<< 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