Internet and the WWW is changing our lives: the way we communicate, work, shop, socialise, play and educate. Digital technologies also reshape traditional industries and totally transform the business environment. They speed up and improve the way new innovative products and services are produced and accessed. ICT is also changing the very nature of consumption, competition and how markets operate. Taking a closer look at the European market, it is mainly comprised of SMEs which represent 99.8% of Europe’s enterprises with the typical EU enterprise to be a microenterprise with less than 10 employees. With the aid of technology, nowadays SMEs can become global from day one, reaching overseas markets. E-business and social media platforms allow companies to improve their international market presence and reach potential clients all over the world. In this line, new business models have emerged that have enabled young prospective entrepreneurs to turn their business aspirations into business ventures. Nevertheless, and in spite of the rapid growth due to the digital potential, European SMEs still lag behind in terms of ‘digital revolution’: only 1.7% of EU enterprises take full profit of the digital opportunities. Put simply, European existing and prospective entrepreneurs still have a long way to go before they capitalize the gains the digital area offers in terms of new product design and/or new means of promotion. The identification of this skill and training gap is the outcome of a past research collaboration between the lead partner IME GSEVEE and the University of Patras partner.The Open up Entrepreneurship (OpEn) project fills this identified knowledge gap where existing and prospective entrepreneurs seek for business solutions into the digital technologies but lack the skills and capabilities to exploit the vast potential of e-business models in the global market. OpEn project aims at exploiting innovative practices and technological tools to design and develop multi-disciplinary reusable Open Educational Resources for cultivating entrepreneurial mindset and economic thinking in the digital world. It aspires to provide the basic principles of international entrepreneurship from the perspective of e-business in order to acquire the necessary skills, competencies and capabilities for the exploitation of the opportunities offered by the digital economy through the design and implementation of an open E-module and laboratory. Such an open material addresses a diverse set of user training needs taking into consideration the training needs of existing enterprises and young highly educated prospective entrepreneurs (i.e. students). The project partners will develop innovative common multi-language e-modules that will be applied and evaluated by the consortium's HEI and VET centers of social partners. However due to the open feature of the educational material, the related e-modules could be used to support young entrepreneurs throughout Europe.

Context/background of the projectThe impulse for this project came from the need to increase labour market potential of VET students of crafts and design. Among growing problems in Europe is unemployment of young people. Consequently, VET institutions have high responsibility in providing education and training that would meet the needs and trends of the society's labor market. Entrepreneurship and transnational networking, including distance team-working and ICT-based practices, are increasingly more important in creative industry labour market in addition to increasingly aiming to high standard professional skills. The project aims to contributing to the labour market adequacy of crafts and design education. Therefore, the project deals with increasing versatility of VET curricula in participating organisations, thus enhancing the quality of crafts and design education on local, regional, national and European level. Objectives– improving students' entrepreneurial skills for better labour market potential– improving students' classical and ICT based crafts and design skills– increasing participants' social competences to contribute to their cooperation and teamwork skills both in- and outside industry– enhancing participants' cultural and linguistic skills to raise their cultural awareness and competence to work on international level– sharing ideas and increasing EU partner network, thus raising the participating organisations' potential to provide competencies for better performance on EU labor market– modernizing pedagogy, raising quality and versatility of the participating organizations' VET curricula in terms of professional, digital and self-employment skills as well as knowledge on product design and cultural heritage. Tangible outcomes of the project will be – designed patterns inspired by cultural heritage or other culture-specific visual motives– deliverables (product prototypes) of different fields of crafts and design, representing regional cultural heritage or other visual features.Number and profile of participating organisationsAltogether, 5 organisations took part of the project: Tartu Art School (TAS), a vocational institution, Lybecker Institute of Crafts and Design (PRAVET), vocational studies, Instituto di Istruzione Superiore G. Mazzatinti, which is State High school offering five different courses with different curricula, Escuela de Arte y Superior de Diseño y de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales de Burgos (EASD), which offers both vocational and degree studies, and finally, ASOCIACION PARA LA GESTION DEL CENTRO EUROPEO DE EMPRESAS E INNOVACION DE BURGOS (CEEI-Burgos) which is a business consulting, incubating and innovation centre.Description of undertaken main activitiesAmongst the main activities of EntreVET were a Virtual Studio on cultural heritage in digital design, three Learning, Teaching and Training activities and two transnational project meetings.In addition, local dissemination activities, exhibitions of the products with patterns, regular management meetings in Skype, consulting and coaching between workshops, ongoing product and pattern development.Results and impact attainedResults on the level of participants:– increased entrepreneurial mind-set and skills, and therefore raised labor market potential– increased cooperation and communication skills both in- and outside own industrybetter understanding of cultural heritage and diversity, better cultural awareness, understanding of cultural diversity and linguistic skills– improved social and team-work skills– increased level of classical and digital competence to be applied in the field of crafts and designResults on the level of organisations: – due to successfully implemented methodology, an innovative entity of studies or its modules to be integrated in VET curricula of crafts and design education, more versatile curricula. Therefore better tools to support competitiveness and employment among graduates of crafts and design field.– increased motivation to integrate good practices and new methods into crafts and design studies– increased motivation of staff and capacity of organisation to work at international level– stronger and more active educational network of crafts and design on European level, increased opportunity for sharing good practices and innovative initiatives.Tangible outcomes of the project, that is:–a collection of digitally designed patterns inspired by cultural heritage or other culture-specific visual motives– deliverables (product prototypes) of different fields of crafts and design, representing regional cultural heritage or other visual features.

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT Small businesses are one of the main components of economic growth, social development and quality of life for EU citizens. However, the first steps of growth, especially the transition from being a sole trader to hiring a first employee(s), are not always easy. Lack of knowledge about the regulatory environment is a factor, but studies show that barriers are often perceived, and so hiring a first employee essentially requires sole traders to “cross a psychological threshold for which they are ill prepared.” This lack of preparation has become more evident as reasons for moving into self-employment in the current post Covid 19 economic climate have as much to do with the “push” away from other forms of employment, as with the desire to start and grow a new business. While this push factor has existed for some time, it has accelerated within the last year and has occurred against a background where the majority of public sector investment in business training has previously been directed to high potential growth start ups. There is less time than ever to invest in improving the quality of mainstream training for “standard” businesses, including sole traders who are in the eye of the economic hurricane that is Covid 19. However there is also much more scope for online training than ever with the widespread move into the virtual world. OBJECTIVES The objective of the project was to develop a new training model and resources to enable self-employed owner-operators to hire their first employee with knowledge, ability and confidence. The intention is to teach the practical, legal and financial aspects of employment and sustainable business growth, but also to apply new insights into overcoming the psychological barriers and risks involved. We have pursued this objective by;•Adopting new technologies effectively and blending the needs of our targets groups with the best pedagogic features of the widely available technology.•Creating innovative learning spaces where learners feel empowered and in charge of their own education process, directing their time to the areas where learning can benefit them most.•Curating knowledge of good practice in critical areas such as growth analysis, legal regulation, job interview processes and also more transversal skills and competences, such as coping with risk, interpersonal communication and managerial skills and above all a leadership mindset. The skills imparted are relevant across all types of employment and in other aspects of civic and personal development, contributing directly to the long term employability and personal development of self employed entrepreneurs.Our specific activities were the: a) Creation and publication of a self assessment tool enabling an objective assessment of readiness to employ and creating a personalized learning pathway. (IO1) b) Development and publication of a new training model with support for business trainers and advisors on how to impart the knowledge, skills and self-belief required to hire a first employee.(IO2) c) Creation and marketing of an open, free online course so that busy self employed individuals can access this new training directly. (IO3) NUMBER AND TYPE OF PARTICIPANTAmbition to employ targeted: VET providers Self employed entrepreneurs Stakeholders in VET and wider business development SUMMARY OF RESULTS AND IMPACT During the project there were 115,541 visitors to the Ambition to Employ website containing the direct access online course and downloadable resources2100 people downloaded the resourcesMore than 140 self employed entrepreneurs, 20 VET organisations and 75 VET teachers were involved in pilot testing175 self employed entrepreneurs and stakeholders were involved in multiplier events.21,061 entrepreneurs and stakeholders were reached via social media and general dissemination This roll out of the training model and resources is a reflection of the projects relevance to changing patterns of employment and entrepreneurship previous to and during the project. Solid plans are in place to exploit the resources by embedding them in higher education, with a committment from leading and national VET educators in the SME sector and with networks of enterprise educators introducing workshops on the value of Ambition to Employ as a key competence for entrepreneurs and economic growth post Covid.

"The ENTRETOY project focuses on learning and teaching entrepreneurship in a new way. It is also the school of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial attitude towards all. The partners' needs were as follows:1. Graduates lack confidence, initiative and key entrepreneurial skills.3 VET or higher education economics teachers have insufficient or absent practical experience and are unable to connect the learners' professional field with entrepreneurial studies.4 Lack of practical courses or continuing education mentors that could really support start-up entrepreneurs.The objectives:* Improving the quality of entrepreneurship education.* Training of the consortium's educators to have a new and more effective methodology for entrepreneurship education.* Testing different methodologies available.* Creating a curriculum for teachers and other entrepreneurship educators or advisors.* Creating educational materials for teachers and other teachers or advisors.* Creating a curriculum / annual program for an adult student pre-incubation course and higher education.The project partners are Belgium IEPS Jemappes (VET), Estonia: Tartu Art School (VET), Finland: SASKY (VET), Greenland: Niurnermik Ilinniarfik (VET), Spain: CEEI-Burgos Incubator, Poland: Regional Labour Office BialystokActivities: Teacher training, experimentation with new methodologies (FInland's TOY model and the ""Entrepreneurial School"" in Belgium), evaluation of results, combination of best practices. The creation of intellectual results: 2 curricula and teaching materials The results:- VET students and professionals have better key competences in entrepreneurship, initiative and trust.- Graduates are more competitive in the labour market. - New methods of teaching entrepreneurship are being used.- Teachers and mentors have innovative tools to teach entrepreneurship- The consortium's cooperation, evaluation and innovation processes create a basis for further development- An international network of teachers, mentors and students to support entrepreneurship learning processes.In the long term, we can expect to- more entrepreneurs, more jobs.- the graduate unemployment rate will be lower.- more collaboration between vocational schools, incubation centres and employment centres."

<< Background >>Through the generations, we have continuously encountered the dissatisfaction of young people in general, but especially young people with fewer opportunities who drop out of school or finish high school and do not know what they are good at, what and in what field they want to work and what are their options. . Surveys that we conducted on a sample of 50 young people, we found that it is necessary to create and create content that is tailored to young people with fewer opportunities. Surveys have found that young people with fewer opportunities do not have the resources available to facilitate their educational orientation after completing or dropping out of school. These are essential elements for achieving the goals of the European Education Area, the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, the European Youth Strategy and the European Union's work plan in the field of sport. With this project, we would achieve the goals set by the European Union's youth strategy for the period 2019-2027, which are:-promote learning mobility for individuals and groups and cooperation, quality, inclusiveness and equity, excellence, creativity and innovation at the level of organizations and policies in the field of education and training-promote mobility for the purpose of non-formal and informal learning, active participation of young people and cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of organizations and policies in the field of youth.In addition, the project includes a strategy for inclusion and diversity, which helps to remove obstacles faced by different target groups in accessing such opportunities in Europe and beyond.Furthermore, through previous internal research, the need for an adapted type of web platform for young people with fewer opportunities has been identified, and accordingly to choose which business areas they would like to work in and for which areas they are most competent.. The aim is to provide the same type of support to young people with fewer opportunities as other young people and to include them to be active in society and have their place in it and thus not be on the margins of society.<< Objectives >>The aim is to define the key needs of young people with fewer opportunities in order to facilitate their more inclusive access to society and help them be more competitive in the labor market. One of the main goals is to empower young people and point out their existing qualities, but also to encourage them to develop additional skills needed to compete in the marketplace, using content on the Web-Lab platform. The goal is also to create a large network of young people who will be a continuous support in sharing experiences, encouraging them to look for and reviewing new jobs, working on personal competencies, overall coping with the labor market and all possible obstacles that young people may face within educational or business orientation. It is also crucial that young people with fewer opportunities have additional help that they can seek at any time, with which it will be easier to find answers and motivation for further educational development through entertaining interactive content. By using the contents of the Web-Lab, young people can discover their desired business orientation or at least eliminate occupations they do not want to pursue. By providing a wide range of support to young people with fewer opportunities through a Web-Lab platform that is created exclusively to their needs, it allows them to more easily find their interests and positions in the business world. The aim of the project is to motivate and encourage all young people whit fewer opportunities and those who belong to vulnerable groups to become more actively involved in society and sucessfuly enter the labor market.<< Implementation >>The activities to be implemented through the project are ;1. 2 Focus groups and 2 workshops in each partner country = a total of 10 focus groups and 10 workshops2. A web platform is created which is the main product of the second project result3. Interactive contents are created; surveys, crossword puzzles, quizzes and webinars are recorded which are the main product of the third project result<< Results >>The results that will be achieved by the implementation of this project are:- Organized focus groups and workshops for young people with fewer opportunities in which the contentf or the Web-Lab platform will be precisely determined and defined.- Published one scientific article based on the results from the first project result (PR1)- Youth workers went to Latvia for a five-day training on digital competencies and know how to use the web platform and are additionally empowered to access and work with young people with fewer opportunities- The web platform was created and adapted to young people with fewer opportunities. It's free, fun, educational and always available. The Web-Lab offers a Forum through which young people can connect and thus create a network of young people from all partner countries with whom they will share their experiences.- Interactive content on the web platform provides assistance to young people in discovering their skills and qualities and provides educational or business orientation, as well as the opportunity to acquire and develop additional skills and competencies that are crucial for entering the labour market.