According to Paris Communique adopted by 195 countries on December 12th, 2015, the main long-term aim for all countries is to work together to reduce emissions of climate pollutants in order to help improve air quality, public health, food security and energy efficiency at the local and regional level and therefore contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. At the same time, the European Union has set a timeline for 2020 to radically reduce the CO emissions by 20% in member states. In many EU countries the solid fuel burning stoves and fireplaces are still the main source of heating in households in rural areas accounting for considerable emissions of CO. The stove building sector has to respond to the changes by introducing up-to-date technologies and solutions as well as enabling the VET sector to change and adapt to the current needs. The ENEFFIS project targeted the need to promote environmentally friendly and energy efficient stove building by developing a common European qualification standard (O1), training curriculum for initial and continuous vocational education and training (O2), the certification scheme of a stove builder (O3), and policy recommendations (O4). The project partnership developed an innovative course on energy efficient stove building aiming to empower the stove builders with a new set of skills and competences, with regard to principles and technologies related to the designing and building of energy efficient and green stoves and fireplaces fired by solid fuel. The developed learning resources on stove building specifically address the skills needs in the technical, environmental, regulative and customer consultation aspects. The link to the European reference tools (EQF, ECVET) supports future recognition and validation and addresses the mobility needs of the stove builders workforce in Europe.The project partnership consisted of 5 organisations from from Lithuania, Estonia, Germany and Finland that represented VET providers, non-governmental associations as well as the specialists and practitioners in stove building.Main results and impact achieved: - By using the best practice examples from Germany and Estonia, development of an updated qualification standard for a stove and fireplace builders, accompanied by a modern curriculum and training/learning resources; - Establishing a Qualification Scheme which ensures transparency and accessibility in competence acquirement, assessment, validation and certification, thus creating favourable conditions for labour mobility within a country and across the EU; - Implementation of two short-term transnational training activities for trainers of VET institutions who acquired the knowledge and skills for development of the curriculum and implementation of the training course in their respective countries; - Delivering recommendations for normative documents on energy efficient and environmentally friendly stove building.

Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste is the largest waste stream in the EU, representing in terms of volume almost 30% of all waste produced. C&D waste have been recognised by the EU as a priority waste stream demonstrated by EC initiatives such as the EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016), and the Circular Economy Package (2015). C&D waste has a high potential for recycling and reuse. Despite this, the level of recycling and reuse of C&D waste varies greatly across the EU, which often means that not only reusable materials are disposed in landfills, but also hazardous waste that may cause damage to the environment. This has highlighted the need for upskilling of construction site managers to enable them to manage construction waste responsibly and increase their awareness of environmental priorities and technological advances. Site manger usually receive on job training which varies greatly in most EU countries. It has been obvious that skills such as supervision of on-site works (waste identification & separation), compliance with pre-demolition audits, execution of waste management plans, elimination of hazardous waste) are increasingly sought after in the labour market. CODESMA aimed to tackle this challenge by delivering a modular VET course as an Open Educational Resources (OERs) addressing both EU priorities of the Circular Economy regarding waste management and modern training needs with flexible self-study, self-paced online course divided in manageable learning units and topics.In particular, project objectives included: 1) Enhancing relevance of VET for site managers to address C&D waste management skills needs 2) Introducing modern training delivery methods and innovative open access pedagogical resources, enabling learners to acquire improved waste management skills related to C&D, and 3) Facilitating the integration of C&D waste management skills into EU certification & standardisation schemes. The partnership comprised 5 organisations from 5 EU countries, including VET providers in construction, researchers, as well as learning innovation experts. CU brought extensive R&D in the education and training of construction professionals, as well as experience in the project management and participation in EU projects. PROMEA contributed as an expert in the development and delivery of innovative ICT-based training and VOOC, as well as in management of EU projects. PSMB represented the construction managers sector at EU-wide level, having close ties in standards setting and qualifications, as well as through bringing access to key players and lobbying relevant policy makers. VSRC and BZB brought practical experience on delivering VET courses & practices, contributing their expertise in developing job-specific training courses and delivering high quality VET material for the construction sector. The CODESMA project produced the following results VET sector validated learning outcomes for training provision in C&D waste management skills for site managers.Training course structured in learning units suitable for VET level and guidelines proposal for course integration in VET.Pedagogical resources and assessment tools for C&D waste management for site managers, offered as OERs.CODESMA Vocational Open Online Course in C&D waste management for site managers delivered in all partners languagesA certificate supplement and a position paper to pave the way for the integration of C&D waste management skills into EU certification schemes.Two workshops and two national info days to promote project results and validate all developed materials; the third infoday had to be cancelled as a result of the COVID-19, but all materials were prepared.Finally, long term benefits of the project expected:The uptake of project materials and open educational resources from relevant VET providers across the EU, Participation of an increasing number of VET learners engaging with the course materials both as a self learners or within the VET .Expansion of the strategic partnership towards a network of collaborating VET and sector stakeholdersFurther maturing & development of national and EU VET policies influenced by CODESMA recommendations,Cross border certification of skills acquired.

BACKGROUND & CHALLENGESThe construction sector has been reporting lack of skills while at the same time the young generations did not appear very much attracted to it, despite the increased use of apprenticeships as a training path. One of the key challenges that was also identified and associated with these challenges, during CONDAP project, is that apprenticeship mentors in the construction sector frequently lack themselves modern digital skills required to match the sector’s and young workers’ expectations and requirements. Consequently, construction apprenticeship mentors have been reluctant to introduce new digital methods during their teaching practices. It has thus been essential to develop professional development opportunities of high quality, and to train workplace mentors on how to introduce new digital methods and innovative content during their teaching practices, to make training effective, address misalignments between VET offerings, skills demand & learners’ realities. OBJECTIVES CONDAP achievements: -Upskilled in-company mentors in construction apprenticeships with digital, sector-specific professional skills and competences and upgraded their training through the development of OERs - Enriched their teaching ability through the development of innovative pedagogical approaches - Formed a strategic partnership to continuously support the professional development of mentors in construction apprenticeships THE CONDAP PARTNERSHIPThe partnership comprised of five organisations from five EU counties with high capacity, qualifications, and complementary skills from the world of WBL, VET and the construction sector, to align mentors’ training with specific labour market needs and apprenticeship particularities. INSTRUCTUS contributed as a leader in the development of apprenticeship programmes. VSRC is a specialised VET provider in the construction sector. UPV carries specialised R&D related to digital opportunities in the construction industry and has expertise in OERs. EBC is the European umbrella professional organisation representing 18 national associations of construction crafts and SMEs EXELIA brought extensive experience in R&D and delivery of innovative ICT-based methodologies. ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGYThe CONDAP partnership successfully analyzed the training requirements of workplace mentors in construction apprenticeships, developing learning outcomes for their professional development and their upskilling with digital skills and innovative teaching practices. Developed VET learning units for workplace mentors, focusing on sustainability & digitalization of construction, and innovative pedagogical orientations for teaching digital construction methods. Created pedagogical materials being offered as Open Education Resources. Developed, tested, and delivered learning materials and Vocational Open Online Course infrastructures on the digital skills & competences of in-company mentors involved in construction apprenticeships. Developed a systematic approach to support the enhancement of the digital skills of mentors in construction apprenticeships, and the integration of CONDAP learning outcomes into VET and finally shared and validated the outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake CONDAP results and to act as further disseminators. RESULTS & IMPACT-The CONDAP consortium validated learning outcomes for training of workplace mentors in digital construction and created learning units & teaching methodology for in-company mentors in construction apprenticeships reaching almost 200 mentors-Developed pedagogical resources to support in-company mentors’ digital skills, offered as OERs and the CONDAP VOOC on digital construction methods addressed to more than 400 mentors and VET providers. Delivered 2 pilot sessions to validate CONDAP learning outcomes and additional pilot testing organized remotely reaching close to 200 mentors, VET providers & employers-Developed a roadmap for the systematic integration of CONDAP learning outcomes into VET and a MoC to support the enhancement of the digital skills of mentors in construction apprenticeships and to establish a relevant EU strategic partnership with 32 relevant stakeholders signing the MoC from all across Europe.-Organized 3 information days to promote project results and validate educational resources gathering 219 participants POST-PROJECT SUSTAINABILITYThe partners managed to promote the use of CONDAP learning materials, OERs and VOOC, and the methodology for teaching digital construction methods by an increased number of in-company mentors involved in construction apprenticeships Discussed the uptake of project materials and OERs from relevant VET providers and construction companies across the EU and finally managed to expand the EU strategic partnership supporting digital skills of mentors in construction apprenticeships and increased the initiatives targeting quality of in-company mentors VET

The adoption of energy efficiency measures for buildings has created a strong demand for digital and green skills for smart metering and home automation technologies. Electricians, apart from technical proficiency, require a combination of digital and environmental skills to respond to the installation, maintenance, and programming of smart metering and energy efficiency home automation systems. SMARTEL aimed to tackle this challenge by delivering a modular VET course and OERs on smart metering and home automation to empower electricians across the member countries of the consortium with modern digital and environmental knowledge, skills and competences. In particular, project objectives involved 1) Enhancing the labour market relevance of VET for electricians, to address smart metering and home automation skill needs, 2) Introducing modern training delivery methods and open access innovative pedagogical resources, enabling learners to acquire and self-assess relevant skills,3) Facilitate mutual recognition of the developed learning outcomes across the EU.The partnership comprised 6 organisations from 5 countries, from the world of VET, the electrical installation sector, energy efficiency research, as well as learning innovation experts. The Panevezys College (PANKO), VSRC and XABEC brought the expertise in the design and delivery of engineering and electricians VET programs and courses; the European Association of Electrical Contractors (AIE) represented the needs and workplace realities of the electrical sector at EU-level; EXELIA contributed as an expert in R&D and delivery of innovative ICT-based methodologies for VET and Sofia Energy Agency (SOFENA) brought experience from the area of energy efficiency.Main project activities involved: analysis of current and future workforce training needs to develop updated and tailored to sectoral needs smart metering and home automation learning outcomes, development of modular learning units for a comprehensive VET programme in smart metering and home automation, development of pedagogical resources and assessment tools to be offered as Open Education Resources, development, testing, and delivery of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on smart metering and home automation, promoting the adoption of innovative practices in vocational training, involvement of authorities and stakeholders for the endorsement and mutual recognition of SMARTEL units of learning outcomes and sharing and validation of outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake SMARTEL results and to act as further disseminators.The SMARTEL project led to the following results and impact: - VET world and sector validated learning outcomes for training provision in smart metering and home automation technologies for electricians in the building installation sector.- Formal VET learning units on smart metering and home automation and VET integration guidelines.- Pedagogical resources and assessment tools for smart metering and home automation technologies, offered as OERs.- SMARTEL Massive Open Online Course on smart metering and home automation for electricians.- A signed agreement on the validation, endorsement, and mutual recognition of the SMARTEL units of learning outcomes.- A sectoral recommendations paper to support decision-making and pave the way for future developments in VET and skill development policies.- Two demonstration workshops and three national information days to promote project results and validate all developed educational resources.Finally, long term benefits of the project involve: the uptake of project materials and open educational resources from relevant VET providers across the EU, participation of a growing number of initial and continuous VET learners in courses based on project outputs, expansion of the strategic partnership towards a network of collaborating VET and sector stakeholders, including electrical enterprises, in-house training centres, and large VET providers, and further maturing and development of national and European VET policies targeted to the construction sector influenced by SMARTEL recommendations paper.

"<< Background >>Cleanliness of the environment that people live is crucial of the well-being and health of human beings. However, it is a complex and a difficult situation to identify and assess the interactions between human health and the environment itself.The situation at hand requires an effective use of precautionary principles. The most-known effects of environmental problems on health stems from water quality problems, air pollution and insufficient sanitation. Along with those, the effects of hazardous chemicals on health issues are less known. Besides, noise pollution, recently became one of the major factors effecting health and well-being of people. Finally, reduce in the stratospheric ozone, the climate change, depletion of biodiversity and land degradation also among the factors now affecting the health and well-being of people. When it comes to Europe, the major environment-based health concerns are associated with poor sanitation, ineffective and unauthorized use of hazardous chemicals, lower water quality and air pollution. Among the health impacts of those factors. cancer, asthma, respiratory problems, allergies, and reproductive and neurodevelopmental disorders can be named.It has been suggested in the EU Green Paper that nearly 20% of the citizens of EU suffer from high noise levels which, by the health experts, considered as unhealthy and can lead to the problems such as insomnia, sleep disturbance, annoyance and various negative health effects.Despite the efforts shown, the member states have failed to establish a common ground for international agreement focusing on bringing sustainable solutions to the global environmental issues and the climate change. In addition, along with the efforts shown by the states, considering the range of effects the environmental issues can have, the role of civic participation and initiative of civil society organizations has become more significant than ever.The project, through well designed and constructed, practical and innovative online tools, offers advice, guidelines and assessment tools for industrial organizations, technical workers and trainers, and VET teachers.The tools that are offered by the project consortium will act as a key tool, supporting VET teachers and industrial organizations improve green efficacy within their practices, while also explaining the learners and technical staff about the environmental issues along with practical solutions from daily life examples.<< Objectives >>Our project, by providing the target group with necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes, aims to scale down the ecological footprint and will contribute to the environmental sustainability priorities of national and EU-wide policies on establishing a greener World for all. Therefore, the project will address:- VET providers, trainers, and teachers- Research and Development teams (engineers and technical staff) of industrial companies- Technical workers in production companies- Advisors and consultants focusing on environmental problems and sustainability practices- Managers/ Directors/ Owners of SMEsThe project includes 3 results:1. Eco-sustainability toolkit for VET providers2. How-to book with guidelines for VET teachers3. Digital application for VET teachersRaising ecological awareness is of utmost importance all around the world, however during this process, different cultural aspects and social, environmental and economical conditions should be taken into consideration. Therefore, within the project consortium, the partners are experienced and have expertise on various related activities congruent with the country realities such as environmental education and skills development.Partners of the project consortium are of different sectorial background such as ecological and educational NGOs, VET school, development agency and VET centers/ consultancy organizations. During the project, one multiplier event is planned which will take place in Turkey and be focusing on topics such as green energy transition, policies regarding environmental awareness, strategies on energy sustainability, public awareness of environmental issues, green education, toolkits related with awareness building and green education, carbon footprint assessment tools, good examples in industrial perspectives and renewable energy solutions.<< Implementation >>Project management and implementation activities with the support of the grant will be used for the development of: 1. Bilateral agreements 2. IPR agreement 3. Communication strategy 4. Action plan with predefined Gantt chart for all activities5. TPM reports/minutes6. Quality assurance and assessment strategy 7. Advisory board meeting reports in each partner country with youth workers, youth volunteering coordinators and experts from youth NGOs, training institutes, youth centres, universities, and community-based organisations 8. Dissemination strategy9. Dissemination reports10. Exploitation report for short term and long term sustainability of the project’s core activities and results11. Multilingual project web platform12. Digital dissemination materials (leaflets, flyers, banners etc.) 13. Paper brochure of the Eco-sustainability toolkit for VET providers14. Paper brochure of the How-to book with guidelines for VET teachers15. Publications and press release16. Informative sessions17. Thematic workshops18. Pilot training19. Multiplier event ""Conference on Ecological VET Practices"" - responsible: All partners 20. The progress/interim and final reports<< Results >>The ”ECO4VET” project aims to enhance the skills, knowledge and awareness of the VET teachers. industrial companies and technical staff in production zones on various environmental effects of different activities and energy efficiency, along with developing competences in measuring and reducing carbon footprints.To accomplish its objectives, 3 results will be developed within the project:R1. Eco-sustainability toolkit for VET providers - lead by P4 (GR), contribution by all partnersR2. How-to book with guidelines for VET teachers - lead by P5 (IT), contribution by all partnersR3. Digital application for VET teachers - lead by P6 (AT), contribution by all partners.Upon completion, the results of the project will be open to be translated into various languages and will be free-of charge under open-source/Commons Creative Licensing allowing beneficiaries to utilize the results without any limitation.Besides, various workshops and seminars will be organized in partner countries within the project.The expected impacts of the Project on the target groups are as following:- Improved understanding of impact of human-based professional activities on climate change - Boosted knowledge on effects of various industrial activities on climate- Increased awareness in VET teachers on the positive outcomes of reducing carbon footprints and energy-efficient activities.- Calculating the effects of various conventional production zones on the environment- Diagnosing organizational problems on environment friendly activities- Better understanding of results of the environmental issues- Improved skills, knowledge and attitude in VET teachers, industrial organizations, and technical staff in production zones on implementing relevant solutions.- Increased knowledge on the effects and potential results of depletion of natural resources and global warming- Enhanced skills on identifying significant impacts of environmental issues.- Raised awareness on the environmental problems that organizations and technical staff face- Improved vision on efficient energy consumption and energy management- Improved knowledge on compliance with environmental regulations and legislations- Developed skills and knowledge on emissions analysis, consumption analysis, waste analysis and the importance of following the energy use trends.- Increased self-satisfaction on environmental protection through self- review tools and methods (review forms, observation lists and satisfaction questionnaires)- Boosted knowledge of VET providers and teachers, technical workforce in production zones and industrial organizations on the significance of energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprints and electromagnetic pollution.- Improved understanding on the causes of effects of carbon footprint and inefficient energy consumption.- Improved skills and competences on measuring and reducing carbon footprints- Boosted knowledge in quality criteria in environmentally friendly production in industrial companies and production zones- Raised awareness on the impact of human activities such as local production, means of travelling, waste etc. on the environment.- Boosted motivation on promotion and dissemination of projects and activities addressing environmental issues."