The digital revolution has transformed the way people play, access information, communicate and learn. To meet these challenges this project aims at helping VET providors to use technology in new and innovative ways to support SMEs in digital transborder entrepreneurship readiness. At the same time, we explore possibilities to find new pedagogical ways to tackle 21st century challenges, promote peer learning across education systems transnationally and catalyse the development of indispensable transversal competencies i.e. problem solving, collaboration and creativity).The EU will increase its support for digital transformation in the coming years, as illustrated by the recent proposal for the Digital Europe programme (for 2021-2027) – which would be the first ever funding programme dedicated solely to supporting digital transformation in the EU. Relevant to the European cooperation on vocational education and training (VET), “it has been further enhanced by the Bruges Communiqué and the Riga Conclusions. EU institutions, Member states, candidate and European Economic Area countries, social partners and European VET providers have agreed on a set of deliverables for the period 2015-2020, which amongst others is to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship.”However, the majority of SMEs kept strugling with the difficulties of adjust to a new world situation. In the same way, the SMEs sector was one of the most affected sector with a drastic reduction of its activities and a huge financial impact. But if the pandemic situation has shown the lack of flexibility and readiness of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to react fast, it also open an opportunity to boost cross sectoral collaborations and improve the innovation processes inside companies ObjectivesThe aim of the project is to raise awareness on effective of digital transborder entrepreneurship among employees of chambers of commerce, regional development agencies, local authorities and centres for entrepreneurship development, but also VET teachers, trainers and mentors. To achieve the aim, 2 intellectual outputs will be produced:IO1: Guide on Digital transborder Entrepreneurship strategies in business environmentThe DigiER training chapters consist of the following proposed chapters, which are perceived as the most contemporary training module titles to date:1.Cultural differences in negotiating, signing and respecting contracts among EU countries;2.Digital tax systems in Europe;3.AR for eCommerce;4.eCommerce Marketing Automation;5.Effective cashless payment methods for business in European countries;IO2 DigiER mobile application for entrepreneursDigiER mobile app will ensure personalized training pathways by initially testing the knowledge and awareness of digital transborder entrepreneurship among entrepreneurs and startupers. The DigiER mobile application will also elaborate a personalised strategy for the entrepreneurs and startupers to be able to address the weak points and empower its approach to digital transborder entrepreneurship.Target GroupsDirect target group are: employees of chambers of commerce, regional development agencies, local authorities and centres for entrepreneurship development, VET teachers, trainers and mentors.Indirect target group are: SMEs, entrepreneurs and start uppers.The Erasmus+ Results Platform was consulted in order to see if similar initiatives were undertaken (or are ongoing). As it was expected, there are many projects that tackle the entrepreneurship aspects from different perspectives. This is in line with the current trends on the labour market. What was easy to see is that some of other initiatives are either general or directed to a completely different target group. The project is able to offer innovative way for start-ups providing and development. Project will develop tools to offer new information, new knowledge, which will be transferred by ICT tools. Methods proposed by DigiER project are innovative – we would like to equip the people with knowledge, skills and help them to be able to gather the competences in start-ups detailed issues.Project partners have experience in start-up management, collaborate with SMEs and cooperate with chambers of commerce. In fact the DigiER Consortium is built up by three chambers of commerce, two SMEs, and one non-profit association working with the target groups. The project results will be developed, tested, exploited and sustained by key actors and among representatives of the Consortium.

<< Objectives >>-Equip VET providers/trainers with a training program in line with the rural retail workforce needs-Prepare & aware Chambers/Associations staff in order to adjust policies and approaches aiming to improve competitiveness and employment at a local and regional level-Link the rural labor market demands with the VET sector through transnational synergies and cooperation-Increase partners’ knowledge capacity-Disseminate the project results and activities at a local/regional, national & EU level<< Implementation >>Under the e-SELLER project, the partners will implement:-project management activities: administrative tasks, virtual meetings, preparation of communication materials, preparation of participants taking part-implementation activities: networking events, working sessions for results development, training of the staff members event, piloting with the TGs, evaluation activities-sharing & promotion activities: social media, website, national sharing & promotion events<< Results >>The following will be the results of the e-SELLER project: -a digital report containing information about digital skills, needs, and challenges of the retail workforce located in the EU’s rural areas-a training program containing e-retail technologies, soft skills, rotating e-cards scenarios, and video tutorials of the use of these technologies -an e-platform containing the training program (modules, rotating e-cards, video tutorials) and videos that address e-retail challenges.

"The concept of internationalization in the professional operations of SMEs is often approached by its employees without previous preparation or adequate strategies. Economic and Industrial Chambers, VET providers and institutions are available, but this concept is usually not incorporated in their main operation, and even if they are able to advise in this area they are not equipped with mechanisms or tools that would grasp activities from the beginning to the end to account for sufficient support to their beneficiaries.Thus, the ISO project is addressed to Economic and Industrial Chambers, employees of VET providers and VET trainers who work with and support SMEs (trade and services). The project results will also be beneficial for start-uppers or SMEs that have already guaranteed themselves a recognized position on the national markets, but are interested in introducing their businesses to the international markets (specifically to the EU audience).The project is a response to specific priorities in the VET field:1. Developing partnerships aimed at promoting work-based learning in all its forms, e.g. the development of new training content(including Joint VET qualifications), integrating periods of work-based learning, including opportunities to apply knowledge in practical projects/""real life"" workplace situations, and embedding international experience (mobility) whenever possible;2. Introducing systematic approaches to, and opportunities for, the initial and continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors in both school and work-based settings, with a focus on developing effective digital, open and innovative education and pedagogies; as well as to the horizontal priority: transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications.The project will fulfill the priorities, by developing and making available:IO1- Internationalization Service Officer profession manual.The manual will be developed for chambers employees who want to become Internationalization Service Officers and will provide them with the necessary help and advice on how to support for internationalization processes in SMEs. It will support them in promoting work-based learning opportunities among SMEs by striving to internationalize the enterprise in which they work or they are the owners.IO2- Videocasts for SMEs concerning internationalization processes.The videocasts will be prepared by SMEs representatives from every country who have achieved success in internationalization of their businesses. The scenarios will be developed by the partners and they will discuss ""real life"" workplace situations andpossibilities of WBL use for reinforcement and effectiveness of internationalization processes in SMEs realty. IO3- ISO mobile application for startups.The app will ensure personalized training pathways by initially testing the knowledge and awareness of Internationalization processes among startupers. The “ISO for startups” will also elaborate a personalised strategy for the startuper to be able to address the weak points and empower its approach to Internationalization processes. The app will contain: self-assessment panel concerning internationalization processes in SMEs; training pathway on 3 levels of advancement on the results of self-assessment; strategy maker panel.The results will account for competence development, facilitate WBL and assist in internationalization practices that SMEs are or will be participating in. Further speaking, the project's objective is also to promote WBL practices, support professional development of staff in VET institutions, assist companies in providing strategies enabling cross-border sales and promotion of how the cooperation with Chambers (at any level) will advocate business development.The ISO partnership constitutes of representatives from Poland (RIG and Danmar), Portugal (AEVA), Greece (HCCI), Italy (IFEL), Ireland (ITT) and Spain (Cenfim) - organizations experienced in impacting on societies lacking sufficient skills or resources. The partners are well-oriented in mechanisms for fighting market competition and carry out activities for the promotion of brand awareness on national and EU markets."

<< Background >>According to UNESCO-UNEVOC, the introduction of entrepreneurial learning in VET institutions is an effective and practical means of cultivating transferable skills, that are essential and in high-demand, in a constantly changing world. In this context, the European Commission has published the “Entrepreneurship Competence Framework” and has highlighted the value of entrepreneurial competences in the Skills Agenda, so as to raise consensus about entrepreneurship education. Nevertheless, the VET system is yet to adapt, so as to promote the competences that graduates will need to be equally integrated in the labour market. In addition, the competence of entrepreneurship, as well as the entrepreneurial readiness among VET graduates is low, as only an average of 32,6% of VET students participate in entrepreneurial learning programmes, that in most cases are not a compulsory part of their studies. Based on the above and in a logic of lifelong learning, the following needs (Ns) are created:N1: Upskilling of VET graduates so as to be capable to launch their own business, and to ensure their equal and seamless access to the labour marketN2: Transformation of the training system, in terms of entrepreneurial capacities N3: Design and development of resources and good practices for the active support of VET students in entrepreneurial initiatives (entrepreneurial methodology tools, networking opportunities, hackathons ect.)N4: Inclusion of the fostering of the entrepreneurial spirit in VET, in mainstream policies.<< Objectives >>This project is focused on the fostering of the entrepreneurial spirit among VET students, so as to improve their integration in the labour market. This will be achieved through the:•Upskilling VET staff and teachers on key entrepreneurial skills and competences (Result 2)•Improvement and update of the operations, procedures and practices of VET institutions, in terms of entrepreneurship, based on the Model Institution, to be developed in EntreVET (Result 1). On this basis, the main objective of the EntreVET project is to create an open and entrepreneurship-friendly environment in VET institutions, which will enable VET students to start new business ventures and start-ups and improve their employment opportunities, within the EU labour market.In order for this objective to be achieved, two specific objectives are set, that cover the two levels of action to be undertaken, during the EntreVET project. In detail, the first specific objective is to boost the entrepreneurial skills and competences of VET students, so as for them to be capable to engage in entrepreneurial initiatives. The second one, is to upskill the VET staff and teachers with key entrepreneurial capacities and competences, so as for them to transfer their entrepreneurial skillset to VET students, through their practices and working culture.<< Implementation >>A number of activities, procedures and steps have been planned to be implemented, under the EntreVET project. In detail, the partnership is going to:•Implement 3 Results, comprised by 13 Activities, where we are to develop1.One Assessment Tool, which will be comprised by an assessment and evaluation methodology of the entrepreneurial practices of VET institutions, as well as a certification scheme for the award of a label of entrepreneurship. The award will be received after both the evaluation of the VET institution in question and the upskilling of the VET staff and teachers, via the OER developed (see next point)2.One OER tailored to the entrepreneurial needs of the VET staff and Teachers, comprised by one core curriculum and two specializations (one for each type of learner, VET Staff/Teacher)3.One Policy Recommendations Report, which will be communicated with both stakeholders and policy makers. •Organise 4 Transnational Project Meetings, the first two (kick-off meeting and TP2) are to be held online, due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, while the TP3 and TP4 are to be face-to-face meetings. •Implement a total of 4 Multiplier Events, to present and disseminate the project results to relevant beneficiaries and stakeholders, the forth one being a Final Conference in Brussels (organised by EVBB), so as to reach more policy makers at an EU level.<< Results >>The following results are being expected, during and after the implementation of the EntreVET project:R1: Boosting of the employability of VET students, via their upskilling on the entrepreneurial competences needed to become self-employedR2: Enhancement of the attractiveness of VET education, due to the improvement of the employability of VET graduates and the adoption of innovative practicesR3: Increase of the position of VET institutions in ranking systems, due to the adoption of entrepreneurial practices, through the evaluation and award of a label of entrepreneurial competencesR4: Upskilling of VET staff and teachers, through the use of innovative, e-learning material in the form of Modules, leading to better understanding of the entrepreneurial skills and behaviour R5: Increase of the entrepreneurial spirit among VET students, through their exposure to the entrepreneurial practices and support implemented by their institutionR6: Mainstreaming of the good practices of the project, at an EU level, through the reaching out to respective stakeholders and policy makers. Based on the above qualitative results the following tangible results are to be achieved:•One (1) Model Institution (available online as an interactive resource) of entrepreneurial capacities, covering the design, development and updating of Offices of Entrepreneurship of VET institutions (see R1/A1)•One (1) Assessment Tool comprised by an assessment methodology of the entrepreneurial capacities and a certification scheme for the award of a label of entrepreneurial capacity in VET institutions (see (R1/A2-5))•One (1) Core training curriculum addressed at VET staff and teachers on the topic of entrepreneurial behaviour and competences (see R2/A2)•Two (2) specialized training modules, based on a 2-dimensional approach, each one addressed to VET staff and teachers respectively (see R2/A3)•One (1) MooC platform, for the publishing of the developed OER (see R2/A4)•Ten (10) policy recommendations on the current entrepreneurial practices and needs of VET institutions based on the data of the Assessment tool (see R3/A1)•One (1) Final Policy Recommendations report, after consultation with stakeholders and policy makers (see R3/A2-4)

<< Background >>The whole fashion industry employs 4,7 million people, in over 797,100 companies, with a turnover of EUR 5,7 million (Source: COSME). Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on a global level. In the last 15 years, clothing production has approximately doubled. Large amounts of non-renewable resources are extracted to produce clothes that are often used for only a short period, after which the materials are largely lost in landfills or incineration (1). Several problems are identified, starting with the production of raw materials, which are sources of contamination, but also the production processes, with the use of chemicals and dyes, the transport, the use of clothes themselves, and washing, which is also source of contamination, as toxic fibres end in the seas, and finally, the end of products life. The currently existing linear system does not allow to take benefit of any type of economic advantage, it stresses the reserves of natural resources, pollutes and degrades the environment and ecosystems and promotes significant negative social impacts at the local, regional and global scale. The entire model of this industry must be transformed.The current trends toward sustainability in the textile industry consist in the gradual elimination of hazardous raw materials, the transformation of the way clothes is designed, the improvement of recycling, or the effective use of resources and the use of renewable textiles (not synthetic). However, those trends are still marginal, and considered “best practices” in a market largely dominated by the fast fashion and massive industry. Our partnership could observe among his public, made of entrepreneurs and workers from local textile small companies, the lack resources to face those challenges in an extremely competitive context. New skills are needed to follow forward and accelerate this transformation, also giving the new generation opportunities to integrate this ageing industry. More sustainable and resource-efficient business models not only helps protect the environment, but also provides competitive advantage by creating important cost savings and boosting innovation for sustainability. Indeed, while consumers are themselves asking for more environmentally friendly fashion products, the growth of online trading is changing the way businesses operate and consumers interact, generating new challenges and opportunities. Technological progress and consumer behaviour are at the heart of a profound transformation within the fashion industry, which needs to be encouraged with proper training. For SMEs from the fashion sector, this is to be translated in the following concrete needs observed: -Training to update the skills: education has an important role in the transition and response.-Business model: Entrepreneurs need to find sustainable and innovative ways of delivering and capturing value in order to meet existing challenges and emerging opportunities, with a particular focus on circular economy and digital economy.-Human resources: Attract new talents in a context of ageing workforce-Need for collaborationCovering those needs will bring small businesses of the sector major efficiency to transform management practices and their business environment, stimulating new business models and trading formats, but will also create new jobs with new skills requirements. (1) A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future Ellen Macarthur foundation – 2017<< Objectives >>The main objective of TECOFASH is to support a performant, competitive and sustainable European fashion industry, focusing on increasing the capacity of professionals from SMEs and start-up to turn their business toward circular business models and environmental and sustainable innovation thanks to transnational and intergenerational cooperation and training. Our training will consider the triple bottom line of Elkington theory: the economic, the social and the environmental as the three keys for sustainability. In detail, TECOFASH is presented as a proposal addressing 3 Specific Objectives (SO): Specific Objective 1: Awareness rising of experienced fashion entrepreneurs about their need for adaptation and innovation to make a transition toward new sustainable business models.Specific Objective 2: Development of new competences for youth and unemployed to apply innovation circular and digital schemes to the fashion sector.SO3: Intergenerational collaboration and peer learning among those two target groups so they can benefit from higher levels of knowledge, also contributing to attract a new generation of workforce in the sector. TECOFASH will be based on knowledge sharing and peer-learning for working fashion stakeholders’ up-skill in terms of business model innovation, circular economy, integrating channels and process innovation, cooperation and networking, digital improvement, sustainability and CSR, personal development, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, among others. To answer this challenge, our training proposal will focus on two pillars:-Sustainable and digital production processes, addressing the technical and operational aspects linked to the design, production, and distribution of fashion products, for instance how to reduce water consumption or taking care of the raw materials used. -Sustainable and digital management of a fashion company, that will explore how to turn the entire management system in a circular and responsible loop, including for instance cooperative management systems based on human and social responsibility.<< Implementation >>TECOFAH project brings together 7 partners from 5 countries and regions that are particularly concerned by the fashion industry: Poland, Italy, Spain, Lithuania and Greece while meeting the required skills to implement such action, with partners being business support organisation and representative of the textile, sustainable or digital fields. Together, they will address: -Experienced fashion entrepreneurs, needing to renew their skills and up-skills to develop further their SMEs toward long term sustainable practices, integrating digital, social, environmental and economic factors.-Youth, especially low-skilled youth or unemployed, providing them new knowledge, skills and competence in business management and business models in the fashion sector as a career opportunity. This group has informal high-level digital competences that might be used by the first group. -Supporting stakeholders for the exploitation and mainstreaming of the training to be developed. During this project, partners will implement the following activities: -Development of 3 training packages addressed to the experienced entrepreneurs, the youth and both together. They will also develop an e-learning platform to provide wide free access to the materials. At least 220 individuals will be trained during the projet life. -Piloting activities will be implemented where the two first target group will meet and increase their respective skills based on peer-learning and work-based approaches, being the method chosen for this project highly relying on interactivity and dialogue. At least 20 pairs will be created to test this method. -Sustainable events, that will be organized in each country at the end of the project as a way to promote the results achieved in a sustainable way. -ICT will be used as a catalyst for the project activities impact. -Our activities will be transnational, being in line with an international scenario for smart growth and sustainable development goals, from local individual actions to global impact.-And of course, all those activities will be supported by an efficient management system that will itself be designed with the idea of reducing the impact to the minimum, meaning fewer transnational meetings, more virtual meetings, a no-papers dissemination strategy, the optimization of online management tools, and a continuous reporting effort to spread our achievements.<< Results >>As a main result, experienced entrepreneurs are expected to raise awareness about the need for digital and environmental transformation while increasing their capacity of innovation. The youth and unemployed are expected to increase their practical knowledge about this key industrial sector, being able to develop new ventures/ find new job opportunities in this field, benefitting in the long term to the entire sector competitiveness. TECOFASH project intends, with the previously exposed objective, to present a training programme oriented towards the following outcomes:-Connect the companies from the sector with the younger generation, and attract new talented workforce towards this industry-Link representatives from the sector with training experts,-Be clear and open based, without conditions and free from constrains,-Focused on the main skills gap identified, being the production processes, the digital and green skills. -Make full use of the digital technologies and virtual collaboration to contribute to the up/reskilling of the sectorThis will be achieved through the production of 3 main results:R1 Sustainable and digital production processes The first output will be dedicated to the development of a training package addressed to both experienced entrepreneurs and youth targets with different level of complexity to address each one specific needs under a technical perspective, with a focus on products, sources of contamination and production. R2. Sustainable and digital management of a fashion companyThe second output will be dedicated to the development of a training package addressed to both experienced entrepreneurs and youth targets with different level of complexity to address each one specific needs. It will focus on managerial and transversal aspects related to the business models and digital and lean managementR3. Online cooperative platform:This result will create the expected dialogue between the two target groups and their collaboration toward sector innovation, with the final aim of attracting the younger generation in this sector. It will be dedicated to the development the training platform hosting the different training packages and the social modules for the implementation of the training and collaboration activities.Thanks to this, partners expect to achieve a significant impact at local, and further, national and European levels, supporting fashion SMEs to continue their effort to answer environmental and societal challenges and reach competitiveness and sustainability.