<< Background >>The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has continued to increase by 200% over the last 20 years. According to ASDEU (2018), the European Parliament project on ASD, one in 89 children is diagnosed with ASD in the European Union. Care and dialogue for ASD is consequently moving consistently higher in the social agenda. For the professionals that work most often with people with ASD, there is a need for their training to match pace with this emerging and future need of our society. One of the relevant key groups of professionals, are healthcare workers, as they can be the ones to interact early in their lives and frequently with ASD individuals, as they are 50 times more likely to visit a healthcare professional and 4 times more likely to end up in the emergency room (CDC). However, research suggests (Austriaco et al., 2019) that the perceived general knowledge of ASD is low for healthcare professionals and VET students. The unique characteristics of the ASD population pose a unique challenge for healthcare professionals to manage. The exposure to a new environment a person with ASD must face during a consultation, the lack of verbal communication and the repetitive behaviors can become barriers to medical diagnosis and management during the visit. Lack of skills and relevant training for the healthcare professionals can lead to late diagnosis and intervention, poor management of ASD patients in need of healthcare services, and, thus, a low quality service provision by healthcare professionals.However, currently there is no VET specialization for healthcare professionals on autism. Some online courses are offered for healthcare professionals, but they are either introductory and information sessions or available only in EN and paid courses. Moreover, there are very few resources on how to treat ASD adults, in comparison to ASD children. The close links of healthcare provision to ASD individuals, involves not only the patients and the healthcare professionals, but also most commonly ASD patients’ families and/or communities, healthcare facilities and staff, and other social services. This in turn adds a challenge on how not only curricula need to be updated and professionals upskilled, but also how the way VET is practiced in such a setting may require a more collaborative and connected stakeholders approach.<< Objectives >>The project aims at providing healthcare professionals (nursing & midwifery professionals- ESCO 2221 & 2222) with a new, innovative and accessible learning opportunity on ASD. More specifically, the project’s objectives are:- to support innovation in VET by offering a new specialization in ASD- to upskill healthcare professionals on ASD - to raise awareness on the importance of ASD training for healthcare professionals - to respond to the increasing need for ASD specialized healthcare professionals<< Implementation >>The project is going to implement the following activities: - Desk research on skills’ gap of healthcare professionals on ASD- Field research with interviews with professionals & interviews with families and individuals with ASD per country - Collection of cases for treating ASD patients- Mapping and identification of the specific learning needs of healthcare professionals on the topic of ASD- Mapping & inventory of existing curricula on ASD for healthcare professionals - Creation of the curriculum outline, teaching methodologies and curriculum plans- Development of the educational material and interactive training resources for trainers - Profile definition of learners - Organization of a short joint staff training - Creation of the piloting methodological framework - Networking and identification of participants for the pilot implementation with the participation of ASD individuals - Reporting on the pilot implementation - Collection of the experiences from project implementation and development of a step-by-step roadmap on how VET institutions can adopt the project methodology and results in their organization<< Results >>The project results of the project are described in detail in the next parts of the application. In summary the following project results are foreseen for the project: R1: Curriculum for healthcare professionalsR2: Trainer toolkit for VET trainersLTTA: Joint staff training on how to deliver the training sessions for healthcare professionalsR3: Training sessions for healthcare professionalsR4: Roadmap on how to implement ASD training in VETApart from the above mentioned, the project will also have results relating to dissemination: - 1 Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy and Toolkit, with an outline for the approach, the public identity, the target groups and channels of the project. - Moreover, a website of the project will be prepared and the project flyers, publication templates, press release templates etc.Lastly, at the end of the project it is expected that the project will have the following outcomes: - Enhanced capacity of healthcare professionals on how to manage & diagnose ASD individuals in their practice- Better accessibility to high quality healthcare services for ASD individuals and their families- Better understanding of the skills’ gap of healthcare professionals

The INCLUDNET project (Development of Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Young People with Intellectual Disability) aims at fostering social and labour inclusion of young people with intellectual disability through the provision of entrepreneurship education and access to entrepreneurship and self-employment. Young people with Intellectual disability are subject to employers discrimination thus self-employment or entrepreneurship remains for many the only option for labour inclusion. Even if this is the reality in all the European Member States there is still not yet any inclusive entrepreneurship policy or entrepreneurship education for this category of young people. The INCLUDNET partnership will for the first time develop an accessible easy to read training programme on entrepreneurship for young people with Intellectual disability and will establish business support network that will provide them with couching and mentoring services. Inclusive Entrepreneurship programs aim to offer all people an equal opportunity to create a sustainable business whatever is their social group or background thus are an important requirement for achieving smart sustainable and inclusive growth.Five different European countries will participate in the INCLUDNET project and will exchange knowledge and best practices on inclusive entrepreneurship programs for young people with intellectual disability. The INCLUDNET project will: • Develop a sustainable ecosystem of inclusive entrepreneurship for young people with intellectual disability• Enable users to be equal partners within the planning and development of the training program, thus enhancing self-determination;• Provide opportunities for self-development and employment inclusion for young people with intellectual disabilities so that they can be acknowledged as people that can contribute to the development of their community. • Test dedicated pilot actions of inclusive enterprises• Evaluate the impacts of the entrepreneurial process on the quality of life of the users as well as the overall impacts of the project in terms of social inclusion • Promote the development, testing, and implementation of innovative practices in the field of youth participation in the labour market• Promote activities that could better prepare young people on equity, diversity and social inclusion in the training / learning environment. The INCLUDNET project is innovative in the following way: •It will establish a transnational business support network for young people with intellectual disabilities •It will implement the Social Safari methodology within the training/learning activities •It will develop an easy to read learning platform on how to become an entrepreneur •It will offer mentoring services for young entrepreneurs with intellectual disabilityThe INCLUDNET project will directly and indirectly contribute to better fulfillment of the following rights enshrined in the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities•Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence ofpersons; (art 3 a- General Principals Art 3 UN CRPD )•Full and effective participation and inclusion in society ( art 3 c)•Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity (Art 3 (d))•Will promote recognition of the skills, merits and abilities of young people with disabilities, and of their contributions to the workplace and the labour market ( Raising awareness Art 8 (iii) UN CRPD•Will promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications ( Accessibility of Information art 9 UN CRPD)•Provide information disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities (Freedom of expression and opinion and access of information art 21 UN CRPD )•Ensure that young people with disabilities are able to access, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others (art 24 UN CRPD education)•Promote opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship, the development of cooperatives and starting one’s own business (art 27)The project is in line with the following objectives and priorities of the European Union •Erasmus plus- Youth Agenda •Social Business Initiative•Research programme on social innovation by DG Research & Innovation•EaSI programme of DG Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion •Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion

<< Background >>The main objective of the project is to develop mechanisms and tools for the recognition and validation of prior learning. The developed methods and tools are target especially at adult learners in vulnerable situations and adult trainers working with vulnerable groups of learners. A large proportion of people face severe challenges in getting decent jobs, whether they are migrants trying to access education or to enter the labour market or they may be disabled or otherwise in a vulnerable situation. They may have the necessary skills and competences to do the job but they lack the recognition and validation of their skills. Or they may have skills gaps that could be filled with some specified learning tasks in order to be employed. The recognition of prior learning processes can help these individuals acquire microcredentials, a certification or even a formal qualification that matches their knowledge and skills, and thereby contribute to improving their employability, mobility, lifelong learning, social inclusion and self-esteem.The project aims also at supporting the green and digital transformation on the grass root level. There is a need to enable a profound change in peoples’ behaviour and skills, starting in the training systems and institutions as catalysts. Actions should be geared towards changing behaviour, developing and boosting skills for the green economy through fostering new sustainable education and training. As stated in the European Pillar of Social Rights a strong Social Europe is the foundation not only of our citizens’ prosperity and well-being but also of a competitive economy. A skilled innovative workforce, capable of shaping and adapting to the green and digital transitions will be key to this. Education is the foundation for personal fulfilment, employability, and active and responsible citizenship. The right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning is proclaimed in the European Pillar of Social Rights as its first principle. The Union has reset its growth strategy, based on sustainability, with green and digital transitions as its transformative drivers. Education is at the heart of the European way of life, strengthening social market economy and democracy with freedom, diversity, human rights and social justice.In December 2020, 16 million people were out of work. Low-skilled, low-paid workers, and temporary workers were the first to be laid-off due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Migrants’ participation in the labour market was also disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Although skills are essential to equip people for the new green and digital jobs and help shield workers from unemployment, under 40% of adults participate in any form of training every year and still too many young people have only a low level of skills or do not reach upper secondary education level (European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan | European Commission (europa.eu)) At the Eu level, adult participation in learning has not reached 15% target but has risen to 10.8% in 2019, with large differences between EU countries.<< Objectives >>There is a need for more flexible and inclusive learning paths since the learner population is becoming more diverse and the learning needs including up-skilling and reskilling more dynamic. The guidance and validation of skills play an important role. Innovative instruments like micro-credentials can facilitate flexible learning pathways and support learners to get employed or during professional transitions. More emphasis on training in collective agreements between social partners can improve access to quality training opportunities at the workplace, including for apprenticeships.The light pre-survey on the issue showed us that there is a need for easy-to-use methods and tools for both adult learners in need for support (eg. migrants, disabled, long term unemployed, people without formal secondary level education or otherwise in a vulnerable situation in the society and esp. in the labour market) as well as employers and staff working with adult learners. We want to develop easy-to-use, user-friendly tools for adult learners to assess their own skills and competencies gained through prior learning in formal, informal and non-formal settings in order to see the emerging needs and to find ways to up-skill and re-skill the competences to meet the needs of the labour market. For the companies and staff working with adult adult learners, the learning environment identification tool will offer an easy way to identify the tasks and the skills needed to successfully complete the tasks.<< Implementation >>1) Preparation and planning - preparation and planning phase has been commenced already in the application phase and it will continue the two first project months. All the plans, scheduling, timelines, milestones, templates, agreements etc. will be finalized so that the actual implementaation is ready to start in the beginning of 2022. 2) Transnational project meetingsThere will be five transnational project meetings and the preliminary agenda has been prepared already in the application phase. Each meeting will last one to two days depending on the planned agenda. 3) Production of the project resultsThe production of four project results has been planned and the tasks within the work packages has been distributed. The project results are all closely connected to each other and they form a usable entity within adult learning context. 4) LTT activityThe planned LTT activity is connected to the project results and gives the participants a possibility to familiarize themselves with the produced tools and methods more in depth. Thus enabling their role as facilitators in their own organisations. 5) Multiplier eventsThe project plans to arrange five multiplier events - one in each partner country. The objective of the MEs is to disseminate the project results to a wider audience interested in adult learning. . 6) EvaluationEvaluation is an ongoing process throughout the whole project. 7) DisseminationDissemination activities take place during the whole project to reach maximum visibility to the project and its results in order to create long lasting impact.<< Results >>The project builds upon the following key elements that create the project results: 1) The first refers to the processes related to identifying skills and competences of the learner including non-formal and informal learning (digital, simple and visual self-evaluation tool)2) the identification and definition of learning environment (what kind of skills can be gained in the learning environment) - digital tool3) the training module for trainers and working life representatives - how to recognise and evaluate the skills of the learner/ what is the recognition and validation process like; who are the actors4) the collection and presentation of evidence of learning; the assessment and validation of the evidence; and issuing recognized microcredentials, certification or even qualification if claims are validThe whole recognition and validation of prior learning process will be visualised including all the project results (1 to 4) .The project and its results will benefit the adult learners, adult trainers, organisations offering adult training, companies and employers. The recognition and validation process of learning is made visible and easy to comprehend by all active parties thus improving the situation of adult learners in the world of work and also education and training.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 sanitary crisis, the risk of school dropouts increased. According to a study made by Synlab in May 2020, one out of five pupils is at risk of school dropout. Those numbers are even worse for pupils in priority education zones and for pupils with disabilities. Les Jeunes Européens – France, JEF Sweden, IxESN France, Starting Block, ARFIE and CADIAI want to address the challenge of the 2.0 European civic education and therefore to continue to raise awareness on European citizenship even during the Covid-19 crisis, and more broadly to adapt pedagogical methods to the digital era. “AccessiblEU” aims to give to the educational institutions of the 27 Member States of the European Union the tools to be able teaching European civic education thanks to the digital, and therefore adapt their techniques for digital education, online or for distance education. From May 2021 to April 2023, this project will aim to make the European civic education more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Indeed, 60% of European citizens feel misinformed about the European Union (Eurobarometer - November 2019). This number is increasing by 4 points in comparison with the previous year. Thanks to digital methods, this project aims to create resources, tools and pedagogical methods adapted to every European citizen, and mostly to those who feel far from European citizenship, by lifting information accessibility and EU education constraints. In this framework, several target audiences have been identified: - Teachers and educational staff of the scholar education who are often powerless to speak about European citizenship with digital methods.- People with disabilities : pupils with disabilities are those who had the most difficulties to follow online education and especially during the lockdown period. - Pupils who want to go for a European mobility (Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, etc.) which were and still are prevented because of the Covid-19 crisis. As a matter of fact, according to a study made by the European Commission in July 2020, 3 on 4 participants declared that their mobility was affected by the current sanitary crisis.This project aims to lift constraints upon digital European education by the creation of intellectual productions which would reinforce digital competences of teachers and educational staff in this field. These intellectual productions will be:- Train-the-trainers modules on European civic education, for distance or online learning: these modules will give teachers and educational staff digital “turnkey solutions” resources (videos, contents, educational tools,...) adapted to each educational level (middle school, high school,...) and to train teachers and educational staff to use these tools (ie. how to host and moderate an European Parliament simulation).- Pedagogical resources adapted for pupils with disabilities who suffer from a double alienation because of the “digital divide” and their disabilities. Based on European Commission roadmap for the EU Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030, this project will draw from leading countries on inclusion of people with disabilities, and from know-how of associations working on inclusive education. It will then provide us with expertise to create suitable and inclusive pedagogical tools adapted for disabilities. - A serious game about European mobility: this digital resource will facilitate the European mobility awareness by proposing to the pupils to live an experience of mobility thanks to virtual reality. Based on European mobility opportunities (Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps...), this serious game aims to make more visible and accessible international and European mobility. It also aims to raise the desire to participate in the Erasmus+ program.These intellectual productions will be created thanks to the expertise of specialized associations on these topics. They will be experimented throughout the project in educational institution partners of the project in different European countries.Each digital pedagogical resource, tool and content will be freely accessible on an online platform, available in English, French, Swedish and Italian. Some train-the-trainer sessions will be organized in each partner country to share with teachers and educational staff all these intellectual productions and teach how to use them. These teachers and education staff will then be able to host pedagogical interventions on European citizenship using digital tools, and will therefore perpetuate the results of this project.

CONTEXTThe Europe 2020 strategy calls for efforts to reduce to less than 10% by 2020 the proportion of people aged 18-24 who leave education and training with lower secondary education at most. According to the main statistical findings (Eurostat) in the EU as a whole the rate of early leavers from school and education is much higher for disabled people, especially for those with specific learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders, than for those not having a disability: 31.5 % compared with 12.3 %.As the EU population is getting older, the number of Europeans with disabilities is rising significantly. They remain consistently disadvantaged in terms of employment, education and social inclusion, as discrimination is still a major obstacle.OBJECTIVES The main aim of the IDEA project is exchange of best practices and knowledge on innovative work-based learning methodologies (school-work programs, internships, apprenticeships etc.) for VET teachers, trainers and mentors to increase the current percentage of young people with disabilities who come to qualification and who enter in the labour market for the first time.By implementing this project, among Italian, Spain, French, Romanian, Finnish and Belgian organisations, we aim to discover our neighbours context, practices, challenges and initiatives, regarding the access of disabled learner on vocational training. During the length of the project, especially during the meetings among the partners, the partnership intends to:- Develop the knowledge of partners’ staff on the local contexts abroad (social, economical, cultural and legal perspectives) and approaches facilitating disabled people inclusion in each partner’s place.- Create awareness and interest among organisations dealing with European mobility (VET centers, Mobility agencies...) so that they consider disabled learners as potential beneficiaries.- Develop the confidence of European staff dealing with learners with disability, especially regarding European opportunities like ERASMUS, by discovering successful initiatives.TARGET GROUPS:The direct target groups will be institutions and professionals in vocational training system and in employment services directly involved in the partnership or in the second level network which, thanks to the European exchange, will be able to innovate their practices and methodologies. The indirect target groups, therefore, will be young people with disabilities ((learners, recent graduates of a VET provider and unemployed).DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY# 3 Transnational project meetings:- The first Kick off meeting in Italy to set up the partnership; - Intermediate meeting in Belgium (at the end of I year) to evaluate the realization of the first project activities and developing the second part of project activities (the second kick off meeting)- The final kick off meeting (place of venue yet to be agreed) to evaluate the results of all the activities realized and discuss follow up# 5 Short-term joint staff training events to exchange practices and to allow peer-learning about:- Innovative work-based learning methodologies (school-work programs, internships, apprenticeships etc.) for teachers/Vet provider to increase the current percentage of young people with disabilities who come to qualification and who enter in the labour market for the first time;- identifying the most innovative best practices which may be transferable to other European countries in national / local context on assistive technologies and inclusive methodologies for young people with disabilities.EXPECTED IMPACTS• on the participants involved in the short-time joint staff training events: improvement of the hard skills and competences of training and job service providers in terms of methodologies to foster the first flow of young people with disability into the labour market. Furthermore, project participants will discover new environment and work cultures. It also will strengthen transversal key competences, such as learning-to-learn and communication skills, a sense of initiative and European citizenship.• participating organisations and their professionals – not directly involved in the project - will improve the quality of services and the adoption of innovative work practices, organisational learning by discovering new and different methodologies for the employment of people with disability. This will open their perspective and increase their self-confidence in a basilar understanding of European Union Programmes, especially in Erasmus Programme.• indirect target groups young with disabilities benefit from the best practice exchanged in terms of new approaches, new methodologies in order to increase their employability, self-confidence and economic and social independence.• other relevant stakeholders will involve in each short-time joint training to reinforce the mutual enrichment of practice and networking at bilateral, regional/national.