Crafts act as an important buffer in economic downturns and play a central role in providing VET on the job, both highly relevant for the transition from education to employment and to ensure a qualified workforce. In the last two decades, some traditional Crafts have declined due to mass production and rising consumerism. Others have evolved, embracing the digital age, particularly in marketing their products and engaging with new clients, collaborators and audiences. Furthermore, the traditional distance between craft sectors and ICT technologies is disappearing. The new generation of high tech digital tools and cutting edge machinery, like 3D printers, is transforming and leading the applied arts and craft sectors to a new digital age. To lead this transformation Europe needs to count with skilled handicraft teachers and trainers, equipped with the necessary competencies and resources to integrate these digital tools into innovative ICT based teaching and learning practices. VET teachers and trainers in craft sectors are usually handicraft professionals with expertise in their respective areas, and teaching in VET craft courses is frequently a secondary occupation. In many EU countries, initial teaching education is not compulsory for these VET teachers and trainers or some minimum training is required. They tend to acquire their teaching competencies through their teaching practice or through some continuous VET courses on train the trainers, usually not adapted to the specific needs of teaching crafts. The situation with regard to the training on ICT-based teaching skills is even worst, due to this lack of training opportunities and because many traditional Crafts do not use ICT and, as a result, neither handicraft teachers and trainers use ICT for teaching VET. The consequence is a lack of innovative ICT-based teaching practices in traditional handicraft VET, losing all the potential benefits of using ICT in education. The aim of this project has been to support the professional development of handicraft teachers and trainers in Europe in their transition to the digital age by improving their teaching competencies on innovative VET education through ICT based methods and tools. The project has prepared handicraft teachers and trainers to adapt also their teaching practice to the next generation of high tech digital tools and cutting edge machinery, like 3D printers, vinyl cutters or laser cutting and engraving. To this purpose, an alliance of Craft sectors organizations and VET experts and providers from 7 countries (Greece, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and United Kingdom) have worked together to lead the project and co-create and test the following innovative methods and freely accessible OER: - A European ECVET Curriculum (IO1) on ICT skills for teaching Crafts. - Training Modules (IO2) on ICT based teaching methods specifically adapted for Crafts. - An innovative Mobile Instructional Learning APPs (IO3) designed to train handicraft trainers and teacher to use and design their own Mobile Learning APPs (IO5) for teaching Crafts. - A Multilingual e-learning platform (IO4), with innovative e-Learning courses and OER on ICT-based teaching methods for Crafts. - A Guide for validation, certification & accreditation (IO6) of innovative teaching learning methods through ICT in VET for craft sectors in Europe. Handicraft teachers and trainers are the main target users of the project products and final beneficiaries are craftsman students, learners and apprentices. During the life time of CRAFTS 3.0 project, the partnership have directly involved 99 handicraft teachers and trainers (32 partners staff / 42 experts involved / 25 target users in pilots), 125 I-VET and C-VET craftsman students, learners and apprentices (in pilots) and 500 stakeholders. A wider audience of more than 1000 recipients has been reached at local, regional, national and European level through all the partnes dissemination activities. The project applies European frameworks and instruments, like EQF, ECVET, EQAVET, Europass and EPALE, to promote and boost transparency and recognition of competences and qualifications, transnational mobility and the transferability of the project outputs to other Craft and VET organizations at local, regional, national and European level, with the support and active cooperation of a network of key associated partners and relevant stakeholders involved during the project. CRAFTS 3.0 supports the professional development of handicraft teachers and trainers in order to improve their teaching competencies in innovative education through ICT. The project has proved to have a direct impact in the improvement of the ICT skills of handicraft teachers and trainers. The long term impact envisaged is a strengthening of the VET system and programmes to fully exploit the potential benefits of ICT to support the transition of handicraft teachers and trainers to the Digital Age in Europe.

<< Background >>Due to COVID 19 epidemic, tourism industry has been hit extremely hard as restrictions to international travel have caused a decline of the tourism economy at least between 45 and 70% (OCDE). While this can be seen as unprecedented economic crisis of our era, especially to countries that rely on tourism as a drive for economic development, it also represents an opportunity to shift tendencies and to strength economic resilience, especially in local areas.“Blue Tourism” refers to all tourism activities developed around any watercourse (rivers, lakes, seas). If in one hand, tourism is highly dependent on the natural ecosystems to attract visitors, on the other hand, it produces critical environmental and social impacts on natural resources and local communities. The Blue Economy concept must go beyond seeing the water economy only as a mechanism for economic growth, it must improve human wellbeing, social equity and reduce environmental risks and ecological disasters.Sustainable tourism must make appropriate use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of communities and ensure that economic activities are viable in the long term. It also requires the informed participation of stakeholders, constant monitoring of its impacts, maintaining a high level of satisfaction among tourists (UNMTO).The “BLUE TOURISM – Build a network of local advisors to put small tourism providers in watercourse regions on a more sustainable path” project represents an opportunity to rethink tourism as a whole, by shifting more decisively from over tourism models to existing sustainable tourism models. In this context, watercourses are the common link between the eight countries – Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Romania and Ireland – that integrate the project consortium. The BLUE TOURISM consortium aims at contributing to local sustainable tourism development through the capacity building of small tourism providers.<< Objectives >>The aim is to equip a network of future local advisors with the necessary competences so they can support and advice small tourism providers in watercourse regions to be more sustainable and competitive, with a strategic focus on: 1. Sustainable Tourism and SDGs; 2 Ethics and Social Responsibility; 3. Natural and Cultural Heritage; 4. Competitiveness and Sustainable Local Business Development; 5. Innovation and Digital Transformation; 6. Networking and Local Partnerships. 7. Branding and Digital Marketing; 8. Internationalisation Strategy.<< Implementation >>To achieve this goal, the BLUE TOURISM consortium will:1. develop one methodological framework.2. map eight case studies and eight best practices ofsustainable tourism initiatives in watercourse regions.3. design and produce one a training curriculum in eight competence areas, referencing a new competence model for the profile of the sustainable tourism advisor/provider. This curriculum will comprise an explicit set of learning outcomes aligned with EU frameworks (EQF, ECVET and EQAVET).4. develop a package with a set of tailored e-learning training materials to equip and enhance the BLUE TOURISM advisor green skills.5. deliver a training pilot addressed to train 70 new sustainable tourism advisors and 35 small tourism providers in watercourse regions.6. design and develop an digital portal (in OER format) providing instant and free access to the full suite of learning resources produced.7. produce 14 into-action videos, a set of inspirational and awareness raising short presenting the target groups experience in the project and to also promote these local regions as environmental sustainability promoters and sustainable touristic destinations.<< Results >>During the project life-cycle, partners are expecting to develop the following project results:Result 1 - BLUE TOURISM e-portfolio: methodological framework to map sustainable tourism initiatives in watercourse regions to be used as case studies, strategies and best practices examples in the development of the BLUE TOURISM training curriculum. This conceptual framework will be designed and presented as an interactive e-portfolio (electronic portfolio). Result 2 - BLUE TOURISM advisor profile and resources package: a blended learning training curriculum, mainly addressed at small tourism providers, on sustainable tourism and local development, oriented to promote the sustainable and efficient use of natural, cultural, and economic resources in watercourse regions.Result 3 - BLUE TOURISM digital space and into-action videos: a multilingual digital space as a single window offering open and instant access to the BLUE TOURISM learning materials and into-action a set of inspirational and awareness raising short films emerging from the different implementation phases of the project (reflections, lessons learned, local activities and specific projects, workshops, etc.).

European education and training systems continue to fall short in providing the right skills for employability, and are not working adequately with business or employers to bring the learning experience closer to the reality of the working environment. These skills mismatches are a growing concern for European industry's competitiveness (Industrial Policy Communication Update COM, 2012, p:582 ). By 2020, 20% more jobs will require higher level skills. Education needs to drive up both standards and levels of achievement to match this demand, as well as encourage the transversal skills needed to ensure young people are able to be entrepreneurial and adapt to the increasingly inevitable changes in the labour market during their career. The scope and pace of reforms needs to be scaled up so high quality skills can support both growth and jobs (EU Commission Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes, 2012, p:2). Skills mismatch refers to a discrepancy between the demand and supply of skills on the labour market. In other words a situation in which the skills sought by employers are different from the skills offered by job-seekers or workers. In order to achieve excellence in VET, curricula must be systematically renewed, delivery must be constantly modernized and businesses, especially SMEs, must be actively involved. VET must be able to react to the demand for advanced vocational skills, tailored to the regional economic context. Within this context given, this project aims to develop a platform through which vocational education systems and the labour market, especially the SMEs, communicate interactively, while one side voting for/valuing the skills they need and the other side, that's the vocational systems answers by updating the current curriculum. Also, the training content developed on skills analysis and mapping through the ECVET Skills Platform is considered to serve the quality of vocational education and training systems, giving the experts responsible for teaching technical skills the mission of teaching also the personal and conceptual skills.Target group of the project is vocational education and training institutions, teachers/trainers in VET, SMEs, employers, decision makers, non-governmental organizations and trainees. It aims at creating a channel among the members of the target group to keep them updated about the needs and requirements of the firms and the provided skills at educational institutions. During the project, the first step will be to identify qualifications of CNC Machining according to EQF as Level 4. Then, secondly, defining the expectations of the firms will be taken together with the opinions of technical teachers. In this context, ideas and expectations from firms and individuals in decision-making positions in the labour market will be gathered and a list of the necessary skills required will be established. Then, with ECVET Skills platform that will be installed on the internet, a ranking of importance will be listed by firms. This is the most innovative part of the project. Following this, the training curriculum in vocational high schools for CNC Manchine will be renewed and/or developed in order to ensure the most needed top ten skills. Trainers will be trained on this platform and will be informed about how they should implement their education. Then, hese trainers will apply the top ten skill-building training curricula on the qualification list from the digital platform.The students and teachers will be able to access into the videos and teaching materials on the platform and assess their own learning with the rubric provided. Therefore, they will have higher self-esteem in terms of qualifications and the market can be more satisfied in with hiring more qualified employers. On the other hand, top ten skill lists created by firms; and all teaching materials and videos created in a dynamic fashion can be downloaded openly to all individuals in order to ensure that the created platform reaches wider population. Thus, as students, teachers, and trainers easily access these information, the widespread impact of the platform will be increased.Establishing a vocational education and training curriculum and extensive content by using an online web portal to develop a system for skills and qualifications that are supposed to be based on the needs of the labour markets is the innovative wall of the project. One of the pioneering innovative elements will be enabling countries to obtain the skill ranking of CNC machining. The proposed web portal can be seen as one of the most key innovations of the project, since it will be accessible by all related stakeholders.

Global labour markets are changing at an ever-increasing pace, with new demands being made in terms of 21st Century Skills (OECD, 2018), new skills for new jobs (Europe2020), digitisation and automation. People who are unqualified, or who have lower qualification levels and those that are unskilled (whether unemployed or working in unskilled and low-skilled occupations) face the greatest risks from these changes, in terms of precarious employment, insecure and unhealthy working conditions and frequent periods of unemployment. This in turn results in embedded poverty and social exclusion in society. Access to lifelong learning, in work-progression and C-VET (continuous vocational and educational training) can offer a way out of unemployment and unskilled employment. However access to appropriate opportunities and pathways to break out of these circumstances is significantly dependent upon the availability of knowledgeable, relevant and effective vocational guidance. In many contexts in Europe. Guidance practitioners themselves are operating in a changing European labour market, in which the ability to understand and anticipate skills and modern work requirements is vital to being able to effectively support un- and low-skilled and un-and low-qualified people. Furthermore, Guidance practitioners themselves require new forms of C-VET and occupational development, new methods and techniques required to ensure that as their profession itself changes, their service is current, relevant, accessible and effective for those who are in real danger of being left ever-further behind. EMPLOYMENT PLUS addressed this challenge by focusing on guidance practitioners who are a crucial link between low- and unqualified job-seekers and the labour market. Often, guidance practitioners work in institutions whose guidance offers are not specifically designed for low- skilled and unqualified persons and do not specifically address their needs. They often use methods developed for higher educated clients or for unemployed people in general, focussing more on job-seeking and on job matching than equipping their clients with resilience, vocational orientation and on participation in C-VET. The overall aim of EMPLOYMENT PLUS was to support the adaptation and integration of guidance services in Europe, ensuring that they are modernised and relevant, highlighting and removing high-threshold barriers for effective interventions with those that are low and unskilled and those that have no or low levels of qualifications. A vital part of EEP was contributing to a consistent European criteria of success for guidance practice addressing labour market participants that are un- and low skilled and unqualified. The definition of European guidelines for guidance practitioners dealing with this target group as well as guidance methods, in the form of learning activities, which were developed by the project partners forming the EEP curriculum and facilitators guide (IO3 and 4). Thus, EMPLOYMENT PLUS achieved its objectives by designing, testing and adopting new learning interventions for vocational guidance practitioners, specifically: - developing new guidance methods - testing and establishing good practices and success criteria for relevant vocational guidance services - producing occupational guidance for professional guidance practice - creating ready-to-use methods for guidance practitioners, supported by a multilingual, universally accessible online database and a digital skills check tool - a newly designed set of learning modules and curriculum programme, supported by e-learning resources The work programme included: (1) defining common quality assurance criteria through evaluating international good practice that evidences effectiveness in reaching and helping the target group (2) designing and testing new learning strategies and creating structured guidance for guidance practitioners to work effectively with the target group of low and unqualified job-seekers (3) the development of 60 new guidance methods for group and single settings that will enhance progression for those that are low- skilled and unqualified EMPLOYMENT PLUS created a work-based learning solution directly relevant to the CPD needs of guidance practitioners, through peer and action learning design, supported by open source digital learning materials available and accessible 24/7. It will equip vocational guidance practitioners to enhance the employability of low- and unqualified and low and un-skilled labour market participants by - enhancing the participants motivation to participate in C-VET and in-work progression - strengthening learning technique skills. - improving their career development and progression skills (potential analysis skills, labour market information skills, validation of formally and informally-acquired competencies)

<< Objectives >>Tracking graduates is a key policy priority but specific solutions for DUAL VET remain unattended. The aim of FOLLOW APP project is to set-up and test a graduate tracking method supported by digital tools designed to track employment and career progression of apprentices in DUAL VET programmes, addressed to VET teachers, counsellors, in-company trainers and learners, improving the responsiveness of VET to the changing demands in the labour market and strengthening the Quality Assurance in VET.<< Implementation >>1. Implementation of a Quality Assurance strategy for project monitoring and evaluation.2. Development of the European Framework of Competences on graduate tracking of apprentices in DUAL VET.3. Generation of digital-based solution on graduate tracking of apprentices in DUAL VET.4. Testing and evaluation activities in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey, producing guidelines and recommendations.5. Sharing and promoting project results with an exploitation and sustainability strategy.<< Results >>The manin project results are:MR1. Quality and Evaluation PlanMR2. European Framework of Competences in graduate tracking of apprentices in DUAL VETMR3. FOLLOW APP Virtual CampusMR4. Mobile App on graduate tracking of apprentices in DUAL VETMR5. Pilot actions in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turke involving VET teachers, counsellors and in-company trainers and apprenticesMR6. Report of Guidelines and Recommendations MR7. Sharing & Promotion PlanMR8. Exploitation & Sustainability Strategy