"Due to the open labour market and an increased rate of migration, the recognition and validation of competences, from non-formal and informal learning, is one of the key topics in Europe today (EU COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION December 20th, 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning). The basis of the EQF is the traceability of acquired skills which encourages the mobility of European workers, but a comparability of qualifications and skills is required. In addition to the ""formal qualifications"", non-formal learning plays an increasing key role. The European Qualifications Framework and its implementation in the NQFs set an initial basis for the comparability of learning outcomes (ECVET). Validation has become part of the policy agenda at European level.The starting point of the project Match2NQF was a transfer of the KøDE-NQF methodology which for the first time matched KODE®-Model for recognition and validation of competences, including those achieved in non-formal and informal learning, with the European Qualifications Framework as well as with National Qualifications Frameworks on the basis of the underlying Atlas of Competencies with its 64 competences in the four fields of: personal competency, competency of activity and decision-making, social communicative competency and professional/methodological competency.The project aimed to: - transfer and adapt the KøDE-NQF methodology to the requirements of the NQFs in France, Spain and Sweden - provide a set of enhanced tools and a handbook, developed in cooperation with experts in the professional areas, to be used in the field of career guidance in order to measure the competences of persons with highly developed competences and/or a lack of formal qualifications and to locate the need for parts of qualification/developing competences in order to have concrete tools that allow to transfer the European and National developments in terms of frameworks to practitioners in the project countries and Europe. Enhanced tools are developed for certain professional profiles in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. A close cooperation with the competent bodies in all project countries emphasized the successful implementation of these concrete tools for career guidance staff.The project MATCH2NQF with its handbooks and tools reflects not only the EQF, NQF and ECVET requirements but also the sectors of highest mobility (e.g. Health, Manufacturing) and highest rate of future mobility (e.g. Tourism - Wellness) in Europe. The impact of the project was to: - strengthen the importance of non-formal learning experiences and their recognition and validation;- provide staff in the field of career guidance with knowledge, skills and competence (curriculum/learning/training activity) and a set of tools (for other professional profiles) that reflects the current European policy but also is to be used in the every-day professional life;- encourage a more positive attitude towards the EU values and instruments;- ensure a greater understanding and responsiveness to non-formal and informal learning and its recognition;- reinforce interaction between practice, research and policy for implementation of European and National Qualifications Frameworks.The project was directed in first line to the practitioners in the field of guidance and counselling (guidance counsellors, advisers, consultants, educational staff) working at educational and vocational institutions, and stakeholders and policy makers responsible for recognition and validation of competences acquired in non-formal context. Within the project activities at least 222 persons were reached directly through multiplier activities. The final beneficiaries of the project are: VET providers and other education which work in the field of measurement and validation of competencies acquired not only in formal education context but also non-formal and informal context, for example educational institutions for further education to universities working in the field of competencies assessment. Additional beneficiaries are those people who do not only have formal education and professional qualifications, but have highly developed non-formal and informal skills and competences, who move at the European or even global labour market and require a comparable recognition of their elaborate competencies, as well as persons who have acquired competencies and skills within non-formal context and want their skills and competencies to be validated."

<< Objectives >>“Seniors Perceive A Common Europe” works towards two objectives:1.Equip adult education providers/trainers with resources how to develop a common European identity, key competences, sustainable thinking, awareness of cultural heritage in senior citizens by making use of their true-to-life experiences and cultural heritage knowledge2.Empower seniors through non-formal learning opportunities and exchanges enabling them to gain more key competences and new insights as regards European identity<< Implementation >>5 partner organisations from Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Sweden, Italy implement-Development of teacher handbook and learning frameworks based on LifeComp-Blended learning Empowerment Course for seniors on five thematic areas: nutrition, health, housekeeping, self-determined consumer behaviour, environmental behaviour-Development of Digital Exhibition and Digital Trails in Europe, based on five thematic areas-5 European Exchanges for seniors to experience other cultures-Multiplier Events<< Results >>The SPACE project results will be:For Adult Education: -Handbook on Life Skills with Best Practice, implementation ideas and five learning frameworks, 6 languages-Senior Empowerment Courses curricula and concepts for five thematic areas, 6 languagesFor seniors and all:-1 Digital Platform on Life Skills with 100 exhibits, 6 languages-5 thematic Digital Trails on Life Skills in Europe, 6 languages-5 regional Digital Trails on Life Skills in Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Sweden, Italy

Having considered the four main strategic objectives for the ET 2020 framework and in particular its strategic objectives of improving the quality and efficiency of education and training and that all citizens need to be able to acquire key competencies and all levels of education and training need to be made more attractive and efficient, we believe that educational establishments have a great role in advancing the level of education of many learners and adapting to the socio-demographic and economical changes occurring in Europe, which can prove difficult if pedagogical structures remain unchanged. The real challenge to educators beyond the rhetoric is to formulate learning experiences that appeal to target learners, attracting and retaining participants up to and beyond the point where positive benefits are evident. Therefore, this project primarily aimed to provide educators with learning and teaching methodologies and pedagogical approaches to deliver key competencies and basic skills such as literacy and languages.The main focus of the project was therefore to increase the competencies of teachers in providing learners in adult education with the key essential skills they need for fulfillment in society. The project focused especially on the development of methodologies around three existing bodies of knowledge and techniques, namely Creative Thinking, Informal Learning and ICT in the development of literacy and language skills, which are considered catalysts in today's European society and activation.The consortium brings together the collective experience, knowledge and skills of 4 organisations from 4 different countries in Europe. The consortium included public and private organisations representing the adult education and the higher education sector, all having good networks with contacts at local, regional, national and European levels, providing a good geographical representation in Europe: UK- Language Education And Partnerships LTD (LEAP Ltd); DE- Volkshochschule im Landkreis Cham e.V. (VHS Cham); HR- SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU, UCITELIJSKI FACULTY (UoZ - Faculty of Teacher Education); IT- Centro per l'Istruzione degli Adulti (CPIA).A structured approach to the project development was employed on the basis of shared collaborative principles through which partners engaged in a number of planned activities in order to achieve the following results:•a set of guidelines around the key principles of creative thinking;•a training package which includes a set of modules around the key thematic areas of creative thinking•a compilation of good practice examples around the key thematic areas•a project portal which will include interactive training materials and a repository•multiplier events (1 in each country) as a tools for mainstreaming the project results and materials•DVD for raising awareness of the project tools/outputs and training materials•a professional development course plan for delivering of the project outputs even after the project officially ends.The main target groups for the activities of this project were:*Teachers and educators of literacy and languages*Teacher trainers of such staff*Advisors with a role to support and improve teaching and learning within the adult education sector*Curriculum designers and managers *Learners themselves through the staff implementing the new creative teaching methods in literacy and languages teaching and learningAround 179 activities took place at dissemination level to ensure the above audiences were reached. Amongst the tools used to support the partnership reach its target audience:2 Newsletters, emails, website, social media presence through Facebook and Twitter, 3 flyers, partners links on own websitepresentation at conferences/workshops/seminars/ training events, 4 multiplier events and etc. The project has and will continue to impact in the short and long term on the ability of adult education providers, teachers, educators, trainers and learners as it aims to support changes directly into the wider educational community. We would hope that the project will continue to impact on the educational community as it provides replicable and freely accessible materials which can be embedded in practice. Therefore, we believe that the project results as they will remain embedded in the partners' practice and will continue to remain available and promoted to the wider community, there are long term benefits which include:* Direct access to creative thinking methods and tools within a European focus* Improve literacy and language learners to be better and more active in society and improve engagement levels, especially of those at risk of exclusion e.g. migrant learners dropouts etc. by raising the educators’ skills and competences in providing effective learning situation for adults.

Refugee migration to Europe present both opportunities and challenges for vocational education and training systems. On the opportunity side, an influx of highly-motivated individuals provides a boost to the labour force, and particularly to sectors that have difficulty filling demand. On the challenge side, refugees often enter host-country labour markets without orientation or even a basic concept of the types of VET and career tracks available. The proposed project seeks to address this challenge through research and innovation. Its primary output will be a multilingual application accessible by mobile phone. Users will take a Vocational Interest Self-Evaluation test, which will ask them to rank certain tasks (e.g. “repair engines,” “design websites,” “assist with vaccinations”) on a scale of interest. Based on the results, the tool will suggest VET and career options that both suit users’ interests and are relevant to local labour market needs. Users will then be able to use the app to access motivational Video Profiles of third-country nationals who have completed VET in their fields of interest, as well as to find and network with VET counsellors and providers in their areas. In parallel, the application will host Guidelines on Early VET Orientation and a Research Report, designed to assist stakeholders in addressing the needs of the app users and other under-served VET seekers.

The project reacts on present social and demographic trends, which cause new needs in the field of education of various social groups. On one hand there is the problem of rapidly ageing population in the whole Europe combined with a considerable change in relations within families. Family members are living further apart from each other and are losing their natural intergenerational composition. At the same time, the recent aggressive development of information and communication technologies (including the use of internet) very substantially contributes to the deepening of the intergenerational gap.Even though there are many policies, action plans etc. focusing on the issue of the intergeneration cooperation support, the main bearers of these activities (i.e. NGOs and volunteers) have at present no comprehensive and systematic methodology how to carry out such support. During the last years, there were implemented many projects in the field of the intergenerational cooperation support, however, they were limited from the territorial, content/activity or time point of view (often combined). The current intergenerational social and communication gap is a problem of the whole Europe, and therefore has to be solved on an international level.The main project objective is, therefore, to develop a new educational programme in the field of intergenerational cooperation support that will provide the target group (volunteers) with a complex methodology how to efficiently provide their services.The project will provide the volunteers across Europe with a systematic approach modern tools (Activity register) do start and develop their activities in the field of intergenerational cooperation support with various social/age group (pre-school children + seniors, school children/youth + seniors, adults in productive age + seniors, adults over 55 + seniors or little children etc.)The project will be implemented by a consortium composed of 5 entities from 5 different countries. All the members of the partnership are either NGOs or educational institutions. All of them are at present active in the field of intergenerational cooperation support. A lot of the partners have already implemented projects (national/international) focusing on the field of intergenerational cooperation support.There will be supported approximately 372 participants, from which there are:- volunteers (TtT activities, pilot testing) – ca 120 persons - secondary target group (people using services of institutions, e.g. senior houses, kindergartens, primary schools, other educational institutions, community houses etc.) – ca 90 persons- other stakeholders (dissemination activities) – 162 personsThe project implementation will consist of the following activities:1) Analysis of the state of the art 2) Development of a new educational programme (incl. the Activity register which will be accessible online on the newly established online portal)3) Train the trainers (TtT) activities4) Pilot testing and evaluation of the developed programme 5) Multiplier events and dissemination6) Project managementThere will be 2 main results created within the project, namely:1) a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art in all the 5 partner countries2) a new educational programme in the field of intergenerational cooperation support using, among others, modern ICTs as tools as methodology aidsThe long-term project’s impact:The new methodology will continue to be spread across the partner countries of the project (to new volunteers and organisations). At the same time, there will take place several trainings in the other European countries which will enable to extend the methodology also to these regions. The level of intergenerational cooperation will increase not only in partner countries, but also in other European countries, where the methodology will be spread.