<< Background >>Achieving greater equity in education is not only a social-justice imperative, it is also a way to use resources more efficiently, and to increase the supply of knowledge and skills that fuel economic growth and promote social cohesion (Schleicher, 2018). Hanushek and Woessman (2015) showed that if every 15-year-old student reached at least baseline Level 2 on the PISA proficiency scale by 2030 the benefits for economic growth and sustainable development would be enormous. Empirically, access to education and transitions in the life course are structured by categories of social inequality such as socio-economic status and class, gender and “ethnicity”. Ensuring quality education and training for all remains a challenge for many countries, and a significant educational gap persists.<< Objectives >>The general objective of the ARISE project is to develop, implement and disseminate a proactive approach in secondary schools through a multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary cooperation, using project-based learning, firstly to strengthen the capacities of education and training professionals for equity, diversity and inclusion challenges in the learning environment; and secondly to promote the inclusion, empower disadvantaged and/or third country national learners (refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants) and help them become active, responsible and entrepreneurial citizens. The ultimate purpose is to build an inclusive and prosperous European society, where all pupils, their families and communities feel a sense of common belonging to society.<< Implementation >>This strategic partnership enables a dynamic cooperation, where teachers, researchers, social and youth workers, youth-led and grassroots NGOs supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged and migrant populations, and the private sector will jointly develop practical tools for teachers and pupils (handbook, pilot course, toolkit) positively impacting their daily practices in the classroom. Beyond supporting the teaching of civic and social competences, increased communication, intercultural and leadership skills are crucial for the educational staff (target 60-90 teachers directly trained in person). In line with EU recommendations, the project will adopt a proactive approach involving also parents, communities, and other stakeholders to ensure early intervention and prevent pupils from falling into a NEET situation. Building on the partners’ staff personal experiences and role models, as well as identified European good practices to promote inclusive education tested by the partners, this pioneer initiative will enhance social, civic competences, communication and intercultural skills of at least 120 children and young people in order (a) to strengthen their capacity to self-organise, their participation in or even the set-up of new (formal or informal) youth organisations and network across Europe; and (b) to support them in designing and organising their own pilot actions and/or artefacts. The latter could be cultural/sports activities aiming at building cultural bridges between communities and families or assisting in co-organising projects dissemination activities aiming at understanding better institutions and organisations operations at local/EU level and supporting the interaction between families/communities and the services. These activities will be designed to help pupils overcome social or individual barriers, build self-confidence in their ability to turn their ideas into actions& equip them with some of the key competences to activate an entrepreneurial mindset., defined as “the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas and transform them into values for others” as well as to better understand EU values and the principles of unity and diversity, and present their experience.<< Results >>The model will have a strong potential for transferability and further exploitation since it can be used to support disadvantaged children, including but not limited to recently arrived TCNs. All the projects results will be available in 4 languages on the project website beyond its life and the educational content of the teachers’ handbook will be further developed into video lectures, e-books, presentations, self-learning material, self-assessment quizzes etc. and will be uploaded on the project’s e-learning platform. This shall enable the online training of 60-90 more teachers/educators during project life and more beyond, since the outputs will be promoted and posted on partners’ websites and European platforms/ sites (EPALE and school education gateway). Finally, the dissemination strategy also comprises of multiplier events, info days, workshops and conferences to reach out to additional members of the target groups as well as to education policy-makers and the wider public (target 10 000 through visitors of website, platform and social networks), with the objective of advocating for inclusive and cohesive societies.

The main objective of the ESTEEM project is to improve and enrich social sciences graduates’ transversal and entrepreneurial skills in order to increase their competitiveness in the labour market and enhance their future employability. The project consortium will approach this aim by developing and implementing a holistic, work-based and flexible training program which will combine e-learning and work-based teaching methods as well. The teaching scheme that will be introduced by this project involves active collaboration between HEI, SMEs and major national social partners in all steps of project’s implementation and monitoring. The innovative aspect of the project lies in the training model to be developed that combines e-learning and digital teaching with a “remote internship/mentorship” program. The proposed methodology will test new cooperation models between VET providers and enterprises to promote work-based learning. The innovative model of the “remote internship/mentorship” program will be pilot tested and assessed thus feeding into policy innovation experimentations for the labour market. The workplace is shifting from traditional structures into innovative ones where physical presence on the job location is not necessary and companies are adopting virtual employment methods. In this context, the project will form new partnerships and develop new teaching and assessment methods for virtual employment and work-based learning.The main objective of the training program to be introduced by the project is to develop an effective blended training course on transversal skills that meets the skill needs and requirements of young SME employees and entrepreneurs. The transversal skills the project aim to address are: • Personal development skills: Personal development skills are essential life and employment skills, especially current in the fast changing economic landscape and include soft skills as coping with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk, learning through experience, embracing change, eliminate resistance or fear, self-promotion etc. • Working with others: Collaborating, communicating effectively (including social media communication and digital social skills), team-working, cooperating are important transversal skills for the workplace environment.• Conceptualizing and transforming ideas into business options and entrepreneurial opportunities: The ability to develop ideas, creating concepts and transform them into options and opportunities than can be realised are the core competencies for creative and innovative thinking. In this context, skills like identifying a need or a problem, prioritize, initiative taking, envisioning, planning, mobilizing and managing resources and entrepreneurial thinking will be included in the training program. To this end, the project main objectives are to:a) Design a training methodology for transversal skills development which combines e-learning and remote work-based learning b) Organise, implement & evaluate a “remote internship/mentorship” programc) Support the model of work-based learning and project-based learning for customised learning experience d) Promote collaboration and exchange of good practices among VET providers, HEIs, social partners and enterprisesThe project’s consortium consists of 6 partners from 4 countries incorporating a wide range of experience and expertise related to the scope of ESTEEM. The Lead Partner is KANEP-GSEE representing the Greek General Confederation of Labour in the area of Education and Lifelong learning, promoting the agenda of trade unions which includes employment policies, policies for combating social exclusion, and reinforcement of trade union presence in society. The project is expected to have a significant impact on the target group of social science graduates as it will facilitate their transition from education to labour market and enhance their career prospects and business progression. Moreover, the project will feed into the educational organizations which can be further motivated to shift from traditional, teaching methods, including the incorporation of a larger proportion of blended learning or wholly work-based modules than is generally common. Finally, the ESTEEM project’s desired impact is expected to be realized in both national and European level. Overall the project aims to address the priorities of European 2020 strategy on transversal skills development in a lifelong learning perspective as well as the promotion of novel forms of work-based learning by providing insights, experiences and policy recommendations.