"WISE (Working in Soft Skills for Employment) is an exchange of good practices with the aim of supporting the trainers of VET organizations in finding ways to transfer soft skills for the labour market to participant of VET courses, especially initial VET education. In order to promote VET “as a first choice” for learners to discover their talents and to advance in learning and career, is necessary that VET provides high quality curricula and skills needed in the labour market. In addition to adequate technical and professional skills, companies nowadays look for employees owning a wide range of ""soft skills"" (e.g. creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, emotional intelligence, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, time management…).VET Providers then have the commitment to facilitate the acquisition of soft skills within the VET pathways.As for technical skills, learning is generally based on theoretical lessons and then practical examples followed by a work-placements in a company but, in the case of soft skills, the learning process is not the same and requires very specific and innovative teaching methodologies.Some countries have adopted reforms that have structured innovative VET systems, some are struggling to overcome regional differences some others have just started focusing on these topics. The partnership aims at exchanging good practices on tools and methodologies to improve and empower soft skills in trainees. The nine partner organizations come from Italy, the Basque Country, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal and their core activity is the training of vocational subjects to students (14-19 years of age). The methodologies for transferring soft skills will be exchanged keeping in mind that they will be useful for the insertion in the labour market. Each partners will involve stakeholders coming from the business sector so as to have a point of view of the companies that normally insert the students for work- based learning experience (WBL). The ""success factors"" will be identified, as well as the needs of the companies and the trainers.During the first phase of the project the partnership will exchange and analyse methods and tools according to indicators agreed during the first transnational meeting: in accordance with the priorities set by the European Union to raise the competencies provided by VET organizations and their trainers, 2 learning activities (""Short Term staff Training Event) will be organized. The events will take place in the Basque Country and in Finland, which have in the past few years developed innovative methodologies supported by VET systems reforms and are the frontrunners in this field. Trainers from all the partner organizations will be involved: they will mainly be trainers who are normally the link with companies but they can also be trainers of general or specific subjects inserting the soft skills focus in their lessons. Three transnational project meetings are also foreseen to manage the project. Therefore, the main aims of the project are on the one hand the exchange of good practices and on the other hand, starting from the findings, also the building of a future project of ""development of innovation"", developing tools and methodology that can be transferred to other contexts and courses of the partners."

Residential building construction boomed in many European countries during the post-war period as a consequence of the bombing and building destruction of the Second World War. All over Europe, this wave called for new constructive processes and the massive use of concrete. These constructions, some of which are almost 70 years old, suffer from deterioration and meet standards which are outdated and now require rehabilitation works which concern not only the structure itself but also everything related to the comfort of use and energy efficiency and which require a global approach of the real estate.Pathologies of such buildings, as for instance, insufficient sound insulation, poor thermal insulation, humidity problems, can generate energy poverty for the dwellers (with very high expenses linked to energy consumption) and serious health problems. Consequently, their rehabilitation is a key challenge and a specific approach has to be developed to match the needs identified.Our main goal is to:- raise awareness on the fact that a specific approach is required regarding concrete buildings if we consider the pending risks related to a bad renovation plan (social, economical, health-related).- develop updated CVET and IVET training resources in order to meet the new training needs and thus offer a pathway more suitable to the demand to support professionals and future professionals in their activity, enable them to provide the customer with an appropriate renovation proposal in line with EE requirements and the improvement of living conditions (cost-cutting, health).- design a methodology to provide each professional with tailor-made support (through practical materials and tools for the analysis of a building).- train professionals and future professionals so that they are able to implement a global approach : technical and also human/social-oriented while devising a renovation plan.The results expected to be achieved are:- a greater relevance of the training system to the needs and opportunities of the community so that businesses can provide a professional service tailored to the needs of customers (with skilled labour force).- a strengthening of the links between training and education systems and the socio-economical environment as well as local and regional authorities.- a more strategic use of ICT and Open Educational Ressources in training system with an innovative approach (a comprehensive approach of the building)For these purposes, the partnership will develop a coherent set of tools and materials among which a report(about existing curricula and gaps to be filled in), a curriculum dedicated to the renovation of concrete buildings, case studies and a guide to support professionals in the implementation of the methodology, coming with a mobile app, and finally a training the trainers session to foster the transfer of skills.

<< Background >>It is important for Järva County Vocational Training Centre to offer its students a broad education and versatile practice that meets the needs of the labor market, so that interest in the chosen profession continues or increases, reducing student dropout rates, improving student motivation and competitiveness on the labor market. It helps to develop key competences for lifelong learning such as self-confidence, initiative, cooperation, adaptability, foreign language skills and cultural awareness. Through the learning mobility, the school receives feedback on the European labor market’s situation, the expectations and demands for employees (primarily regarding knowledge and skills). Cooperation with foreign companies provides good input for reorganizing studies according to the feedback received from employers and, if necessary, updating curricula to better meet the needs of the modern labor market. The project aims to continue internationalization to increase the circle of cooperation partners and offer increasingly high-quality vocational training. For this, it is necessary to increase the motivation and competence of the employees, which also helps JKHK to fill the role as host organisation more effectively in the future.<< Objectives >>We wanted to offer educators professional self-improvement, also leading to the improvement of curricula and methods, enabling teachers to offer education that meets the needs of the modern labor market. To increase confidence in teachers and to create new ideas to better pass on professional knowledge to increase interest in learning and to offer a better future for students. Lessons would have a more international dimension to prepare students to enter the national and international labor market - teachers passing on their personal experience allows sharing knowledge and experience of the work arrangements and peculiarities of different cultures.Students' learning mobility would help them understand the difference in work cultures, make them more tolerant, cooperative, independent and develop professional knowledge and skills. After the learning mobility, the school would have more active, involved and adaptable students and educators contributing to the popularization of vocational education, supporting the continued improvement of the program's reputation (in JKHK) and professional development both in the school and in the country in general. This would support the promotion of international cooperation.<< Implementation >>15 students from car technician, construction finisher, IT systems junior specialist, cook and veterinary assistant fields went on work practice in Poland, Greece and Cyprus for one-month period - students not used to travelling are not comfortable with a longer period, but time is needed to adapt to a foreign cultural space and to focus more consciously on achieving professional learning outcomes. For smoother adaptation, activities and field trips introducing the local culture and environment were organized, preparation and follow-up meetings were organized at the home school (reflection).17 educational staff participated in the learning mobility program and visited vocational schools and companies in Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, and Lithuania to gain knowledge and experience in the fields of horse management, car technicians, construction and road construction as job shadowing, and agenda that included more practical work was prepared for cook teachers in Cyprus. Construction and agriculture teachers visited a new host due to cancelled learning mobilities. Cultural awareness is important among employees - it makespreparing and supporting students more effective.<< Results >>In general: the reputation of the program is very good with an increased number of participants, new target group is adult learners, new specialties and partners. The school was awarded learning mobility accreditation - previous staff learning mobilities have contributed to this.Lessons of the participated teachers have a more international dimension - new teaching methods, practical outputs, examples:- The share of introducing national cuisines has increased in the cooking classes, which ensures students' broad-based knowledge of different food cultures and prepares them for work in different catering establishments.- Construction students are more aware of Mediterranean building culture, as the topic is covered in lessons, thus students going on a learning mobility to Cyprus are better prepared.- The staff's interest in the construction culture and methods of other regions, including the progress of integrated learning, led them to a new host for learning mobility.- Cooperation with a new partner started in the field of road construction - the learning mobility of employees was followed by the learning mobility of students (within the second learning mobility project).

ncreasing the Europeanisation of Vocational Education and Training is the motivation behind this project. Within this project we want to benefit from the potential within the VET sector in Europe for our students, staff and companies. The projectgoal is to create the best possible foundation for our VET students, for them to be able to develop their professional and personal competences in order to navigate in a more and more globalized labour market.The target group is the very young VET students and the apprentices, who are in the middle of their education. The activities are adequate for the various target groups.The VET students are going to join project activities, including 2 weeks of school based mobilities or 3 weeks in companies. It is of great importance to us that the proper preparations have been done before the mobilities, and the evaluation and implementation of the project results, effects and outcome are being used and shared.The htx students (upper secondary technical examination) are part of a technology project with a French lycée.The projectactivities of staff members are seen aas a framework, wherein the staff will reflect over their own practise in the classroom and as an incitament bring home new knowledge, with a special interest in innovation, talent and digital learning. Both the teahers/ trainers and the guidance counselors are doing their mobilities with in established strategic networks. The project is going to make use of the ECVET tools, which we have to our disposal, fully adapted to the Erasmus+ programme and the national implmentation of ECVET.

Duration of mobilities has now with ERASMUS+ become more flexsible which will be considered when planning the needs in actual mobilities. But experience is that you can have a lot of outcome from a 1 week visit. And as a rule this will be the duration. Skive Technical School has a tradition of participating in international projects. As part of the school's strategy against drop outs and for internationalization, we have sought funds to provide exchange with Finnish, French, Swedish, Czech and German cooperative schools. This year we also include HMCollege from Amsterdam who we look forward to work with. Through the deployment of teachers in collaborating schools abroad we know that they get skills and insights they can use; at the same time it motivates them to 'sell' the exchange of students. Through their own experience and contacts they get a more intimate relationship with the places and persons we could send students to. Moreover, our teachers during visits to other countries that do things differently, has a different professional culture etc. gets a feeling for what concerns students and their parents in connection with an upcoming exchange. Finally they train their communication skills in a foreign language and can classify their own professional skills in an international perspective that students can benefit from. The mission will last one week during which visitors get: • A deeper introduction to the visited country's education system • Opportunity to study the teaching practices of the organization they are visiting • Opportunity to visit other social partners in the country• Companies in the local area which could be relevant to their professional horizons • Opportunity to discuss their experience and work on developing educational tools that can make teaching and learning better • Knowledge of training and organization of education in the country visited • Possibility to develop and train teachers to be more successful with their education and avoid drop-out; drop out appears to be a growing problem in all countries • Opportunity to practice and get better at communication in a foreign language about a foreign culture and about one’s own cultural property and academic tradition • Insight into the country's production in the respective disciplines • Insight into the country's culture and history • Good experiences that will motivate teachers to make students more interested in acquiring knowledge gain new knowledge, experience, practice communication and a lot more through an exchange visit to another country with a whole different story and other professional and educational traditions, which it can be healthy to gain insight into whether they are better or worse than the traditions you come from. We have in the period 2013 to 2015 had teachers in Sweeden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Germany and been visited by Czech, Finnish, French, and Spanish teachers from different professions. It has given our teachers a boost and opened their eyes to give students internationalization in a completely different way than before.In teaching it counts much more that you can tell from your own experience / anecdotal on experiences in other countries as well professional from school and company visits as private from dinners and hospitality in private homes in a manner that is foreign to most Danes!Partners are selected in order to be able to provide input on the professions and education we have in Skive Technical Institute and in order to inspire us in the educational field and the use of renewable energy as we have staked a lot on the last years.Teacher mobility to some extent have to take place outside the 'student season' for both parties and implemented in concert with partners to fit both our and their due dates.Wood teachers are sent primarily to partner schools in France and Italy, carpenters also Finland. Here they also have excellent El departments and partners are very interesting for renewable energy topic sun / water.Upholstery teachers like France, also Italy and auto saddlers go to Sweden.For our metal and toolmaker teachers Germany is very interesting, but also Sweden. Visits can be part of creating networks for future cooperation and exchange of students.