<< Objectives >>The joint project of Hami and Luua Forest School develops the internationality of educational institutions and the digital skills and capabilities of teachers and students. The project develops and studies the construction of virtual learning environments and practices digital pedagogical skills.As a result of the project, cooperation between educational institutions has increased. Digital skills and virtual learning environments have become familiar.<< Implementation >>The virtual learning environment is part of the learning environment offering of educational institutions. Teachers use the learning environment in their work and continue to collaborate after the end of the project.<< Results >>The results are reflected in increased cooperation between educational institutions and increased contacts and joint learning between teachers and students. The result will also be the first common virtual learning environment for the forest industry, where the basics of physics and mathematics can be practiced professionally.

"BACKGROUNDForest Europe (The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe) is the pan-European political process for the sustainable management of the continent’s forests. Workshop report of the seminar organized by the FOREST EUROPE in Santander Spain in 2014 suggested that a pan-European approach in the context of sustainable forest management that implies adopting rules, mechanisms and criteria of labor sustainability is needed. Further on it stated that training and education need to embrace and facilitate a comprehensive view of the multiple functions of forests in order to understand and manage traditional and new activities, and to address emerging challenges. Special efforts should be made to improve labor skills and qualification of the work force. A sustainable, trained and safe workforce is one of the pillars of a more competitive forest sector. From this background rose this project on international forestry.OBJECTIVES The project sought to increase labor market relevance of vocational education in the field of forestry and to use international cooperation as a tool for this by making available the strengths of each participating country. Learners need to develop their skills and competencies within a competitive and innovative educational environment. International mobility as part of studies leading to a qualification, offers the students learning environments which contribute to entrepreneurial attitude, strengthening of their self-esteem and understanding of the big picture in the field of sustainable forestry. To offer international learning environments and learning material was the objective of this Project. To attain this a new form of practical training scheme and study of real life cases was planned in cooperation with forest industry.PARTICIPATING ORGNANISATIONSIn total 98 persons participated in testing of the national forestry modules in international workshops. To support this work each country sent an teacher accompanying teacher to these events (20 mobilities). Through home internationalization more local students were connected to project work (eLearning, hosting of international students). In addition to this, partner schools sent in total 52 persons (forestry teachers and managers) to transnational meetings. National and international seminars organised in partner countries hosted hundreds of forestry field professional’s. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES AND RESULTSThe unit on international forestry was built in the project. The unit offers tools to include international topics and international learning environments to the curriculum of forestry qualifications. The unit consists of eLearning part and a period of international mobility concentrating on forestry of the hosting country. A structured unit offers a possibility to organize ""international semesters"" in forestry schools during which this specific unit on national forestry is offered for international students from different countries at the same time. This will also help to build up a planned framework in which the learning in companies can take place. Local students can be integrated in these groups and home internationalization will benefit of this when local students act as tutors for the international students. This was also tested and found benificial in during the Project. Units were planned in cooperation with working life representatives. In partner schools there are quality assurance groups on curriculum development which offer already existing framework for getting input from the working life. Companies form an inportant learning environment for students during work placements and for staff members during study visits. One of the aims of the project was to create a template for visiting specialists which will also support national forest industry. Companies hae a change to make visible their work with sustainability and certification which is important in the field of forestry. IMPACTShared impact of the project is that each partner school will get a functioning, tested and assessed unit of learning outcomes to offer for their own students and for incoming students from abroad in the field of sustainable international forestry. For learners this unit will open up a new flexible and modern study pathway with eLearning and international mobility option. This unit opens up new labor market option in multiple tasks which demand experience on international level forestry and sustainablity to make decisions about forest management and timber markets. At a National & European level the project seeks to increase the transparency of vocational qualifications as partners prepare themselves for ECVET implementation by building up this unit of learning outcomes together and developing opportunities for validation and recognition for it as part of qualification in each partner country. This structure offers European wide possibilities for dissemination in the field of forestry"

<< Objectives >>The forest sector in Europe is a major economic playground and home to 13 million employees. It is characterised by strong traditional settings. Its education needs fundamental change on sectoral, organisational, individual levels. The FOREE objective is to develop blended-learning Train-the-Trainers & MOOC courses to transform forestry adult education and training to a flexible hybrid system through the complementary use of digital learning concepts, tools and platforms in broad applications.<< Implementation >>3 forestry education centers, one university (pedagogy), and one wood-cluster will implement the following: Based on preceding needs analyses, WP2 assesses required skills & technology readiness via online survey and 6 focus group workshops, WP3 develops the design and content for a ToT and MOOC to instruct teachers/trainers on how to create and facilitate online adult education. WP4 implements pilot courses and evaluates by workshops and feedback forms. WP5 disseminates and networks broadly.<< Results >>Results are (1) Status & critical success factors of digital teaching in forestry education & recommendations, (2) Handbook & Toolkit, (3) Design of online platform, (4) Concrete course pilots. All results are reusable, transferable and will be shared (open access) with key target groups (forestry trainers, teachers) who are integral part of all activities. Courses will be Quality-labelled. Results are promoted via Associated partners to policy/decision makers from local to transnational level.

The need for Project Forest Boost arose from the lack of an European forestry network. It's important to improve the professional, transnational, cultural and linguistic skills of the forestry students and thus give better opportunities for their employment in the labour market. The main objectives of Project Forest Boost are to develop the strategy of the forestry students’ exchange process so obvious and self-evident that they easily choose the exchange period as part of their studies, they know the partner colleges and their different possibilities. In addition the forestry teachers familiarize with the education methods and curricula of the other forestry schools in the network. The exchange periods will be a natural part of the students’ studies and they are also a reliable opportunity to get acquainted with foreign cultures and education abroad for students with special needs as well as for those who haven’t travelled a lot. Project Forest Boost will increase the exchange of forestry students and teachers, strengthen the partnerships and clarify the strategy of mobilities between the partner colleges. The aspect of internationalization at home will be taken well into account when the students and teachers reciprocally host students and teachers of the partner colleges. Students who are not involved in exchange projects abroad have the possibility to contact foreign students in their home college.The project will be coordinated by SAMIedu, Itä-Savon koulutuskuntayhtymä, Savonlinna, Finland. The other participating orgnisations are:Zespol Szkol Lesnych i Ekologicznych w Brynku, Brynek, Tworóg, PolandDe Wijnpers, Leuven, BelgiumLuua Metsanduskool, Luua, EstoniaBerufskolleg am Eichholz, Arnsberg, Germany Kpedu, Keski-Pohjanmaan koulutusyhtymä, Kokkola, FinlandAll the participating colleges have a forestry department in their colleges. Each partner has had cooperation with some of these partners, but there are, at least, two totally new partners for everyone in this network. Some partners have had a lot of mobilities in their forestry departments, whereas others have lack of experience in organising forestry mobilities and thus profit the know-how of this network. Before the actual project activities take place, the project partners will focus on preparatory activities that guarantee a common understanding of tasks, roles and partners' commitments. The discussions take place through TEAMS and minutes of meeting are written. During the project there will be the five (5) transnational meetings:1. Kick-off project management meeting in Savonlinna, Finland, 2020 (coordinators, teachers). Theme: Simulator pedagogy in forestry2-4. Online management meetings in TEAMS 5. Online Final Transnational Meeting in TEAMS (coordinators, teachers)The LTT Workshops, which are short-term exchanges of groups of students with a specific theme, will be arranged as follows: 1. LTT in Arnsberg, Germany; Impacts of the climate change ( 2021)2. LTT in Brynek, Tworóg, Poland; Internationalization in forestry ( 2021)3. LTT in Leuven, Belgium; Forestry students in working life (2022) 4. LTT in Luua, Estonia; Sustainable forestry ( 2022)5. LTT in Kokkola, Finland; Future innovations in forestry ( 2022)There will be 4 participants (coordinator/teacher, students) from each partner country in the LTT activity. Before every LTT there will be an online Management meeting in TEAMS, in which the preliminary practical details like the number of participants, programme, accomodation and freetime activities are discussed.Each LTT workshop includes familiarizing with the forestry education of the receiving country at the college, visiting companies, writing a newsletter about the visit and freetime activities with local students. After returning home the teachers and students share their experiences at the college by means of picture boards, short videos and posts in social media of the college.After completing the project there will be a strong network of partners and reliable contacts in the destination countries, which are presented in innovative and informative marketing material created by students. The travels, accommodation and the work placements have been checked and approved. The protocol of Erasmus+ mobilities has become familiar and it has been agreed by all the partners. After getting to know the curricula of the network VET colleges the coordinating teachers and guidance counsellor in the home country are able to plan the studies in the destination country as part of the students’ personal competence development plan. The mentoring of the students in the destination country can be planned well, too, due to the contacts made before the exchange.

The project has brought together 6 partners from Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: VIESOJI ISTAIGA VILNIAUS JERUZALES DARBO RINKOS MOKYMO CENTRAS (VJDRMC) – LT; Jyväskylän koulutuskuntayhtymä – FI; European Arboricultural Council – DE; IPC groene ruimte bv – NL; Bulduru Dārzkopības vidusskola – LV; Luua Metsanduskool – EE. 5 of the partners - vocational training schools that already trained or planed to train Arborists in the future. The project aimed to develop Arborist training in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). ARBORICULTURE is an innovative type of the urban tree care which is understood as the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees and other woody plants that grow within the human populated and urban areas. Trees in the city add value to the property, make city streets cozy and beautiful, provide Eco-niches for birds and other species, and generally present the level of environmental sustainability of the city. The innovation of Arboriculture consists in the multiple approach to tree treatment. An ARBORIST must possess the theoretical knowledge of ecology, biology and chemistry such as fertilization, pest and pathogen control, root, trunk and canopy treatment, and in addition - practical techniques such as selection, planting, pruning, shaping, working in heights, and removal of dead trees. The international urban tree care community recommends that the urban tree care must be performed by people who have a qualification of an Arborist, or with equivalent skills and knowledge. In many countries this understanding has been supported, and is now being strongly considered or even supported at some level in the BSR countries. This opinion is grounded in research which reports many tree damages in cities that make City Councils/Municipalities (CCM) to lose significant amounts in their budgets. In order to cover the skill gaps in the urban tree care in the BSR, the project developed the Arborist qualification descriptions, Arborist training instruments for Trainers and trainees, the project experts prepared suggestions for the strategy on the urban tree care which will contribute to the sustainable and high quality performance. The project results offer possibilities to gain relevant skills and competences to the workers of 3-4 EQF in the Arboriculture field.A productive partnership to further strengthen the key competences of Arborists in the BSR - LT, LV, EE and FI with the participation of 2 more experienced countries DE and NL was created. The project was focused to 2 main target groups: 1. Direct target groups: young people and adults who want to gain the profession of an Arborist; 2. Indirect target groups - citizens, VET schools, urban tree care/Arboriculture community, Environmental ministries, City Councils.Target groups inside partnership: staff of partner organizations, trainers of partner organizations, trainees, boards of stakeholders. Target groups outside partnership: member organisations: national organisations in Europe, certification centers in Europe, partner organisations of gardening, urban forestry, urban tree care and landscaping all over Europe, decision making bodies, CCM, local communities, Ministries of environment, education, regional development, Urban forestry workers, Arboriculture companies, other schools, boards and members of national Arboriculture organizations.In the learning, teaching and training activities there were involved more than 70 people. It was piloted 14 Trainers; 24 Arborists; 40 partitcipants of CCM. Also the consortium counts that approximately 1620 persons who didn`t receive a specific grant from the project were targeted by the activities organised by the project. These people were involved in various events and training (the round table discussions, international networks, articles, dissemination events etc.).The project sought to achieve these outcomes: O1 - Producing expert guidelines for arborist training. Developing national/regional/city recommendations O2 - Developing arborist trainer training instrumentsO3 - Developing arborist training instrumentsO4 - Developing textbookThe activities & results that have a significant impact on the urban tree care quality in BSR•4 sets of National/Regional/City Recommendations (LT, LV, EE, FI languages)•10 round table discussions with the decision making bodies and Arboriculture sector organizations•A comparative study of arborist training programmes in the Baltic region•Tree Technician qualification description (LV language) •Arborist qualification description (LT language) •1 set of Arborist Trainer Training programme (in English); 4 adaptations in LT, LV, EE, FI languages; piloted 14 Trainers•4 sets of Arborist training programme (ATP) in LT, LV, EE, FI languages (EQF level 3-4) and piloted 24 Arborists•1 set of textbook (for Trainer and for trainee training) (EN, LT, LV, EE, FI languages)•3 sets of CCM training programme (piloted 40 participants)