Seeking to enhance work-based-learning and improve the practical training (especially, but not exclusively in the countries with school-based VET systems) there are being established and promoted specialised practical institutions equipped with the modern technologies and designed for the development of practical skills of the VET students, job seekers, employees and other groups of learners. Although such practical training institutions are designed to improve access to high quality training and competence development and to tackle the problem of mismatch between the skills demand in the labour market and VET provision, the achieving of these targets encounters multiple challenges and obstacles, especially in the countries where such practical training institutions have been established recently. These obstacles and challenges include the lack of know-how and expertise on how to develop curricula of practical training, as well as how to better organise the training process and adjust it to the requirements of the work-based VET curricula. The goal of APPRINVET project was to provide a methodical-practical toolkit for dual apprenticeship enhancement and pilot it through implementation of apprenticeship schemes in the school based VET systems employing the expertise of companies. The provided toolkit should contribute to exploit the potential of practical training institutions to enhance and implement dual apprenticeship schemes in the school based VET systems empowering the cooperation between VET providers and companies. To attain the goal, the following outputs were developed within the project: -Guidebook for the curriculum design, organisation of work-based learning and work-based vocational didactics for dual apprenticeship carried out in the practical training institutions; - Adjusted VET curriculum as best practice examples to apply dual apprenticeship requirements in the practical training institutions; - Training programme and teaching-learning material for qualification improvement of VET teachers and trainers working in apprenticeship schemes executed in the practical training institutions.In accordance to the project objectives and foreseen results of the project it was necessary to involve organisations with different profile, expertise in the field of vocational training and adult education, knowledge and experience of work-based learning application. Thus the partnership consisted of 6 partners from 5 EU countries with necessary knowledge and expertise to achieve sustainable results: -Lietuvos inovatyvių profesinio rengimo įstaigų asociacija (Lithuania) -Karaliaus Mindaugo profesinio mokymo centras (Lithuania) -Federazione CNOS-FAP (Italy) -Fundación Laboral del Metal (Spain) -MBO RAAD (The Netherlands) -EU-Geschäftsstelle Bezirksregierung Köln (Germany)APPRINVET project achievements helped to increase capacity of VET institutions (practical training units) in terms of how to initiate and manage the dual apprenticeship schemes/ dual pathways and measures in the systemic way as well as update professional skills of VET learners in relation to the labor market needs and improve skills and knowledge of VET teachers and trainers in the field of apprenticeship schemes/dual pathways and measures application, practical training curriculum development and cooperation with private sector.

CONTEXTFaced with changes driven by health, environmental constraints and the omnipresence of digital technology, vocational training must be able to adapt and constantly innovate to remain attractive, qualitative and effective. This pedagogical transformation is taking place in part with new modalities of teaching and learning.In this perpetual modernization, teachers and trainers are essential actors, their professional development deserves special attention.OBJECTIVESThus, the FORTRAINERS project is part of a dual approach: the pedagogical innovation rooted in the digital area and the professional development of teachers-trainers on these new approaches..Its main objective was to design and develop an online training – like a SPOC, intended for the trainers, on the appropriation of new innovative and exemplary pedagogical practices .The project was structured around four operational objectives:1- Identify and propose new innovative pedagogical practices, rooted in the digital area to improve the learning efficiency2- Identify and develop teaching strategies for an integrative dual training (school/company relationship) and support teachers in their implementation3- Highlight the learning assets of physical and virtual mobility and support teachers towards the integration and exploitation of these European experiences4- Set up the online training and support the teachers / trainers in the pedagogical and digital transformationPRODUCTIONS/ACTIVITIESTo meet these four objectives, three vocational training organizations, a regional institution, an association and a company, from five European countries, Germany, Belgium, France, Slovenia and Turkey worked collaboratively during the three years of the project.They brought their expertise and experience to produce four intellectual productions to achieve the objectives of the project.o 1- A training module on innovative practices rooted in the digital area for a more efficient learning,o 2- A training module on innovative practices to enhance the relation School/Company/Apprenticeo 3- A training module on innovative practices to increase the European mobility and the virtual mobility o 4- a training and support system - the SPOC FORTRAINERS - integrating the three previous modules as well as spaces for sharing and discussion between the participants.RESULTS/IMPACTSAt the end of the SPOC experiment with 15 external participants, seven results were measured. They concern :1. improving the digital, pedagogical and linguistic skills of teachers2. the improvement of educational engineering skills3. the adoption of new open and innovative teaching practices rooted in the digital age4. the adoption / development of a work-study pedagogy including work situations5. increased sensitivity and European openness6.the strengthening of international cooperation and cooperation between teachers / trainers, and with companies7. increased motivation, self-confidence and creativity In addition to the impacts on the public teachers / trainers and their training organizations, FORTRAINERS project has promoted, through the implementation of these new pedagogical practices, the reinforcement of key skills for apprentices: in particular digital skills and personal qualities such as proactivity, communication, initiative, autonomy, etc.Overall, the project impacted:- 15 trainers, from different European countries, who have experienced SPOC Fortrainers for more than 3 months,- 20 trainers trained internally on strategies to promote effective learning,- 7 trainers and 40 learners who participated in the experiments of innovative practices thus allowing the recording of the videos available on the Fortrainers channel.- More than 70 actors of vocational training via the multiplier events- And thousands of people thanks to the 150 communication actions carried out during the project and the Fortrainers video channel which has nearly 7,200 views.

Teachers and trainers’ professional development continues to be a high priority on the EU policy agenda. In 2010, the Bruges communiqué (2010) invited Member States to invest in VET teachers and trainers by offering flexible training provision. The Riga conclusions (2015) have put renewed emphasis on the issue, calling for more systematic approaches and better cooperation and partnerships. There is a need of competences from VET providers on how to set up innovative Work-based learning methodologies to prepare students for their future occupation thus improving their employability when leaving the school. In particular, the staff of VET providers need to become more acquainted with organising WBL experiences in mobility, because they allow students to acquire key competences and professional competences at once, apart from contributing to their personal development. With this regard peer learning has showed to be a powerful method for exchanging knowledge and experience and possibly speed up the development process.Work based learning summer schools project brought together 7 partners, including 5 VET Providers (Hetel, Insignare, SPTS, EUGES, AOCDTF) and two mobility expert (Uniser and Efil) from 7 countries (Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium) that had a common shared concern: to improve work based learning and mobility of learners by upscaling the VET provider competences and internationalisation. The final aim of WBL summer schools was to exchange good practices among project partners, related to teacher training on work-based learning and internationalisation of VET schools with the purpose of develop a model of a European ‘summer school’ for the professional continuous development of teachers/educators operating in VET providers on these themes.The mixed composition of the partnership allowed to have multiple point of view and develop a comprehensive approach to student learning mobility projects that covered all the main aspects: writing, planning, managing, monitoring, organising, assessing and enhancing intercultural learning. The resulting methodology has been based on role games, experiential and peer learning working activities in order to put the teachers and practitioners in the student shoes and boost mutual understanding among participants.From November 2017 to October 2019 the project unfolded into the creation of an innovative teacher training methodology that was initially built on the partners best practices. The 5 days summer school training format was piloted for the first time in Bologna (June 2018) and afterwards it has been reworked based on the participants and trainers feedbacks. A second edition took place one year later in La Rochelle (July 2019). After the second piloting the final format of the WBL summer school has been delivered.Together with the training methodology partnership conceived the Mobiliteach brand with the aim to further develop teacher trainings based on the same content (learning mobility abroad) and methodology and reunite all of them under the brand in order to be easily identifiable as high quality teacher trainings.An ad hoc website has been created to maximise the impact and reach as many VET provider as possible. It contains all information about the project and training materials which are freely downloadables without any limitation. The website www.mobiliteach.net has been conceived also to bring together the complete Mobiliteach teacher training offer that organisations inside and outside of the partnership are developing.The project had a relevant impact on: - VET teachers and staff that increased their competences on writing, planning, managing and organising WBL experiences and gained intercultural learning competences.- VET providers that increased their level of internationalisation and the upscale their VET provision thanks to the competences and skills acquired by their staff - Mobility experts gained a deeper understating on the VET system of the participating countries- All organisation reached with dissemination that got interested or are already participating to new Mobiliteach projects.The project in the long run will contribute to increase the offer of high quality WBL experience abroad to VET students and therefore enhance young people employability. Upscale of VET teachers competences and their increased awareness on the importance of. work-based learning experiences will also indirectly support work-based learning validation of competences and its integration in the students curricula.

eMovA project-Virtual Mobility for Apprenticeship, is the result of a reflection within the European network, Euroapprenticeship, to improve the efficiency of short-term mobility internship and offer a virtual alternative to those who cannot leave.To develop virtual mobility in Apprenticeship training, the eMovA project partners, eight in number, including five types of organizations (vocational training centers, craft chambers of commerce, public bodies, European foundation, SME organization) in five European countries (France, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia and Portugal) have worked closely on the following three objectives:Objective 1: To provide ready-to-use teaching materials to facilitate virtual mobility actions.Objective 2: To accompany the actors of vocational training by sharing open and innovative practices in digital eraObjective 3: To create a virtual space on Euroapprenticeship plateform in order to inform the users about virtual mobility and explain how to use or contribute in eMovA products. To reach these three objectives, three intellectual outputs - one per objective - have been made by the partners.Thus, O1 / eMovA-activities makes available to trainers/teachers or mobility referents, 20 ready-to-use learning sequences to facilitate virtual mobility actions.Access O1: http://moodle.euroapprenticeship.eu/O2 / eMovA-videos, via its video channel on Youtube, helps the trainers/teachers in the implementation of virtual mobility with digital tools, through concrete examples realized in class.O2 Access: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyqvS2bpjijKWcud03SuZdAO3 / eMovA-space offers a virtual information and linking space on virtual mobility, specific for Apprenticeship.Access O3: http://www.euroapprenticeship.eu/en/the-mobilite-virtuelle.htmlIn addition to the development of virtual mobility for the Apprenticeship, several impacts and benefits in the short, medium and long term were identified at the end of the project, in particular:- the professional development of the trainers on ICT methodologies, - the development of hard skills (linguistic, numerical ...) and soft skills (teamwork, communication, etc.) by the beneficiaries,- the appropriation of the benefits of virtual mobility by the companies,- the dissemination of open educational resources (OER) in various European languages,- the improvement of the learning quality by providing a European dimension and encouraging the adoption of innovative pedagogical practices,- the appetite of target audiences for virtual and physical mobility,- the increase of international cooperation between the actors of vocational training,- the increase of national and international cross-sectoral cooperation between the economic, political and educational actors of the European territories.

"The project was developed on the background of the increasing digitalization in all areas of life and the lack of skilled workers, for example in the fields of electronics and mechatronics. The development known as Industry 4.0 in Germany requires new qualifications for skilled workers, trainers and apprentices as well as vocational school teachers. Currently, there are large differences within and between different sectors as well as between different countries and regions in terms of adapting to the requirements designated as ""4.0"" in the project. The project aimed to analyse and better understand the expected needs and to develop exemplary learning modules for future professionals and their teachers and trainers in order to respond to the development at an early stage. This was successful, but during the project it also became apparent how dynamic and unequal this process is.Specifically, the project had three objectives: 1. An analysis of which competence requirements in the fields of electronics and mechatronics will change among the skilled workers and training personnel.2. The development of exemplary learning modules for trainees, which give an initial access to the future working world 4.0 and which can be implemented with relatively little resources and are suitable for all participating countries.3. Building on this, the development of learning modules for teaching staff in order to sensitize them to the challenges of digitalization and enable them to teach in a project-oriented and forward-looking manner and to guide their students in their learning.A total of nine partner institutions from eight countries (DE, ES, FI, IT, LT, NL, PL, SE) participated in the project. In addition, four vocational colleges from the Cologne Region were involved in the development of the modules. The majority of the partners were vocational schools; the responsibility for the preparatory study lay with Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Polish partner was a private chamber, which is in contact with companies as well as schools in the Wroclaw region. The two Italian partners are regional, private vocational training and mobility providers with a high level of interest in the topic.Further details can be found on the project's website at http://vet-4-0.eu/Expertise.html .The main activities carried out are closely related to the three main objectives: On the basis of the current literature on the changes in the ""working world 4.0"" in the fields of electronics and mechatronics, an empirical case study was carried out in which a total of 42 company representatives from the partner countries were interviewed about future competence requirements. In addition, 13 teachers from these areas were interviewed. The results of the study are summarized in a report. In order to make the results clear and manageable for further work, they were condensed and presented clearly in a competence matrix 4.0 for trainees and a one for teaching staff.On this basis, learning modules were developed that focus on different aspects in an exemplary way: Smart and Keen Company aims at the possibility of prototyping and manufacturing components with 3D printers and the networking of different actors in a production process. IoT - Plant Irrigation deals with the networking of people and things and their control via automated feedback loops. Intelligent House 4.0 - Smart Light Control focuses on the craft sector and thus on SMEs and gives VET students in handcrafts in the field of electronics their first opportunities to adapt to the requirements for the installation of Smart Home components. Digital Factory for Individualized Mass Products is concerned with digitized production chains that can produce products precisely tailored to individual customer requirements using the one-lot process. IoT - The Intelligent LED Sign deals with how simple microcontroller hardware can be planned, programmed and used and, if necessary, controlled with a mobile phone. All in all, the modules cover a wide range of 4.0 requirements, which can be adapted to the needs of VET colleges.The third focal point was the development of suitable modules for the teaching staff, some of whom first have to be made aware of the topic for which the General Module is intended. The teaching staff should also be enabled to use the modules efficiently for their students, to adapt them to the specific needs of different target groups and to further develop them. They are closely related to the student modules."