V2V-AL is an Albania country-specific project that aims to increase VET attractiveness and performance through internationalization and mobility, increased responsiveness to labour market needs and skills development, both in IVET and CVET. Despite the key role that VET can play in economic transition, in Albania it remains quite small. V2V-AL project will develop customized and effective internationalization strategies and modernize the offer of vocational institutions through a capacity building process focused on twinning between Albanian and Programme VET providers. The core of the project, capacity building, will be achieved through a critical number of activities - courses catalogues, job shadowing, staff training, coaching, communities of practices, toolkits – focused on key areas such as internationalization, project design and management, dual system/work-based-learning (WBL), guidance. These activities will spill over throughout VET providers’ managerial, organizational, and didactic performance, benefitting staff, students, and stakeholders. Internationalization and mobility are clear drivers for VET attractiveness and performance; therefore, V2V-AL project will pilot short-term and long-term mobility for students and graduates. V2V-AL will also consolidate achievements through companies’ involvement, networking at different levels, advisory boards and workshop with stakeholders and policy makers, policy recommendations and international conferences. Overall, V2V-AL project will promote and improve VET internationalization, dual system/WBL, skills development and employability, and contribute to more secured current and future jobs.It will reach directly 129 staff and students, indirectly at least 800 staff members, 11.000 students and 8.000 graduates. Key project outputs – course catalogue, mobility process guidelines, toolbox, communities of practices, policy recommendations – will be freely accessible to potential users in the project platform.

Climate change consequences are a serious concern for the welfare of current and future generations. Human action, like pollution and deforestation, are the key reasons for global warming and adverse climate changes. The consortium agrees that there is an urgent need for all of us individually and collectively, to become more aware of our environmental responsibilities and to find ways to climate change adaption and mitigation. Youth leaders/workers needs to raise capacities to organize quality international green youth projects, including digital skills, but also involve actively youth and citizens in ways of fighting against climate change in their respective communities.Our consortium agreed that when talking with young people about environment, green skills, youth workers/trainers have to start from inflicting some habits of green lifestyle while informing them on environmental elements, then proceed to issues like green economy, green jobs and green entrepreneurship. Non formal learning methods, such as an interactive digital map, will help in informing and promoting a nature responsible behavior of youth by providing interesting and useful information in a practical way. Green skills training of youth workers is crucial to lead other young people toward green lifestyle and jobs, which reduces the environmental impact of enterprises/economic sectors and help to avoid generation of waste and pollution. International youth exchanges are a great source of learning and personal development for youth, with a great potential for generating local impact and multiplying effect, using, among other things, digital tools. Green jobs in emerging economies/developing countries, such as Albania include opportunities for youth managers, scientists and technicians, but also can benefit a broad cross-section of the population which need it the most: youth, women, farmers, rural populations and families living in poverty. Green economy is more equitable and inclusive of all the people and countries and also a response against unemployment of young people. In the project framework, we will educate youth workers on green skills and jobs and use an interactive digital map to spread the project impact to youth and citizens at local level. We will engage at least 80 youth on exchange activities with other peers from Europe, as well as disseminate the project findings in a large-scale event. The digital tool (environmental map) is the innovation that the project will bring to the partners’ organizations and communities. It will contain information on environmental hot-spots, projects conducted by NGOs and local government, green jobs opportunities, call for projects as well as will provide a space for citizens/youth feedback on the implemented and coming projects, serving also as a tool for civic awareness and action.

The WaterWise Excellence Hub is a vibrant, action-oriented initiative that aspires to serve as a catalyst for R&I (creation and uptake), business development, and knowledge dissemination for water in the circular economy (CE). It leverages CE principles to rethink and transform water management in Romania, Greece and selected Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries (MD, SB, AL, NM and UA). WaterWise perceives the water sector not only as sustainable, but also regenerative, emphasizing closed-loop systems, optimal resource use, and reduced waste, in line with EU policies and RIS3 strategies. It is based on a quadruple helix model of innovation, and works at the nexus of technology acceleration, entrepreneurial support and R&I, boosting water innovation in the Region and beyond. To this effect the Hub’s partners co-create an R&I Strategy, an Action and Investment Plan, a FundFinder Portal, a Strategic & Tactical Decisions Toolbox as well as an Operational Decisions Toolbox, setup Water Tech Challenges, develop and launch an Innovation Accelerator, produce LLL Training Courses, create and share a Knowledge Hub and develop and deploy a Mentoring Scheme through a bottom up approach in collaboration with a wide range of key actors and stakeholders across the region. The Hub is empowered by its strong partnership that brings together actors from government, R&I-driven universities and research centres, funding bodies, business, water utilities, SME associations and civil society to create services tailored for post-project sustainability and real-world impact.