PURPOSEThe purpose of the project is to transfer an existing successful concept to inform adults in Europe about existing cross-border training opportunities. For this purpose the project partners use the web based tool geocaching.The project partners collect and prepare information on a total of 180 professional education and training establishments (30 per participating country) and in these occupations existing career and training opportunities in all participating countries in the project. This information is then translated into the languages of all project partners and published on www.neocraft.info and geocaching.com and/or www.opencaching.de.TARGET GROUPThe target group are adults who have little or no part at all in vocational education.The project partners want to address and reach with this Erasmus + project the following persons in particular:1. Educationally disadvantaged adults (older workers, job seeking persons, migrants, adult NEETs)2. Consultants / Coaches of the primary target group (see point 1)NEEDThe project partners have identified during a research that there has been no initiatives which use, on EU level and in different languages, geocaching as a tool to inform adults about professional education and training establishments and the existing there career and training opportunities.OBJECTIVEThe partners want to contribute with this project to provide information to regional professional education and training establishments in a non-formal way and complete this information with useful advice on career planning and opportunities for educational counselling.In addition, the project acts as a strategic approach to enhance the digital literacy of those adults which were reached through the project, because they managed to learn in a playful way the use of digital media and instruments as geocaching and webs site.RESULTSA) Geocache-catalogue (online) to regional professional education and training establishments (incl. coordinates, pictures, links to the geocaches) in the following languages: GER, ENG, BUL,TUR, PORB) Travel-guide (PDF in English and for the regional geocaches in the corresponding partner language)C) Project web site (www.neocraft.info)D) Social media network (Facebook group)E) Newsletter (in GER, ENG, BUL, TUR, POR language)F) Flyer/posterCROSS-BORDER PROJECT APPROACHThe cross-border approach of this project is significant in several ways:1. Promotion of international cooperation2. Promotion of transnational mobility awareness of the target group3. Promotion of language skills of the project staff involved (use of English language in project internal communication)4. Transfer of a very successful approach from a former LdV project to six other partner countries.5. The National Agency in Germany (BIBB) has confirmed for the former project NeoCraft in its report: “High European added value on cultural and expertise levels in the remaining countries with sustainable effects for more cooperation between the partners and their networks”
The strategic partnership titled "NeoCraft Transfer - New approaches to regional apprenticing companies" (2016-1-LI01-KA204-000072) has focused over the 2 years of project duration on transferring a proven concept in Germany to the project partner countries. A concept (from the precursor project NeoCraft) that has used the power of modern computer- and internet-based technologies to bring together, maintain and share knowledge of old traditional crafts which have a long tradition and are often threatened with extinction. This transfer was carried out in this project and extended/adapted, above all, to regional apprenticing companies (including further education and career opportunities); A consulting concept (especially the use of geocaching as an informal learning medium) in adult education was transferred to the other project partners The focus of this partnership is on: 1. educationally disadvantaged adults (older workers, job seekers, migrants, adult NEETs) as the primary target group and 2. consultants/coaches of the primary target group to inform them in a non-formal way on one hand about existing educational and career opportunities: target group-oriented and cross-border-appropriate. On the other hand, the partnership contributes to enhancing the digital skills of the target groups by learning to use digital media and tools (such as geocaching) in an innovative and playful way. A partnership with 6 organizations has been formed and the choice of the partners has been done taking into consideration several aspects, aiming for an optimal mix of new partners and partners with experience in the field: 1. Experienced partners The participation of experienced partners ensures the transfer of the results (best-practice) obtained in the precursor project NeoCraft. - WHKT (P2) - responsible for the transfer of the best-practice within the NeoCraft Transfer following the successful implementation of NeoCraft and its know-how in the field. - Cnet (P4) - responsible for programming the project website and the guide's design based on its experience in consulting through geocaching. 2. The new partners The other partners were mainly selected according to their relation to the project`s theme and subject. Experience with other EU projects was not a requirement for selection, but it was assumed that the partners would be willing to deal with the objectives of Erasmus+ - Prospero (P1) - responsible for overall coordination (including budget controlling, reporting) as applicant organization. - CLLL (P3) - responsible for internal communication as well as evaluation based on its core competencies. - Dixtior (P5) - responsible for the content of the travel guide as compendium as well as for the project documentation (protocols etc.) based on its core competencies. - Datca MEM (P6) - responsible for creating the dissemination materials and building the Facebook group due to its good national and international networking. Results achieved: A) Geocache Catalogue for regional apprenticing companies (including coordinates, links to the respective geocache) in all project languages: It is available online at www.neocraft.info and on the geocaching platforms (www.geocaching.com and www.opencaching.de). B) Travel Guide as compendium: Includes 180 (30 per partner country) geocaches, with information about, e.g.: contents of the respective geocache to the corresponding professions, geocache coordinates, etc.; In addition you will find here a training compass or information about training opportunities for each profession. C) NeoCraft Transfer Facebook group: For interested parties and stakeholders of the project partners; The main focus is to sensitize the mentioned target group for "Learning through geocaching at 21st century". D) www.neocraft.info for mapping project-relevant information such as project description, partners, project results, dissemination activities etc. E) 2 newsletters in all partner languages and ENG give an overview of the project progress and the developed products. F) Flyers and posters have been developed to provide information at the regional level (in the respective national languages). Main activities performed: - Transfer and adaptation of a best-practice model from Germany - 6 partner meetings - Organization/visit of geocaching and career events - Building a social-media and expert networks - Development of the project website - Project management, implementation, evaluation and dissemination NeoCraft Transfer enables educationally disadvantaged adults, through innovative approaches and products, to gain better access to regional apprenticing companies in the partner regions through a non-formal approach. All developed products resp. project knowledge and project results are made available free of charge for a national and international transfer.