<< Background >>“Too Good To Go - Waste Free Economy Transformation for SMEs” Project Partners are already involved in several projects focused on pro-ecological behavior models and habits development and while getting immersed in the topic, they have realised that waste management is not enough, that we can have much more influence on stopping the climate change when we turn to more dramatic actions i.e. start introducing waste free economy models into our companies and our lives and take actions that contribute effectively to the sustainability transition. In the pre-project desk research conducted by Partners with the purpose to identify the elements affecting the ability to learn from the experience and from scientific evidence, Partners identified 4 main elements that hinder the change process to economy models supporting Green Deal philosophy of no waste:1. The lack of a direct, evident connection between the individual behaviour and its impact on possible environmental transition. It is difficult to perceive individual actions as linked to circular economy, feel responsible and react accordingly;2. The slow pace of change and the irregularities that are typical of circular economy. Humans are very bad in perceiving slow changes in the environmental conditions3. The feeling of impotence, especially when considering the size of the problem, and the lack of a clear way to address it as a small organisation. There is a lack of concrete proposals that single entities can accept and adopt, and a lack of social support promoting more acceptable behaviours;4. The lack of feedback about the effectiveness of the actions taken by the SMEs. SMEs would like to have information about the consequences of their actions and, in particular, to know if their changes have a real effect, if their commitment is shared by others (that is, if they are not the only ones) and which is the real collective contribution to the solution of the problem. Through the above reported analysis, the approach adopted by the Project has been designed for enhancing the quality and relevance of the learning offer in education and training for local communities by sharing approaches and supporting the dissemination of best practices on waste free economy. Moreover, the project determines how to best leverage existing resources for transition and to reconcile information from different sources. Finally, the project will offer complementary support to the more consolidated communication campaigns on waste free economy, by improving the capacities of all Partner organisations active in the fields of education and training, notably in the areas of environmental strategic development and targeted activities for specific groups.Needs & challenges SMEs are confronted with can be summed up as follows: - missing knowledge & understanding of the waste free economy processes in general & the introduction and implementation within the company in special- lack of awareness of waste free economy benefits & advantages for SMEs and for the environment of transition to waste free business models among SME managers & leaders- lack of positive & inspiring real-life good practice examples illustrating the transition process & providing recommendations & guidance to SME- missing information and even awareness of different and unique competencies needed for waste free business model transition - lack of materials, information & trainings customized to the requirements of SMEs who would want to start the transition process and get involvement of all staff in it<< Objectives >>Project objectives are correlated with the needs of the target groups; Partners want to focus on: SME leaders, managers, VET educators as well as Partner organisations’ employees. SMEs due to their agility are often a driving force behind huge changes and in the case of transformation from waste management business models to waste free ones, the necessary change will influence all aspects of organisations operations: internal and external.Based on the pre project analysis as well as intensive consultations within the Partnership, Partners will pursue 3 main objectives: 1. Encourage SME leaders to start the transformation process and develop Waste Free Economy Policies and Implementation Action Plans for their organisations and to set examples for other SMEs 2. Catalogue and develop SMEs’ leaders and Project Partners’ competencies necessary for successful transition to the Waste Free Economy, and encourage their development as sustainability change agents.3. Equip VET providers with ready made learning structures, best practice examples and tools to support the adaptation of their training offers to SME leaders and staff needs to develop the skills needed in the area of sustainable development.<< Implementation >>PROJECT OBJECTIVES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED VIA THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES & RESULTS:Ad Objective 1: Result 4 Waste Free SME Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) comprises an array of resources and tools needed to assure SME leaders that transfer to waste free economy model is worthwhile and doable. We believe that involving SMEs in Project tasks and dissemination activities will encourage their leaders and employees to enter the transformation process so they become change agents for their sector. Result 1 through Result 4 support that objective with tasks demanding involvement of SME leaders, staff, partners and their staff and setting a clear path for transformation with best examples (Result1), tools and processes for transformation planning and performance (Result 2), indispensable competencies {Result 3) and resources for their development (Result 4). Ad Objective 2:2nd objective is targeted mostly by Result 3 tasks, where partners explore in depth business models of successful organisations who have undergone waste-free economy transformation, to describe one of the sources of their success - the competencies of the people who are behind it (Result 1/Task 3, Task 4). The competencies are analysed and described as sets of behaviours, attitudes and knowledge needed at the managerial and employee level to pursue successful transformation. They constitute the basis for the content of the educational modules in Result 4 - the MOOC to be used for VET skills development and also are a practical tool for SME leaders and HR specialists to asses inhouse competencies and plan their development either on their own or through VET educators.Ad Objective 3:Waste Free SME MOOC (Result 4) is the source of knowledge about waste free economy with best practices from Result 1, a step by step guide for assisting SMEs in Waste free business model transition; with methods and worksheets developed in the Learning Teaching and Training Activity (LTTA) and procedures from Result 2, the Competence framework as a reference point for recruitment and development and a set of modules targeting the skills and knowledge from Result 3 indispensable in SME for successful transformation it is an excellent source of expertise for VET providers as well as SME managers who would like to train their staff on their own. CORRELATION OF RESULTS WITH PROJECT ACTIVITIESActivities of Result 1 will lead to development of Compendium of waste free economy transformation success stories from SMEsDuring the LTTA Partners will define the methods for incorporating waste free economy principles into business strategies. These will be later used in practice and verified in the course of implementation of Result 2: Step-by-Step Policies Portfolio and Action Plans development.Result 3: Competence model for new jobs required by SME waste free economy model transformation will be developed through 5 tasks supported by Partners’ analysis. Production of the MOOC (Result 4) will use adapted Results 1-3 deliverables and include developed waste free economy educational content.6 National Infodays in PL (2), IT, BG, HR and LT are planned on the months corresponding to implementation of the MOOC that will comprise all Results so that SMEs can see the path for waste free model transition.Transnational Project Meetings are correlated with the work on Results and are planned at key times for specific Results development.<< Results >>2Good2Go Project foresees the following results:1. Result 1: Compendium of waste free economy transformation success stories from SMEs2. Result 2: Step-by-Step Policies Portfolio and Action Plans3. Result 3: Competence model for new jobs required by SME waste free economy model transformation with indications for learning modules 4. Result 4 MOOC - “Waste Free SME” including adaptation of Result 1, 2 & 3 deliverables: a. lessons learnt and business casesb. a set of documents (templates/procedures) describing the implementation process for Waste Free Economy Policies with revised tools & evaluation conclusions with instructions to design and lead the transfer to the waste free economy model in a SMEc. competence model for new jobs required by SME waste free economy model which can be used for SMEs personnel development or recruitment d. knowledge modules to develop the specific competencies defined in Result 3. 5. ‘Let’s Not Waste’ LTTA provides knowledge, skills and tools for transition to the no waste economy model.6. 6 National Infodays in IT, PL (2), HR, LT and BG to share and promote 2Good2Go Results.Through active participation in LTTA and in Result 2 activities, 6 Partners will start developing 6 state of the art policies & action plans for introducing waste free economy model in their own organisations.Non tangible results:SMEs will:- learn about waste free economy concept and the influence they can have on environment, - develop the understanding that their actions matter and can set good examples when they adopt the methodology necessary for the transition to it and implement the transition process. Partners’ organisations staff will broaden their knowledge about waste free economy and the tools and methods for the transition towards it as well as their implementation and will start “living the change''.

BACKGROUNDThe Covid-19 virus outbreak in late 2019 - early 2020 led to a surge of remote working, where the majority of EU white collar workforce was compelled to work in an out-of-office setting; this comes to a sharp contrast compared to past years, where just 5-10% of EU employees have been working remotely. Nevertheless, such a rise in remote working has not been unprecedented; there has been a steady, yet minimal, increase through the years in the numbers of remote workers (esp. in the ICT sector), with a similar spike during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak and other similar cases of business interruptions. The difference this time is that the increase in remote working due to Covid-19 virus outbreak has been fuelled both by more flexible and decentralised management practices, as well as more widely available technologies. Moreover, people are more used to it, be it for work or for personal communication. This led to an immediate and creative adaptation of workplaces to a remote work mode, where in many occasions the entire workforce worked from home.NEEDS & CHALLENGESThe most pressing issue and challenge that became obvious is the possibility of a lasting workplace change, where a greater part of the workforce works out of premises in the immediate future. In addition, clear and consistent policies on remote working are missing from many companies, exposing a lack of HR preparations on the topic in many companies (e.g. remote work company-wide policies, management & contingency plans). HR professionals need to be able to address these new challenges by redesigning processes, and retraining / supporting their colleagues on how to manage an increased remote workforce. From redefining goals and roles of staff, to redesigning personal interactions and normalising the new work environment, HR managers are faced with new tasks that were not part of their portfolios so far, and were rather a small part of the training they had undergone. OBJECTIVESThe project aims to document the emerging skills gap for managing a remote workforce & to develop corresponding Open Educational Resources (OERs) and a training course for the continuous professional development of HR professionals, trainers, supervisors, consultants and managers of organisations and teams. In particular, the project will: 1. Document the skills required for managing a remote workforce, improving skills intelligence at the EU level2. Define learning outcomes for a C-VET course for HR professionals on remote work management3. Make available a sector-validated online course for HR professionals4. Provide ready-to-use tools for the workplace to support the role of HR professionals as trainers and mentorsPARTNERSHIPThe partnership comprises 6 organisations from 6 EU countries (PL, GR, PT, HR, SI, BE) with complementary skills from the worlds of training (PAIZ), higher education (ISCTE, UM), research (EXELIA), sectoral representation (Centar HR), and consulting (INNOVELA). The partnership will be further strengthened through the involvement of a national association of HR professionals (APG - PT) and an HR networking organisation for businesses (LKB – PL), as associated partners.ACTIVITIES-Extended labour market and skills intelligence gathering activities, leading to the development of remote working management learning outcomes-Development of the structure of a joint VET curriculum on remote working management-Creation of corresponding pedagogical materials & a serious game, to be offered as OERs-Development, testing, delivery of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) infrastructures, promoting the uptake of innovative and flexible practices in VET-Development of a toolkit for cultivating an efficient remote working culture & environment -Sharing of outputs with multiplier events, inviting target groups to uptake REMOWA results and to act as further multipliers.RESULTS-Evidence-based learning outcomes on remote working management skills for HR & relevant professionals-Curriculum structure (syllabus), learning & assessment materials, a serious game, as well as a trainer handbook with VET integration guidelines-MOOC comprising the project learning units and contextualised training and assessment materials of the REMOWA course, in their online form-A set of tools for the facilitation of remote work management including self-assessment tool, a best practice guide, and protocols, guidelines and checklists to facilitate remote work practices & processes-6 national info-days to promote project results & public discussion on increasing the quality & effectiveness of VET in the HR fieldPOST-PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY-Uptake of project materials & OERs from relevant training & educational providers across the EU-Participation of a growing number of continuous VET learners in courses based on or integrating project outputs-Uptake of the resources & toolkit by associate partners (APG, LKB), businesses’ in-house training & HR departments