<< Objectives >>Attract and widen access for newcomers, less experienced organisations and small-scale actors to the programme.Support the inclusion of target groups with fewer opportunities.Support active European citizenship and bring the European dimension to the local level.Increasing quality in the work and practices of the organisations and institutions involved.Attract and include new organizations in the EU and Erasmus+ Projects<< Implementation >>1. An induction Manual (awareness, guidelines, best practices, success stories) for onboarding the new small-scale organizations into EU projects.2. An application design for utilizing and combining the necessary tools for small-scale organizations for a smooth onboarding can serve as a technical manual for further full-scale development.3. UX testing - User Experience test, where we would reach out to different companies (in the EU projects and some new smaller-scale companies)<< Results >>1. A comprehensive but compact Manual for first-time applicants of EU projects.2. A design of an online application/platform that will facilitate the necessary tools in one platform only to avoid multiple applications and tools. This design can later be developed in a full-scale manner and become a part of the Mobility tool once proven by the UX testing.

TeachinVR is a project about VET innovation through Immersive Virtual Reality Technology, aiming to address the challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic which have severely disrupted the education sectors worldwide by banning -almost completely- face to face training or posing limitations and restrictions in its delivery. Although attempts are being made to transfer the teaching / learning process onto digital platforms these have failed to recreate an interactive, engaging, efficient and productive learning environment and sustain a viable learning process. The project aims to address the above challenges by assisting all members of the Vocational Education & Training Community to acquire digital competencies and enhance the digital education readiness of the sector in light of recent developments by employing Virtual Reality technology. The project addresses primarily VET teachers / instructors / providers and secondarily VET learners. The project delivers an innovative, immersive, VR training / learning methodology, a comprehensive manual for the design, implementation, evaluation of VR training / learning in the VET sector and beyond, a complete immersive VR course as the practical demonstration and application of the methodology & manual, and a short roadmap for using VR in teaching / learning presented as a Guide. It is expected that a total of 50 members of the target groups will be directly involved in the production and delivery of IOs, while an additional 130-150 will be addressed through the multiplier events. Participants are expected to gain awareness and familiarity with the developing VR technology, acquire knowledge regarding its use and applicability, gain the digital skills required to design, produce, deliver and implement the VR teaching / learning experience, and enhance the overall digital education readiness of the sector by offering new outlets, concrete paths, and the know-how for people to make use of them. The project is expected to create a cascade impact effect by encouraging participants involved in it to share their experience, to discuss their insights, and date to explore the options offered by VR for their own VET learning / teaching activities. The partnership foresees longer term benefits beyond the immediate VET beneficiaries, and would like to particularly highlight the use of the project deliverables for disadvantaged groups such as people facing physical disabilities and mobility challenges, residents of remote areas, incarcerated populations, and similar groups that can benefit substantially from the VR methodology, manual, course and guide in order to address their teaching /learning needs.

<< Background >>The recent pandemic has had heavy consequences in the EU, especially in the field of education and VET training, introducing significant changes in the way to teach, communicate, collaborate, learn, and highlighting several critical aspects within the organisations representing the partnership, and in general in the VET system.The VET system, which already experienced delays in the modernisation and digitalisation process, had to face an unexpected situation. The sudden digital transition (Conclusions of the Council on the contrast to Covid-19 crisis in the field of education and training 2020/C 212 I/03) has been, in many cases, an emergency reply, often not planned and unprepared. Despite the involvement and the efforts made to adapt the system, its effectiveness and quality have been in some way compromised (“The impact of COVID-19 on education - Insights from Education at a Glance 2020” and “VET in a time of crisis: Building foundations for resilient vocational education and training systems” - OECD) and Distance Learning has only partially compensated the teaching needs.Tutors and trainers were unprepared. The activities have been implemented in an improvised way and in a confused context. The lack of digital skills (pedagogical and technological) adds up to the difficulty to transfer a practice-based learning founded on practical contents and abilities in a virtual environment, activated in emergency, and through little developed and effective technological solutions. In general, the VET system pays for the lack of a strategic vision and structural investments aimed at searching for adequate pedagogical and technological solutions adoptable and adaptable to practical and manual training contents.In line with the European Framework on digital skills of educational organisations, the project partners are aware that digital technologies represent a key potential to reply to the educational mission and implement a high quality and inclusive training. From these reflections, the need arises to intervene on the digital eco-system (adequate and innovative technological solutions, developed digital contents, qualified human resources) in view of building resilient and digitally skilled organisations, that can redefine the organisation strategies, improve the ability to innovate and fully exploit the potential offered by technology. The needs the project wishes to fulfil are, therefore, related to three dimensions: pedagogical (trainers and tutors need to reinforce their methodological and technological skills), technological (organisations need to innovate their digital tools and develop new solutions applied to practical and manual contents), and organisational (organisations need to become digitally skilled and to develop approaches and visions that can reinforce the governance and permanently integrate digital technology in their daily practice). UPDATE has the aim to become an experimental laboratory through which partners intend to: •develop strategies and actions that can make VET organisations resilient and proactive in facing digital transformation (horizontal priority)•stimulate the exchange of good practices and know-how and a constant and constructive dialogue with stakeholders and policymakers at a local, regional, national, and international level. The topic of digital transition in the VET system is of European interest (Action Plan for digital education 2021-2027), the needs fulfilled by UPDATE are expressed by the VET system in general and the expected results and envisaged actions will be able to contribute to the reinforcement and innovation of the whole system at a EU level (VET priority).<< Objectives >>UPDATE starts from the need to structure a digital eco-system in the VET field – meant as a combination of technical infrastructures, organisation abilities, trainers’ skills, and learning quality contents – highly effective and sustainable, based on the assumption that the change is feasible only if you act on three dimensions: pedagogical, technological, and organisational (see Action Plan for digital development 2021-2027).STRATEGY: implement and reinforce the VET digital eco-system through a) the collection, development, implementation, and validation, at a transnational level, of methodologies, tools, and innovative practices for digital didactic applied to learning professional competences and practical and manual contents, and b) the reinforcement/updating of the digital competences (pedagogical and technological) of tutors and trainers.GENERAL OBJECTIVE: improve the quality of vocational training delivered by VET organisations – in view of increasing the learning opportunities, inclusion and training success of learners, as well as their employability – reinforcing the trainers and tutors’ abilities to implement forms of blended and distance didactic and apply the new technologies to the training activities of high practical and manual content (specific feature of vocational training).TARGET GROUP: VET trainers and tutors.NEEDS OF THE TARGET GROUP: -increase the knowledge on methods and tools for digital learning and on positive examples of application-improve the digital competences and achieve higher confidence in developing and integrating new ways of teaching/learning of practical knowledge through innovative technologies -innovate approaches, didactic methodologies and technologies in use, through a collection, selection of existing materials and resources and the development of “ad hoc” resources-reinforce the training practice in a team dimension, within a community that promotes a reflexive and collaborative learning culture and supports the development of interdisciplinary initiatives in a digital environment -move into a methodological reference framework that leads in the organisation and structuring of an inclusive qualitative training offer NEEDS OF THE PARTNERSHIP:-spread, at organisational level, the knowledge on the opportunities offered by digital technologies for the practical and manual training in the VET field-reinforce the availability/conviction to handle digital didactic as a strategy to increase the quality of the training offer and the attractiveness of the VET system-share know-how and practices, enhance excellences-develop/reinforce the digital eco-system for a high-quality, effective, and inclusive training-promote a continuous dialogue and reinforce cooperation among organisations (within and outside the partnership) on the topics of digital pedagogy and didactic in the VET fieldSPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:•Improve the knowledge about digital didactic experiences in the VET field and about innovative and sustainable methodological and technological solutions for digital learning applied to professional practice (SO1)•Reinforce/increase the trainers and tutors’ digital competences in adopting methodological and technological solutions applied to the professional practice, and in designing digital, interactive, and effective teaching/learning experiences (SO2)•Develop/implement and integrate innovative methodological and technological solutions for learning practical and manual contents in the VET paths (SO3).<< Implementation >>UPDATE lasts 24 months and envisages the implementation of 3 outcomes to which 3 work phases correspond, according to a sequential logic which foresees moments of interaction, overlapping, and mutual feedback:R1 - RESEARCH: collection of good methodological and didactic practices applied to Distance Learning in the VET field; comparative analysis of existing technological solutions and innovative digital tools functional to practical and manual didactic in the VET field R2 – BLENDED TRAINING FOR TRAINERS COURSE: design and development of a blended training for trainers’ path aimed at developing and reinforcing digital skills. The envisaged activities are the following: design the course, develop the learning objects, create the LMS platform, analyse the professional profiles, as a steppingstone to develop the VR; develop a virtual didactic environment; transnational LTTA on the virtual reality applied to practical and manual activities; deliver 4 editions of the blended course; validation of the course. R3 – INTEGRATION PLAN OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN DIDACTICS: the trainers and tutors who have taken part in the training will have to apply what they have learnt and to test technological and methodological solutions within the vocational training courses. At the end of this testing and on the basis of the feedback collected and the lessons learnt, a plan will be drawn up containing the methodological, feasibility and sustainability indications, as well as the integration strategy of what has been tested within the organisation practice. The activities envisaged will be the following: testing with the learners, development of a peer-to-peer “digital learning community”, evaluation and validation of the testing, drawing up the plan.The project foresees to involve a total of 80 VET operators (trainers and tutors) distributed among Denmark, Estonia, Greece, and Italy. Among these, 5 participants selected by EnAIP and 5 by VIKK (partners directly involved in the didactic testing) will participate in the LTTA in Denmark. Within the target group, 40 participants selected by both EnAIP and VIKK will be involved in the testing of technological and methodological solutions applied to practical and manual didactic contents.Along with the production of 3 project results, 8 multiplier events will be organised, with a view to enhance the confrontation among organisations of the VET sector, share success practices and reinforce the impulse to the innovation of the system at large.The project envisages the implementation of 3 transnational meetings. In order to optimise the impacts of the project, dissemination, promotion activities will be organised to share the tangible project results and the lesson learnt throughout the whole implementation of the project.The monitoring and evaluation plan will enable to develop an analysis and control system that the project management can use, in the perspective to facilitate experience-based learning processes. The project will be managed through a participative approach that will imply the active involvement of all partners from the analysis phase to the strategic decision and then to the management one. The project management is aimed at building a real collaboration and co-responsibility on common issues and share the results of the project action.The responsibility of the production of each project outcome is assigned to a leading partner that coordinates the contributions of the other partners. In details, EnAIP Piemonte is responsible of the management and general coordination of the project and coordinates the production of R1; HOU is responsible of the production of R2 and of the monitoring and evaluation of the project; VIRSABI is responsible of the production of R3, with a methodological and technological supervision role, and VIKK is responsible for the dissemination, promotion, and sharing of the project results.<< Results >>UPDATE starts from the awareness that the integration of digital technologies in the training practice requires a significant change at three different levels: pedagogical, technological, and organisational. Therefore, from the UPDATE project, we expect to achieve a reinforcement of the digital eco-system and, thus, adequate and innovated technological solutions, qualified human resources, digitally skilled organisations. As compared to the target group (VET trainers and tutors), we expect to reach the following findings/impacts:•higher knowledge of the methodological and technological solutions appliable in learning practical and manual contents•overcoming of the conviction of impossibility to develop digital didactic applied to practical contents in the VET field and enhancement the availability to integrate digital didactic in the teaching practice and in the organisation of the training offer•increase/consolidation of the digital skills and reinforcement of the sense of self-effectiveness•reinforcement of the ability to design, manage, and animate lessons exploiting the potential of the available digital resources•reinforcement of the teamworking abilities From the organisational point of view, we expect the following findings/impacts: •higher knowledge of good practices of digital didactic in the VET sector•higher assumption that VET organisations in permanently integrating digital technologies in didactics•consolidation of the digital eco-system in a sustainable and inclusive perspective overcoming the emergency mindset•reinforcement of the functionality of the didactic platforms in use, and development of new pedagogical and technological solutions•improvement of the quality of didactics•enhancement of the image and attractiveness of the VET systems The project foresees the implementation of 3 tangible outcomes: research (R1), blended training for trainers’ course (R2), and integration plan of the technologies in didactics (R3).Along with the creation of tangible outcomes, there are also intangible ones that refer to both inter-organisation learning and enhancement of the attractiveness of the VET system.Through the project, each partner, in view of a continuous improvement, will be able to integrate the didactic practices in use and redefine their training model, innovating, at the same time, work processes and contents.Finally, the project partners foresee to contribute to the modernisation process of the VET system and to the improvement of the quality of the training offer at large. Each partner is the expression of stakeholder networks at a local, regional, national, and international level, whose involvement will enable to promote, at different levels, a continuous dialogue on the topics of digital pedagogy and didactics in the VET sector, in line with the expected objectives and impact of the Erasmus+ Programme.

"""The future of work will be a race between education and technology.""Mauricio Macri, Former President of Argentina, host of G20, 2018COVID-19 has had global impact on overall social movements. Education and especially vocational education - its practical part in particular - have been influenced as well. All the classes have moved to the internet and many teachers have found themselves in trouble. According to an OECD report, more than 60% of them have not learned to work in a digital environment. On the other hand, in vocational education, the problem is even more pronounced and relates to skills - the practical part of education. And while online theoretical classes have been implemented at a certain pace, many students have been left without the opportunity to do the practical part in industry, training centres and schools due to COVID-19 and anti-pandemic measures. As a result, in Denmark alone, e.g., close to 20,000 students were prevented from taking practical exams.Both of these problems suggest that quick solutions need to be found to alleviate the problem, primarily through better access to distance learning. The project partners see the solution in Digital Reality tools that allow students to complete a real task with a simulated tool or in a simulated environment mirroring reality, which ultimately solves the burning problem of practical teaching and taking practical exams. In order to do this in the right way, it is necessary to develop a good pedagogy and methodology for the use of DR tools, which currently does not exist, as well as tools that will raise teachers' competences and enable teaching processes to lead safely towards learning outcomes needed for the labour market.For this reason, the objectives of the project can be summarized in the promotion of DR tools as a solution for distance learning with the possibility of application in theoretical and practical teaching, but also in various and even social crisis circumstances. Also, the goal is to develop tools for raising the competencies of teachers to work in the DR environment, promoting learning with technology. The project involves 7 partners from 6 European countries of different profiles and competences in the field of DR. Association for the Promotion of Vocational Education, Secondary Vocational School and University as experienced users of the DR tool, companies that produce simulators based on DR technologies and a virtual reality development agency.Partners will develop 6 outputs during project implementation:1) Basics of digital reality - A handbook for teachers and trainers on how to use different virtual reality simulators for professional occupation in VET2) VET library of DR - A database of digital content creators / developers3) HOW TO ... - Best practice examples from VET digital classrooms across Europe (platform for knowledge exchange)4) Pedagogical guidelines for learning and teaching using DR technologies5) Technical manual: Minimum conditions for education, training and testing in educational processes in virtual environment6) Guideline for Online assessment: Tools and procedures to perform harmonized online assessment of learning gained through virtual environment.As there are currently no solutions in existence such as the ones offered by this project, and they are necessary ASAP, the partners decided to apply a ""step by step"" methodology in the implementation of the project, i.e. step by step to the solution. All outputs will be developed according to this methodology, both internally and externally. Such an approach will enable that, through selected media, the obtained results are published part by part and that the target groups have some of the results available already in the second step (phase) of project implementation.The project results are intended primarily for secondary vocational teachers, their students, high(er) VET education, adult education institutions with vocational characteristics and public authorities at national and international level. What is important to emphasize is that pedagogical guidelines are generic for DR to ensure transferability. Therefore, their use will not be limited to vocational education.The DRinVET project will have an immediate and long-term impact on target groups and vocational education as a whole - from the local, national to international levels. The project can be considered a basis, because it will deliver those tools that will provide all target groups with easier access to DR technologies and the foundations for further personal development of teachers and students and the development of educational organizations and institutions in which they operate and learn. Teachers, trainers, students and trainees will learn how to learn with technology. This will allow them to dive into DR as experienced users and participate equally in the education and technology race mentioned in the saying at the beginning of this summary."

"The current and future employees in the public transport sector face an increasing number of challenges and unprecedented complexity in their daily work like for example ...-technical innovation: self-driving systems, smart roads, elevated busses etc.-an increased traffic especially in cities-Environmental aspects related to the workplace: thinking and acting in a more environmentally conscious and sustainable manner in everyday work of employees as requirement for the implementation of companies' sustainability strategies-Customer relations: Dealing with clients with diverse background, characteristics and attitudes, people with handicaps and reduced mobility, people mal-behaved, etc. On the one hand, the mentioned aspects are stress factors, on the other hand they show that the employees in public transport need several additional skills and competences that go far beyond purely professional aspect. As demanded in the report for the European Commission ""New Skills for New Jobs"", ""working environments need to encourage people to use their potential to the full to the benefit of their work and their own development"" (p. 9).The particular relevance of this requirement for the public transport sector emerges from the report ""Future Employment in Transport"" by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), which predicts growth of 18.1 % in this sector between 2010 and 2030 and an increase in the number of employees to 2.1 million in the EU countries.The aim of the Competence+ project is to develop a modular blended learning concept that enables institutions of VET and further training in the field of public transport to sensitise current and future employees to the following topics, to increase their action competence and to provide them appropriate communication strategies:-Environmental awareness-Awareness of conflicts (incl. Intercultural awareness and equal opportunities)-Civil courage-Stress managementThis concept uses and combines innovative teaching and learning methods, such as audio-visual and interactive elements in online learning and VR simulations, which enable learners in a unique way to apply and train their new competences and skills in a realistic environment. This is workplace-based learning in a new dimension.In order to implement these project objectives, a project partnership has been formed in which various public transport companies as well as VET and further training institutions in the public sector are represented. This ensures on the one hand a practice-oriented and directly applicable implementation in the various products of the project. At the same time, the sustainability of the project is designed from the very beginning, as these project partners have an inherent interest in the continuous use of the blended learning concept even after the end of the project period and will integrate the modules accordingly firmly into their future course offerings for trainees and employees.The partner will develop the following intellectual outputs in this project:- IO1 - Conceptual Framework: the description of the blended learning concept of Competence+ with all modules in terms of respective learning objectives, appropriate online/selfstudy and classroom methods, contents and expected results. This is based on an analysis of good practices in the relevant thematic areas in all partner countries and beyond.- IO2 - Elaboration of workshop contents: the development and creation of the concept and the required teaching and learning materials for the classroom part of the Competence+ concept- IO3 - Development of the Competence+ platform: the transfer of the online parts of the conceptual framework into an eLearning course with various interactive as well as audio-visual elements for teaching, excersising and assessment in the relevant thematical fields. Special part of the platform will be the VR simulations for all modules. The platform will also offer a resource pool with all materials from the project and a possibility for exchange and collaborative learning. - IO4 - The Trainer's Guide """"How to use and integrate modules of Competence+ in my VET course/ further training course?"" will explain the blended learning concept of Competence+ to VET and further training' educators in a praxis-oriented manner.The project will directly involve at least 14 selected VET and further training' educators from all partner countries in a transnational training activity for reviewing and adjusting the Trainer's Guide as well as for their familiarization with it. VET and further training pilot courses with at least 20 participants per country (100 in total) will serve as test and evaluation of the concept by trainees and employees."