Consortium the project will increase the following skills: - Acquire knowledge of the hotel business reality, the optimization of accounting computerization and booking processes, marketing choices and management / organization of human resources; - Promoting rural development and encourage responsible management of resources; - Promoting awareness of the stages of creation of hotel and non-hotel business, analysis of the market and innovative business strategies; - To acquire problem-solving skills in all management and operational phases; - Acquire skills of analysis of financial feasibility, technical, economic and commercial enterprise; - Foster the development of transversal skills. The project targets are100 high school graduates (50% is reserved for women in 2017/2018 - 2018/2019) having residence in Calabria. They will apply those who, within a year after graduation, they will mast graduates of higher education institutions belonging to the following sectors: 1) the accounting, finance, marketing, accounting, management software development for administrations in the tourism sector; 2) tourist accommodation and hotel hospitality; 3) operational management of the service in the lounge, bar and plans, including sales and customer loyalty; 4) agriculture, rural development, processing, valuation and marketing of agricultural and food products. The internships, will last four months, will be completed with foreign companies related professional sectors mentioned, as their aim is to develop transversal skills aimed at the creation and management of enterprise, from holdings in Spain, UK, Ireland and Belgium. The experience offered by the project will change the perception of local opportunities, transferring best practices for solutions / management for innovative competitiveness through the internship to the return that will be offered at local farms listed in the paragraph C.1.3. of this form. During the project, the trainees will be supported by the Commission in co-ordinating the Team -working through the provision of the following services: • linguistic, cultural and pedagogical; • matching action between the companies in which it held internships; • identification of the flights, buying tickets and better housing accommodations; • insurance coverage for the entire period of mobility; • mentoring and constant monitoring; • practical support for any logistical and organizational problems and a monetary contribution, called ""Erasmus + pocket"" in order to contribute share to cover the cost of meals and local transportation to / from the workplace. The mobility experience abroad will have a major impact on the participants: 1. In the professional point of view: knowledge of other labor markets and other economies, methods, approaches and different work techniques; development of new professional skills, language and technology; 2. From the point of view of personal growth: to know the aspects of another culture, develop a sense of responsibility and autonomy, increasing self-esteem and, therefore, self-employment. The project T.R.A.D.E. will have an impact at local, regional, national and European level, thanks to the following benefits: • opening of new start-ups; • 45% of learners (25% in Italy and 10% abroad) will find a stable employment by reducing the regional unemployment rate; • increased availability and availability on the labor market of qualified personnel; • improving management skills and strategies of internationalization; • closer link between education and the business world; • easier recognition of competences at European level; • Development of the European labor market."

"The Birmingham and the Black Country Creative Consortium, funded under the Key Action 1 VET of the Erasmus+ Programme was a 2 year project that allowed us to send learners to Italy and Spain for work experience programmes of up to 60 days in duration.The project funding supported 81 learners in undertaking work placements, and out of the total number of learners:- 11 worked in companies in A Coruna, Spain, supported by 4 accompanying persons- 22 worked in companies in Seville, Spain, supported by 8 accompanying persons- 24 worked in companies in Lanciano, Italy, supported by 5 accompanying persons- 24 worked in companies in Florence, Italy, supported by 4 accompanying personsThis project was designed to send 148 learners who are studying or have completed studying a curriculum relevant to the creative and services sectors to Spain, Italy and Germany for either 22 days, 40 days or 60 days. At the end of the contract, we had sent 81 learners, falling short of the target. There was little interest from the FE college partners to reach their completers, so we had to target on programme students, who were only able to go on a mobility during the mid terms. This has led to more shorter mobilities, in order to reach our target group. A further reason was the differing commitment to promulgating the opportunity from colleges to students who had completed and left. Early on we had lost the German partner, Globtrain, and this resulted in a shortfall of 28 60-day learner mobilities (and AP mobilities) which did not take place. The participants that went on the programme in 2017 developed their enterprise skills and employability and took part in a work placement with one of the partners. The initial application included Enteprise and Employability training for the participants whilst undertaking their work placement abroad. However, at the end of 2017, the National Agency advised in the Interim Report that Gecko needs to ""arrange for the Enterprise and Employability training with corresponding tutorials to be delivered outside of working hours and/or before/after the mobilities abroad to ensure that each working day is spent in the work place"". However, as the programme was designed to work in symbiosis with the work placement, it was not possible to deliver it before the start of the mobilities, and our receiving partners did not want to commit to change their office hours to deliver the training outside of working hours. However, we kept the Individual Development Planning, and all participants were supported by their workplace mentors and the receiving partners in setting SMART goals, achievement of learning outcomes relevant to their qualification, and keeping a log of their activities.The work placements developed the participant skills and competences in Business (17.28%), Marketing and Digital Marketing (18.51%) and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (16.04%), Art and Design - 4.93%, Aviation - 1.23%, Creative Media Production - 4.93%, ICT - 7.40%, Fashion and Textiles - 4.93%, Games Design - 2.46%, Graphic Design - 3.70%, Health - 2.46%, Tourism and Hospitality - 2.46%, Media - 2.46%, Photography - 9.87% and Mechanichal Engineering (1.23%).The participants also developed a wider awareness of the chosen industry, improved their transferable vocational and soft skills, demonstrated initiative, built entrepreneurship, confidence and self-esteem, declared aspiration through their career development plans (job prospects) and improved their language skills and cultural awareness.Longer-term, we aimed to boost employability, with participants gaining the sparkle they needed to compete in the current job market - attaining the job they want, and being able to manage their own career development as a citizen of Europe. This economic activity benefits communities - communities looking inward upon themselves and gaining cohesion with active players, and looking outwards as a community or people, projects and employing organisations that each gain an European perspective.We built on Learning Plans by devising individual development plans that declared goals for self-development and ways of working in new teams and for new projects. Learners were supported to be entrepreneurial and to gain confidence and presentation skills.The project worked with five receiving partners, who each delivered our Enterprise and Employability curriculum in a manner common across the projects (until the end of 2017), and monitored progress and recognised achievements in a manner common across the project.The project laid the foundation stone for West Midlands Mobility Consortium that has come to include seven FE colleges and their sites. The project has impacted upon all consortium members, supporting them to develop their own European Development vision and enhanced the curriculum and the learning experience."

Gecko Programmes, in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, delivers training to people who are or aim to be employed in the creative and services sectors. Gecko is leading a consortium of FE colleges in Birmingham and the Black Country with numerous college sites across all of Birmingham and also includes Kidderminster, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton. The FE college partners are City of Wolverhampton College, Birmingham Metropolitan College, and South and City College Birmingham.This project was designed to send 184 learners who are studying or have completed studying a curriculum relevant to the creative and services sectors to Spain and Italy for either 22 days or 60 days. At the end of the contract, we had sent 95 learners, falling short of the target. This was due to a late start of the contract, so that we were not able to engage with FE college partners before students who had completed, had become unreachable through the college partners. A further reason was the differing commitment to promulgating the opportunity from colleges to students who had completed and left.The participants developed their enterprise skills and employability and took part in a work placement with one of the partners. This developed their skills and competences in marketing, event management, tourism, creative production, exhibitions and promotions, restoration, export management and leisure.The participants also developed a wider awareness of the chosen industry, improved their transferable vocational and soft skills, demonstrated initiative, built entrepreneurship, confidence and self-esteem, declared aspiration through their career development plans (job prospects) and improved their language skills and cultural awareness.Longer-term, we aimed to boost employability, with participants gaining the sparkle they needed to compete in the current job market - attaining the job they want, and being able to manage their own career development as a citizen of Europe. This economic activity benefits communities - communities looking inward upon themselves and gaining cohesion with active players, and looking outwards as a community or people, projects and employing organisations that each gain an European perspective.We built on Learning Plans by devising individual development plans that declared goals for self-development and ways of working in new teams and for new projects. Learners were supported to be entrepreneurial and to gain confidence and presentation skills.The project worked with five receiving partners, who each delivered our Enterprise and Employability curriculum in a manner common across the projects, and monitored progress and recognised achievements in a manner common across the project.The project laid the foundation stone for a Birmingham and Black Country consortium that has come to include seven FE colleges and their sites. The project has impacted upon all consortium members, supporting them to develop their own European Development vision and enhanced the curriculum and the learning experience.

Gecko Programmes, in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, delivers training to people who are or aim to be employed in the creative and services sectors. Gecko is leading a consortium of FE colleges in the Birmingham and the Black Country conurbation with numerous college sites across all of Birmingham and also includes Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Stourbridge and Kidderminster and Solihull. This project sends 138 learners who are studying or have completed studying a curriculum relevant to the creative and services sectors to Spain, Italy or Germany for 22 days, 40 days or 60 days. We will also send 5 staff from the UK consortium members for work shadowing with EU partners, and also host 5 staff from the EU partners with consortium members for teaching assignments within our VET organisations. In Europe, the project works with our six receiving partners, who each deliver our Enterprise and Employability curriculum in a manner common across the projects, and monitor progress and recognise achievements in a manner common across the project. The project is innovative; connecting a network of UK VET organisations in the Midlands to leads of VET networks in our destination nations. During the mobilities the learner participants will develop their enterprise skills and employability and take part in a work placement with one of the partners. This will develop their skills and competences in marketing, event management, tourism, hospitality, catering, ICT, creative production, exhibitions and promotions, restoration, export management and leisure. The participants will develop a wider awareness of the chosen industry, improve their transferable vocational and soft skills, demonstrate initiative, build entrepreneurship, confidence and self-esteem, declare aspiration through their career development plans (job prospects) and improve their language skills and cultural awareness. We aim to boost employability, with participants gaining the sparkle they need to compete in the current job market - attaining the job they want, and being able to manage their own career development as a citizen of Europe. This economic activity benefits communities - communities looking inward upon themselves and gaining cohesion with active players, and looking outwards as a community or people, projects and employing organisations that each gain an European perspective. We build on Learning Plans by devising individual development plans that declare goals for self-development and ways of working in new teams and for new projects. Learners are supported to be entrepreneurial and to gain confidence and presentation skills. The project lays the foundation stones for a Midlands consortium that comes to include all FE colleges and their sites . Gecko and three of the college partners established the consortium in 2015, developed with two ore partners in 2016, and now joined by two more FE colleges. The project impacts upon all consortium members, supporting them to develop their own European Development Plans and to enhance the curriculum and the learning experience.

"Among the sectors of the Smart Specialization Strategy of the 2014-2020 Region, two are highlighted with great intrinsic potential on which it is still important today, following the publication of the new programme, to invest resources for the improvement of skills and competitiveness:- TOURISM AND CULTURE;- ICT AND INNOVATIVE TERTIARY.""ICT4Tourism"" was born from the idea of integrating the two aforementioned sectors, to create opportunities to forge new job prifiles r able to apply the principles and tools of ICT to the tourism industry and to all economic sectors connected to it, since the innovative development of the sector represents a potential strength capable of taking off the regional economy and producing consequent benefits in terms of employment.The participants to the Erasmus + ""ICT4Tourism"" mobilities were 102 Calabrian graduates who benefited from the grant within one year of graduation in one of the following VET sectors:1) administration, finance, marketing, accounting, management software development for administrations in the tourism sector;2) tourist reception and hotel hospitality;3) operational management of the service in the dining room, bar and on the floors, including sales and customer loyalty activities;4) agricultural sector, rural development, techniques for the transformation, promotion and marketing of agricultural and agro-industrial products.Most of the candidates came from a medium-low socio-economic and cultural background, with a strong need to refine what they learned during their training from a theoretical point of view through on-the-job training; to develop those soft skills that are impossible to acquire if exposed only to the ""class"" environment, but which can be absorbed in a very receptive way if immersed in a real business dimension; to enhance their skills in a foreign language to broaden their career opportunities and enrich their curriculum; to look out on an international context from where one can learn.Internships were carried out at foreign companies located in Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium belonging to the professional sectors mentioned.During the project, the trainees were supported by the Coordinating commission and the Project Team thanks to the provision of the following services:• linguistic, cultural and pedagogical preparation;• matching action between the companies in which the internships took place;• identification of flights, purchase of tickets and the best accommodation;• insurance coverage for the entire mobility period;• tutoring and constant monitoring;• a monetary contribution, so-called ""Erasmus + pocket"", in order to contribute in part to cover the cost of meals and local transport to / from the workplace• practical-logistical, psychological and health support during the most critical moments triggered by the spread of the COVID -19 pandemic and economic and financial support for the organization of additional services necessary to overcome all the critical issues arising from the situation.The ICT4Tourism project has had an impact at local, regional, national and European level, overcoming the obstacles posed by the advent of the pandemic:• 40% of learners achieved positive results in terms of employment directly attributable to participation in the project;• greater availability and availability on the labor market of qualified technical personnel;• improvement of management skills and internationalization strategies;• greater connection between the educational and the productive world;• easier recognition of competences at European level;• development of the European labor market."