<< Background >>There is an increasing pressure for reducing the environmental footprint of the industrial activities and for slowing down the climate change. European Union has launched the “European Green Deal” action to boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy in order to make the EU's economy sustainable. Previous projects and research efforts are mainly focused on eco-design tools and methodologies, such as life cycle assessment and others. However, other important dimensions of sustainability such as the economy and the society are not given adequate attention. Sustainability requires an even economy development that respects and promotes equal opportunities. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the EU’s economy and the size of most footwear enterprises is very small and/or small. It is essential to strengthen them through activities that are in line with EU initiatives (e.g., “An economy that works for people”) that foster social fairness and prosperity.Over the last years, the European footwear sector has been changing in the way that demands more specialised expertise and new skills suitable to company's specific requirements towards new business models, innovative and high-tech technologies, design and styling, environment issues etc. Activated in a multi-billion market, the European Footwear Industry requires professional designers with increased competences and qualifications being able to develop sustainable products. Additionally, circular economy underlines new requirements for products use, re-use and disposal. The capacity to design for the circular economy is considered as an important driver for employment in the near future.All the project partners are involved in providing study programs, training and/or running educational projects for the footwear industry in their countries and/or EU level, but none of them have already included in their VET curricula and/or training content the hereby mentioned drivers of skills for the project target group: the footwear designers. In an era where consumers are driving industries, the footwear industry should consider consumer’s wellbeing and sustainability concerns as a competitive advantage to satisfy their demands. Increased health-consciousness and social awareness have to be incorporated in product development. Retailing practices and consumer behaviour are shifting towards sustainability. Moreover, consumers increasingly demand personalised and differentiated shoes, which open opportunities for more creativity while ensuring that sustainability concerns are satisfied. New sustainable materials, eco-design and marketing models are powerful tools to increase product differentiation. It is therefore a priority to equip footwear designers with a deeper understanding of the mechanics that determine sustainability and circular economy.<< Objectives >>Enhancing the skills of the professional designers through a cross-disciplinary training program, combining professional and transversal skills associated with creativeness, innovation, and sustainability, both technological and non-technological, is the aim of the project to be undertaken. In this context, the SHOEDES objectives are:•To anticipate the job-related requirements of the future footwear designers more effectively and explore new and innovative business / entrepreneurship models based on sustainable products and footwear design for the circular economy. •To develop new framework career guidelines and paths for sustainable footwear design by exploiting existing European instruments and initiatives like Europass, “Economy that works for people”, “European Green Deal”, that will result in better-qualified footwear design professionals and better services and in the EU and Turkish footwear industry.•To develop new methodologies and learning tools based on MOOCs for re-engineering the training process targeted to the existing and future designers of the footwear industry.<< Implementation >>The project comprises a set of implementation activities that will materialise the project objectives, supported by preparation, management, quality and dissemination activities that will ensure the propagation of its results even after the project has ended. Management and quality evaluation will be present throughout the duration of the project, making use of milestones and indicators in order to accurately determine whether the project is on schedule and the objectives are continually met. The outcomes of each activity shall be evaluated before the finalisation of the deliverables of the activity, in the context of the validation step of each activity. The project will deliver educational material in the form of reports, MOOC, Book of Lectures and new career and business models. It will include research and validating activities, a set multiplier events for dissemination, and intensive training workshops for the validation of the results.<< Results >>(1) A transnational report that will identify and analyse the characteristics of footwear design in terms of the three pillars of sustainability. Task leader: UAEGEAN(2) A new framework for career guidelines and paths for sustainable footwear design. Task leader: TASEV(3) A MOOC on “Footwear Deign for the Circular Economy”. Task leader: TUIASI(4) A Book with lectures on “Footwear Design for the Circular Economy”. Task leader: CIAPE with the support of TASEV-SCHOOL.(5) New and innovative business / entrepreneurship model based on footwear design for the circular economy. Task leader: ADC with the support of TASEV.(6) Multiplier event for disseminating Result#1 – Transnational report. Task leader: CRETHIDEV(7) Multiplier event for disseminating Result#2 – New Career Framework. Task leader: TASEV-SCHOOL(8) Multiplier event for disseminating Result#3 & Result#4 – MOOC & Book. Task leader: TUIASI(9) Multiplier event for disseminating Result #5 – New Business Model. Task leader: ADC(10) Design-challenge competition in all partner countries for the design of footwear for the circular economy. Task leader: CTCP(11) Intensive training workshops in all partners countries. Task leader: CRETHIDEV

Over the last years, the European footwear sector has been changing in the way it demands more specialised expertise and new skills suitable to company’s specific requirements towards new business models, innovative and high-tech technologies, design and styling, environment issues etc.Furthermore, in order to remain competitive, businesses must be able to adapt to changes. The latest updated assessment of the needs for skills in European footwear industry, performed by European Sector Skills Council for textile, clothing , leather and footwear (TCLF) industry in 2014 hasidentified various drivers of employment and skills that are influencing and shaping the TCLF sector, including the footwear sub-sector too, such as: regulation and multi-level governance, demographic and population change, environmental change, economics and globalisation, technological change, changing values and identities, consumer demand. The TCLF 2014 Report reveals that “five times more jobs are to be opened for highly qualified employees than for low-qualified employees by 2025”. Within this context, the necessary qualification requirements for working in the European footwear industry must be redefined in order for the labour market to be reinvigorated with skilled professionals that will offer their full potential to the industry. dicSHOEnary aims to provide the technical language infrastructure necessary for strengthening the international communication of the shoe industry and for the establishment of new partners and to support the current and enthusiastic managers of the sector according to the expectations of the most current and necessary language skills and training needs.In order to do so, dicSHOEnary will produce a set of 3 intellectual outputs that materialise the project objectives, supported by management activities and an exploitation plan that will ensure the dissemination of its results even after the project has ended. The activities include: a) Need Analysis& State of the Art Report, b) Language guide in 10 languages with 3000 vocational terms e) Interactive web portal The dicSHOEnary partnership was established on the basis of combining the different backgrounds, experience and expertise of 10 partners from 9 countries, who have had experience in implementing transnational projects, in the field of vocational training, or in the field of footwear industry, in order to complement one another regarding their role in the project.dicSHOEnary aims to reach a large number of persons inside and outside the partnership, using different communications activities and channels by promoting the project and its results among European involved and/or interested organizations, and, at a national and regional/local level, bypromoting the project results among target organisations and end-users. Almost 1500 persons are estimated to be able to be informed about the project and benefit from its activities, including VETs, policy-makers, associations and organisations dealing with footwear, universities, research centres, managers of the sector and potential ones and trainers.The intellectual outputs developed by dicSHOEnary will be concrete and transferable, so that they can be exploited even after the project conclusion, both by the partners and by other stakeholders.The research activity implemented during dicSHOEnary can be the starting point for implementing research activities in the field. Managers and potential managers will be offered the opportunity to access the dicSHOEnary on the platform even after the end of the project and the world of Education, Research and Industry will have the opportunity to be part of a community which will be set the ground for developing innovative footwear products, new projects and common initiatives.