One of the most important economic sector in Europe is Crafts and small businesses, that employ more than 66% of Europe's workforce. In Europe, small enterprises and craft businesses are a prominent source of jobs and a breeding ground for business ideas. Handicrafts and Art handicraft(H&Ah) sector have a specific cultural and social value for Europe heritage and economy. H&Ah sector is facing huge changes due to the use of new technologies and market trend that could give new possibilities of business and job profile development. Main changes are: - increase connection with design, - new tools of promotion & selling (e-commerce&media) - disposability of new technologies (e.g 3D printing). A new e-commerce sector is increasing as Internet companies like Etsy (over 20 million users, including more than 800,000 stores with a total sales turnover of more than $ 700 million until the end of 2012) and Germany's DaWanda are helping to promote a renaissance in handicrafts in Europe and around the world. The firms provide platforms that enable individual artisans to sell their wares on the web in a growing market niche. And business is booming, additionally is present a new cultural trend of sharing on the web through blog and video knowledge and technique on handicraft. Behind this reality there is the need to share with future artisan old techniques that contemporary societies are losing. In the actual well known transversal economic crisis, that affect especially young people (but also adults with low ICT skills) innovative learning experiences are important to increase personal skills and self-esteem for better chance in job market or professional career. We believe that providing path of learning for VET students in the sector of H&Ah evolving new technologies and trends open a variety of possibilities for learners: - better position in the job market - the creation of new business - personal achievement such as self-esteem Supporting entrepreneurship in VET education and training is increasingly important for governments as they seek to improve pathways to the labour market for youth. Given the youth unemployment challenge that is currently faced in Europe, entrepreneurship can offer opportunities for youth to create jobs for themselves and for others. The VET education and training system has an important role to play in supporting this agenda by providing entrepreneurship training and business start-up support. It is encouraging creative thinking and promotes a strong sense of self-worth, initiative and a tolerance to failure, not only giving people the means to cope with an increasingly complex and uncertain world, but also a mind-set and capabilities to thrive upon it (Gibb, 2005). VET students are prime candidates for entrepreneurship training because many follow a career in self-employment. (OECD Reviews 2014) The project want to strengthening key competences in VET curricula especially of those regarding H&Ah and providing more effective opportunities to acquire or develop those skills through I-VET and C-VET. After a first activity of analysis of beneficiary needs and main skills required by H&Ah sector partners will elaborate three main learning modules for VET education: - design for handicraft - ICT use for H&Ah business promotion and selling on the web - use of new technologies for handicraft (especially 3d printing) The modules will be built to be in continuity with I&C-VET standards and partner countries already existent VET curricula, and insert in an e-learning platform that will also contain an educators guide to implement this tool in VET curricula. Behind the modules will be create a session where to upload information and videos of older artisan’s technique to share with younger generations. The efficiency of the material will be tested through monitoring and evaluation activities (e.g. training session, pilot). The project supports the Education and Training (ET) 2020 Strategy by:- making lifelong learning a reality through the development of a non-formal training pathway - improving the quality and efficiency of training through the development of key competences.- promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship through fostering employability, further learning and active citizenship.- enhancing creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship through the building of learning communities, promoting the function of the knowledge triangle.- Right People, Right Jobs,The project supports the aims of a Strategic Partnership through fostering VET education systems alignment to the needs/opportunities offered by the labour market, and closer links to business and the community, enhancing entrepreneurship, social, civic, intercultural and language competences, critical thinking, digital skills and media literacy. It also supports a more strategic and integrated use of ICTs and open educational resources (OER) in education.
One of the most important economic sector in Europe is Crafts and small businesses, that employ more than 66% of Europe's workforce. In Europe, small enterprises and craft businesses are a prominent source of jobs and a breeding ground for business ideas. Handicrafts and Art handicraft (H&Ah) sector have a specific cultural and social value for Europe’s heritage and economy. H&Ah sector is facing huge changes due to the use of new technologies and market trend that could give new possibilities of business and job profile development. Main changes are: - increased connection to design, - new tools of promotion & selling (e-commerce& media) – availability of new technologies (for ex. 3D-Printing). A new e-commerce sector is increasing as Internet companies like Etsy (over 20 million users, including more than 800,000 stores with a total sales turnover of more than $ 700 million until the end of 2012) are helping to promote a renaissance in handicrafts in Europe and around the world. The firms provide platforms that enable individual artisans to sell their products on the web in a growing market niche. The business is booming, additionally there is also a new cultural trend of sharing on the web through blog and video knowledge and technique on handicraft. Behind this reality there is the need to share with future artisan old techniques that modern societies are losing. In the actual well known transversal economic crisis, that affects especially young people (but also adults with low ICT skills) innovative learning experiences are important to increase personal skills and self-esteem for better chance on labour market or professional career. Erasmus+ Project New Technologies for Handicrafts had the following objectives: - Offer new learning paths to the VET students in the handicrafts sector, - Support entrepreneurship and introduction of new technology in VET education and training within handicrafts sector, - Provide more effective opportunities to acquire or develop those skills The objectives of the project were reached by - developing the learning modules and employing the on-line learning platform to deliver those to the VET students and participants. - running the training for the VET educators of the partner organisations to deliver the training on the developed modules - by arranging spreading activities and bringing new insights on the definition of individual paths and on entrepreneurial training and self-employment as a strategy for improving the social and labour inclusion in handicrafts sector. The project was realised by the organisations from 4 countries Italy (Articity and Infolog srl), Poland (Inneo), Portugal (Epralima) and Svefi Academy (Sweden). Articity provided theoretical and practical contents to the learning modules about new and ancient handicraft’s techniques, such as 3D prints application to the artisan products. Infolog provided the on-site installation of the Moodle e-learning platform. The platform was used to deliver learning modules developed in cooperation by all the partners. Epralima, the Portuguese partner, was in charge of making a review on the Portuguese VET handicrafts sector and contributed with several parts of the learning modules. Inneo, the Polish partner, was in charge of making a review on the Polish VET handicrafts sector, producing the web site of the project, the logo and contributing to the learning module on on-line business. Svefi, the Swedish partner, was in charge of making a review on the Swedish VET handicrafts sector and make contribution of the materials to the handicrafts and business modules. The major activities realised: - development of the learning modules, - converting the learning modules into the on-line learning platform, - training staff of the partner organisations to use the learning modules - multiplier events in each partner country in order to reach VET students, educators, companies in the handicrafts sectors, culture and education authorities and spread the information about free learning resources available. Over 2000 people from the target groups were reached by the project dissemination activities. Over 300 people reached by the multiplier events. 130 registered users on the learning platform going thru the courses that lead to course certificate. 24 trained VET educators who acquired or improved skills in creating and running courses using Moodle platform. 230 VET-students, adult learners, course participants taking part in the evaluation activities of the produced project materials. 1050 people reached thru the Facebook page. 100 high school and VET students taking part in the evaluation activities of the learning modules 220 users reached by Google AdWords marketing the learning platform and project deliverables (Sept/Oct 2018) Over 100 companies, Vet institutions, cultural entities, high-schools, handicrafts associations, networks, chambers of commerce, authorities reached by in-person contacts reached.