"<< Background >>RE-MAIN project partners have arrived at the conclusion that digital transition has determined (and made it possible) that industrial plants of all kinds need to implement several changes to survive in the medium and long term, among which remote maintenance of the equipment is a major one. Thus, the application of the principles of the so-called Industry 4.0 is a strategic tool that increases the competitiveness of companies and, to an increasing extent, determines their very survival in a context of highly competitive markets.Part of this digital transformation implies the need for technicians to be able to carry out remote monitoring and maintenance with adequate safety guarantees for industrial installations, as well as to be able to remotely interact with other technicians located in other parts of Europe or the world. The main advantages of having remote control of production processes are: 1.Immediate and efficient responseThe need for highly specialised technicians to repair industrial installations and the remote control of production systems allows for immediate responses.2.Reduced time and costsIncidents and anomalies can be resolved quickly, minimising production downtime without the need for costly travel and subsistence. Downtime increases losses to the company, decreasing its productivity and causing supply problems for its customers.3.Operational improvements to the facilityRemote updating of the software makes it possible to improve and upgrade the operational aspects of the installations. This enables a swift reaction to market needs.4.Increase in the operational efficiency of the companyManaging the acquisition, supervision and diagnosis of data remotely, guarantees meeting the demand and making immediate changes. This translates into increased efficiency and productivity for the company. It also enables production to be flexible and scalable, depending on the needs of the market at any given time.5.Reduced environmental impactThe environmental cost is reduced both by avoiding unnecessary journeys by technicians to the installation, and by reducing unscheduled production downtime, which causes avoidable energy costsTo date, existing training programmes in the field of industrial plant maintenance have been characterised by an eminently classroom-based approach. Although this kind of maintenance is still necessary to some extent, the reality is that the industrial sector is rapidly shifting towards models of remote maintenance thanks to the aforementioned new technologies. The advent of the information society, improved telecommunications and the wide possibilities opened up by digital technologies have made it possible to move away from the conventional reaction-based, on-site maintenance model to new approaches based on remote, early warning and prevention.In this context, the entities participating in the project have detected a growing and increasingly pressing need for personnel trained in this new trend of the sector, which is not being adequately addressed at the European level. In the Study for the Detection of New Training Needs carried out by CRN Leganés, as well as in ""From jobs to superjobs"" (Volini et al 2019), it is pointed out that the emerging employment will prioritise workers with analytical and problem-solving skills, efficient in teamwork in a framework of open relationships, with a mastery of advanced technological tools and the ability to translate experience into innovation.The RE-MAIN project provides students with the knowledge and competences necessary to install and implement tools, both software and hardware, to create the necessary infrastructure to remotely access the controlling equipment to be able to monitor and maintain the automated industrial models installed in the different training centres of the partners. The project therefore contributes to filling existing gaps in training, to guarantee a successful entry into the labour market.<< Objectives >>As previously noted, the project is addressing fundamental new changes in the delivery of training for industrial maintenance personnel, offering them a set of skills that are crucial for the development of a career in the modern industrial sector.In particular, RE-MAIN is intended to address a clear lack of skills in relation to remote maintenance of industrial installations and, more concretely, to provide training in variable monitoring, secure remote connection (cybersecurity), remote corrective maintenance, remote update of programs/functionalities and remote acquisition of data and parameters, especially for the unemployed, people with disabilities or other vulnerable groups.Based on the abovementioned and taking into consideration the needs of the sector, the general objectives of the project are: • To connect students with the tools, competences and current opportunities in the sector. • To design and implement a pilot course that takes into consideration the set of skills that companies currently demand. • To create and lay the foundations for the sustainability of the course through initiatives of other training entities in Europe.On the other hand, the project will also contribute to the improvement of the competences of the participating organisations, which will have the opportunity to cooperate with counterparts at European level and to acquire new and better methodologies, approaches or know-how. The project contributes to the improvement of competences of teachers and other external agents as well as companies. In this sense, as digital technologies change at such a rapid pace, teachers are often unable to keep up to date with the latest developments. For this reason, the RE-MAIN project, on behalf of its partner FESTO, envisages to provide teachers with regular training sessions, aimed both at the efficient use of the models and at ensuring the appropriate technical support for them. In this sense, the project also foresees the development of a set of ""guidelines for educators"" containing all the relevant information for the proper delivery of the pilot course, so that educators can maximise the usefulness of the materials developed, during the project or after its completion. This toolkit will be prepared prior to the delivery of the pilot course and will be appropriately fine-tuned after the evaluation of this pilot course, so it is intended to be a tool under continuous improvement.<< Implementation >>Project actions will produce the following results, aimed at the achievement of the planned objectives:Result 1: RE-MAIN eBook The first output to be produced will consist of an eBook that will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art situation of relevant topics in participating countries consisting of four different chapters, one chapter per participating partner, compiled in pdf, epub format and freely provided to the authorities and all interested stakeholders and target groups.This eBook will include literature, publications, methodology and tools overview about common practices in remote maintenance conducted in the participating partner countries. To increase the visibility of project results, this eBook will be published and promoted through publishing platforms such as Leanpub and relevant portals as eTwinning, School Education Gateway and similar platforms.The objectives of this project result are to deliver necessarily information fundament to design and creation of the intended trainings und to raise the awareness of the significance of remote maintenance as part of digital transformation.Result 2: RE-MAIN Transnational training programmeThis second project result will take into consideration the information extracted from the above-mentioned eBook to develop a highly specialised training programme, oriented towards the current and future employability of its participants. All partners will collaborate in its development, which will be led by MTU. In this sense, FESTO will provide valuable information to guide the planned training modules, according to its experience in the sector. The training programme will be available for unlimited time on the open training platform iMooX, facilitated by the associated partner Technical University of Graz.After its design, RE-MAIN envisages the pilot implementation of the training programme, applying the laboratory equipment developed by FESTO in accordance with the contents of the training. Although each centre is responsible for one module, its students will have access to all the modules developed by the rest of the centres through remote connection systems.Result 3: RE-MAIN technical guidelinesIn contrast to result 2, in this third result, the project will focus on the educators' perspective. Firstly, the pilot implementation of the courses will be evaluated by the beneficiaries, who will assess their experience and participate in in-depth interviews in the participating countries. The results obtained will be used to fine-tune and improve the training contents developed and the implementation of the courses.The partner responsible for this result, ENAIP, will develop a detailed guide for educators, which will contain technical and theoretical aspects of the programme as well as good practices for the implementation of the course. This guide will be available before the pilot implementation and will be updated according to the experience gathered.In terms of communication, the project foresees the creation of a website and a promotional video. In addition, it intends to have a presence in the media and to carry out dissemination actions on social networks.At the management level, an efficient internal coordination and communication system will be maintained, and adequate monitoring of the project will be carried out in order to comply with the programme regulations and to ensure the overall smooth running of the project.Finally, the multiplier events will take place during the last three months of the project (between August and October 2024), with 20 expected attendants each one and will aim to present all the results of the project and facilitate their transfer to other interested entities.<< Results >>The RE-MAIN will jointly develop three main project results:1. RE-MAIN eBook, that will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art situation of relevant topics in participating countries consisting of four different chapters, one chapter per participating partner, compiled in pdf, epub format and freely provided to the authorities and all interested stakeholders and target groups.2. RE-MAIN Transnational Training Programme, aimed at industry VET students, characterized by its transnationality, practicality, actuality, employability and the active participation and interaction of its final beneficiaries and stakeholders since its inception. The Training Programme will be tested by the implementation of 4 pilot training courses where 80 VET students will be trained in its different modules that make it up. 3. RE-MAIN Guidelines for educators: A handbook for educators that will include recommendations and tools on “how to implement the different modules of the training programme”, as well as guidelines for the follow-up and tutorship of the students participating in the programme. The handbook will include recommendations, tools, examples, tips and links co-related to the different modules to be taught and developed, including the profile of the trainers needed. It will be edited online, in order to easily update and improve it with new contents (tips, tools, links to downloadable gadgets).In addition, RE-MAIN project shall also work on the communication activities (website, promotional video, social networks, media relations and participation in events), organise 5 multiplier events (one per country + one final event organised by FESTO with a focus on establishing links with the industrial environment), and produce all relevant documents for the correct management of the project."