Spatially, generationally and socio-economically persistent unemployment and poverty is often due to a lack of reach to marginalised areas and communities. Sociology of education suggests that formal education tends to reproduce social and income inequality. Disadvantaged people and communities have fewer opportunities to access further education, decent employment and to ascend socially. Research on the other hand shows that engagement and informal learning is a powerful weapon in developing the employability and enterprise capacities of people and in particular of people facing difficulties, such as economic and social obstacles and learning difficulties (EC Youth programme - Expert group report 2014 “Developing the creative and innovative potential of young people through non-formal learning in ways that are relevant to employability”).PASSIONPRENEURS project aims to tackle unemployment and social exclusion of disadvantaged groups with social entrepreneurship through interests, talents and passions of marginalised adults. Social entrepreneurship combines the ideas of business creation, economic development, collaboration of people for common concerns and social challenges.. The objectives of PASSIONPRENEURS are: 1. To build social entrepreneurship capacity within communities in marginalised local areas 2. To enable adults to lead change and impact on their communities3. To create resources and support for start-up social enterprises The project targets: - Occupational counsellors, coaches, employment organisations, business support organisations, trainers of VET and adult education centres.- Adults (25-50 years old) from marginalised areas and communities, migrants and unemployed having talents and passions, people who need engagement and motivation.- Local communities, through the peer coaching effect.The project will achieve its objectives by:1. Developing a guide for informal education addressed to counsellors, coaches from employment centres, business support organisations, coaches and trainers of VET and adult education centres. The guide will be organised in three chapters. The first chapter will support the identification of interests, talents and passions of adults. The second will provide all the necessary information, guidance and tools to implement the Training Programme. The third chapter will give guidance on peer-coaching.2. Developing a training programme for adults, with practical activities and tools, so that they will develop social entrepreneurship qualities, experiences, attributes and skills, they will learn entrepreneurial English and will be able to formulate their business ideas. 3. Developing on-line learning resources, such as webinars, videos with the option for an expandable on-line learning community that will serve as a meeting place for adult communities.The partnership involves 7 partners from 7 EU countries, bridging Northern (Germany, Lithuania, Sweden,) and Southern (Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus) Europe, with distinct but complementary for the project implementation profiles. In the 24 months of its duration, the project will develop numerous activities, produce three intellectual outputs, seven multiplier events and two learning mobilities:PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES: Country needs analysis reports, organisation of pilot courses for trainers and organisation of pilot courses for marginalised adults, QA and dissemination.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS:IO1 Training programme ‘Social Entrepreneurship through passion’ (development of curriculum, practical activities and tools, translation)IO2 Trainers’ guide for adult educators with three chapters: identification of interests, talents and passions; guidance to implement the Training Programme; and peer-coaching (development, translation and piloting)IO3 On-line learning platform (development, translation, online community, webinars and information space)LEARNING ACTIVITIES: C1 Organisation for a learning activity for trainers in Nicosia. 14 trainers-coaches will be trained on how to use the Trainers’ guide.C2 Organisation for a learning activity for adults in Cham. 21 disadvantaged adults will participate in workshops and improve their soft skills in entrepreneurship.MULTIPLIER EVENTS:E1 Multiplier event in ChamE2 Multiplier event in PiraeusE3 Multiplier event in KaunasE4 Multiplier event in MalagaE5 Multiplier event in KristianstadE6 Multiplier event in NicosiaE7 Multiplier event in PalermoThe short term expected impact of the project is to reach 2583 participants from the identified target group, from which at least 475 persons will represent adults facing economic obstacles, social obstacles and educational difficulties.In the long term, due to the peer coaching methodology, the project is expected to have exponential outreach and significant impact at community level.

<< Background >>Digitalisation is taking place at a fast pace in all European countries and across almost the whole world. The Covid-19 pandemic is also accelerating digitalisation at many levels. Digitalisation is transforming the economies, societies, forms of communication, jobs and the necessary skills for the workplace and everyday life. Digitalisation as a systemic enabling process that has enormous potential to boost the circular economy and contribute to the sustainable transition. On the other hand, as one of the drivers of growth of production and consumption globally, digitalisation is also a challenge for environmental and social sustainability. The scope and speed of the digital transformation varies across European countries, sectors, organisations, and places. For example, less than a fifth of companies in the EU are highly digitised, leaning toward much greater levels of uptake in large enterprises as opposed to SMEs (2020, EIO Biennial report). Despite progress in waste management and recycling across the EU, circularity rates remain relatively low. Digitalisation can help to minimise waste, enable more efficient processes in companies, promote longer product life cycles and reduce transaction costs through significantly improved information. There is an enormous spectrum of possible applications to scale-up and mainstream eco-innovations toward a sustainable circular economy. The commercial benefits of greening stem from the potential to increase market share and capture new markets from eco-innovation, eco-entrepreneurship, and eco-adoption among SMEs. The rationale here is that “green” products, niches, and practices represent previously untapped business opportunities that SMEs are uniquely suited to tackle, especially because of their small size and flexibility. Broadly, sustainable SMEs contribute to the protection of the climate, environment, and biodiversity through their products, services, and business practices. But they do so in different way; some SMEs focus on reducing the environmental footprint of their production process (e.g. resource-efficient processes) while others focus on green outputs and offer green products and services (e.g. renewable energy products). Although there are many SMEs that really care for the environment, that largest portion of them perceives eco-innovations as a burden and pursuit eco innovations only when pushed by the legislator. There is a need to prepare the training scheme for SMEs representatives (employees dealing with digital technologies, managers running business operation, business educators dealing with business education) to enlarge the awareness about possibilities of using digital technologies for green purposes, as well as to show how much SMEs can benefit from implementing sustainable digital technologies. The cost reductions for SMEs generally arise from efficiency gains since less inputs are required to produce the same output. These cost reductions are realized through the following channels. These channels are applicable to SMEs in both developing and developed contexts (OECD, 2018).• Process efficiency: By optimizing current processes or introducing new more efficient ones, SMEs minimize the required inputs and waste production.• Product design: SMEs can re-design their products to reduce the required inputs without sacrificing the product’s utility.• Waste disposal: In addition to reducing waste by improving process efficiency, SMEs can reuse already-generate waste or pass it along to other companies. This reduces cost of waste disposal.• Source of raw material: SMEs can reduce cost of raw materials by switching to recycled materials.• Infrastructure efficiency: SMEs can generate savings associated with energy efficiency lighting, building insulation, and heating systems efficiency.• Packaging and transport: By reducing the volume of packaging and switching to local suppliers to decreasing shipping distances, SMEs can further reduce costs.<< Objectives >>Digital technologies can play an important part in tackling the climate emergency, provided they are designed and deployed with the kind of positive societal impact that the Sustainable Development Goals outline at their heart. Digital technologies bring revolution in the business reality, but there is a challenge on how to target those changes, to be beneficial for the climate, the environment and the society. And how to make those who introduce these changes the most to direct them towards sustainable effects - beneficial for the economy, the society and the environment.General idea of the project is to prepare employees of the SMEs for the sustainable digital transformation. General objective: Improve the skills and competences of employees in small and medium-sized businesses to accelerate the digital transformation for sustainable development.Specific objectives:·Define a profile of expert in sustainable digital transformation with associated knowledge, skills, and competencies.·Transforming entrepreneurs' thinking to act in the era of sustainable digital transformation.·Promote the skills and operational tools necessary to manage the implementation of new digital technologies that are sustainable .·Improving and fostering a deep understanding of sustainable digital transformation and its impact on business reality, as well as business and social relationships.·Building soft and hard skills to structure, organize and control innovation and digital transformation processes.·Increasing business efficiency through use of sustainable digital technologies.·Improving the understanding and ability to manage change and challenges for digital economy companies.·Introducing new teaching methods such as edutainment, digital case studies, simulations, and games.·Encouraging learners to think critically about the globalising world, looking for lasting solutions and a holistic approach. Hopefully with this project, we make a progress toward greater awareness of the employees of the climate change, but also, we make a great step towards sustainable development of SMEs.<< Implementation >>To achieve all projects objectives, Partnership needs to perform the following activities:·Structuring an innovative blended training scheme on Sustainable Digital Transformation in SMEs, which should prepare companies to adjust to the virtual business environment and take advantage of the participation in the processes of sustainable digital transformation (referring to the indicated professions),·Elaborating and producing Open Educational Resources, build on the following components:a)interactive video pills, which can be freely accessed online for at least two years after the project end, to allow a vast audience of trainees to acquire and maintain technical/managerial/commercial/relational skills, functional to develop the process to increase competitiveness of SMEs, through effective management of processes of sustainable digital transformation.b)Further investigation materials as supporting materials for developed OERs.·Self-assessment tool for checking own skills and assess the required range of the training.·Elaborating the manual on sustainable digital transformation – how to prepare a company to reshape an existing business model, how to use digital technologies to contribute positively to the climate change, environment protection and positive social transformation, how to earn money on the global sustainable digital transformation.·Designing the quality assurance system for inclusive education delivered with the given training scheme.·Validating the developed contents through during the multiplier events.·Managing all projects activities.·Sharing and promotion of delivered outcomes.<< Results >>The project shall produce the following Results:R1 - The methodology and curriculum for the sustainable Digital Transformation Training Scheme for SMEsR2 - Open Educational ResourcesR3 - Self-Assessment toolR4 - Check-upsR5 - Manual and Good Practices Guidebook.

Cook it Forward (CIF) contributes to job creation and economic growth as it uses culinary culture and traditions as a driver for creative innovation. Students will propose innovative ways to lift the culinary traditions, ancient recipes, forgotten regional ingredients and traditional cooking techniques to the 21st century demand. Working in the CIF programme develops students networking skills (working with world-of-work stakeholders), thus stimulating economic growth by developing a highly skilled workforce with employable skills. CULINARY CULTURAL HERITAGE AS IMPORTANT ECONOMIC FACTOR FOR REGIONSCultural heritage is more than historical monuments left behind from the past. It is all the things, places and practices that define who we are as individuals, as communities, as regions.Culinary experiences are an important aspect of cultural tourism and make local heritage an important economic factor. The sustainable use of culinary heritage is essential to ensure that the CIF regions will remain popular destinations to visit. STUDENTS IN THE LEADAlthough it has decreased, the youth unemployment rate is still quite high in the EU. There is a necessity to spark a dynamic attitude among young people towards the possibilities of enterprising behaviour, networking skills and pro-activity. Learning by doing and educating students to take initiative and investigate opportunities themselves, rather than waiting for others to take the initiative, will increase employability.OBJECTIVESConcretely, CIF aims to:•Let young people (VET students) become closer to and more involved with their regions cultural heritage and cherishing it by letting students research and collect old cooking techniques, traditional recipes and forgotten vegetables.•Educate VET students to be the innovators in the companies they will work for in the future by letting them become aware of trends and new technologies and learn how to spot them. •Start the inter-cultural conversation between youngsters about culinary cultural heritage.•Create a bridge between generations. The young generation will understand the elder generation better by getting to know them through their knowledge of recipes, cooking traditions and stories and vice versa.•Preserve culinary cultural heritage by using culture as a driver for creative innovation and encourage student creativity.•Develop students competences for future working life by increasing their sense of responsibility, networking skills, creativity, entrepreneurial mind-set and pro-active attitude.•Increase the pool of work based learning opportunities for students.•Develop VET teachers’ network, educational and pedagogical skills.PARTICIPANTSCIF is primarily aimed at VET students in hospitality and cooking. In addition it is aimed at VET teachers & colleges and world of work (restaurants, food-companies, food trucks, caterers, local authorities, etc.).ACTIVITIES & RESULTSCIF enables students to work on real-life assignments. They will: 1)investigate their own network (parents, neighbours, grandparents, etc.) to learn about cultural heritage in the form of culinary traditions, ancient recipes, forgotten regional ingredients and traditional cooking techniques;2)Pro-actively approach the regional network of culinary stakeholders to discover trends and new techniques that are being used in the sector. Students will learn the latest trends in the hospitality and gastronomy sector directly from the world-of-work. 3)Connect the culinary traditions to contemporary trends and new techniques (e.g. 3D printing, fusion cooking, sustainability and use of regional products) and refurbish the recipes and cooking techniques. Students will brainstorm (in international groups) about innovative ways to lift the old recipes and cooking techniques to the 21sty century demand. 4)propose their new inventions to regional stakeholders and execute their proposed solutions in close cooperation with the culinary world-of work stakeholders. METHODOLOGYCIF is a true Strategic Partnership meaning all partners provide their key input that contributes to the realisation of the project goals and concrete deliverables.IMPACT & LONG TERM BENEFITSCIF desires to contribute to a fundamental change in attitude towards culinary cultural heritage, youth unemployment and the economy.CIF effectuates a true change in knowledge, competences, behaviour & perception of students. By participating in CIF, students will not only realize the importance of their culinary heritage for both their personal identity as the identity of their community, the intercultural dialogue between students will also unlock a sense of regional pride, contributing to regions liveability. It is these VET students that will be working for our regional hotels, restaurants and companies and feed into our society in the future. CIF empowers them to be the change for sustainability (in the broadest sense) that our world needs.

The overall aim of SME Coach LT 2015 is to increase effectiveness and efficiency of investment in R&D and Innovation by enhancing innovation management capacity of Lithuanian SMEs -beneficiaries of the new dedicated SME instrument under Horizon 2020, and SMEs with significant innovation activities and a high potential for internationalisation. Specifically, the project will support SMEs - beneficiaries of the SME instrument- in identifying project-specific barriers and weaknesses and gaps in their innovation capacities that hinder realization of growth opportunities, and pointing to suitable coaches to address the identified weaknesses. The second specific objective is supporting SMEs with significant innovation activities and a high potential internationalization in enhancing their innovation management capacities. The proposed support concept differentiates between two types of support: the case level of the innovation project led by the SME - beneficiary of the SME instrument of the Horizon 2020 and in intervention at the corporate level (or "subject") in the case of companies having high innovation and internationalisation potential. The nature of barriers and challenges related to each situation is different. The Key Account Manager will support SMEs SME Instrument beneficiaries in identifying critical issues and gaps with regards to their innovation idea and guide them to relevant lead coach who will support the company throughout their innovation journey. The Key account Manager will use a holistic and dynamic business innovation model, supported by Business Innovation Roadmap Tool, available under Creative Commons License from smE-MPOWER network. When supporting companies having innovation and internationalization potential, but not part of SME instrument, we will use IMP3rove Academy’s diagnostic tool which measures the performance of the company’s innovation management system.

The project was implemented with the aim to improve the quality and relevance of Higher education (HE) by improving students’ entrepreneurial skills. The project idea was based on the entrepreneurial learning concept which focused on innovative and active learning methods and a multidisciplinary approach which was successfully implemented during students’ SMART internships. The project was targeted to empower HE to work with business in a more intensive and collaborative manner, to bring theoretical knowledge and learning experience closer to reality of working environment, to develop the necessary skills for employability. The innovative methodological approach to students' internships was based on the principles of interdisciplinary, team-work, problem-based, project-based, inquiry-based learning as well as close collaboration between HE and business companies. The innovative methodological approach to students' internships during the project was theoretically and practically tested in the partners' countries. The project consortium was composed of 6 institutions from 4 EU countries: 4 universities (Lithuania, Italy, Finland and Cyprus) and 2 business organizations (Lithuania, Cyprus). The outputs of the project:1. Analysis of good practices on innovative approaches to internships in HE. The developed analysis provided cases from the participating EU countries on the state of art of internships, trying to identify innovative elements which could serve as a basis for the organization of the SMART practices. This research contributed to further development of the project outputs.2. The methodology of SMART practice (guidelines how to develop and integrate innovative approaches to internship in HE). The main points in the methodology: general concepts and principles; approaches to internships; methods; responsibilities; assessment and evaluation of students’ practice; roles of HE educators (tutors) and business representatives (mentors); students’ selection process; identification and selection of problems; presentation of the results of internship, etc. The developed methodology was piloted in Lithuania, Italy, Finland and Cyprus in 12 multidisciplinary students’ teams.3. The Handbook for SMART practice. The main part of the Handbook was dedicated to the tools used for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the SMART internship. It provides a list of 33 tools with their descriptions, listed in a chronological order. A successive index re-organized them according to the temporal and logical phases of the internship. The Handbook aimed to provide a guidance for HE organisations on planning, organisation, implementation and evaluation of SMART internships.The main target groups of the project were university students, academic staff and business representatives. All the groups were directly involved in the project piloting activities. Their positive feedbacks proved the high relevance of the project results. Multiplier events presented the project outputs to a wide audience. The direct long-term benefit of the project attained for the partners’ organizations (universities and their students). The impact is evidenced from the participants’ (students, tutors, mentors) feedbacks and related to the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills, the establishment of the new university-business collaboration schemes and platforms, integration of multidisciplinary groups into the innovative solutions of real, work-related challenges raised by business organisations.