<< Background >>The tourism industry is one of the major economic drivers and employers in the world. The EU’s tourism industry in the strict sense (traditional providers of holidays and tourism services) is made up of 2.3 million businesses, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises, employing 12.3 million people (Eurostat).Starting from March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a radical decline in the aforementioned numbers, due to the enforcement of strict travel restrictions. With its toll of uncertainty, the outbreak of the COVID-19, represents today the most crucial challenge for the future of the sector. At the same time it revealed, even to the general public, that tourism activities were considerably contributing to environmental degradation and consequently climate change with its impact spanning from soil erosion, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on endangered species, etc.Climate action requires that all actors embrace carbon-limited, socially-accepted practices in order to contribute to international climate goals. The tourism sector was already in transformation mode. Reopening tourism in a sustainable way will require coordination at EU level. It is an opportunity that the sector can take advantage to cope with both labour market needs while contributing to environmental prosperity. Considering the above, the DGI TOURISM project aims to become a front-runner in the witnessed developments in the tourism sector. Its ambition is to adapt the VET offering to the challenges of the digital age and climate change, innovatively accommodating post-Covid travel sector needs that dictate a smooth transition towards more sustainable strategies, ensuring a futureproof for the tourism sector. The partnership has identified that main target groups of the DGI TOURISM project would be VET providers, trainers, trainees in disciplines of tourism. The profile and age distribution of VET students varies as consortium partners would focus on VET students of 16- 20 y.o. (initial VET) but would also explore transferability potential to working adults. Indirectly there is potential to affect stakeholders, such as links of the whole supply chain of tourism delivery (policy makers, travel-tech, umbrella organisations, consultancies) and, of course, travellers. The needs/problem to be addressed by the project are:VET providers/trainers need to:adapt their training courses for trainees in tourism professions and consider evolving market needs, especially towards the post-covid era thinking in digital, green and innovative ways,adapt VET courses targeted to working professionals that have to diversify and evolve to survive. A boost in employability is required with flexible training opportunities for digitized and sustainable tourism.VET students need to familiarise with: ways to promote eco-friendly travelling and identify eco-conscious tourism products,digital tools and promote data-driven decision making.Policy-makers and umbrella organisations, either sustainability-oriented or business-oriented, need to raise awareness on the importance of responsible travel and inspire travelers and professionals to improve their environmental and social performance. For travelers, it has been identified that the concept of sustainable travel has been forwarded by 5 to 10 years, and as such they really need travel businesses to get on board this transition and offer more sustainable travel options.From the perspective of the partnership and taking into account its composition of forward-thinking organisations, it’s considered a priority to contribute to the UN's 2030 agenda on sustainable development especially in the context of goals: 4. education and quality, 8. decent work and economic growth, 11. sustainable cities and communities, 12. responsible consumption and production, 13. fighting climate change, 15. life on earth.<< Objectives >>The aim of the DGI TOURISM project is to create a holistic training framework for VETs focusing on tourism professions that would inspire responsible travel and secure sustainable growth for the industry in the post-covid era. In this way, the consortium is targeting the horizontal priority: Environment and fight against climate change and the sectoral priorities: VET: Adapting vocational education and training to labour market needs and VET: Increasing the flexibility of opportunities in vocational education and training.DGI TOURISM sets clear objectives and aims to:Develop interactive, participatory, and lean teaching approaches that boost sustainable thinking in tourism. An innovative methodology will be developed based on well-recognized models for quality excellence tailored to the delivery of digital, green, innovative training for VETs. State-of-the-art methodologies (EFQM, DigiComp framework, TQM etc.) will be screened and the selected criteria will be adapted for vocational education and training to deliver the DGI TOURISM training methodology. The aim is to deliver a lean training methodology focusing on defining key aspects that add value to training activities and remove wasteful process steps.Develop an ECVET profile and accompanying training plan to boost flexible learning. The objective is to develop the ECVET profile of the ‘Digital and Green Tourism Expert’ and decide on main thematic priorities for the new training plans (initial or continuous) dedicated for VET students.Develop training material by tourism experts, taking advantage of ontology mapping, fostering eco-friendly, best practices in an easily adaptable, reconfigurable, and transferable way. Training content and modules will be adapted to local needs and are thus considered transferable for use to various countries, as well as to disciplines with an interest in sustainable service delivery in the transport and HORECA domains. Moreover, the personalised training path approach with the use of a semantic ontology schema is considered highly transferable to other disciplines and VET fields. Propose a path for tourism professionals to adapt to post-covid market needs, improving their digital and green skills and competencies. The project aims to prepare the tourism professional that can continuously adapt to align to the market needs and economic challenges, proposing an intelligent skills mix (including green and digital), thus boosting employability. Moreover, the proposed VET training program will balance skills acquisition with work-based learning, taking advantage of established practices of VET schools within the consortium. Perform trials and assess results, offer feedback to VET centers and stakeholders. The DGI TOURISM project aims to deliver, test, and evaluate all project findings in an iterative way. Two cycles of internal testing are foreseen allowing for improvements. Evaluation activities are planned to get feedback from trainers and professionals based on a validation plan which will be prepared. Practical guidelines will be developed for trainers, based on the evaluation results, while feedback to interested VET centres will be also delivered.<< Implementation >>The DGI TOURISM project will build, deliver and evaluate a training plan, including an ECVET profile, ontology schema, dedicated courses and tools, that will empower VET trainees, trainers/providers and trainees to adjust to the world agenda and become true agents of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking into consideration the three pillars of People, Planet, Profit.In order to fulfill these objectives, the consortium has created a clear work breakdown structure consisting of the following activities with links to Project Results (PR):A1-Methodological framework definition [M1-M7, lead TRAVEL2FIT, link with PR 1]A2-ΕCVET profile and Training Plan design[M6-M12, lead ENAIP, link with PR 2] A3-Training course preparation [M10-M24, lead X23, link with PR 3]A4-Training course delivery and evaluation [M10-M24, lead ATLANTIS, link with PR 4]The above activities are linked with the results foreseen in the project. For their efficient implementation these activities have been further partitioned into tasks. This partitioning is outlined below:PR1 - Methodological framework (includes tasks: PR1/T1: Selection of Methodologies (M1-M4) and PR1/T2: Lean Methodological Framework (M3-M7)).PR2 - ECVET profile DGI Tourism Professional and Training Plan (includes tasks: PR2/T1: ECVET profile development (M06-M12) and PR2/T2: Training Plan (M10-M12)).PR3 - DGI TOURISM training courses (PR3/T1: Ontology schema development (M10-M13), PR3/T2: Training Content development (M12-M24) and PR3/T3 Localization of training course (Μ17-Μ22))PR4 - Method and tools for training course delivery and evaluation (PR4/T1 Training course delivery (Μ10-Μ24), PR4/T2 Training course evaluation (Μ10-Μ20), PR4/T3 Training course testing and final release (Μ12-Μ24)).The project foresees also horizontal activities related to project management, dissemination and exploitation:A5: Overall management and coordination of the project (M1-M24, lead X23),A6: Quality assurance activities (M1-M7, lead ATLANTIS),A7: Dissemination and communication activities (M1-M7, lead Green Destinations),A8: Exploitation activities (M1-M7, lead X23),A9: Impact & Sustainability (M1-M7, lead Green Destinations).(The codes A1 - A9 are given in the attached time plan file GANTT).<< Results >>The project aims to provide a novel training methodological framework for the VET sector so as, from one hand, to contribute to socio-environmental challenges, like travel sustainability and the fight against climate change, while from a different perspective, to allow travel professionals (both entry-level and experienced) to adapt to new market trends and requirements, thus, boosting their employability. By utilizing the DGI TOURISM methodology, VET centres will enrich and ensure increased quality, adapt to post covid-19 needs, meet learners’ expectations and industry requirements for a flexible transition towards more sustainable practices and digital skills and competencies.Sustainable practices mean effectively promoting a way that tourism can be handled long-term without degrading natural and cultural environments. Sustainable travel should decrease the negative impacts of travel and ideally be beneficial to the area which affects. Moreover, tourism is an industry that has been at the forefront of digital disruption, to an extent that digital literacy is considered fundamental and should be embraced by travel professionals. Based on the above, the consortium is committed to working towards offering a set of tangible results during the project implementation. The results are key exploitable assets and a significant enabler for the success of the DGI TOURISM project.The tangible results of the project are:- Development of the methodology framework for VETs;- Preparation of the ECVET profile of the “Digital and Green Tourism Expert”;- Delivery of a novel training plan based on the lean model;- Deliver a lightweight ontology schema capturing the main aspects of the training plan and allowing VET students to easily navigate according to their individualized learning path;- Creation of a training course for DGI TOURISM experts;- Development of the Self-Diagnostic evaluation tools;- Preparation of an evaluation and validation plan;Intangible results during the implementation of the project comprise:- Raising awareness among VET centres in relation to the benefits of sustainable tourism and its contribution in the fight against climate change and economic growth in the travel sector;- Raising awareness among VET centres in relation to the benefits of evolving the digital literacy of travel professionals for meeting labour market needs;- Knowledge dissemination in regard to how the new training methodology can be turned into an opportunity of high potential for VET providers and trainers;- Better professional activity and employability among the target groups. Expected results at the end of the project:-The methodological framework for delivering sustainable tourism & digital competencies for VET.-A training course to prepare DGI TOURISM experts based on an ECVET profile.-Feedback offered to VET centres for adapting their curricula to incorporate the DGI TOURISM training framework in a proper and effective way.

<< Background >>Rapid digitalisation over the past decade has transformed many aspects of work and daily life. Driven by innovation and technological evolution, the digital transformation is reshaping society, the labour market and the future of work, and inevitably E & T. Employers face difficulties in recruiting highly skilled workers across a number of economic sectors, including in the digital sector.Boosting digital skills at all levels helps increase growth and innovation and build a fairer, more cohesive, sustainable and inclusive society. Being digitally skilled and acquiring digital literacy can empower people of all ages to be more resilient, improve participation in democratic life and stay safe and secure online. Equipping Europe’s future workers and job seekers with digital skills will be critical for economic recovery in the coming years, especially after the severe consequences of the pandemic in all fields of life.To thrive in a technology-driven economy, VET trainers, educators, job seekers, workers, but perhaps above all ‘the lockdown generation’ whose education and employment prospects have been affected due to the pandemic, will need to be digitally skilled and confident to succeed in a rapidly changing environment and adapt to new and emerging technologies. Evidence in the participating countries show that levels of digital skills are still low, albeit gradually improving, while the digital transformation is accelerating. While acknowledging that 90% of jobs in all sectors in the future will require some form of digital skills, yet 35% of Europe’s workers lack these skills, the partnership is committed to contribute to the upskilling and re-skilling as digital skills in demand will range from basic to advanced, including AI, data literacy, supercomputing and cybersecurity.<< Objectives >>Main aim:The proposal aims (1) to promote the introduction and acquisition of high digital skills including AI and Unity Game Development in VET schools thus responding to the needs of the labour market and (2) to empower young people with digital literacy to enhance their resistance to excessive online use such as addictive gambling habits through the demonstration of how an AI model can predict lucky games.Other aims:•To upgrade the attractiveness of VET with targeted to the needs of the labour market curricula thus responding to the demands of the digital transformation•To promote social innovation and change for a sustainable future through the digital upskilling of the younger generation•To empower YP with targeted digital competences, skills and knowledge in order to acquire an overall understanding of gambling and harden their resistance to gambling addiction.•To introduce the fundamental knowledge of Artificial Intelligence both for VET trainers and young people•To develop a new set of AI learning and teaching resources as well as Unity Game Development, that will enhance the schools’ collection•To provide young people with high quality opportunities to acquire digital skills using the Unity Engine for educational purposes and to boost their creativity, innovative, problem solving, teamwork, leadership and empathy skills•To develop a professional development training for trainers in order to upgrade their profiles•To empower young people to prevent and/or deal with gambling addiction and excessive online screen usage.•To promote awareness raising for the dangers of gambling addiction through the acquisition of digital literacy skills<< Implementation >>Activities:The consortium plans the following activities:-Five transnational project meetings-One Blended Mobility for VET learners accompanied with their VET trainers-Four Project Results -Six Multiplier Events<< Results >>The results include the following:-National State of the Art Report for the AI-driven digital transformation -Peer review among partners-Educational Pack with a new AI Curriculum for secondary schools, set of new digital material, collection of case studies for exploration, collection of resources, -An interactive platform in the form of an academy-Pilot-testing of the SmartAInnovators programme-Dissemination Plan-Quality and Evaluation Plan

<< Background >>CONTEXTFollowing the outbreak of Covid-19, the education sector was particularly affected. The normal pedagogical flow was disrupted and teachers had to quickly adapt to transform their courses digitally. Now the situation is still very uncertain in most countries which is why high quality digital or hybrid content has to be created or enhanced to deal with unknown situations and ensuring young people still have access to knowledge.At the same time industries have also been highly affected and as a result might hesitate to hire fresh graduates or concentrate on their own development instead of collaborating with higher education.Another point is, because of travel restrictions we risk less intercultural cooperation and less concrete partnerships.Through the JoInME project we aim to answer these problematics at our own level, capacity and experience in order to equip HE teachers and their students with a relevant, updated and resilient training program.<< Objectives >>OBJECTIVESThe main objective of the JoInME project is to support higher education teachers in delivering quality education and training to higher education students (18-25 years old), no matter the gender or social background, in spite of an unstable economic situation worldwide, on the topic of entrepreneurship. This will be achieved by offering an up-to-date joint intercultural and multidisciplinary training program on entrepreneurship in the field of AI for Industry 5.0. This in order to get the skills and knowledge that become essential in a post-pandemic era in order to ensure a sustainable future for ambitious students willing to create their own company, no matter the global situation.<< Implementation >>ACTIVITIES1. Designing a Joint training program on Entrepreneurship in the field of AI for Industry 5.0;2. Preparing desk and field research on the current challenges and good practices, leading to the development of case studies;3. Writing a Manual on organizing International virtual entrepreneurship seminars;4. Developing dedicated Online resources with the repurposed training program and assessment quizzes providing access to all project results and infrastructure for supporting the growth of a project community;5. Sharing and promoting the deliverables prepared through Multiplier events;6. Training future trainers through an LTTA;7. Involve the target groups and associated partners all along the project.METHODOLOGYAn iterative methodology: three versions of the results are produced, one in each iteration. After each iteration the results are tested/validated and based on the conclusions the next iteration is planned.<< Results >>RESULTS(1) Case Study Workbook(2) Core materials of the Joint training program on Entrepreneurship(3) Specific material related to AI in Industry 5.0(4) Manual on organising international seminars(5) JoInME Personalised Assistant (6) JoInME Skills Retention Service BENEFITS- an innovative joint training program for higher education students interested in entrepreneurship in cutting-edge industry;- an updated and adapted online quality training useful for professors/teachers looking for adapted content and resilient teaching techniques;- a hybrid program taking advantage of hybrid activities - online (training) and face-to face (mobilities if wished);- a Guide Manual to organise online International multidisciplinary seminars to promote networking of institutions and collaboration between students across the EU;- an opportunity for companies to give students real-case issues for them to work on, benefit from the environment and labs of the HEIs and eventually recruiting students after they graduate if they worked well on the project;- an opportunity for business incubators and accelerators to be in touch with companies as potential clients.

<< Background >>While the latest technologies, methods, and techniques that are brought to surface by the 4th industrial revolution are streamlining the daily workflows, the major drawback that needs to be tackled in order to exploit those advantages to their maximum potential, is the lack of knowledge and practical skills to operate, maintain, and produce value out of the use of Advanced Manufacturing Techniques (AMTs). The European plastics sector provides a nourishing ground for AMTs to develop and be put to extensive use. However, despite its essential role for human life and well-being plastics sector presents many environmental issues, that also could be addressed with the use of AMTs. Thus, the rapid take over of the digital era must be supported by a constant supply of human resources and personnel that have a basic understanding of these technologies and the technical skills to promote the use of AMTs to the production needs. Having identified an existing gap between the skills required to successfully manage these technologies, and the current level of expertise on AMTs on the plastics sector, AMT2P aims to bridge this gap by providing a common framework under which the sector can train the employees on the use of AMTs. A common, well defined, and needs-oriented training methodology is currently what is missing from the sector and this is what AMT2P aims to develop. AMT2P will develop a training course and supporting digital tools that will increase the flexibility of opportunities in VET in advanced manufacturing and provide workers with access to customised skill training with adaptive learning path for the plastics sector. Integrating IT-related topics and required digital skills into the training program, the project aims to strengthen active workforce, to upskill their employability potential and to improve the ability to adapt to the post COVID changing labor market. Incorporating the environmental issues in the curricular and developing relevant green sectorial skills the project will drive the adoption of eco-friendly technologies and promote environmental topics across the manufacturing sector.The consortium comprises of six (6) partners from five (5) European countries. Their fields of expertise included in the partnership are VET education, Consultancy, ICT, Young Adult Education, Digital Learning Experts, etc. The target group of the project are VET trainers and VET students active in the area of AMTs applied on the plastics sector. Apart from the main target groups, the project will also focus on the low-skilled professionals that are already employed in the plastics sector and seek to upgrade their soft and practical skills on the use of AMTs. The AMT2P aims to address the following needs:VET trainers need:•a training methodology that is designed according to the industry needs and includes practice and understanding of future workplace tasks;•to learn how to use new technologies and motivational mechanics and workflows in their trainings;•upskilling on new competences required from the industry and apply a work-based learning approach.VET students need to: •be better prepared for their challenging future careers;•be able to adopt and apply new techniques and technologies in their workplace;•be able to manage and respond to changes in the workplace; •acquire high-quality and recognised skills and competences.The following stakeholders have needs/issues to address:•VET providers need to have updated and agile curricula that are attractive, engaging and interactive and also relevant to the evolutions of the workplace•Industries need personnel that has recognised and validated skills based also on work related paradigms (work-based training). •SMEs need personnel that can facilitate the adoption of AMTs and empower the “globally designed, locally made” attitude. •Solution providers need personnel keen on adaptive and smart systems, on new techniques and technologies.<< Objectives >>This partnership is established for a sustainable workforce development to improve its employability with advanced technologies, green and digital skills. To this end, the partnership needs to improve vocational education and raise its attractiveness in order to meet the needs of the manufacturing industry providing VET students with access for tailoring AMTs skill training and VET trainers with training methodology and tools. These will be achieved through the cross-border collaboration on matching and anticipating skills and jobs to ensure the skilling and training needs of niche sectors (e.g. plastics), the exchange of information and best practices on the modernization of STEM curricula, better engagement and link between universities, VET providers, technology providers and employers in skills development educational programs. To this end, AMT2P aims to offer a training methodology for workers in companies in the plastics sector based on the identified needs in order to adopt AMTs in the manufacturing process and to be used in a cost- and environment-effective way. The training methodology will act as a base for developing the AMT2P training program, consisting of several training modules, on the proper operation and efficient exploitation of different types of AMTs. The AMT2P training program will be supported by the development of a course specific digital Training Assistant Tool. Finally, in order to ensure that knowledge is retained after the project’s end date, partners will develop a Knowledge Retention Service, hosted in a Learning Motivational Environment as a cloud-based platform. Main project objectives are:a)Develop a training methodology and supporting tools for addressing the skill gaps (especially focused on the personnel expertise, the access to AMTs and “green” skills gaps);b)Develop the training material content, supported by the use of IT tools provided by project partners with high expertise on the field;c)Perform pilot trial workshops to validate the training methodology and get feedback from trainers and trainees;d)Assess the results of the pilot workshop and re-adjust the training methodology and content according to the current needs of the sector.Bridging sector-specific gaps and focusing on the needs of the target groups, the AMT2P project aims to provide a comprehensive training course for plastics sector, doing that in a concrete novel way, namely tailored to a specific audience. Implementing best outcomes from other projects and addressing this unique manufacturing sector in light of advanced manufacturing technologies the proposed project will contribute to development of knowledge-intensive and high-value-added manufacturing industry and support a European scale-up of innovative and environmental sustainable solutions.Taking into account size and importance of the plastics sector, this project will be performed and the main results will be validated based on the case of this sector. While the project is envisioned in a way that allows its results to be expandable and transferable also to industrial sectors other than plastics (e.g. metals, glass).<< Implementation >>The AMT2P project will develop, evaluate, validate, improve, and disseminate a training framework, that includes an innovative methodology, training content, and digital tools to support the training. Besides of the training program and tools, the AMT2P project will deliver a Knowledge Retention Service to provide continuous motivation for developing skills, new trainer guidelines, and a recognition plan that will allow for a persistent knowledge acquisition.The project proposes a novel AMT training methodology that is currently missing from the plastics sector. The methodology allows VET provides and industries to organize training courses and acquire knowledge shared among all target groups, from a common repository and use it to educate and upskill VET student and employees in a structured and needs-specific manner. The methodology will be developed according to the ECVET system, allowing trainees and professionals to claim ownership of the knowledge gained through the program. All knowledge gained will be accessible through the Learning Motivation Environment, a platform that will be accessible from different mobile devices and will always monitor the trainee’s progress, even after the completion of a training course.The main project activities that will ensure the successful and timely goals achievement are:TRAINING METHODOLOGY DEVELOPMENT:The training methodology for the AMT2P training course will be developed using the expertise of all AMT2P partners. The described methodology will clearly define a) the main characteristics and purpose of the training course, b) the educational model followed, c) the taxonomy and organisation of the training modules, d) the expected outcome of the training course, e) the evaluation process of the training progress.ECVET Profile: Taking advantage of the methodology developed, an ECVET Profile will be composed to describe the expected skills and learning outcomes. This will be put in use and translated into tangible results in terms of course preparation and content development. CONTENT DEVELPOMENT AND COURSE PREPARATION:Based on the analysis of the skills needs of the plastics sector concerning the use of industrial AMTs and best practices used in the plastics domain in other EU countries a draft of the training content and the different modules that will form the AMT2P training course will be created. Together with the early conceptualization of the ECVET profile, this will allow for an early demonstration of a complete training course with clear roles and expected outcomes, maximizing the dissemination capabilities of the project.TRAINING ASSISTANT TOOL AND DIGITAL LEARNING MOTIVATION ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT:The ICT expert partners of the consortium will lead the development of the Digital Assistant Tool and the Learning Motivation Environment (LME). The first one will be developed as a supportive tool that identifies the needs of each VET student and creates and individual learning path. The later will be developed as an online cloud-based platform that allows for a continuous support of, both VET teachers, and VET students. The LME’s main objective will be to ensure knowledge retainment after the project’s expected end date. The tools as well as the training content will be demonstrated, tested and adapted based on feedback received through the project’s multiplier and dissemination events.<< Results >>The project will develop a new methodology, training content, and supportive digital tools that will be used to educate and upskill VET students on the use of AMTs on the plastics manufacturing sector. The AMT2P will create the ECVET profile of the AMT expert that will act as the required level of knowledge trainees should gain by the end of the training course. VET students that choose to complete the AMT2P training course will have the opportunity to increase their employability potential in the sector and also increase their mobility, given the fact that the methodology and the ECVET profile is envisaged as one common strategy for the plastics sector across the EU. As a result, the project will provide:•practice oriented/case study oriented approach for training/knowledge transfer;•active participation of the VET students and trainers/stakeholders to the learning process;•creation of an inventory of the skills and competencies.Project tangible results foreseen during the project implementation comprise:- Elaboration of a training approach for the field of initial and early VET suitable for the target groups;- Design of an ECVET profile of the VET trainers;- Development of a skills and achievements framework;- Preparation of VET trainer guidelines;- Creation of a training course for students and young adults;- Development of a Learning Motivation Tool (virtual learning environment);- Preparation of one pilot workshop to validate the training methodology;- Preparation of a feedback and recognition plan.The project’s impact goes beyond a simple training course on AMTs use, as the project aims also to create a reference point at which the plastics industry will refer to when a new training concept will be encountered. The AMT2P will have a significant impact on different target groups as well as the project partners who will gain experience and expertise relevant to the plastics sector and AMTs, improve their skills and partnerships through project collaboration. Results at the end of the project:1.VET trainers and VET schools will have a new training methodology and the opportunity to use ICT tools designed based on the specific needs of the plastics sector, validated against the skills gap the sector is facing.2.VET students will be given the opportunity to meet new tools that help them gain both theoretical and practical knowledge on the use of Advanced Manufacturing Techniques in the PS. They can up-scale their and/or gain new, including digital and “green”, skills, thus increasing their employability potential.3.Other stakeholders like on-the-job trainers or staff responsible for training new employees directly on the field will obtain the AMT2P training methodology and tools which can potentially help them to decrease training time, raise quality and improve training impact.4.Stakeholders, and VET schools in extension will have access to a training material that is easily adaptable to the needs of any other industrial sector, designed with the same base methodology but tailored to the individual aspect of each cluster.Industry (plastics sector) will gain an updated curriculum, with needs-specific knowledge and supportive tools that will allow for an in-house training of personnel.National and European communities will benefit from access to an open educational framework that can be adapted to the needs of any other sector other than the plastics sector.Policy and decision makers, EU officials will benefit from the availability of methodologies and practices that makes it easier for companies to recruit highly skilled and well-trained personnel for the use of AMTs and secure their competitive advantages.AMT2P will promote the organization and retention of knowledge, in a sustainable way that can be easily altered to match the needs of the training demands of any industrial or other sector, thus supporting the lifelong learning in a competitive and drastically changing time.

<< Background >>The report of the ET 2020 Working Group on VET states that the social and economic contributions of VET have so far been under research and underestimation, VET institutions are assimilated with the provision of skills rather than having a wider role in the innovation ecosystem. VET systems are often not flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the labor market: in general, innovations in pedagogy and digital technologies tend to be implemented sporadically, forming a fragmented picture when VET systems are seen as an entire; and VET needs to respond to the growing demand for higher-level skills by expanding supply to higher levels. Also in the context of environmental crises, more needs to be done to develop the role of VET in the implementation of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, as achieving the 17 goals requires highly innovative approaches, many of which can be stimulated by VET skills.VET is in a world unprecedented change, but there is great potential for innovation and digitization to support high quality and higher VET. Having in view the above, the project will complement the work of all partner organizations that need to be part of the solution, an engine of innovation and to be part of the Lifelong Learning in the EU Innovation Scoreboard, on the need to address in a structured way the delivery approach of the strategies to be followed by regional development bodies and regional ecosystems of business and innovation. The goal is to also shape the workers, professionals and stakeholders of the future.The Regio.Digi.Hub project aims to incorporate innovation and digitalization to create a more flexible and modern high quality VET system in Romania and at European level to expand access, to model how learners learn and student outcomes, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery and how learners' achievements will be recognized and validated. Mainly, these effects will have a major impact not only on individual learners, but also on educational institutions.Target groupWorkers in the regional development sector: regional development agencies, innovation agencies, civil servants from local public administration, European Structural Funds consultancy companies, SMEs, trainers, researchers.The second target group consists of policymakers, senior technicians, and key socio-economic actors in the regional development sector.Given that partner organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic were not prepared to go online with regional development courses dedicated to local public administration, private companies and NGOs, because they had not previously prepared an e-learning platform, and staff and trainers did not have digital skills to run this online. Covid-19 crisis made evident in Europe the need to speed up the upskilling of VET staff and the development of innovative solutions in order to be able to provide distance and blended vocational education.<< Objectives >>The Regio.Digi.Hub project aims to build the capacity of the VET system of regional development education at the European level by finding the best combination of bottom-up approaches and leadership involving teachers, trainers and learners with top-level strategy and direction.The objectives of the project are:1. Development of an e-learning platform dedicated to innovation in regional development sector in order to better support the major economic, environmental and social shifts taking place and to place VET on regional development in a better position to address future developments through innovation by the end of the third quarter of 2024.2. Building the capacity of regional development VET system to embed innovation and digitalization by the end of the project3. Defining an own innovation and digitalization pathway for the regional development VET system appropriate to our stakeholders and especially to learners, employers and VET providers by the end of the project.4. Developing an Innovative Training Methodology & define the Learning Strategies for new teaching and learning pedagogies in regional development education by the end of August 20225. Elaboration of the course development with 3 modules validated of the 130 staff and trainers of the VET Centers by the end of the first semester of 20236. Improvement of the educational skills of at least 24 staff from 8 partner organizations of 6 partner countries of the project by developing and conducting a Short-Term Joint-Staff Training in the second semester of 2024.<< Implementation >>The project partnership will implement the following activities that will contribute to achieving the project objectives. Thus:QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES: all the project activities that will be carried out throughout its life will be carefully monitored in terms of compliance with the quality assessment procedures. In order to evaluate the quality, each activity will be carried out according to a framework template, ie there will be similar steps to follow for each activity: planning, design and development, implementation, evaluation-evaluation and lessons learned, review and revision and final exploitation and sustainability. These processes will contribute to a better quality of all products and thus to the successful achievement of all objectives.DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: All dissemination activities (local, national or international) will directly contribute, in the first stage, to raising the awareness of the importance of the innovation and digitization in VET system, in order to could adapt to the new changes that will take place in the labor market when digitization becomes more and more present.Moreover, the fact that all partners will have to work together to achieve them, will contribute to one of the basic objectives of the project: transnational cooperation of EU partnersactive in the regional development education and targeting similar groups of participants.PROJECT PARTNERS MEETINGS will contribute to the creation of synergies, cooperation and exchange of good practices between EU partners who are active in the same project.All these activities they will also lead to a better understanding between countries and to products that are more adapted to the real needs of the target groups of the project.DEVELOPMENT OF A E-learning platform: Improving access of workers actively in regional development field to quality education and education by improving cross-sectoral cooperation at local level and disseminating good practices among partner organizations. This activity is directly related to an improvement and an improvement of the access of the workers in regional development to the initiatives of lifelong learning, by creating innovative learning environments and learning materials adapted to their needs and level of knowledge. The staff from all EU partners' organizations will be trained for use in teaching the most innovative and modern learning technique.At the same time, through the open education resource, workers from the regional development sector will be able to easily access the life the learning opportunities as well as the participation in learning activities that take place in their communities.PILOT TESTING OF THE COURS MATERIALS AND THE INNOVATIVE E-LEARNING PLATFORM: Due to the development of this new training path, there will be an improvement in the level of digital skills and abilities of workers from the regional development sector.ORGANISATION OF A SHORT-TERM JOINF STAFF TRAINING ACTIVITY: A group of 24 staff will participate in this activity, to test the second version of the E-learning platform, to provide the best version of its target group in the second multiplier event.DURABILITY AND EXPLOITATION OF THE PROJECTBased on the contacts of the partners, a list of stakeholders of the project will be created at the beginning of the project. This list will be updated throughout the project and will include a wide range of stakeholders and professionals working in VET, IT organizations, universities, associations and local public institutions who may be interested in exploiting the results. The organizations and individuals on this list will be informed about the results and products developed, as well as how to integrate them into the educational programs and courses.<< Results >>MAIN OUTCOMES of the Regio.Digi.Hub project:• Easier access to regional development education programs for workers in the regional development sector within regional development agencies, innovation agencies, as well as for civil servants in local administrations, consulting companies for European structural funds, SMEs , trainers, researchers, and also for policymakers, senior technicians and key socio-economic actors in the regional development sector.• Inclusion of innovation and digitalization in the VET system in the field of regional development, thus increasing its flexibility and addressability• More regional development workers in the regional development sector within regional development agencies, innovation agencies, as well as civil servants in local administrations, consulting companies for European structural funds, SMEs , trainers, researchers, and also policymakers, senior technicians and key socio-economic actors in the regional development sector will improve their skills and competencies in their field of work to increase their performance in the workplace or to find new opportunities by equipping them with digital skills.• More workers in the field of regional development have access to education and quality education in the regional development field through the materials developed• Creating more intersectoral synergies and cooperation networks• Expanding the educational and educational skills of workers in the field of regional development, but also a• Awareness of the workers in the field of regional development, but also of policymakers, senior technicians and key socio-economic actors in the regional development sector as well as of the society in general about the importance of learning using modern learning systems that incorporate innovation and digitalization• Offering high-quality educational actions and activities that support the professional activity of the workers in the field of regional development, but also of policymakers, senior technicians and key socio-economic actors in the regional developmentPROJECT SPECIFIC RESULTS:1. Developed an Innovative Training Methodology & define the Strategies for new teaching and learning pedagogies in regional development education.2. Elaborated of a curs development with 3 modules in the regional development field3. Developed an e-learning platform dedicated to innovation in the regional development sector 4. At least 130 staff and trainers of the VET Centers, minimum 20 in each partner country, have taken part in the validation ofthe curs development5. A short-term joint training activity for adult educators from May 2022 has developed and carried out in Greece by Atlantis, a Greek ICT SME in Thessaloniki city.6. At least, 24 staff from 8 partner organizations of 6 partner countries of the project have taken part in short-term joint-staff training activity7. At least 130 Workers in the regional development sector: regional development agencies, innovation agencies civil servants from local public administration, European Structural Funds consultancy companies, SMEs, trainers, researchers, and also policymakers, senior technicians and key socio-economic actors in the regional development sector, minimum 20 in each partner community, have taken part at the pilot testing of the e-learning platform and equip them with the digital and regional development skills8. 6 transnational meetings have taken place: 1st in Piatra Neamt (Romania) in February 2022; 2nd in Piraeus (Greece) in September 2022; 3rd in Derio (Spain) in April 2023; 4th in Novi Sad (Serbia) in October 2023; 5th in Kranj (Slovenia) in May 2024 and the 6th in Sofia (Bulgaria) in November 20249. 13 multiplier events, 2 in each partner country, plus one Final Conference in Piatra Neamt, Romania with at least 300 participants in total