Welding technology is applied to the most important industrial sectors worldwide: metallurgical, electronic, automotive and civil engineering are examples of economic areas where well qualified welding professionals are fundamental for the quality of the final result. However, despite its applicability, the renewal of specialized welding professionals does not follow the needs of market. (Full-time equivalents in joining technology – Important results: in Europe, there are around 1,9 million full-time-equivalent joining specialists). By one side, experienced welders are getting old and according to the natural cycle of life, are retiring. On the other side, the entrance in the labor market of new welding professionals does not answer its actual needs. In order to maintain the quality level and to prevent future problems of performance it is fundamental to invest in people’s training and qualification.FUTUREWELD aims to improve the performance in the welding area, by implementing the EU IAB-348-13-Guideline: Qualification of Welding Personnel for Mechanized, Orbital, Robot Welding, by organizing of training courses, in which to use appropriate educational materials and specific examination system. New educational tool is proposed to be developed within the project and that is a interactive software specifically made with didactic purposes that aims to deeply involve of the trainees in the practical aspects of the welding.This project joins a diversified consortium with representatives of welding institutes and associations of welders with high recognized expertise in education and training in joining technologies: Romanian Welding Society (ASR), RO as Co-ordinator, The Italian Institute for Welding Ente Morale (IIS), IT, European Federation for Welding (EWF), BE, The Institute for Welding and Quality (ISQ), PT, and The Institute for Welding Technology (ISPL), PL.The objectives:1. Specific activities to create the training system, according to European Guideline IAB-348-13: elaboration of educational materials (course support+ppt presentations+video+images) in EN and national languages + training staff sessions + elaboration of examination system (database with questions in national languages)2. Application of the new innovative system in 3 countries: training-courses organizing in IT+PL+RO3. Quality Evaluation of the implementation of the project, of the obtained results and of the consortium functionality4. Dissemination of information regarding the program, project, results, sustainabilityThe main results:1. Educational materials: Course support in 5 languages (EN, IT, PL, PT, RO)+Presentations+interactive software2. Database with min 100 questions for the Examination session in 5 languages 3. 4 training courses and 3 pilot-seminars organized in 3 EU countries (1 in IT, 2 in PL and 1 in RO)4. 300 offers for the pilot-seminars will be sent to different companies and VET schools5. 6 students of staff will be trained6. 45 students (15/seminar) participating to the pilot seminars7. 12 women of total of 45 students to participate to the pilot seminars8. 45 diploma to be issued to the students from the seminars9. 6 diploma issued for the trained staff who will pass the examination10. 1 Quality Management Plan + 1 Report on Quality (Interim and Final)11. 1 questionnaire in 5 languages + 1 survey + 1 report on survey12. 1 Dissemination:1 website+5 web-pages+1 Facebook+1 on-line forum+12 articles for newsletters+8 workshops+2 papers for conferences+500 fliers+250 posters+1 roll-up+1 logoEstimated impact:1. Scientific – by introducing the newest research and developments dedicated to the course theme in the educational materials 2. Technical – two distinct improvements: the increasing of the productivity and the decreasing of the number of welding defects.3. Economical – the decreasing of the expenses related to to the repairing the welding defects, the increasing of the productivity of the welding processes4. Environment – the experience shows that none of the technologies used/adapted/input inside the project is pollutant. 5. Social Impact – the project will increase the qualification of the welders (45 welders in the project, more than 200 in the next 6 months)Beneficiaries for mid to long term: Industrial companies, VET schools, trainers, welding experts, studentsSustainability:After the end of the project, the system will be able to be applied by any VET school or any post-secondary school. The educational materials will be available for any school which will be interested to apply the developed system. In those cases the system will financially sustain by itself. The interest of the potential students in having recognized qualification of welder will be the base of the financially support for the future.

FSW-TECH project tackled shortage of training materials and skilled workers for friction welding technology (FSW), which is increasingly being used by steel companies.The main aim of the project was to prepare an educational programme addressing three levels of qualification: operators, specialists and engineers, as well as development of the associated teaching materials and supporting guidelines for implementing the courses in the framework of lifelong learning. The project was implemented by a consortium of 5 entities from 5 EU countries - SR, RO, SLO, PT and BE (the partner from Belgium is a global organization based in BE but operating from one of its headquarters in Portugal). Cooperation of the partners was at the highest level, all partners participated in the preparation of IO, multiplier events, dissemination activities, etc. The project achieved all the initially planned intellectual outputs and activities. 5 transnational meetings were organized. All project outputs are also available on the project website (www.fsw-tech.eu/documents.html). Attendance lists and certificates from multiplication events and learning activity are attached to this final report.IO1 – Report on the state of art of FSW Training Courses and identification of skills needs in the sector, that resulted from the application of a dedicated survey in the partners countries and EWF international network. The report was translated from English to SK, SLO, PT and RO.IO2 – European Curricula for EWF Operator, Specialist and Engineer. Curricula for the three levels were developed. A short version was prepared and translated to partners languages. Examination Database was created for all three levels (in all partners languages), with levels of difficulty in line with the EQF level assigned to the qualification. IO3 – National curriculum adaptation and translation – training materials for all three levels in the form of handbooks and presentations have been prepared. One handbook dedicated to the operator for self-study, and one handbook for the specialist and engineer. The presentations to be using during the training sessions were also developed: six presentations for the operator and 2 presentations for the specialist and engineer. Documents prepared under IO2 and IO3 are considered as one whole and therefore translation of the guidelis you can find in IO2 instead of IO3.All presentations were initially prepared and finalised in English and translated to SK, SLO, RO, PT. IO3 is freely available, in the form of a handbook and presentations, at the project website. IO4 - National Implementation Guideline for the EFSW-O; EFSW-S and EFSW-E Profiles curricula - final version of the report was based on reports from individual partners from their Hands-on approach seminars in PT, SK and RO - indications on how to conduct training sessions and recommendations for future training providers was made and translated to partner languages.IO5 – European Recommendations – the aim was to support the implementation of the mentioned qualifications in other VET systems with all the steps that needs to be followed in order to successfully implement these courses in other EU countries, assuring the sustainability of the mentioned results. IO6 – Operational ECVET kit – to support the recognition of students achieved learning outcomes either at national level or trough mobility across European countries. The operational kit is accompanied by the several tools: Memorandum of Understanding, Learning Agreement and Personal Transcript. The allocation of ECVET points to individual learning outcomes is reflected in the document “Guideline for operationalization of EFSW-O/S/E LOs Qualifications according to ECVET”.Multiplier Events – were organised in SK, RO and PT - 3 Hands on approach seminars and Final Conference. More than 120 participants were reached. The overall feedback was very positive. Impact: Project partners are members of the European Welding Federation. Project has created a guideline that can be applied across Europe. All FSW-TECH outputs will be offered by EWF to its members, assuring the sustainability of the project results. Dissemination of FSW-TECH activities and results has been carried out in all partner countries. All dissemination materials (flyer, poster and roll-up) were made available in the project website. Partners published articles in professional journals, project was promoted at national and international conferences. The results of the project were presented at multiplier events, information was sent to relevant ministries and educational institutions. Companies were approached as potential users of the project results. At the end of the project a dissemination e-portfolio was created gathering all the dissemination activities performed.

"REASON FOR THE PROJECT:The risk of failing to implement the requirements of the European Regulations (Regulation (eu) nº 305/2011of the European Parliament and of the Cuncil), is mandatory from the 1st of July 2014 onwards, is very high since SMEs in the metal construction sector will deal with changes in their working procedures. This is foreseen to lead to an increase of costs for SMEs and consequently to an increasing number of internal difficulties to SMEs conforming to EN 1090. These requirements mean additional efforts on all companies involved in construction and building of metal structures.The present project intends to help minimise this situation by developing a harmonized training course adjusted to market (employment) requirements.AIMS & OBJECTIVES: The project aims at avoiding unfulfillment of mandatory EN standards by European metal working companies. For that it has been developed an harmonized curriculum for personnel involved in the implementation of the EN 1090 in industry, focusing not only in large enterprises but also in SMEs in different European countries. Also, a set of educational materials for the training of personnel involved in EN 1090 implementation have been definited and developed.CONSORTIUM: The consortium is constituted by the welding institutes of these countries, which have strong knowledge and expertise in training and qualification at a sector-based level. All partners also have plenty of experience in the implementation and training of EN standards. OUTCOMES: The objectives have been achieved through the definition of a harmonized curriculum for the training of personnel involved in the fabrication and assembly of metal structures based on the set of standards EN 1090 (""EN 1090-1: Requirements for conformity assessment for structural components"", ""EN 1090-2: Technical requirements for the execution of steel structures"" and ""EN 1090-3: Technical requirements for the execution of aluminium structures"").IMPACT: EN 1090 has been created mandatory demands for all that is related with building metalic structures, including personnel qualification and certification. This will have impact in the European metal working sector which accounts for over 87€ billion of value added to the European economy, as well as over 2 million jobs."