"<< Background >>The Covid-19 crisis has had a huge impact on vocational education and training, as many professional sectors have had to close or slow down their operations due to the various blockades. One of the most affected sectors is the hotel and restaurant industry. Due to all these closures, thousands of young trainees did not have the opportunity to complete their professional internship. Thus, if there was a 22% drop in internships in companies in 2020, it is 50% in the field of catering. This poses real problems to which this project seeks to contribute a concrete response through e-learning methods and virtual reality, thanks to the active participation of two training centers as formal partners.On the other hand, we note that the Erasmus Plus program is focusing more and more on VET project mobilities. There is indeed a growing interest in extending mobility opportunities to vocational and educational training. This requires a preparation, especially linguistic, for which not all training centers are yet equipped, due to a lack of teachers and time.The various virtual reality projects in which some of the partners have participated in the past have confirmed that virtual reality can be an opportunity to allow students to have a first glimpse of the professional experience they need to validate their diplomas, but also to prepare for internships abroad, as well as to have a glimpse of the context in another country where they cannot work directly, by developing their foreign language skills. As the virtual reality environments will be common to the whole consortium, despite some adaptations, the objective of VET VR ACADEMY, using the e-learning platform, will be to allow the creation of activities or presentation of concepts that are difficult to retranscribe in virtual reality, but adaptable in a more classic theoretical e-learning content.This project will develop and test virtual reality environments to fill this need in the field of professional training for students wishing to work in hotels and restaurants, taking into account the cultural differences between countries. They will be able to experience their own national context as well as the context of other partners' countries.<< Objectives >>VET VR ACADEMY, starting from the needs stated above, has set a series of general and specific objectives, which have been developed to meet them. All of the goals are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the fourth goal: ""Ensure access to quality education for all and promote lifelong learning"". UNESCO's Global Coalition for Education COVID-19 proposes a goal within this framework that we fully embrace: ""Help countries mobilize resources and implement innovative and contextually appropriate solutions to deliver distance education, leveraging high-tech, low-tech, and non-tech approaches. ""The Erasmus Plus program follows the same perspective by promoting the use of digital tools in vocational education and training to enhance its attractiveness. In the case of VET VR ACADEMY, we focus on training in catering, to develop the skills of teachers by providing them with innovative and attractive digital training tools. The interest of using ICT is also in a sustainable development perspective. Indeed, we can find in online and virtual teaching practices, even if we have to remain modest because contact with the customer remains essential, some impacts of face-to-face training, while limiting their carbon footprint. The overall objectives of the project are to: - Promote the use of digital tools in vocational education and training and promote new approaches to foster the digital transition.- Strengthen the capacity of VET organizations in the field of digital training.- Enhance the attractiveness of learning in VET through innovative methods and more flexible opportunities.- To develop new ecological approaches through e-learning activities.The specific objectives of the project are to - Address the emerging needs of learners in the food service industry, regardless of age, in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic- Develop the pedagogical framework for new digital tools for VET schools, teachers, and trainers.- Develop new digital tools for VET schools, teachers and trainers.- Provide new hands-on learning opportunities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic for VET students for hospitality jobs.- Develop cross-cultural and foreign language skills for VET students in the food service industry.<< Implementation >>To achieve these results, the consortium will implement the following activities- Organisation of 4 transnational meetings to ensure the coordination and management of the project- A European learning activity for VET teachers and educators who will set up the final test phase to familiarize them with the tools to develop and strengthen their digital skills- A curriculum/pedagogical framework that will serve as a basis for the rest of the project- An e-learning platform to complement the virtual reality environments- Virtual reality environments available on consumer headsets- A public test of these results with 25 teachers and 100 learners across Europe - An impact study/policy paper for those who would like to reuse the tools or produce other virtual reality environments with a similar protocol- A dissemination strategy including the following elements: website, 4 newsletters, an infographic, publications on European platforms, making the virtual reality environments available on the download platforms of the chosen manufacturer, etc.<< Results >>The project will develop 4 results: PR1: VR ACADEMY FRAMEWORKThanks to the experience of the partners in the field of virtual reality and vocational training in the hotel and restaurant industry, we will develop a curriculum focused on this working environment, taking into account in particular the tasks performed in the hotel and restaurant industry that can be transferred, for a first practice or to get an overview of the working context abroad, in the digital world. The program will be available in the following languages: French, Spanish, Greek, German and English.PR2: VR ACADEMY ONLINEWe will use an online learning platform, complementary to the virtual environment, to host online lessons complementary to VR. This platform will be designed to prepare and accompany students who will first test and then benefit (after the end of the project) from the virtual environments. It will include language learning elements to enable students to develop their foreign language skills, whether in preparation for internships abroad or not. The results will be available in the following languages: French, Spanish, Greek, German and English.PR3: Development of environmentsThis project outcome, led by Ludus XR, will mainly focus on the technical development and testing of the virtual reality environments, following the development of the curriculum, as well as the content of the e-learning platform. The results will be available in the following languages: French, Spanish, Greek, German and English.PR4: Evaluation Report / Policy Paper / Impact AnalysisOne of the most important parts of the project will be the evaluation, the assessment of the impact through a guidance document that will allow the consortium to have a global perspective of the results and impact of the projects in order to ensure its sustainability. The guidance document will be available in the following languages: French, Spanish, Greek, German and English."

There is an ambiguity and a debate about the professional role of librarians and where the future lies for libraries in the new, increasingly competitive information environment. While the library is no longer the only place for information provision, wants and needs of the end users transform. As a result, libraries are facing with the challenge of designing and developing new services and re-designing the existing ones. Redefining what the library services and library building mean to users and restructuring the way information services are designed and delivered seem to be the only way for libraries to compete effectively. It has become clear that libraries cannot simply keep offering the same services and expect them to address emerging user needs. Libraries now seek to anticipate the needs of their users, building services that support transformations in the society.Librarianship is now based on participatory culture. The library of this century is not only a place to passively consume information but a place where knowledge is created, explored, shared and new social relationships are forged. Libraries today begin to redesign their services and even their physical space. Participatory librarians are expected to invite users to co-curate collections, physical as well as virtual workspace and to create new services (or new ways). There is a need for a new approach which brings users into the service design. Xlibris Project developes an approach (methodology) which enables any interested individual (locals, prosumers, visitors, librarians, library users, potential users) to contribute in new service design with his/her expectations, needs, likes and preferences. The main aims of Xlibris Project were involving users in the service design, uncovering users’ needs, desires, wants, likes as well as dislikes, developing a methodology for service co-design, experimenting with this methodology for new service creation and developing training and in-service training programs (within lifelong learning approach) based on the findings of the experimentation process. With this aims several activities were undertaken. A series of training and in-service training activities in order to develop user-centred new library services based on smart ICT was organized. Innovative methodologies were experimented to develop the Xlibris Methodology tool set as well as finding the best possible way to benefit from each methodology with the purpose of service co-design. Additional to a Study Analysis, a series of Open Educational Resources (OER), a methodology, and a multilingual MOOC defining how innovative new services can be co-created with the involvement of users were developed as the main intellectual outputs. An adult learners community (with more than 500 members) which includes librarians, future librarians (LIS students), library users, teachers, academics; 20 new SMART ICT 3.0 services (5 by each partner), a multilingual crowdsourcing platform, multilingual vimeo channels are among the tangible outcomes of the project. The project consortium consisted of 5 partners: a higher education instution (Hacettepe University from Turkey), a public library (Pencho Slaveykov Regional Library from Bulgaria), an educational center (Radviliškis District Municipality Educational and Sport Service Centre from Lithuania) a non-profit educational institute (Wisamar Bildungsgesellschaft from Germany), a municipality (Gemeinde Kabelsketal from Germany) and an NGO (ISES - Innovacion Social Emprendedores Sociales from Spain).X-Libris focused on the intensive use of smart ICT to sustain and manage relationships; blurred boundaries between production and consumption; collaboration and on repeated interactions, care and maintenance rather than one-off consumption; reform on training approaches and structures; and redefining the role of the users.X-Libris pioneered a new form of co-operation among multilevel actors to fully realize new library services based on actual needs of the final user. Xlibris experimented a shift from user centered design approach to co-design with users. The educational materials developed within the project Xlibris provide the opportunity to learn and replicate the same approach in different information settings with different stakeholders.

<< Background >>The teaching profession is intellectually and emotionally a highly demanding job. Teachers are exposed to a variety of stress factors, such as excessive workload, negative work-life balance, unsupportive school leadership, and challenging student behaviour (Richardson et al, 2013). Stressful working environment affects teachers’ motivation, self-efficacy and job commitment, which in turn can result in higher staff turnover and lower gains in student achievement. There is a growing recognition that for teaching and learning to be effective, teachers should have high levels of wellbeing (OECD, 2018). The latest research, however, proves that teachers’ wellbeing is an issue of concern. In the UK, more than 75% of educational professionals, including those in the VET sector, experience work-related behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms. 57% of teachers and 63% of senior leaders have considered leaving the profession within the past two years (Teacher Wellbeing Index 2018). The numbers are not much different for other European countries. For example, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education has been registering the highest rate of teachers leaving the profession in the last two years (2018). If unaddressed, the issue of poor wellbeing in schools would leave the educational systems in the EU without qualified and motivated staff, so needed for the development of the younger generation in the age of rising global competition. When national VET systems are struggling to recruit new teachers and retain their existing staff, VET teachers’ wellbeing has been an unfairly neglected topic (CEDEFOP, 2004, 2016; Boldrini & Sappa, 2017). In addition to the stress factors common to all levels of education, VET teachers face specific adversities, which have negative effect on their wellbeing. These include: undervalued image of the VET sector; unattractive career pathways for teachers; poor vocational motivation of students; ongoing changes in national VET systems due to harmonization processes at EU level; continuous changes in VET content due to rapid development of science & technology. The analysis of existing teacher wellbeing support schemes in partner countries, however, shows a lack of professional development opportunities for teachers to build the skills they need to deal effectively with the challenges of their working environment.<< Objectives >>VET-WELL project has addressed the teachers wellbeing challenge by planning to develop a comprehensive wellbeing support programme for VET staff, which is based on the rationale that: Teacher wellbeing is a complex construct with multiple dimensions: cognitive (self-efficacy), psychological (emotional regulation), social (collaboration and collegiality), and physical (working conditions); Improving teachers’ wellbeing requires strengthening of the skills and abilities to manage their own wellbeing (e.g. self-awareness, empathy, interpersonal relationship, stress management, conflict resolution) and to tackle their work effectively (e.g. efficacy in classroom management, instruction and student engagement); The culture and environment of a VET school have a profound influence on teachers’ wellbeing. The need for the project implementation was to support wellbeing programme for VET teachers that should be part of a whole school approach to wellbeing promotion, involving positive leadership practice, stress-free and inclusive environment, students’ wellbeing, and proactive engagement with families and the community.<< Implementation >>A summary of the implemented activities:O1-Framework for Teachers’ Wellbeing in VETPLANNING:O1/A1 Methodology and action plan - completed and proof documents enclosed to final reportDEVELOPMENTO1/A2.1 Research into VET teachers’ wellbeingCOMPLETED: literature review, skills sets, etc., surveys, focus groups reports - completed and proof documents enclosed to final reportO1/A2.2 Framework development - completed and proof documents enclosed to final reportO2-Professional Development Programme implemented O2 activities were:PLANNING:O2/A1 Syllabus, methodology and templates (M6)-Development of O2 methodology – completed and proof documents enclosed to final report-Syllabus – completed and proof document enclosed to final reportDEVELOPMENTO2/A2.1 Development of modules (M7-M11)-Modules’ content (incl. case studies and exercises) – completed 3 out of 7 and proof document enclosed to final reportO2/A2.2 Development of workshop scenarios (M8-M12)-Workshop scenarios - completed 3 out of 7 and proof document enclosed to final report<< Results >>The following outputs and results our project have been produced:O1 Framework for Teachers’ Wellbeing in VETO1.R1 Research methodology incl. questionnaire for survey,guidelines for focus group interviewsO1.R2 Research report summarizing survey results and focus groups resultsO2 Professional development programmeO2.R1 Syllabus O2.R2 Modules (learning content, incl. case studies and exercises) – completed 3 out of 7O2.R3 Practical workshop scenarios completed 3 out of 7A1 Project Management and ImplementationA1.R1 Partnership agreementsA1.R2 Project management plan, project finance and work planA1.R3 Interim and final technical and financial reportsA2 Project Quality ManagementA2.R1 Quality management planA2.R2 Internal evaluation reports:-Report 1 Evaluation of the project implementation processA3 DisseminationA3.R1 Dissemination and exploitation strategy prepared by EuroPAA3.R2 D&E reports: prepared by EuroPA based on partners’ inputs;A3.R3 VET-WELL website: developed by EuroPA M1-M4 and maintained for 5yrsA3.R4 visual identity (logo, templates, design of promotional materials, etc.): developed by EuroPAA3.R5 promotional materials, prepared by all partners for all activities involving project stakeholders.

"The SenQuality project addresses the topic of individual later life preparation in order to support well-being in old age.Demographic ageing is likely to be of major significance in the coming decades. Low birth rates and higher life expectancy will lead to a much older population structure. In 2018 about one fifths of the EU-28 populated were 65 years and older. During the next decades this is expected to gradually increase up to 28.5 % in 2050 (eurostat, Ageing Europe, 2019). The demographic change will have far-reaching implications. Expected cuts in social security systems, challenges for the health and care systems etc. emphasize an increased responsibility of individuals to prepare for later life. But also personal age-related changes influence future well-being. This includes bodily changes, role transitions when retiring but also loosing independence or trusted people. Several studies have shown that planning and preparing for age related changes is associated with increased well-being in later life, e.g. Noone et.al., Preretirement planning and well-being in later life, 2009; Yeung & Zhou, Planning for Retirement: Longitudinal Effect on Retirement Resources and Post-retirement Well-being, 2017; Preston et.al., Planning and preparing for later life, 2018. However, many people have not thought much about their later life nor taken future-oriented actions. The aim of the project is to raise awareness for the importance of planning for later life in a positive way and offer an individual, easy-accessible and flexible planning tool for own measures. The main result will be an online platform at which adults can search and find answers for their personal later life planning. This will be done with the help of self-reflection and different material and good practices as inspiration for a concrete action-plan.Preparation will not only concern financial aspects, which some persons might see as difficult to influence, but nine different life domains:- Finances- Emergencies & Exceptional Circumstances- Mental & Physical Fitness - Housing- Looks & Appearance - Social relationships- Health - Leisure Activities & Lifestyle- Work& Employment.The project follows by this the assumptions of Anna E. Kornadt (University of Luxemburg) and Klaus Rothermund (University of Jena) who see preparation as a lifelong and multidimensional process and defined in their studies these domains (e.g. Preparation for old age in different life domains, 2014). Preparations are considered for an active ‘""third age"", where the loss of the work role and its substitution with leisure activities or bridge employment are relevant, and for a ‘‘fourth age’’ in which the deterioration of one’s health, dependence/independence, generativity issues, and closeness to death becomes more important.The main target group of this project are therefore adults in their middle age between 40 and 65 as well as seniors in their 3rd age around retirement. They will be the direct beneficiaries of the preparation tool. Piloting is foreseen with 175 adult learners. In addition, also adult educators, counsellors, psychologists and other related professional groups will be involved as participants to contribute to the different IOs but also to benefit from the self-reflection concept and the online platform for own counselling offers.In a first Intellectual Output, “Domains for later life preparation”, an information pack will be elaborated with description, concrete information and advice on the nine domains relevant for later life incl. good practice examples for preparation. This will form an individual result but also the basis for the contents of the online platform on later life planning.The 2nd output contains the development of a methodological framework as concept for assessment, self-reflection and action plan in the nine domains concerned. It will ask about the current situation and where it should go (plans, hopes, values etc.) besides supporting to find individual answers what to do to reach the own aims.Both outputs lead to an online platform for later life planning (IO3) as main result of the project. After introductions into each domain, the current situation of the users will be illuminated in form of a self-reflection, based on the conceptional framework developed in IO2. Good practice examples and different also country specific sources and materials will serve as inspiration for own planning.The impact of the SenQuality project will be an increased motivation of adults to prepare for later life in a stage in which this still can be influenced in addition to an increased knowledge on how to plan for later life. Considering the demographic changes in Europe and its related challenges but also individual challenges for people in getting older, there is no doubt about the necessity of individual preparation for later life. The topic is of societal interest. The project intents to offer a European solution for a European problem."

The main objective of the project is to provide professional training for refugees, leading to better employment opportunities and living conditions. Through developing the abilities of refugee trainers and acquiring knowledge of intermediary organizations catering to the needs of the refugee community, the integration of refugees will be fast-tracked into the labour market or the start-up of a business, while promoting the development of innovative and effective mechanisms ensuring employment.Between 2015 and 2016, the countries of Europe and those bordering Syria, experienced an influx of more than 5 million Syrian refugees. Enabling migrants to become entrepreneurs lessens the effects of the crisis and facilitates social inclusion. Governments have been supporting refugees and integrating them into national health, education, employment and social services. However, this is not enough for integration into the labour market necessary for social-economic development.Migrants face many challenges establishing and managing entrepreneurship in their host countries. These are interlinked and stem from –•limited host-country capital•lack of understanding local labour markets•lack of local business regulatory frameworks•difficulties accessing local business networks•lack of start-up capital and business facilities•lack of language and cultural awareness•lack of training programsOur project partnership consists of 7 partners, three local institutions - Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality(KMM), Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University (KSU), Kahramanmaraş Provincial Directorate of National Education, and four from Europe - International Centre for the Promotion of Education and Development (CEIPES), Anaptyxiako Kentro Thessalias (AKETH), Fonix AS, Wisamar Bildungsgesellschaftgemeinnuetzige GmbH (Wisamar), Our strategic partnerships aim to support the development of adult learning and building entrepreneurial capacity for migrants, transfer of innovative practices as well as the implementation of joint initiatives promoting cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experience at the European level.Five international project meetings will be held, with the final meeting aimed at the effective and efficient management of the project and the follow-up of project activities and budget monitoring.A needs analysis of the current refugee situation will be made by intermediary organizations working together with each partner. Analysis reports will also include how to develop the capacity of intermediary organizations to support the employment or the entrepreneurship of refugees. In addition, entrepreneurship, business planning, the legal aspects of setting up a company and the employee hiring process will receive focus. Online training sessions and F2F workshops will be arranged for trainers in Italy as well as F2F training for the target groups included in the project. The online training and F2F workshop will include video lessons on the e-learning platform for trainers; sharing the approach and lessons taught during the workshop for trainers; practical tools and examples for refugees such as business planning, the legal aspects of setting up a company and hiring employees. Entrepreneurship training activities addressing the development of employers and entrepreneurs will be given by the Public Education Centre and Kahramanmaraş Municipality Vocational Education Directorate (KAMEK). Furthermore, the web portal will be developed for trainers.All work-based learning programs for refugees through apprenticeships or those provided by refugee and intermediary organizations will be put together into one resource. An information campaign with supporting activities will be arranged to increase awareness about the benefits of hiring refugees.The general and specific objectives of the project that will be realized are - •train the trainers to increase migrant entrepreneurship • support the creation, improvement and distribution of support schemes for migrant entrepreneurs•identify potential entrepreneurs among migrants•raise awareness about entrepreneurship within migrant communities•develop sustainable multi-level partnership models integrating refugees into the job market•value awareness of social inclusion through entrepreneurship•empower disadvantaged groups among migrants by developing business skills and competencies