<< Objectives >>By improving their knowledge and digital competencies regarding blockchain technologies of VET educators in the field of ICT, through training and helping them to contribute to the career development of their students to reduce the education barriers and prepare them for business life.<< Implementation >>In order for the project to reach its goals, the following activities will be carried out.-Determination of teaching objectives and creation of the teaching outline.-Development of the instructional material content.-Development and validation of the e-book<< Results >>The outputs targeted within the scope of the project are as follows; -Understanding the education barriers to include Blockchain technology into ICT education curricula in local and European level,-Gaining experience and knowledge about blockchain technology ecosystem and best practices in different countries,-Preparation of institutional and personal capacity building interactive e-book about blockchain including thematic areas in 5 topics for target group.-Preparation of teaching process

"Persecution, conflicts, human rights violations and climate changes continue to force people to flee their homes and seek safety in the EU. In 2018 only, an estimated 634700 asylum applications were registered compared to 728400 in 2017 and 1.3 million in 2016 (Eruostat:2020). This number will potentially grow due to the changing politics of Turkey and as aftermath of prevailing Covid-19 crisis, which will lead to worsening economic conditions for refugees globally. Many are here to stay and the European Union needs to ensure that they enter the labour market and become self-reliant as quickly as possible. However, despite diverse educational backgrounds, working experiences and reasons for coming to the EU, migrants tend to have worse employment outcomes in comparison with native-born citizens. In 2018, the EU unemployment rate for people aged 20 to 64 was 12.2 % for those born outside the EU, 6.1 % for the native-born population and 6.8 % for those born in another EU Member State. NEEDS OF THE TARGET GROUP In this context, both research and practice suggest that Vocational Education and Training is recognised as a key aspect of integration as it fosters employability either in general terms or through enhancement of specific language or work skills (Duke et.al “Refugee resettlement in Europe” (2010); European Commission “Handbook on Integration for policy makers and practitioners” (2007). It is also recognised that VET needs to stay a jour with the ongoing changes to meet the Labour market (employers´) and refugees´ needs. In its report from 2016 “Vocational Education and Training: Bridging Refugee and Employer needs”, CEDEFOP states: “Considering the growing numbers of refugees there is a need to upscale, adapt and reinvent VET programmes.” However, while there are many efforts put in adapting VET concerning accessibility, broadening the provision and individual guidance for refugees in all EU countries, the competence-development and support of VET trainers/teachers/counsellors is still limited. According to CEDEFOP, it is vital to provide VET professionals with knowledge/tools/support for creating high quality VET programs. It is insufficient to merely focus on teaching specific working techniques and behaviour while neglecting other work-related skills, just like communication skills, team-work or other soft skills. VET professionals rather have to be able to communicate and teach values, concepts and realities that are relevant in their companies and the contemporary society, e.g. skills and knowledge to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts due to different cultural backgrounds. Consequently, many VET professionals often struggle with high jobs demands leading to stress and burnout. This, together with the fact that they encounter students suffering from multiple traumas related to pre-flight or flight situations might contribute to compassion fatigue. In her qualitative research study ""The experience of staff working with refugees and sylum seekers in the UK"", Helen Liebling confirms that 75 % of professionals including VET trainers/counsellors express need for ongoing training and counselling for coping with compassion fatigue as well as support in development of the intercultural competence.To sum up, while there is a great number of solutions concerning inter-cultural communication developed for trainers in in-formal and non-formal education at NGOs, formal VET programs still lack this aspect. The concept of compassion fatigue is mostly applied for staff in social work and is unfamiliar for formal VET training. OBJECTIVES The main objective of SEP project is to create a hands-on a learning program for sustainable engagement of VET-professionals working with migrants to prevent Compassion Fatigue and to foster Inter-cultural Training. Intercultural capacity building of VET-trainers and counsellors will support them in developing the capacity to make teaching/counselling more responsive, flexible and divergent to accommodate the variety of learning needs and educational expectations of the diverse cultural and ethnic groups of students. Tools for recognition and prevention of compassion fatigue will contribute to less burnout and stress.Enhancing social and economic integration of refugees and migrants is a problems across all EU countries, and although the issue needs to be solved at local level with the local communities, finding solutions which work is a transnational challenge. The transnationality is vital to learn from each other experiences in how different countries address the type of activities as proposed by the project and generate mutual learning in relation to how the professionals working with refugees and migrants upfront the challenges of empowering and creating a sense of agency among their “clients”. The different views and perspectives of stakeholders from different EU regions are exchanged, analysed and applied by their representatives in the consortium."

Project context/background:The COVID-19 crisis accelerated the need for modernisation and digital transformation of training systems in Europe. CIRCULAR SME SCAN (CSS) connects this with a circular economy which is a strategic approach to a more green economy in support of European economic recovery.Circular, sustainable, environment-climate friendly operation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) results in their competitive advantage over their rivals. However the over 25 million European SMEs encounter challenges in grasping these opportunities, as they do not have the knowledge, matching financial, non-financial resources that large companies have to make the due changes. As these enterprises constitute the main body of the business ecosystem in participating countries, a strategic alliance between them and circular economy experts has to be forged. This, especially in the COVID pandemic, generates awareness on and illustrates that outstanding quality, inclusive, digital vocational education tools on circular skills and competences are beneficial for this group.Project objectives:Main goal of CSS, in support of innovative practices in digital era, aims at creating a self-scan and learning platform that develops SME circular economy skills-competences by focusing on four main areas of entire SME circularity value chain (supply-acquisition, operation-production, retail, waste stream analysis).For the delivery of the main goal, specific objectives are strongly linked with Intellectual Outputs and are:1. Framing competence & skills of SME circularity context.2. Elaborating self-scan solution in support of SME circularity. 3. Creating learning content & platform.4. Deriving stakeholder guides to take full advantage of self-scan & learning contents-platform independently, as SME ecosystem stakeholders are drivers of the change process.Making available the digital self-scan, vocational education-training contents, curricula, and online learning platform are the novelties of CSS.Number and profile of participants:Project consortium of four partners represents HU, NL, ES and GR. CSS is led by a HU regional innovation agency (STRIA) with proven record of SME skills-competence mapping and development. NL partner (BDL) from one of the first Dutch circular regions, is a professional in person and digital vocational education and training (VET) organisation. ES partner (EOLAS) is an SME innovation and management consultant company that connects business, education and government, supports organisations. Tech partner comes from GR (AVACA), responsible for self-scan, learning platform solutions, IT developments of project communication-dissemination.Description of activities:CSS starts with collecting best practices and methodologies, applying focus group interviews to illustrate SME circularity skills, knowledge-competences. Following that setting up of circularity indicators, their measurement-evaluation is done with direct SME participation via validated self-scan tool. As result of these two main preceding activities, SME circularity digital learning content, online learning platform are elaborated and pilot validated. To conclude, all relevant project outputs are summarised in stakeholder guides that aim to sustain project results by impacting professional, political actors for strengthening VET activities in service of SME circularity.Project methodology to be used in implementation:CSS project methodology is available to partners and thus EU Member States, with efficient digital, online tools-materials promotes sustainable, circular and innovative behaviours within target groups. As a result SME professional profiles and, ultimately, productivity of EU Member States increases. Methodology builds on online solutions as in lifelong learning online approach is one of key competences included in EU legislation on digital competence. Methodology is “learning to learn” characterised (another of lifelong learning competence). It also provides for customization of the learning process itself.Short description of the results and impact envisaged:Direct project target group (SMEs) intends to improve their competitiveness through increased circularity, lay foundations for new (incl. online) business opportunities, innovative initiatives, cooperation among SMEs-entrepreneurs-circular experts.Indirect target groups or stakeholders of dissemination activities are those with whom SME owners-staff and entrepreneurs will cooperate when making their business more circular in a digital era. They are impacted by awareness raising, dissemination, engagement.The potential longer term benefits:Project dissemination activities increase awareness on circular operation of SMEs, build brand and identity within target groups and their audiences. By providing targeted, digital, online information on SME circularity, CSS creates deeper understanding, latter being the other longer term benefit for target groups.

Global demand for accessibility continues to grow, due in part to the strengthening voice worldwide of more than one billion people with disabilities & important frameworks, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. From a private sector standpoint, the Convention represents a unique opportunity to ensure equal access to information while achieving global harmonization of standards and economies of scale. Understanding that technology is the great equalizer for underserved populations & having a clear roadmap towards inclusive information & communications technologies (ICT), rather than simple compliance strategies, will benefit everyone in every industry.Specifically, the financial services sector is faced with the need to transform operations while providing truly exceptional customer experiences. Disruptive trends - such as the influx of mobile devices & global regulations- are driving demand for more human-centric technology, & creating an opportunity for innovation that are proving to be differentiators for the institutions embracing them. Consumer demand to be in control of interactions & information is forcing those in financial services to reconsider what’s important to stay competitive. By offering an online experience through any device personalized to individual needs, preferences & abilities, organizations can ensure they are reaching the broadest base of the population, especially the “unbanked” and “underbanked,” to enhance interactions & improve sales opportunities. Thus, access to & inclusion in financial services is crucial to poverty reduction & participation in economic prosperity & growth & development.Signing banks initially aims to point out the need of full financial inclusion to people with disabilities & to be more specific to d/Deaf bank customers. Persons with disabilities & d/Deafness have been amongst those traditionally marginalized from the financial services sector through a mix of inaccessibility, presumptions of limited need & capacity to manage finances, & mindsets that did not view them as a profitable consumer base. Signing banks emphasizes to the fact that this paradigm is now rapidly changing with growing evidence of their demand and need for access to services as well as the increasing income base of persons with disabilities around the world. Persons with disabilities and diverse abilities are demanding better and easier access to the entire range of financial services. Access to and inclusion in financial services is important to persons across the economic spectrum. And for persons with disabilities who live under the poverty line, it is essential that they are involved in financial inclusion initiatives & programs that will empower them and enable them to become financially independent.In order to reach these aforementioned outputs, Signing banks project has 3 main target groups: 1) the financial and banking world represented by RCCI, ESQUARED and by EOLAS, 2) d/Deaf people represented by Ergon and INNETICA; 3) adult educators with d/DEAF PEOPLE (30 per country).By creating a holistic strategy for embedding accessible technology across the entire enterprise from processes to product development to people – organizations can reinvigorate individual channels and harmonize them across the bank. Thus, Signing banks aims to provide a clear picture of the global forces at work that are transforming how employee- and client-facing applications, products and services are delivered to reach the broadest set of customers. The project also serves as a useful benchmarking source for governments and advocates based on its review of existing solutions already implemented around the world.The strategic objective of the project is to promote full financial inclusion to people with disabilities in particular to d/Deaf people, including traditional and alternative banking services, online payment services, financial transactions, and mobile banking.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:1) CREATE A REPOSITORY OF BEST CASES2) CREATE CLEAR GUIDELINES FOR BANKING INSTITUTIONS on how implement accessibility measures in their communication and products.3) CREATE A TRAINING for d/DEAF adults to improve their financial education and ability to communicate with financial institutions.TARGET:d/DEAF PEOPLE BANKING INSTITUTIONSeducators engaged with d/DEAF PEOPLEThe project will bring a clear EU added value since financial inclusion is a challenge faced by most EU countries. For achieving the project results, the international partnership established is essential because it brings complementary expertise for designing a programme with a high replication potential in other countries. Hence, the transnational collaboration established is essential because it enables partners to share good practices & combine knowledge towards the development of a replicable model for integrating d/Deaf people to European bankin

Context/background of project; Because of the COVID-19 crisis, a big part of all VET education needed/needs to be provided online or in a hybrid form. This brought all kind of challenges: some teachers don’t have a feeling for anything digital, teachers (and students) don’t always like online education, an element of non-verbal communication is not present in online education, interaction with students is a challenge, but also collaboration between students is harder to facilitate.VET Online wants to: •Create more awareness on the opportunities of online education •Create a more open mindset towards online education among teachers/trainers•Provide practical tools to face the challenges of online education compared to classroom education To reach these objectives, VET Online will develop: •the VET Online Toolkit - which will contain very easy to use, simple tools, activities etc. to be implemented in online classes. The goal of these tools is to recreate the vibe of offline classes. We will first identify the prerequisites, involve stakeholders in the development of the toolkit, in the testing of the toolkit and the dissemination of the toolkit. •the VET Online E-book - which will showcase the experiences of teachers who have used the VET Online Toolkit, and the impact of it on their education. It will show the benefits of online education, to gain a more positive idea about online education. We will first identify the prerequisites, involve stakeholders in the development of the e-book, in the feedback activities and the dissemination of the toolkit. We will involve at least 40 teachers and trainers from 4 different countries (5 different VET providers) in the pilot test. With VET Online we want to make a contribution to the regain of self-confidence, motivation, and work pleasure of teachers, although they have to provide their education primarily online. The project will create more awareness, but also more focus on the positive sides of online education and the opportunities it offers. We want to contribute to the professional development of the teachers, especially in the field of digital skills and how they have to arrange their online classes. Thereby, this project will contribute to the quality of VET. In the end it is all about providing the highest quality VET, in order to prepare students in the best way possible for their further career and life.