No one will wake up one day as a top talent. You yourself have a lot of influence on becoming good at something. But education also plays an important role in promoting excellence. About 5 to 10% of the VET students can achieve considerably more than the framework of the current curriculum allows them. Students who want and are able to do more, get the opportunity to follow additional programs with added value. This way they will achieve more than is expected beforehand. Excellence programs can act as a catalyst to stimulate students to achieve higher goals. The excellence programs focus not only on cognitive performance, but also on craftsmanship, creativity, entrepreneurship and international competences. With excellence programs, attention will be paid to excellent students in VET education witch will have a favourable effect on the reputation of VET education in general. The main question is; What is excellent education and how do we offer it to students?The primary target group of this project is teachers (+/- 30 in total) who are willing to learn more about excellent education. The secondary target group is students (+/-60 in total) who are willing to be challenged in excellent education and can give feedback on the different programs. Feedback of both target groups is important to learn about their views on excellent education and for developing a vision for excellent education.The desired impact of this project is:• Building a bridge between VET education and higher career skills and competences• Improve the reputation of VET education• Social inclusion for talented and ambitious students• Open teachers eyes to different way of teachingWe expect to raise the awareness for the need of excellent education and change the attitudes of teachers towards this subject. We will teach teachers skills and competences around excellent education such as the learning pit (James Notthingham), growth mindset (Carrol Dweck), creative thinking, etc.The expected output of the project and upon completion are;• Talking the same language about excellent education• Teach teachers about excellent education and how they can stimulate deep level learning by their students• Use each other’s best practices and test them in your own country• An international networkFurthermore we think that the dissemination of the results of the project will have a positive effect on attracting motivated students to VET education and reduce the bad reputation it has in some countries at the moment. To reach the objectives 4 transnational meetings will be held and 3 learning teaching trainings. During the transnational meetings will have the following objectives;1.Get acquainted, introduction and mutual clarification2.Discussions, status and progression in the actions3.Evaluation of the performed actions, divide tasks for following year,4.Reflection, evaluation, dissemination of the project to international group of teachersThe learning teaching training activities have the following content;November 2020 Malaga Business Bootcamp SpainJongLeren.es/Santa Maria de los Angeles will provide Málaga Business Bootcamp for teachers and students in collaboration with local organisations. In this 2 week bootcamp, students will live on their own, learn Spanish and work on a project provided by a local business.May 2021 Skills Heroes FinlandStudents will visit the finals of the national skills competition and will have their own skills competition on entrepreneurial/soft skills. Teachers will coach the students during this competition and will have a workshop and learn how to integrate skills in the curricula.November 2021 Teacher Training / Directors vision / BrainBoost & Up NetherlandsStudents will experience parts of the BrainBoost program and the Up program. Teachers and directors will have a training on the vision for excellent education, coaching excellent students and integrate excellent education in their curricula using practical tools.During the LTTA's the steering group, teachers and students will have the opportunity to develop competences related to excellent education. This will open teacher’s eyes on a different way of teaching and coaching students. Also students will learn about the growth mindset, creative thinking and the learning pit. They will experience a deeper level of learning. They can develop higher career skills and competences due to excellent education. During these LTTA's we will develop the same language on the different subjects and on excellent education. They will also work on expanding their (international) network by meeting each other. If they disseminate what they have learned within their own organizations, the network will grow. By learning about each other's methods of excellent education, we can use the best practices in our own organization and try out what works and what doesn't. The steering group will have separate meetings to reflect and evaluate on activities.

The Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25) and SDG 4 targets are aiming for developing vocational education in Africa. (SDG 4.3 and 4.4, CESA 16-25 SO8). The development strategies of Finland and Estonia are in line with same goals. “The Capacity Building in the Kilimanjaro area for VET” is a project that aims to fulfil these goals. The project is implemented between Finland, Estonia and Tanzania, and it aims to build the capacity of organizations in Moshi, Kilimanjaro area, Tanzania. At the same time, it answers to all participants’ will to improve their internationalization skills. Capacity building is a continuous process aiming to evolve organization’s ability to function, tackle obstacles and achieve its objectives. That is why the core of the project is to improve the pedagogical skills of VET teachers and trainers in Moshi, “to train the trainers” and thus evolve local schools’ capacity to provide VET education. Special attention in the project is given to promoting equal opportunities and inclusion (pedagogy tailored for students with special needs and equity work), digital and entrepreneurial skills.The project consortium consists of six members, 2 from Finland, 1 from Estonia and 3 from Tanzania. The Tanzanian partners in the project consortium are teaching, training and guiding VET students and learners in different kinds of learning environments. Similarly, all partners in Finland and Estonia also work within the VET education field, including multidisciplinary VET organizations with special needs education for VET competence and School of professional teacher education. The project supports the networking of VET-related organizations locally and regionally in Tanzania as well as internationally. The long-term aim of the project is to increase the number of VET-skilled people in Tanzania, especially in Moshi and thus support the region’s socio-economic development.

The success of VET training outcomes is closely aligned with the quality of the teaching and training provided. Therefore the VET teacher experience is the defining characteristic of the learning experience. WEDEVET project aims to review the material, related to team building, leadership and influence skills competencies, adapt and to test it in Practice Enterprise Education system environment. The research work will be done – which core group competencies could be developed focused on during the Practice Enterprise training. The catchy and engaging way for gaining competences, with great attention to awareness of the socially responsible business. That comes from the fact that a Teacher in VET training system is dealing with young people who have fewer opportunities to gain knowledge compared to those coming from the Higher education system. Also, Practice Enterprise methodology in VET schools can help to get the “Europe 2020 strategy“ objective related to early school leavers, it will help to decrease the number of dropouts, will have the effect of increasing the attractiveness of the VET school system, both to students and teachers.Practice Enterprise (also known as Practice Firm, Training Firm) is a simulated company that runs like a real business silhouetting a real firm’s business procedures, products, and services. A Practice Enterprise (PE) resembles a real company in its form, organization, and function. Each Practice Enterprise trades with other Practice Enterprises, following commercial business procedures, in the Practice Enterprise worldwide economic environment. Each country in which a Practice Enterprises Network exists has its own service Centre, called the National Central Office (CO). There are over 7500 Practice Enterprises in more than 40 countries worldwide which are represent by the network Europen Pen-International.In this didactic concept, the roles of the Teachers/Trainers/Lecturers and the students differ strongly from those in the traditional teaching-learning processes. The PE Trainer is the general moderator of the firm, guiding the trainees as employees to meet the Practice Enterprise’s Business Plans and budgets. The Trainees are the workers in the firm. Some are appointed as directors, line managers for a part of their training and development. , Teachers are the guides and advisers of the company’s “employees”. The main target group:VET Teachers/Trainers working with PE methodology.VET Teachers.Indirect target group: VET schools, Colleges, HEI, other institutions with Practice Enterprises.The project objectives, with references to output and results, are to: * review the literature, best practices, development, and implementation of similar initiatives and programs and conduct a gap analysis and needs assessment to promote VET teachers skills with the use of Practice Enterprise. * develop material for VET Teachers, in order to foster the development of their competencies, to form the knowledge base-ground of team building, leadership and influence skills.* disseminate the created material to relevant multipliers and support its further promotion, implement online activities targeting the wider society in all partners countries, EU and worldwide through various channels.Project result:The VET Teacher Skills Portfolio. The Guide for VET Teachers and Trainers (Teachers) how to acquire Team building, leadership and influence skills to be able to transfer these skills to students. The project will also work out the material for acquiring management competencies which most Teachers lack.Project Partners:LIETUVOS IMITACINIU BENDROVIU ASOCIACIJA LIBA, LithuaniaEUROPEN-PEN INTERNATIONAL EV, GermanyOULUN SEUDUN KOULUTUSKUNTAYHTYMA OSEKK, FinlandINTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COLLEGE, Denmark

<< Objectives >>-Implementation of six selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in accordance with United Nations guidelines- Curricula analysis according to the selected SDGs and adaptation of school curricula- Conception of teaching/project ideas for the selected SDGs- Innovative approaches to digital teacher training- Cooperation between educational institutions/schools and companies on the selected SDGs<< Implementation >>-Implementation of six selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in accordance with United Nations guidelines- Curricula analysis according to the selected SDGs and adaptation of school curricula- Conception of teaching/project ideas for the selected SDGs- Innovative approaches to digital teacher training- Cooperation between educational institutions/schools and companies on the selected SDGs<< Results >>Three-part survey (incl. report) of teachers(2) Curricula analysis (incl. conclusions) on six sustainable topics(3) eBook: concrete suggestions on six sustainable topics(4) Six escape rooms as teacher coachings(5) Surveys (incl. report) on six sustainable topics(6) eBook: student workshops on six sustainable topics(7) eBook: cooperation between educational institutions/schools and companies(8) eBook: sustainable excursions of learners/students

<< Objectives >>The level of online and distance teaching in participating organisations will be increased by giving the teachers knowledge and tools to design collaborative and creative digital learning solutions. Students' online and distance learning will be more versatile and collaborating, they will have more active role in their online and distance studies, they will interact, learn and work together in ways they haven’t been able to do in the past. Digital collaboration between partners will be grounded.<< Implementation >>Teachers from each organisation will identify, test and analyse different pedagogical methods and digital tools which can be used in planning and implementing online and distance teaching supporting interactive, student-centred personalised and flexible learning. The best practices will be piloted with students and short videos will be published to share the best practices. Meetings between project partners will be held monthly including training about digital pedagogy and workshops.<< Results >>VET teachers’ pedagogical and digital skills will be improved. Pedagogically high quality online and distance learning enhance and accelerate learners’ digital skills but also creates a sense of community among students and fosters relationships. The increased knowledge and skills of pedagogical methods in online teaching has a positive effect on teachers’ wellbeing in a long run. Students are expected to become more active and they will receive higher quality and more versatile teaching.