According to the EU Skills Panorama 2014 “health is forecast to be a growth sector, with a net increase of 1.8 million jobs across the EU between 2013 and 2025”. More specifically the report emphasizes that due to new ways of delivering health care, new roles are being created in the health care sector requiring new and diverse skills. These new and emerging skills include the ability to communicate effectively and empathise with patients (including patients from migrant and ROMA backgrounds) as well as the ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary health care team which many times may include people from very diverse non strictly medical backgrounds. In addition medical personnel require training in the use of communication technologies since these are and will be used more in the health care sector in the coming years. Patient-doctor communication is an integral part of clinical practice, as it comprises the building block upon which the physician's relationship with the patient is based on (Nelson, 2008). In fact, the way in which a doctor communicates information to a patient is equally important as the actual information being communicated. Although communication skills are highlighted as crucial and necessary for Medical Doctors there is limited availability of relevant vocational training opportunities. There is also evidence that communication skills deteriorate during residency and clinical practice years. The offered training, which will be developed, based on good practices and skill needs identification - by physicians themselves - will lead to the definition of skills and validation of competencies as well as delivery of actual training to enable physicians to improve doctor-patient relations and interdisciplinary communication between different medical specialties. The project developed a comprehensive training curriculum with accompanying material and resources which can be easily replicated across the EU. The aim of this training was to build and strengthen communication skills among medical professionals which will positively influence their work with their patients and their co-workers within the health care setting. The active involvement of the target group in the development of the training tool ensured that the needs and expectations of medical doctors were addressed while creating a more modern, dynamic, committed and professional health care environment increasing their capacity to work in a European health care environment. The training will help them grow professionally, boost productivity and in the end enhance and improve health care provision. In addition since H-COM training can also be offered as work based we anticipate to create a dynamic environment increasing opportunities for professionals’ development. The main objectives of H-COM were (1) Mapping the precise shortage of relevant training (2) Exploring the needs and perceptions of health professionals concerning communication, (3) Developing, testing, evaluating and validating training in health communication through formal Vocational Training channels (national & EU) and e-learning tools (4) Validating the training program, and identifying key skills and competencies (5) Disseminating widely the training tools, encouraging its exploitation, exchanging best practice and creating networks of cooperation. H-COM consortium comprises 6 partners from 5 countries, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Germany. The partnership brings together scientific and research organizations, 3 universities, professional organizations and vocational training centers. NIOM, the project coordinator, is a large public research organization in Poland and one of the country’s leading centers of provision of vocational training for medical specialists with long experience in coordinating European co-funded projects, public health and vocational training initiatives, as well as education of medical professionals. Cyprus University of Technology, the Technical University of Dresden and La Laguna University offer education and high level research in leading branches of science and technology, assuming also a significant role in policy advocacy for the state and society. CARDET is the leading Research and Development center for vocational training, ICT, and e-learning, in Cyprus. They will have a pivotal role in assuring the training curriculum is developed according to European standards of accreditation and recognition. The results include up to date mapping of European training in health communication, definition of necessary skills and competencies and an innovative training tool to deliver these skills and competencies to medical doctors through face to face and an e-learning platform; H-COM aims at increasing knowledge, building capacity and raising awareness among medical doctors on health communication issues. Long term H-COM aims to improve patient-doctor relationship and ultimately patient health outcomes.

"The project has been implemented successfully under the foreseen timeframe and it has achieved all its objectives.The initial number of partners was 6, Romtens Foundation (NGO-Romania), Foundation ""Center for Safety and Health at Work"" (NGO-Bulgaria), Prolepsis (NGO-Greece), WRC (LLC-Ireland), University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara (Public University-Romania) and Andalusian Public Heath School (Public Administration-Spain).However right after the start of the project the Andalusian Public Heath School decided to withdraw from the project due to internal financial problems; this change has been formalized via the Addendum 1 at the Contract signed by Romtens Foundation with ANPCDEFP. Accordingly the tasks & the budget of the ex-partner were redistributed amongst the 5 remaining project partners.During the project there were performed the following main activities:1. Organizing Transnational Project Meetings – there organized 5 such meetings (for more details see their descriptions).2. Producing Intellectual Outputs – there were produced 7 intellectual outputs namely O1, O2, O3, O5, O6, O9, O10 (for more details see their descriptions). Of this 7 outputs only 6 were budgeted, O1 was not budgeted. It is important to mention that after the evaluation of the project proposal out of the initial number of 13 Intellectual Outputs the evaluator decided to leave only 6 of them, namely O2, O3, O5, O6, O9, O10.3. Organizing learning activities – there were organized four learning activities: C1, C2, C3, C4 (for more details see their descriptions).4. Organizing dissemination events – there were organized 4 dissemination events namely E1, E2, E3, E4 (for more details see their descriptions). In addition to these 4 budgeted events project representatives presented (oral presentations during conferences) the project results in other 6 dissemination events for a total audience of around 2800 experts in the fields of OSH, occupational medicine and agriculture.The main intangible achieved results of the project are the following:-Enhanced capabilities of the project partners as to assemble and deliver Occupational Medicine & OSH training courses.-Enhanced competences in the areas of occupational medicine and OSH across the four countries of the project (Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Ireland).-Enhanced knowledge, skills and capacity for a total number of 58 experts; they are as follows: 14 OSH experts, 16 occupational medicine doctors, and 28 project partners’ staff (various professions – all involved in delivering training courses in the 2 domains).-Increased awareness of the relevant professional communities totalizing more than 3000 direct participants (OSH experts, occupational medicine doctors) on the most recent and advanced information concerning their domains (OSH and occupational medicine) for the agriculture sector.The project has been extremely well regarded by the professional communities in all 4 countries and its sustainability will be clearly a successful process since the e-learning platform attracts new users."

Many scientific studies indicate that by 2060, one out of every three Europeans will be over the age of 65. The ratio of working people to others 'inactive' varies from 4 to 1 today, to 2 to 1 in 2060 (2015 Report on Aging). Age-related statistics also draw attention to the importance of elderly care in the future.The care has to be more patient centred, with more focus on prevention, early diagnosis and chronic conditions. Industry for ageing well must invest and innovate, in close cooperation with users and consumers. And all of us must get smart and feel empowered to integrate ICT-products and services for ageing well in our private lives and professional practice. Europeans over the age of 65 already have a spending capacity of over 3,000 billion euros, and the number of people with age-related disabilities has increased from 68 million in 2005 to 84 million in 2020. Europe boasts an innovative ICT industry with innovative SMEs, developing many new products and services. In view of the market opportunities arising from public expenditure related to the rights, needs and demands of the growing population over 50, the EU urges stakeholder to support the improvement of health related digital literacy of the Europe’s elder population. In this context, this project we have completed has enhanced the design and development of an inclusive, interactive and user-friendly digital platform to equip and develop digital health literacy for the elderly European population (50+). The platform supports online training modules for digital and health literacy, analyzes relative risks and benefits, evaluates available information for reliability and quality, engages intensively with health providers, integrates navigation with eHealth services, glossary of essential health terms, country-specific health access also supports information.The groups determined as the target audience in the project can access the relevant mobile platforms through applications. In addition, the platform effectively supports eHealth tools (health care navigation and communication, glossary of essential health terms), peer-to-peer support tools, patient attendance systems, and patient center health practices management. As stated in the project, with the ICT applications we use, we have contributed to providing better and cheaper services to European citizens for health and well-being, as in many similar projects. Because many scientific studies predict that the introduction of ICT alone increases the efficiency of health services by 20%. It has also enabled users of all ages who are proficient in using ICT to better manage their health. Our iHeal project has been handled and realized in line with a number of Erasmus+ goals. These are our goals; • ICT tools designed to train and equip older EU Citizens with cross-skills and core skills such as digital literacy, communication and networking have been developed. • All of our project products have been realized and disseminated through inclusive, open and innovative education embedded in the digital age. • With this completed project, cooperation and information exchange between different areas of the EU have been ensured and good practices have been strengthened and disseminated with new examples. • The development of the EU as a knowledge-based society is supported and inclusive education opportunities are encouraged. • High quality learning opportunities tailored to individual adult learners were provided and expanded. The work of the Iheal Consortium has been divided and treated as such into a series of overlapping phases that include research, analysis, design, development, testing and implementation, validation, localization, communication and use of project outputs. Appropriate dissemination activities have been carried out and resources have been developed to underpin the work at all stages, competent management and effective monitoring of planned activities, continuous evaluation and evaluation of project results, rigorous quality management and awareness of iHeal's goals and objectives and innovative tools and tools. The project envisaged to develop close synergies between adult learning, lifelong skills, digital health literacy and European cohesion with common parameters across the different fields of work of the partners. In particular, the consortium of partners includes 1 University and 2 Welfare Organizations (Prolepsis, BOSEV) with specific expertise in public health, elderly health literacy and adult education. Members of the consortium also completed the project with 2 research and development centers (CSI and WIN), which led the development of the triage platform, 3 adult education associations/networks specializing in adult education (Asteres, INOVA+ & InEuropa) that will support adult education instructional design, and organizations that include implementation of the platform. Through this completed project, longer-term benefits are foreseen for the EU and its Citizens. Because with the use of project products • Increased awareness of opportunities and enhanced skills for EU citizens on how to use ICT for health-related purposes, • Positive effects were achieved at the personal level (knowledge, self-confidence) and empowerment, • Enhanced evidence-based practices on health outcomes and quality of life from a more digitally health literate population have been implemented.

Cancer is one the leading causes of death in Europe in the general population with reports noting the cancer-related mortality twice as high in the homeless population. Reasons for this excess are linked to risky health behaviours as well as significant barriers experienced by homeless people when trying to access the often highly fragmented health care systems. Timely and evidence-based preventive strategies including optimizing health care pathways provide a solution to the high cancer mortality and could improve overall health outcomes in this underserved population. The aim of the CANCERLESS project is to deliver an innovative solution as an aggregate intervention based on the combination of the tested Patient Navigator Model and Patient Empowerment Model to create the Health Navigator Model for Europe. The Health Navigator Model is an evidence-based patient-centred intervention which develops patient empowerment through health education and social support and promotes timely access to primary and secondary prevention services. CANCERLESS includes partner organizations with long-standing experience in working in the field of health and social care for the homeless in the south, east, northwest and central Europe, as well as academic institutions and local governments. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation as well as the Research and the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance frameworks based on implementation science know-how, the CANCERLESS project aims to reduce the gap in health inequalities for the homeless population by reducing cancer burden, which will, in turn, reduce associated costs across health and social care systems in Europe. Moreover, the CANCERLESS project aims to harness the transformative potential of the integrated care pathways in cancer as well as provide health and social care policy recommendations for the adoption and implementation of the Health Navigator Model across Europe.

<< Background >>It can take 500 to 800 years for a non-organic menstrual product and baby diapers to break down. It is estimated that such products are 90% plastic making them impossible to biodegrade in the environment. The EU ranks sanitary products as the 5th most common single-use waste in its marine environment. In a similar vein, researchers from the University of Manchester (2020) recorded the highest ever accumulation of microplastics discovered on the seafloor (it was found 1.9 mill plastic pieces/square metre). Evidence shows that the most severe impact from the sanitary items in the EU is to be found in their ingestion by marine animals, chemical and microbial contamination of river and sea waters, the economic impact on tourism and fisheries (European Commission). Alongside the negative environmental impact and hazards that menstrual products cause, access to such products should not be taken for granted for all those who need them (Zero Waste Europe, 2018; Kulczyk Foundation, 2020). By not affording such products can lead to a more severe impact on the health and wellbeing of women and girls, particularly among those coming from vulnerable communities.FEMECO designs and implements an innovative high-performing digital education ecosystem that capitalizes and enhances adult education and higher education resources for delivering quality online learning experiences and make them accessible to learners around the EU. The project aims to cultivate green and entrepreneurship skills for women of any age and motivate them to deploy these skills for their small-scale green and social enterprises. The project embraces the digital transition, fosters a future-oriented approach and provides adult education institutions with long-sought solutions. It addresses issues such as effective digital capacity planning and development, resource pooling, digital teaching and pedagogies, open educational material, accessibility and inclusion, use of innovative tools and immersive technologies. ADULT EDUCATION SECTOR NEEDSDuring the outbreak of the global pandemic, adult education and training have faced huge challenges. The mass use and rapid transformation of technology has revealed gaps, exposed weaknesses and in parallel has unleased opportunities and potential. According to the European Association for Education of Adults (EAEA), outreach to adult learners, particularly for the most vulnerable populations, has become both more urgent and challenging. Concomitantly, for some communities, the global pandemic has triggered solidarity and more willingness for non-formal educational opportunities (EAEA, 2020). During the travel restrictions and long-term lockdowns across the EU, novel initiatives and new formats in adult learning have emerged, usually by devising online/distance learning. This is the potential that FEMECO seeks to contribute through its results.NEW SKILL NEEDSThe right skills for jobs are key for the transition to environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economies. Those who do not possess such skills are the ones that often need them most. Major skill gaps and skills shortages have been well-documented in green jobs and industry (ILO & CEDEFOP, 2010). A transformation towards a greener economy is inevitable and anticipated to result in profound transitions across sectors and occupations, which could augment inequalities among individuals, companies and regions.Adult education center can play a decisive role. Green skills are anticipated to create new jobs in the green industry that could produce employment opportunities and prevent net job losses (ILO, 2015). Adult education providers should be capable to deliver high-quality training programmes that align people and their needs with the needs of the green economy and labour market. FEMECO suggests that this can better be achieved through the pooling of resources and the employment of Open Educational Resources and Pedagogies.<< Objectives >>The FEMECO project is a high-performing digital education ecosystem that is based on Open Education Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices which aims to develop and deliver quality online learning experiences and make them easily and freely accessible to learners across the EU. Its aim is to address and tackle the damaging consequences that our daily consumption habits have on the environment and offer eco-friendly and sustainable solutions in order to respond the problem. FEMECO will offer solutions for adult education and life-long learning providers and supplement them with digital content which is more asynchronous learning opportunities in existing courses on green skills and sustainable development. By leveraging ready-made online resources adult education and life-long learning institutions can capitalize on existing resources and support adult learners’ learning.The specific project objectives are the following:- To develop a unique, state-of-the-art, technology-enhanced online training program on how to make reusable hygiene products & baby diapers - To cultivate green skills and provide social entrepreneurship opportunities and education for women - To raise awareness to the wider public and promote a more sustainable way of lifestyle and consumption behaviour about hygiene products.- To promote high quality, learner-centred adult learning programmes that allows for learner autonomy, flexible and engaging.In addition, the project dissemination and exploitation activities are expected to promote: • the sustainability and possible commercialization of the Campus after the end of EU funding. • the widest dissemination of knowledge from the project, including the capacity to design, develop, share and offer high-quality online VET courses through the employment of user-friendly tools and secure platforms, respecting privacy and ethical standards.FEMECO fully aligns with UN SDG 5 [gender equality], SDG 6 [clean water and sanitation], SDG 12 [responsible consumption and production] and SDG 13 [climate action] and aims at reducing waste and enabling behavioural changes and lifestyle habits that are key for sustainable development<< Implementation >>FEMECO shall implement the following activities:PROJECT MANAGEMENT & COORDINATION A1: Project Management and coordination1.1. Project Management Handbook and Tools/Templates1.2. Management Board Set-Up1.3. Communication with partners/agency1.4. Coordination and Communication Platform1.5. Consortium Agreements1.6. Monitoring of Process, Budget, Dissemination 1.7. Data Protection / GDPR Compliance1.8. Progress, Interim and Final ReportingM1: Kick-off meetingM2: Project meeting #2M2: Project meeting #3M2: Project meeting & Final Conference #4A2: QUALITY ASSURANCE & EVALUATION2.1. Elaboration of QA Plan2.2. Set-up of Quality Assurance Committee2.3. Set up of External Group of Advisors (EGA)2.4. Set up of Focus Group (FG)2.5. Elaboration of a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan2.6. Elaboration of Monitoring and Evaluation ReportsA3: DISSEMINATION3.1. Stakeholder Analysis3.2. Dissemination Plan3.3. Portfolio of Dissemination Material3.4. Project Website3.5. Project Social Media3.6. Dissemination activities4 NewslettersInfo day in FranceInfo day in Czech Rep.Info day in PolandInfo day in GreeceInfo day in CyprusInfo day in Spain Info day in TurkeyA4: EXPLOITATION4.1. Exploitation Plan 4.2. Promotional Video 4.4. Memorandum of UnderstandingIO1. BEST PRACTICES ON SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE PRODUCTS - A GUIDEO1/A1 Primary research design and deliveryQuestionnaire design, collection of data and analysisPolicy brief and recommendations O2/A2 Evidence-based practices in green & social entrepreneurshipDesktop research Good practices compilation reportIO2. FEMECO TRAINING MODULESO2/A1: Curriculum design Training module in Reusable Hygiene ProductsTraining module in Social and Green EntrepreneurshipManual on homemade and recyclable diapers for seniorsO2/A2: Curriculum developmentO2/A3 Digital tool on waste management and hygiene productsIO3. FEMECO VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (VLE)O3/A1: VLE specificationsO3/A2: VLE developmentO3/A2:Development of FEMECO MOOC O3/A3: Pilot Testing of the MOOCO3/A4: MOOC Launching and MonitoringO3/A6: Virtual libraryO3/A7: GDPR compliance<< Results >>FEMECO shall deliver:IO1. GOOD PRACTICES ON SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE PRODUCTS - A GUIDE addressing: policy implications from the waste of hygiene products on the environment; Recommendations; Compilation og good practices from the green sector/industry IO2. 3 FEMECO TRAINING MODULES addressing:Production of handmade and reusable hygiene products; Education in Social and Green Entrepreneurship; Manual on homemade and recyclable diapers for seniors; Digital tool on waste management and hygiene products; Access and participation; Programme specifications; Data Protection management.IO3. FEMECO VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (VLE)FEMECO VLE; Virtual library; GDPR compliance.Increased availability and use of OER will lead to better access, thereby contributing to more equity and to higher quality and improved efficiency of adult education sector.Additional Material Results:• Project Management Handbook and Documents• Consortium agreements• Quality Assurance Plan• Monitoring & Evaluation Plan• Stakeholder Analysis• Dissemination Plan• Portfolio of Dissemination material• Project website & social media• Newsletters• Press releases and media presence – presence in EU platforms (esp. EPALE)• Exploitation Plan• Promotional video• Memorandum of Understanding• Reports: Progress Reports, Interim and Final Reports, Evaluation Reports, Dissemination Logs and matrix