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Assembly of European Regions

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This is the tag for all posts relating to Good practices.

Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic

9 February, 2021 By Valeria Simonte

Reducing the number of early leavers from education and training across the member states is one of the EU’s priorities in the field of education. The risk of an increased number of drop-outs from education is a growing concern in Europe; with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the challenges faced by vulnerable learners. In this context, young peoples’ feelings of exclusion and isolation may impact their motivation to continue studying, enrol in training or find a job, with considerable costs for individuals and society at large. To counter this trend and facilitate mutual learning between regions and vocational education and training (VET) organisations, the AER hosted our second Skillnet webinar of 2021. This webinar focused on how to prevent young people leaving education and training early in the challenging context of a global pandemic.

The event was part of our series of webinars on EU funding opportunities organised as part of the Erasmus+ project, Skillnet. These webinars bring together experts in different fields linked to vocational education and training (VET) and aim to build partnerships for future EU project proposals. 

A tool to support learners at risk

On 28 January, the Skillnet webinar “Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic – Preventing early school leaving” brought together experts working in the field of Vocational and Educational Training (VET). The webinar had the aim of sharing knowledge and concrete examples of how regional authorities and educational institutions are coping with the new challenges posed by the pandemic.

The event brought together around 70 participants, and drew on the expertise and insights of an international panel of experts in the field. The discussions began with a presentation by Irene Psifidou, Expert at the Department for Learning and Employability of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). Ms. Psifidou underlined the importance of community involvement to support learners at risk. Young people dropping out of school happens as a result specific social, economic, educational, and family circumstances. Therefore, the type of support a learner requires will depend on the specific needs of that individual.

With this in mind, Ms. Psifidou then presented CEDEFOP’s VET toolkit for tackling early school leaving, the first online toolkit of its kind. This valuable, evidence-based and interactive source of support to policymakers and education & training providers is designed to help students reintegrate, remain in, and graduate from upper-secondary level education. It contains an array of resources ranging from from good practices to statistical reports, with the ultimate aim of developing tailored, targeted policies aimed at meeting the specific needs of learners at risk.

Moreover, CEDEFOP is at the forefront when it comes to reducing the rate of school drop-outs. Through its network of Ambassadors tackling early leaving from VET, they help disseminate the toolkit and enrich its resources by disseminating good practices, news, publications, and statistics. The opportunity to become an ambassador is open to individuals from all EU member states, the European Economic Area (EEA) and EU candidate countries.

A societal problem; an emotional response

Closing the discussion, Borja Castellet, Project Manager at El Llindar, gave an overview of how their “Second Chance School” in Catalonia has kept their students engaged during lockdowns by adapting teaching to their needs, both emotional and educational. Their education programmes are based on diverse learning environments designed to offer each student a training itinerary tailored to their needs and aspirations. This highly personalised and integrative orientation and subjective accompaniment ensure that young people at risk of isolation are monitored and supported while they develop their skills for the future labour market.

The examples presented during this discussion show that despite the pandemic there are practical solutions available to support learners at risk. In the first instance, it is crucial to ensure the right equipment is available to all students to support distance learning, that appropriately translated material and opportunities for digital training are provided, and there is a greater focus on the emotional side of learning through actively listening to learners at risk. At the same time, collaboration among regions and VET organisations across Europe and beyond is essential to develop tailored actions and programmes that can be applied broadly to different social contexts.

To learn more, you can download the presentations from the webinar on the event webpage, and join discussions through the Peer Learning Clubs!

Open and Future EU funding opportunities and initiatives:

  • Become an ambassador on tackling early leaving from VET: for policy-makers, learning providers, experts or other stakeholders involved in tackling early leaving from vocational education and training and interested in helping to promote and disseminate the VET toolkit
  • Making excellence inclusive: towards a new Cedefop survey of VET teachers and trainers: the event will be held online on 3 February from 09:00 to 13:00 CET.
  • What does quality mean in practice? Integrating the apprentice’s perspective: the event will be held online on 11 February, from 11:00 until 12:15 CET.
  • Financing apprenticeships in the EU: Financial flows, shared funding, apprentice pay, and the COVID crisis: the event will be held online on 23 February at 10:00 AM CET.
  • EIB Social Innovation Tournament: Apply before the 3 March!
  • European Conference on Educational Research (ECER): The conference offers an inclusive platform for initiating, reporting, discussing, and promoting high-quality educational research.
  • LIFE2021Remote: a training program that offers an exclusive opportunity to visit Finnish kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, as well as the University of Lapland’s Teacher Training School
  • ICVET 2021: International Conference on Vocational Education and Technology, July 29-30 in Vienna (AT)

This webinar was organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinars on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. Through building transnational and cross-sectional partnerships, SKILLNET aims to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs. To this end, after each webinar, a bulletin with open and upcoming EU opportunities is circulated among relevant stakeholders.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

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Territorial approaches to innovation: spotlight on rural areas

5 February, 2021 By Valeria Simonte

We are pleased to invite you to two webinars that will look at the need for territorial approaches to innovation, based on strong rural-urban links and ambitious and forward-looking skills strategies

 

What are the main challenges and opportunities for European regions and rural areas in particular when it comes to fostering innovation? These two events will provide an opportunity to share regional experiences and hear about support initiatives at EU level.

The events are part of the Skillnet webinar series AER is organising, which provides an opportunity for mutual learning around topics identified by AER members.

 

Ambitious Skills and Innovation Strategies: A territorial Approach

In the context of regional innovation strategies, rural areas should play an essential role, not just as a source of raw material and places to locate space-intensive activities, but as genuine partners. Place-based approaches call for cooperation at all levels and in particular between rural and urban territories or between disconnected territories.

The first webinar, which will take place on 25 March 2021 at 10:00 CET, will offer the opportunity to learn and exchange about regional policies and practices for ambitious skills and innovation strategies through territorial approaches.

This webinar will look at:

  • why innovation strategies aimed at developing Advanced manufacturing need to be based on territorial approaches and why it is so important to consider and involve rural areas from the start
  • strategies to attract innovation and skills in rural areas 
  • the role of TVET to achieve more cohesive regional development

Agenda

Ambitious Skills and Innovation Strategies:
A territorial Approach

25 March 2021 at 10:00 CET

  • 10.00-10.05 – Housekeeping rules, quick presentation on Skillnet, Valentina De Vico, Communication Manager, Skillman Team
  • 10:05-10:10 – Opening remarks and introduction to the webinar, Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Assembly of European Regions
  • 10.10-10.20 –  Available EU funding and incentives, Agnese Pantaloni, EU Projects Coordinator, Assembly of European Regions
  • 10:20-10:35 – Peer reviews and knowledge exchanges to boost innovation, Elena Ferrario, Thematic Manager, and Katharina Krell, Thematic Expert, Policy Learning Platform Interreg Europe
  • 10.35-10.45 – Regional practice from Donegal County, Vinny McGroary, Area Training Manager, Donegal ETB
  • 10.45-10.55 – Panel discussion and Q&A session
  • 10.55-11.00 – Closing remarks 

 

Innovation and farming: Applications of Advanced Manufacturing in the food value chain

As is the case in other industries, agriculture is currently making extensive use of data mobility, industry 4.0, and new technologies that unlock productivity and cost savings. High-tech solutions are available to both local farming families and major agricultural corporations.

The second webinar, which will take place on 26 March at 10:00 CET, will highlight the existing use of advanced manufacturing in the agro-food sector and focus on skills strategies for this particular sector.

 

Agenda

Innovation and farming: Applications of Advanced Manufacturing in the food value chain

26 March at 10:00 CET

  • 10.00-10.05 – Housekeeping rules, quick presentation on Skillnet, Valentina De Vico, Communication Manager, Skillman Team
  • 10.05-10.10 – Opening remarks and introduction to the webinar, Cornelia Carmen Madaras, Advisor at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Alba County Council
  • 10.10-10.20 – Applications of digital technologies in the agriculture sector, Miguel de Porras, Director at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FIBL 
  • 10.20-10.30 – Building innovation in the agri-food sector through EU projects, George Beers, Horticultural Engineer, Wageningen University and Research
  • 10.30-10.40, Regional practice from Vojvodina, Mladen Petres, Assistant Provincial Secretary of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, Province of Vojvodina
  • 10.40-10.55 – Panel discussion and Q&A session
  • 10.55-11.00 – Closing remarks 

How to join the webinars

Click on the above “register here” buttons (one registration per event)

or go to the Skillnet events page and chose:

  • E 419 – Ambitious skills and innovation strategies: a territorial approach; 25/03/2021 10:00 CET
  • E 420 – Innovation and farming: application of Advanced Manufacturing in the food value chain; 26/03/2021 10:00 CET

Save the date!

The events will take place on 25 and 26 March 2021 at 10:00 CET!

Watch back!

 Ambitious skills & innovation strategies: A territorial approach 

Innovation & Farming: Application of Advanced Manufacturing in the food value chain

Handouts

EU opportunities & resources

Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform 

Experience from Donegal ETB

Application of digital technologies in the organic agriculture sector

Building Innovation in the agri-food sector through EU projects 

Experience from Vojvodina

Contacts

[email protected]

[email protected]

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinars on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

 

 

EXTENDED – Call for Participants: Advocacy Training for Young European Activists

29 January, 2021 By Birgit Sandu

APPLICATION STILL OPEN: The call for participants for the Advocacy Training for Young European Activists organised by the Assembly of European Regions and the Young European Federalists (JEF) has been extended! Submit your application by Friday 26th February 2021 via the online form!

APPLICATION EXTENDED TO YOUTH FROM ALL OVER THE EU: The application has been opened to young citizens that are member of JEF Sections and/or the AER Youth Regional Network and/or representative a Youth Regional Council within the European Union! Priority (not exclusion) is given to applicants belonging to one of the above organisations/networks that are located in one of the country covered by the Y-FED project, namely: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.


The Assembly of European Regions, in partnership with JEF, is organising a training seminar on advocacy that will offer 30 young Europeans the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the European Institutions and the Youth Strategy, as wells as develop advocacy plans to promote their rights and priorities among local and regional authorities.

The training seminar is being organised as part of the “Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” project. The Y-FED project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU with the aim of empowering youth in the European and regional political dialogues and, in turn, building an Europe that it is closer to its young citizens.


About the Training Seminar

The training seminar will be held from the 4th to the 6th of March 2021 (dates to be confirmed) in an online learning format and will be conducted in English.

It will adopt methodologies from non-formal education to provide young citizens with the necessary competences and resources to boost their active citizenship. It includes sessions on the European Youth Strategy and its Youth Goals leading to the development of regional and local advocacy plans focused on one out of the eleven European Youth Goals, ideally goal 9, Space and Participation for All.

Throughout the training seminar, young citizens will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become Youth-Ambassadors in their local and regional contexts. At the same time they will design, organise and implement advocacy actions at a local and regional level. As a result of the training, participants will:

  • Strengthen advocacy skills; 
  • Strengthen advocacy tools;
  • Become acquainted with the European Youth Goals;
  • Develop knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity;
  • Develop the skills to interact with decision-makers;
  • Develop an advocacy plan.

The training seminar will be composed three modules that will be completed throughout 10 hours:

1. European Module: The European Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals (Thursday 4th March, 18:00 – 20:00 CET)

The training seminar will start with the introduction to the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals, which outline the main challenges that young people face in their daily lives and present the vision for a Europe that enables young people to realise their full potential. 

2. Module on Youth and Regions: How can young people be engaged in the political development of their region? (Friday 5th March, 18:00 – 20:00 CET)

This session will focus on enhancing participants’ knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity and deepening the understanding of active youth participation in the democratic and political life at regional and local level. 

This session will be accompanied by some practice examples on how young people can be engaged in the political life of their regions. The module will analyse and present several examples from across Europe about how local and regional authorities have been involving their young citizens in the development, implementation and evaluation of youth policies, and other policies that are most relevant to them. These good practices will serve as the ground for the development of participants’ advocacy plans.

3. Module on advocacy: Introduction to advocacy and development of an advocacy plan (Saturday 6th March, 10:00 – 16:00 CET)

The objective of this module is to build participants’ competences and provide them with the tools required to advocate for youth participation at local, regional, and European levels. Trainees will work in groups of four and each group will jointly develop an advocacy strategy to advocate for one of the previously presented European Youth Goals and address the action to a regional authority from the following countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

The developed advocacy strategy will serve the participants as a basis for the implementation of local and regional actions, activity which will follow the training.

Following the conclusion of the training seminar, participants will have the chance to engage with local and regional authorities across Europe by participating at the AER Spring Bureau Meeting and implementing local advocacy actions. Additionally, participants will be invited to submit the developed local advocacy plan and apply for micro-grants to actually implement the advocacy plans among their local and regional authorities with expert mentoring and under the coordination of the AER.


Profile of the Participants

The participants of the training course will be a group of 30 young citizens keen to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become Youth-Ambassadors in their local and regional contexts and design, organise and implement advocacy actions at a local and regional level. 

In the selection of the participants, priority will be given to members of one of the Young European Federalists’ (JEF) national Sections, and members of the Assembly of European Regions-Youth Regional Network (YRN). The rest of the participants will be young representatives from Regional Youth Councils.

The application is open to young citizens affiliated to and/or representatives of one of the organisations/networks listed above from allover Europe. Priority (not exclusion) is given to young citizens within the country covered by the project, namely: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

Gender balance will be ensured in the selection process of the participants, as well as the geographical balance. 

Specific requirements for the participants:

  • Be aged between 18 and 30 years old;
  • Be a member of JEF sections and/or member of the AER-YRN and/or representative of a youth regional council in Europe (priority is given to young citizens belonging to one of the above organisations/networks located in one of the countries covered by the Y-FED project);
  • Be able to work and communicate fluently in English;
  • Have some knowledge about the EU institutions;
  • Be passionate about politics;
  • Be willing to engage in the political dialogue at the regional and European level and advocate for youth priorities.

How to participate?

Participation in this training seminar is free of charge and all those who meet the specific requirements of the call shall send their applications online via the link below before the 26th of February!

Apply Here!

If you have any question concerning the training seminar and the application procedure, please contact [email protected] and [email protected] !

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Interested to join a new project from Umbria to support the integration of migrants?

29 January, 2021 By Stanislava Milankov

Are you interested in joining projects within the Transnational Actions on Asylum, Migration and Integration Call? TAMAT, a non-governmental organization located in AER’s member region Umbria, is looking for partners to join their new project to support integration and social inclusion of migrants.

About the Transnational Actions on Asylum, Migration and Integration Call – Topic 1 Developing and Implementing Local Integration Strategies through Multi-stakeholder Partnerships 

Even though integration mostly occurs at the local level, local plans and strategies have to coordinate interventions of different stakeholders. Thus the AMIF-2020-AG-CALL-01 aims to support the development and implementation of multi-stakeholder local integration strategies including various aspects of the integration process. The integration and social inclusion of migrants are crucial not only for ensuring the cohesion of EU societies but also for addressing skills gaps, labour shortages, and overall economic performance.

The maximum grant for a project is 1.5 million euros having the grant up to 90% of the eligible costs. The deadline for submitting the project proposal is the 16th of February 2021, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

About the TAMAT’S project proposal 

The project proposal developed by TAMAT “Local integration supporting scheme, through multi-stakeholder partnerships, for the social and job integration of regular migrants in resilient, sustainable and prosperous living places in urban, periurban and internal areas” will address Topic 1 of the AMIF Call.

The project proposal tackles regular migrants, particularly women and youth, and strives to integrate them in the social life and job market in urban, suburban and internal areas.  Local integration supporting schemes will help migrants to:

1. join third sector social services and job public services

2. acquire a personal coach or advise

3. participate in mentoring activities

4. access working spaces and/or related services

5. access the finance (micro-credits)

6. access the networks

The project will also support the networking of organizations working in the field of regular migrants integration through facilitating mutual learning, the exchange of good practices, and the emergence of strategic collaborations among public administration, business support organization, no-profit-organizations and the third sector. 

Expected duration of the project is 36 months.

In order to ensure transnational cooperation between relevant stakeholders in the development and implementation of local integration strategies, TAMAT as a coordinator of the project is seeking partners from France, Germany and Belgium. 

If you are interested in joining this project proposal and contributing to its further development, don’t hesitate to contact us by 5 February 2021.

Contact: Agnese Pantaloni, European Projects Coordinator E-mail: [email protected]

Contact: Simone Foresi, Project Manager E-mail: [email protected]

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

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Intercultural Regions: Active Participation & Social Inclusion

26 January, 2021 By Valeria Simonte

On 16 February AER will organise a webinar on how regions can foster active participation & social inclusion of third-country nationals for better integration policies and practices, together with IOM and the Council of Europe

Mutual learning to foster integration policies & best practices

Regional and local authorities are at the forefront when it comes to addressing integration needs in practice. It is therefore particularly important to create opportunities for structured and meaningful mutual learning on integration. This will enable regional and local authorities to share good practices and improve policies and practices.

Participation & Inclusion for Cohesion and Economy

Organised in the framework of the Includ-EU project, an EU-funded project which contributes to building more inclusive societies by enhancing knowledge and stimulating cooperation between local and regional authorities in the European Union, this third webinar will focus on active participation & social inclusion.

Policies and practices that foster intercultural interaction and inclusion are instrumental in enabling cities and regions to manage diversity positively and realise the diversity advantage. This webinar will therefore focus on regional and local experiences facilitating migrant’s active participation and social inclusion.

This event will be facilitated by the Council of Europe and will feature practices identified in some of the countries involved in the Project (Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain). DG HOME will provide an overview on measures promoting active participation, especially in the decision-making process, as per the new EU priorities included in the updated Action Plan.

This webinar is organised in the framework of the Includ-EU project, in close collaboration with the Intercultural Regions Network. The Intercultural Regions Network is a platform for regions to share knowledge, resources, and experiences to promote intercultural integration at the regional level, which is based on the experience and tools of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Network.

This event will be recorded. By registering for this event, you agree to allow the Includ-EU consortium to publish the recording online and use it for the promotion of the project, capacity building, and mutual learning.

Register here

Includ-EU is funded by the European Union’s Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The project runs from January 2020 to December 2022 and involves the following partners: The International Organization for Migration, the Assembly of European Region, the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani Sez. Reg. Toscana (IT), the City of Tilburg (NL), the Secretariat for Equality, Migrations, and Citizenship of Catalonia (ES), and the Region of Crete (GR).

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Intercultural Regions: Active Participation & Social Inclusion

25 January, 2021 By Valeria Simonte

We are pleased to invite you to a webinar on how regions can foster active participation & social inclusion of third-country nationals, together with IOM and the Council of Europe

 

When? 16 February 2021 10:00 CET
Where? Gotowebinar

 

Organised in the framework of the Includ-EU project, an EU-funded project which contributes to building more inclusive societies by enhancing knowledge and stimulating cooperation between local and regional authorities in the European Union, this third webinar will focus on active participation & social inclusion.

Policies and practices that foster intercultural interaction and inclusion are instrumental in enabling cities and regions to manage diversity positively and realise the diversity advantage. This webinar will therefore focus on regional and local experiences facilitating migrant’s active participation and social inclusion.

This event will be facilitated by the Council of Europe and will feature practices identified in some of the countries involved in the Project (Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain). DG HOME will provide an overview on measures promoting active participation, especially in the decision-making process, as per the new EU priorities included in the updated Action Plan.

This webinar is organised in the framework of the Includ-EU project, in close collaboration with the Intercultural Regions Network. The Intercultural Regions Network is a platform for regions to share knowledge, resources, and experiences to promote intercultural integration at the regional level, which is based on the experience and tools of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Network.

This event will be recorded. By registering for this event, you agree to allow the Includ-EU consortium to publish the recording online and use it for the promotion of the project, capacity building, and mutual learning. 

Watch back!  Click here!
Agenda  Click here to download
Handouts Angeliki Petrits –  DG HOME – The Action Plan on Integration & Inclusion 2021-2027

 Jobst Koehler – IOM – Barriers to Participation

 Jossie Rocafort – Catalonia – Equipo de Atención y de Mediación Intercultural Sociosanitaria, EAMISS

 Elena Tubertini – University of Padua – Mentorship Project 2020/2021

Contact [email protected]

Includ-EU is funded by the European Union’s Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The project runs from January 2020 to December 2022 and involves the following partners: The International Organization for Migration, the Assembly of European Region, the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani Sez. Reg. Toscana (IT), the City of Tilburg (NL), the Secretariat for Equality, Migrations, and Citizenship of Catalonia (ES), and the Region of Crete (GR).

Enthusiasm in learning and success in times of pandemic

18 January, 2021 By Valeria Simonte

We are pleased to invite you to two webinars on tackling early school leaving by improving information, support, and mutual learning

How to encourage young people and provide them with adequate support so they remain interested in learning in a global context that is particularly challenging? These two events will provide an opportunity to share regional experiences and hear about support initiatives at the EU level.

The events are part of the Skillnet webinar series AER is organising, which provides an opportunity for mutual learning around topics identified by AER members.

Generating enthusiasm, informing about potential

One of the challenges in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is that it is often associated with negative representations such as the difficulty to follow general education or attend university. Informing about the potential of TVET and its success potential is also instrumental in boosting self-confidence in learners.

The first webinar, which will take place on 27 January 2021 at 10:00 CET, will offer the opportunity to learn and exchange about regional policies and practices aimed at making young people more aware of the opportunities related to Technical and Vocational Education and Training, in order to:

  • avoid early school leaving because of the inadequacy of training pathways and the risks associated with the feeling of failure;
  • encourage young people to see Technical and Vocational Education and Training as a pathway for success: for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training choice to be a positive choice;
  • recruit talented young people in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic

In the context of the pandemic, the fundamental role of schools and teachers has been challenged. With lockdowns put in place across Europe, vocational education and training (VET) schools had to convert physical classrooms and work-based learning spaces into digital learning environments overnight. Keeping up the attention, motivation and good spirit of students became a major focus of teachers, as global events increased uncertainty especially for young people.

The second webinar, which will take place on 28 January at 10:00 CET, will focus on Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic.
The event will be an opportunity to hear about the Cedefop VET toolkit for tackling early leaving created by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training CEDEFOP, a very current source of support to policymakers, education, and training providers.

Agenda

New enthusiasm for vocational training and education
Boosting self-confidence

 27 January 2021 10:00 CET

 

  • 10:00 – 10:05 Welcome introduction of the topic & speakers Hrvoje Kovac, Chair of the AER subcommittee on Youth, Varazdin (HR)
  • 10:05 – 10:10 Housekeeping rules, quick presentation on Skillnet, Valentina De Vico, Communication Manager Skillman Team
  • 10:10 – 10:20  VET & initial training and existing funding and support opportunities Kjerstin Torpmann-Hagen, Policy Officer, European Commission DG EMPL
  • 10:20 – 10:30 Experience from Catalonia, Miquel Carrión Molina, Deputy Director Youth Employment and Professional Qualification, Catalonia (ES)
  • 10:30 – 10:40 Experience from Alba, Gabriela Rus, Policy officer, Economic and rural development department, Alba County Council (RO)
  • 10:40 – 10:55 Panel discussion and Q&A session
  • 10:55- 11:00 Closing remarks

 


Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic
Preventing early school leaving

28 January 2021 10:00 CET

 

  • 10:00 – 10:05 Welcome introduction of the topic & speakers Birgit Sandu, EU Project Manager, Assembly of European Regions
  • 10:05 – 10:10 Skillman introduction and Skillnet project presentation Valentina De Vico, Communication Manager, Skillman Team
  • 10:10 – 10:30 Presentation of Cedefop VET toolkit for tackling early leaving Irene Psifidou, Expert, Department for Learning and Employability CEDEFOP
  • 10:30 – 10:40 Experience from Catalonia Borja Castellet, Project Manager El Llindar
  • 10:40 – 10:55 Panel discussion and Q&A session
  • 10:55- 11:00 Closing remarks

 

How to join the webinars

Click on the above “register here” buttons (one registration per event)

or go to the Skillnet events page and chose:

  • E 418 – Mutual learning on early school leaving: Generating new enthusiasm for vocational training and boosting self-confidence 27/01/2021 10:00 CET
  • E 911 – Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic: preventing early school leaving 28/01/2021 10:00 CET

 

 

Watch back New enthusiasm for vocational training and education – Boosting self-confidence

Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic – Preventing early school leaving

Handouts VET & initial training and existing funding and support opportunities
Experience from Catalonia
Experience from Alba
Presentation of Cedefop VET toolkit for tackling early leaving
Experience from El Llindar, new chances school, Catalonia
Contacts

[email protected]

[email protected]

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinars on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

 

 

 

 

AER discussing Next (Talent) Generation EU

12 January, 2021 By Editor

On 17 December 2020, AER took part in Finnova Foundation‘s webinar Next Talent Generation EU: COVID-19 Challenge, training in European Affairs for young people abroad. The webinar addressed the challenges that the COVID-19 crisis is posing to European mobility programmes, which are vital for upgrading the education and training of young professionals.

A European Marshall Plan to invest in Youth Talent

There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in the world; the largest youth population in history. With 25 million jobs expected to be lost due to the health crisis, this cohort accounting for one-third of the world’s population is at a higher risk of exclusion amid the pandemic. At EU level, it is hoped that the Next Generation EU (NGEU), which will supplement the MFF by €750 billion, will help Member States to mitigate the enormous socio-economic impact of the epidemic on young people through reinforced funding such as the European Social Fund+, the Youth Guarantee system or the Erasmus programme.

Beautiful news! The EU 🇪🇺 got it right; with #COVID19 disproportionally hitting young people, the increase in funding of the Erasmus+ programme represents a ray of hope for many! @europeanregions
#Europe #youthrights #youthmobility https://t.co/esB3lL1izg

— Eurodyssey (@eurodyssey) December 18, 2020

Next Talent Generation EU: COVID-19 Challenge, training in European Affairs for young people abroad set about addressing these challenges by bringing together representatives from public administrations, those responsible for youth matters, training in European Affairs and professionals in charge of mobility programmes to share their perspectives, experiences and good practices.

Discussion highlights

The webinar, moderated by Juanma Revuelta, Director of the Finnova Foundation, consisted of four parts: An opening address by Ms Romy Karier, Member of the Committee of Regions’ Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment and Culture; Panel 1 – Mobility and training challenges in the era of COVID 19 and the EU economic recovery programmes 2021-2027; Panel 2 – The vision of the different European mobility programmes and how to face the new normal; and Panel 3 – Success stories and personal experiences.

During the second panel, AER Programmes Coordinator, Andrés Muñoz had the chance to elaborate the Eurodyssey experience and explain the benefits of learning mobility for youth development. The second part of his presentation set out the challenges ahead for youth policy-making in light of the gaps that the pandemic will prompt across generations in terms of unemployment, education, inequality and mental health.

AER Programmes Coordinator, Andrés Muñoz Rojo speaks with @FinnovaEU this morning about how AER's @Eurodyssey programme boosts youth mobility and employability! 👏👏👏 https://t.co/MEpyGKNbg4

— AER (@europeanregions) December 17, 2020
View presentation

There were also presentations from speakers like Sara Corres Armendáriz, Deputy Director-General of Legal System of the Spanish Government’s Directorate-General for Migration, who underlined that “over the last few years, important steps have been taken towards the consolidation of a European labour market“. César Plá, Head of Service of the Public Function Department of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, highlighted that “despite the current pandemic situation, the employment prspects in the EU institutions are encouraging, along with many windows of job opportunities for young people“.

The event closed with the launch of the Next Talent Generation EU website, a job portal which hosts a wide variety of stakeholders (NGOs, companies, universities, European institutions, national administrative authorities, etc.) aimed at building a European alliance for employing and training young talent.

If you missed our contribution to this webinar, you can rewatch it at the link below:

Rewatch the webinar!

Featured picture by Maria Teneva on Unsplash

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Skills, motivation, success: 2 webinars announced!

12 January, 2021 By Johanna Pacevicius

How to encourage young people and provide them with adequate support so they remain interested in learning in a global context that is particularly challenging? AER is proud to announce two webinars, which will provide an opportunity to share regional experiences and hear about support initiatives at EU level.

Enthusiasm for technical & vocational training

One of the challenges in Technical and Vocational Education and Training is that it is often associated with negative representations such as the difficulty to follow general education or attend university.

The objective of the first webinar, which will take place on 27 January 2021 at 10:00 CET, is to learn about regional policies and practices aimed at making young people more aware of the opportunities related to Technical and Vocational Education and Training, in order to:

  • avoid early school leaving because of the inadequacy of training pathways and the risks associated with the feeling of failure
  • encourage young people to see Technical and Vocational Education and Training as a pathway for success: for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training choice to be a positive choice
  • recruit talented young people in Technical and Vocational Education and Training

Kjerstin Torpmann-Hagen, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL) will provide an overview on existing support and funding opportunities for Vocational Education Training and initial training.

Boosting self-confidence

In order to help young people to thrive and prevent early school leaving, boosting self-confidence is instrumental as confirmed by projects such as JET-CD and detailed in the CEDEFOP VET toolkit for tackling early leaving under the intervention approach “Building motivation to learn“.

Trust is also essential to make positive choices or to believe that existing opportunities are actually accessible. In fine, that success is available. This is why self-confidence will also be addressed during the webinar.

Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic

In the context of the pandemic, it is not just learning modalities, which have been dramatically changed, it is the role itself of schools and teachers which was challenged. With lockdowns episodes across Europe, vocational education and training (VET) schools had to convert physical classrooms and work-based learning spaces into digital learning environments overnight. In this context, the virtual class became a place for community. Keeping the attention, motivation and good spirit of students became a major focus of teachers as global events increased uncertainty especially for young people.

Since Septembre European countries have implemented different measures to ensure the continuation of education and training. Teachers are faced with unprecedented challenges, as the abrupt move to digital environments increased social inequalities and the digital divide and often made learning particularly difficult for students with special needs.

This is why the second webinar AER is organising on 28 January at 10:00 CET, will focus on Vocational Training in Times of Lockdown and Pandemic. Experiences from the regions will be shared, with a focus on preventing early school leaving during the pandemic.

A toolkit to tackle early school leaving

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies. It supports the development of European vocational education and training (VET) policies and contributes to their implementation. The agency is helping the European Commission, EU Member States and social partners to develop the right European VET policies.

Early school leaving has impacts in many aspects of life, including employment but also health, happiness, or civic participation.

In order to support stakeholders to address early school leaving adequately, Cedefop developed a VET toolkit for tackling early leaving. This toolkit is a source of support to policymakers as well as education and training providers. Irene Psifidou Expert at the Department for Learning and Employability of Cedefop will present this toolkit at the 28 January webinar. Indeed, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic the risk of early school leaving increased substantially. A recent article by Cedefop underlines the impact of the pandemic and distance learning on dropout risk for vulnerable learners. The good practices, publications, toolkits, and recommendations of the Cedefop Toolkit for tackling early school leaving are therefore all the more relevant.

Go to the events!

The leaflet about the Cedefop toolkit is available in seven languages.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

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Defining the new skills for an inclusive future at the Skillman International Forum 2020

17 December, 2020 By Valeria Simonte

As a proud partner of the Skillnet project, AER is very pleased to provide an overview of the very first virtual 6th edition of the yearly SIF – SKILLMAN.EU INTERNATIONAL FORUM 2020, about redefining the future of learning, which took place on December 10th and 11th 2020. Practitioners, innovative academics, and industrial experts in the field of  Vocational Education and Training joined forces to promote an approach to curricula design based on skills foresight analysis.

This year the Forum adopted a holistic approach to face the new challenges risen during the pandemic in the context of skills and job opportunities. The underlying theme of the event was the importance of assessing and therefore providing key skills that people have to possess, especially in the Advanced Manufacturing sector, to actively participate in the society of tomorrow.

Let the curtain open!

The Skillman International Forum kicked off with the welcoming statements from Giovanni Crisonà, founder of the Skillman.eu consortium. The participants had the opportunity to hear that the skills mismatch between demands and labour offer, as well as the consequences of the pandemic, can be resolved by rebranding the Vocational Education and Training systems (VET). In this regard, it is instrumental to look at this shift of paradigm internationally by setting cross-sectoral collaborations and integrating the IT tools in any field of training.

Morning session

The morning session was the perfect venue to hear about the challenges for VET systems for the uptake of skills that can aid in the twin ambitions of the green and digital transition. In this context, providing a real on-the-job experience that makes it easier to acquire both hard and soft skills is instrumental, as well as strengthening collaborations between the public and private sector. Additionally, the pandemic is providing an opportunity to rethink how digital learning can be best integrated into VET curricula, by developing digital labs and web applications able to ensure that no one is left behind.

Afternoon session

During this session, participants had the opportunity to choose the pavilions according to their topic of interest: The IVETA pavilion addressed the issues that TVET stakeholders need to consider with regard to accessibility and inclusivity, from the work-life balance and wellbeing to the shift to the digital learning platforms. The EAPRIL pavilion focused on describing Skillman’s self-assessment tool for VET excellence, which detects labour market needs to foresight skills. The AER pavilion highlighted how VET programmes can support the transition towards a circular economy by boosting new skills in the population

The first day of the SIF 2020 ended up by expressing the instrumentality of virtual mobility in providing valuable opportunities both to participants and entrepreneurs, and the exchange of best practices from all around the world.

Second round!

Morning session

On the occasion of the second day of the event, participants turned the attention to the skills needed to master the challenges of the labour market of the 21st century. The impact of the pandemic has dramatically accelerated the need for VET systems to re-engineer certain parts to make them more responsive to changing labour market needs, and flexible to provide training to a broad audience, including adults in need of re-skilling.

Participants in the late morning had the possibility to attend different pavilions, among which the AER for those interested in the skills needed for the New Mobility Services sector, and break-out rooms listening to best practices, new assessments, curricula design and digital learning tools, such as SELFIE tool for digital-age learning in VET schools and companies, presented at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre break-out room.

Afternoon session

The final session of the event showed the importance of integrating training and engagement by using innovative technology learning devices. In this regard, the development of high-technological tools and applications play a key role in reproducing work and learning experiences while entertaining users, a key asset in increasing the interest in VET centres.

Participants promoted the “action-driven” model of vocational education centres where expertise and good practices are transferred also at the regional level creating synergies and collaborations, through a sustainable and multistakeholder approach. Eventually, the event presented the result of the discussions of the Peer Learning Clubs, the four groups of discussion which we are glad to invite you to join to shape the future of Vocational Education and Training centres, allowing exchange and empowerment via online and on-site activities.

Wrap-up!

The Skillman International Forum 2020 provided food for thought of possible initiatives to re-engineer the VET systems by changing the pedagogical approach, innovating the teaching method facilitating the all learning process with the right digital support, and last but not least by increasing the motivation and excitement of people to enact the right change. Building on discussions of the sessions and the overall findings, this is just another step to explore the pathways of VET may develop to address the future challenges that also the pandemic has posed. The transition should go beyond digital transformation and focusing also on the new models of work-based and community-based approaches that boost inclusive and lifelong learning.

Partnership in Focus

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The commitment of regions to Sustainable Food Policies in the EU

17 December, 2020 By Gisela Guari Cañada

Following the first European Green Deal webinar, which covered challenges and opportunities for regions in the time of Covid-19, the AER brought the second in our series: Farm to Fork – The Commitment of Regions to Sustainable Food Policy in the EU, in collaboration with the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development of the Catalan Government (CADS).

The panel debate moderated by Arnau Queralt, Director of the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development of Catalonia, brought together regional authorities as well as EU and global representatives. During this online session, it was discussed the key role that the new comprehensive approach to food sustainability has to play in the European Union and the commitment from European regions towards developing and implementing food policies that contribute to a more resilient and sustainable food system. 

The webinar kicked off with the introductory remarks by AER Vice President for Sustainability, Albert Castellanos, and the video message from the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food from the Government of Catalonia, Teresa Jordà i Roura. Both Catalan representatives highlighted that the Farm to Fork Strategy lays at the core of the European Green Deal, and provides a new comprehensive approach to food sustainability in the European Union, thus aiming at achieving sustainable and resilient food systems around Europe. 

.@RamonSumoy explains that #FarmtoFork "is a cornerstone for Europe" to achieve the wider sustainability goals of the #EUGreenDeal, and foresees a key role for regions in fostering more sustainable food systems within that. 🥗🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/xLoXDkjwVp

— AER (@europeanregions) December 16, 2020

Ricard Ramon i Sumoy, Deputy Head of Unit from DG AGRI at the European Commission, introduced the European Green Deal as the new EU growth strategy launched by the European Commission with the objective of transforming the European Union into a fair and sustainable society with a competitive and green economy where there are net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. This initiative is an integral part of the European Commission’s strategy to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims at putting sustainability and the well-being of citizens at the centre of the economic policy while at the same time places the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the heart of the EU’s policy-making.

 

The Director of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), Nicholas Jacobs, claimed that the EU’s new comprehensive approach to food sustainability arrives in a critical moment that has reinforced the urgency for resilience. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the current food framework, raising awareness of its lack of proficiency and sustainability. Not only the COVID-19 crisis, but also climate change,  have made us aware of the need to develop new food policies and put into action the Farm to Fork strategy in order to have a resilient and sustainable food system which will not be threatened by future crises, and that is capable of ensuring access to a sufficient supply of affordable food for citizens. 

Nicholas Jacobs stresses that "regions have a key role in advocating for sustainable food systems" and that currently there is "insufficient information flowing back up to the EU to harness the positive experiences going on at local level". 👨‍🌾🤝🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/J7yt7ZmNKz

— AER (@europeanregions) December 16, 2020

In this regard, the European Commission recognizes that the transition to food sustainability will change the economic fabric of many EU regions and their patterns of interactions, therefore, it has already allocated technical and financial assistance from existing EU instruments, such as cohesion funds and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. 

Irén Lejegren, Chair of the AER Taskforce on Food Security and regional representative from Örebro (Sweden), introduced the AER position paper on Food Security and highlighted that regional authorities have the power to act at different levels in the food system, be it at the level of production, transformation, logistics and transport or distribution and waste management.

The regional representative from Västra Götaland in Sweden, Aida Karimli, reminded that a holistic and a vertical approach from local, regional, national and international levels is needed in order to promote a more efficient bio-economy in Europe through multi-level governance. 

The regional good practices concluded with Anna Castellví presenting the recently approved Catalan Strategic Plan for Food Sustainability and explained how it remains connected to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Rewatch the webinar!

Further food for thought!

The Assembly of European Regions presented the online consultation launched in partnership with the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and other partners, and encourage regional authorities to participate in order to contribute to identifying the challenges and opportunities in the successful implementation of the EU Green Deal and to provide policymakers with concrete advice to help achieve climate neutrality at the European continent.

To begin the survey, please, click below.

Survey
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Join the webinar on “New mobility services: Anticipating skills and job roles”

24 November, 2020 By Stanislava Milankov

The Assembly of European Regions is glad to contribute to Skillman International Forum by hosting the webinar “New mobility services: Anticipating skills and job roles”, organised within the Skillnet project co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme. The webinar will take place online on the 11th of December, 11:15 – 12:15 CET. 

The event is part of the Skillnet series of 18 webinars designed to bring together experts in different fields linked to vocational education and training (VET), with the purpose of establishing relevant groups of collaboration and partnerships for future EU project proposals.

The webinar will highlight regional examples on the integration of new mobility services and the development of skills and job roles needed in the sector. 

New mobility services are offering solutions to today’s growing challenges in terms of congestion, lack of space, growing population, air quality, noise, social inclusion, health, economic development, and the creation of jobs. These solutions require skilled and adaptable individuals who are able to drive and support change. However, there is a growing skills shortage in the mobility services sector which could seriously delay the development of the services and hurt customers’ expectations. 

Thus it is required to look into new skills for the future workforce but also opportunities realized through reskilling the workforce. In that context, the webinar aims to bridge the gap between the skills and job roles needed for the new mobility services sector and the workforce.  

To this end, the event aims to:

  • Highlight the relevance of EU funding opportunities and European cooperation in bridging the skills’ gap in the new mobility services sector 
  • Share good practices about how regions and local companies can foster the relevant skills in the population
  • Boost a network of cross-sectoral experts interested in the new mobility services that can be applied for future EU funding opportunities.

Important: How to join the webinar?

Only one registration is given for all the events within the Skillman International Forum (SIF). Hence, to join the event, you have to register to Skillman International Forum and participants will be re-directed from the plenary (main room) to the various sessions in the course the event through break-out rooms.

If you cannot attend the whole SIF, you may access the event at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the webinar “New Mobility Services: Anticipating Skills and Job Roles” (starting time: 11:15 am) so that you can be re-directed to the session.

After registration, you will receive the email with the list of separate sessions among which you have to choose 23 AER – PAVILLION d2.

REGISTER HERE

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinar on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

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Eurodyssey Forum 2020

23 November, 2020 By Editor

The first-ever virtual Eurodyssey Forum took place on 19 & 20 of November 2020. These online sessions brought together the correspondents from Eurodyssey regions, hosting companies and youth alumni. In these sessions, participants discussed the functioning of the programme, and shared experiences and best practices to adapt learning mobility to the “new normal” of COVID-19.

An online Eurodyssey Assembly

In the afternoon of 19 November, following the AER General Assembly and Bureau meeting, the Eurodyssey Assembly gathered representatives from 20 member regions. The Assembly provided members with an opportunity to assess the state-of-play of the programme and exchange views on the regions’ prospects of hosting Eurodyssey participants in 2021, given the COVID-19 pandemic.

And we're back! 👐

The first ever virtual @eurodyssey forum kicks-off with welcoming remarks from AER President @MagnusBerntsson and Eurodyssey President, @estany_esther ! 💫 pic.twitter.com/oiaDDfFWWU

— AER (@europeanregions) November 19, 2020

In their opening remarks, AER President, Magnus Berntsson, and Eurodyssey President, Esther Estany, raised a toast to mark thirty-five years since the creation of the Eurodyssey programme. This was followed with the premiere of the anniversary video:

Eurodyssey facts & figures

The day continued with an assessment of the Eurodyssey programme by AER programmes coordinator, Andrés Muñoz, who delivered a presentation on the 2019 statistics, which underlined the significant, positive impact the programme continues to have on young trainees’ employment prospects.

The programme allowed a total of 303 young Europeans (+16% compared to 2018) to benefit from genuine professional experience and linguistic training in another European region. Other remarkable outcomes include the rise in the number of both the internship offers published (+30%) and the candidates (+33%) compared to 2018.

Looking at the employment prospects for Eurodyssey participants in 2018, regions can be proud that 40% of interns find a job within 1 month of completing their traineeship. What is more, 64% of the survey respondents declared that Eurodyssey was decisive in finding a job and 20% of them attributed such a fact to the language training received.

You can read all the 2019 statistical findings and 2018 employment results from the summary report HERE.

The numbers don't lie! 🔢📈

The positive impact of taking part in a @eurodyssey traineeship is clear. Youth mobility increases employability, and we're looking forward to getting young Europeans moving again very soon! 🛫🚉 #eurodyssey pic.twitter.com/DZIwpd2uhO

— AER (@europeanregions) November 19, 2020

Sharing on social media is caring about Eurodyssey

The last presentation by the Secretariat was conducted by Justin Sammon, AER Communications Officer, who shared with member regions guidelines to harness the potential of social media for promoting the programme and to communicate Eurodyssey’s long-term positive impact on young people, regions and society.

View HERE the presentation Sharing is caring: making the most of social media.

Break-out sessions

On Day 2 of the Forum on 20 November, the Eurodyssey online break-out sessions provided members with further opportunities to exchange experiences and good practices to keep up learning mobility through the pandemic. For these events, we were also joined by hosting organisations and Eurodyssey alumni, who had the opportunity to share their testimonials.

The day kicked-off with an introductory talk by Safi Sabuni from Eurodesk and Manel Sánchez from the European Youth Card Association (EYCA), who provided a broader overview on how youth organisations are adjusting their work “to continue to be there for young people” who face unique challenges socially, economically and personally because of the pandemic. They also made a number of recommendations from their respective organisations on how to minimise the impact on learning mobility projects. Participants then broke-off into into multilingual ‘break-out’ sessions, where they had the opportunity to brainstorm ideas for keeping the Eurodyssey programme moving despite the pause on mobility caused by COVID-19.

Manel Sánchez underlines that contrary to negative perceptions about them, young people have shown real solidarity since the pandemic started; volunteering in their regions to help vulnerable people in their communities. 🤝 #eurodyssey pic.twitter.com/y6YkDwAuz1

— AER (@europeanregions) November 20, 2020

From education and employment, to mental health and personal relationships, the impact of the pandemic on young people has been vast. Safi Sabuni says that the youth sector has adapted to this new digital reality "to be there for young people." #eurodyssey pic.twitter.com/8mp4FwJSH7

— AER (@europeanregions) November 20, 2020

Ackowledgements

Closing the Eurodyssey Forum, AER Secretary General, Christian Spahr thanked all those who had made “this visionary programme of cross-border professional learning a reality for thirty-five years”. In her speech Eurodyssey President, Esther Estany – speaking in French, Spanish and English – pointed to the spirit of optimism that fills Eurodyssey family and the “very bright future” that lies ahead. She called on regions to keep up the hard work for the decades to come and to defend mobility as an essential source of regional development.

Visit the 2020 Eurodyssey Forum event page to download all the working documents, presentations and other key takeaways.

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Partner Search: new project proposal to support youth employment across Europe

23 November, 2020 By Stanislava Milankov

Are you interested in joining projects within the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment Call? Maramures County Council, local public administration in Romania and member region of AER, is looking for partners to join their new project to support youth employment. 

About the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment 

EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment aims to support transnational project initiatives that promote sustainable and quality youth employment.

The focus on transnational cooperation reflects the view that unemployment among youth is a common European challenge and common European solutions should therefore be explored. This is in line with the Europe 2020 strategy and the EU cohesion policy that emphasize the importance of the regions and cross-border cooperation for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Eligible project partners within this Fund are entities (public or private, commercial or non -commercial and non-governmental organisations) established as legal persons in a Beneficiary State (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia), Ireland, Italy and Spain.

The maximum grant for a project is 2 million euros while the minimum grant is 1 million euro, having the grant up to 85% of the eligible costs. The deadline for submitting the project proposal is the 5th of January 2021.

About the Maramures County Council’s  project proposal

The project proposal developed by Maramures County Council “GreeNeeT- Growing skills for smart agriculture & sustainable food chain“ will address support area 2: Transfer of know-how and good practice: transferring know-how and good practice on youth employment initiatives across European countries.

The overall objective of the project is to stimulate youth employment and entrepreneurship by transnational transfer of good practices in the field of smart agriculture and a sustainable food chain. In that regard, the project foresees the setting up in Maramures of a pilot demonstrative centre in that field as well as an online cooperation platform accessible to provide training and get the necessary skills in order to foster the employment or start a business in the field of sustainable agriculture & food chain.

The target group includes 25-29 year old, who are not employed, and not taking part in education and training, the concept NEET (“Not in Employment, Education or Training”).

If you are interested in joining this project proposal and contributing to its further development, don’t hesitate to contact AER team by 30 November 2020. We would be happy to liaise you with Maramures County Council!

Contact: Agnese Pantaloni, European Projects Coordinator

E-mail: [email protected]

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

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Join us at the Skillman International Forum

17 November, 2020 By Stanislava Milankov

The sixth edition of the Skillman International Forum is getting closer! Do not miss the opportunity to learn more and contribute to ‘redefining the future of learning’!

On 10th and 11th December, the 2020 edition of the Skillman International Forum (SIF) will be held online. The event is a yearly appointment launched by the Skillman Alliance in order to provide a space for exchanges relevant for improving the framework of education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems. This year, the SIF will focus on redefining the future of learning in the advanced manufacturing sector through a variety of activities and contributions.

Through webinars, workshops, roundtables, pavillions, award ceremonies, and a VET cafè held and moderated by international speakers and experts in the TVET field, the conference will offer a space for discussing and analyzing the main challenges faced by the Advanced Manufacturing sector, specifically:

  • The identification of challenges and definition of new approaches in the design of new and innovative curricula during the pandemic
  • The conceptualization of a systematic approach to skills foresight for curricula development
  • The design of curricula balancing Skills for Life and Skills for Work.
  • How the Advanced Manufacturing sector can meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and what are its responsibilities in this regard
  • Social innovation, societal impact, societal challenges, and ethical issues
  • “Twin Transformation”, for a green, digital, smart, and sustainable growth.

The two-day event will be a valuable opportunity for exchanging ideas, keeping informed on publications and innovations, and networking for international projects and cooperation.

AER Pavilions at the Skillman International Forum

The Assembly of European Regions is glad to contribute to this event by hosting two webinars on EU funding opportunities, organised within the Skillnet project co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme. On the 10th of December from 15:30 – 16:30, the webinar on the “Circular economy revolution: Opportunities and needs in the labor market” will focus on the impact and opportunities that the circular economy brings about for employment and social inclusion and how VET programmes can contribute to effectively achieve the circular economy transition.

On the following day, 11th of December from 11:15-12:15, our next webinar “New mobility services: Anticipating skills and job roles” will aim at providing the numerous participants at the SIF with relevant information and examples concerning new jobs and skills needed as a result of the development of new mobility services.

Further information about the two webinars will be shared soon!

Visit the SIF Event Page
REGISTER HERE

Here you find the tutorial to register to the Skillnet webinars (1.15 min)

Photo by Skillman International Forum

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