The shortage of digital skills in Europe reported in 2016 in “European Digital Progress Report EDPR” of European Commission: 45% of Europeans have insufficient or no digital skills. Based on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) index of 2017 there are big differences between the countries that are partners in this project. Denmark has one of the most advanced digital economies in the EU, while Lithuania and Austria are in the middle, but Romania and Italy have the lowest scores on the DESI. Studies performed in the cultural and creative industries, in the autumn of 2016, 2017 in partner countries showed a large majority scoring lower or basic level for the 21 digital competences. The reasons driving this skills shortage are not hard to identify. The usage of web, mobile, social and analytical tools is permeating the length and breadth of the culture, creative industries, areas which until recently have been reluctant to embrace the use of the new technologies. Eurostat 2017 identifies young adults from the CI as the most at risk for unemployment from the 22-36 yo, and lack of entrepreneurial and digital skills. The DigiCulture - Improving the Digital Competences and Social Inclusion of Adults in Creative Industries - project aims to create a sustainable and efficient education program dedicated to adult learners with low skills in the creative industries from Romania, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, UK and Ireland. The project focus on openness and inclusive in education. It involves the use and development of an open online and mobile course Digital Skills and Social Inclusion for Creative Industries, built as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), an innovative adult educational program of 13 modules available in English, Romanian, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Danish and Gaelic, integrating new Open Education Resources (OER) and accessible to people with limited digital skills. The diverse partnership reunites adult education centers from technical universities, art and humanities universities, SMEs with expertise in eLearning and in art, professionals in eLearning associations and associations for European Capital of Culture 2020 and 2021, involved as partners and associates. The project targets young adults who are unemployed, staff and volunteers of European Capitals of Culture, creative industries adults with low digital skills, at levels of seniority, experience or level of craft, actors in traditional skills activities, museums, media, architecture, humanities. Many cultural actors are not attached to any formal institution, being freelancers, members of disadvantaged groups (unemployed, with mental health problems, disabilities or economically challenged) or from minority groups. Gaining digital skills will improve their career opportunities by providing access to new marketing tools, new distribution markets through Internet access and ecommerce, and adding the possibility of new forms of digital expression to their work. The Objectives of DigiCulture are: 1.To enhance awareness of the need for training in digital skills for the creative industries 2.To design and validate cross-country Guidelines for Digital Competences for Creative Industries 3.To create an Integrated Virtual Learning Hub as an online and mobile 4.To design, develop and deliver a Digital Skills and Social Inclusion for Creative Industries Course, OER translated into all partners’ languages, delivered as a mix of blended learning course and, a fully online MOOC type course for the target group 5.To improve the achievement and recognition of digital skills through formal and informal learning by introducing Digital Skills e-assessment and Open Badges for adult education in CI 6.To provide engaging and effective learning experiences in the Digital Skills for CI course 7.To enhance collaboration between education providers, universities, cultural and heritage institutions and associations, cultural actors, workers and volunteers 8.To provide evidence about how achievement, assessment and validation of digital skills contributes to the uptake of new skills in creative industries The project will directly train 2,400 people online and through blended learning. A further 25,000 people - members of local communities, adult education centres, universities, associations which support enhancing digital skills, policy makers and local and regional government bodies - a significant group which will benefit indirectly from activities organised by the project. At the end of DigiCulture all the tools and materials will be under the Creative Commons License, available online or on DSC mobile app available for all. All partners will keep promoting this also after the project is finished.
DigiCulture (Improving the Digital Competences and Social Inclusion of Adults in Creative Industries) created a sustainable and accessible online course focused on openness and inclusivity and aimed at low digital skilled adult learners in the creative industries (CI) from Romania, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, UK and Ireland. The project addressed the low emphasis in CI education on the use of digital technologies, with recent graduates and existing employees lacking important skills. The recent pandemic proved to be especially challenging for CI stakeholders but evaluation of our project suggests that it helped improve digital skills, employability, creativity and marketability. Its development was based on EU DigComp 2.1, and each course included the development of 2-5 digital competences to at least basic level. The diverse partnership comprised adult education centres from arts, humanities and technical universities, SMEs with expertise in art and eLearning and professionals in eLearning and cultural associations. The project targeted young unemployed adults, staff and volunteers in European Capitals of Culture, adult workers with low digital skills at all levels in creative industries, actors, artists and volunteers in traditional activities (dancers, painters, wood and ceramic workers), museums, media, architecture, humanities, cultural and heritage organizations, traditional fairs, freelance performers (musicians, actors), members of disadvantaged and minority groups, stakeholders in creative industries, museums, architecture, humanities, adult education centres, universities, associations which support enhancing digital skills, and local and regional associations and departments. We reached 24.871 individuals from these categories through information and dissemination and involved them in various activities. All project objectives were fully or partially met: 1.To enhance awareness of the need for training in digital skills for the creative industries 2.To design and validate cross-country Guidelines for Digital Competences for Creative Industries 3.To create an Integrated Virtual Learning Hub as an online and mobile 4.To design, develop and deliver a Digital Skills and Social Inclusion for Creative Industries Course, OER translated into all partners’ languages, delivered as a mix of blended learning course and, a fully online MOOC type course for the target group 5.To improve the achievement and recognition of digital skills through formal and informal learning by introducing Digital Skills e-assessment and Open Badges for adult education in CI 6.To provide engaging and effective learning experiences in the Digital Skills for CI course 7.To enhance collaboration between education providers, universities, cultural and heritage institutions and associations, cultural actors, workers and volunteers 8.To provide evidence about how achievement, assessment and validation of digital skills contributes to the uptake of new skills in creative industries Outcomes include the DSC MOOC, with 13 modules available in EN, RO, DE, IT, LT, DK, GA (98 courses in 7 languages), available online and through blended learning, the Integrated Virtual Learning Hub including new Open Education Resources (OER) and accessible to people with limited digital skills, and validation through e-assessment leading to Open Badges and Certificates for Digital Skills. The DSC modules are: The Internet, World Wide Web and introduction to the digital world Digital content & Publishing Data Protection and Open Licenses Digital Curation - Digital Libraries and Museums Digital Safety, Security and Ethics Digital storytelling Social media for culture Digital audiences, Digital analytics Augmented and Virtual Reality - Immersive experiences Mobile Apps and Mobile User Experience Digital management in culture Digital Communication & Presentations Online and mobile digital media tools (audio-video) They provided new opportunities for the 1,587 learners involved to access knowledge, gain new digital skills and intercultural competences and improve their chances of finding employment or performing better in their current employment through 1,201 open badges and certificates. Other results New OERs created in the DSC MOOCs: 153 NEETs adults trained in DSC: 67 Unique visitors and 102 posts on project website: 6,554 Unique VLH UniCampus/DSC users: 5,637 Self assessments 56,000 Open Credentials (Badges and Certificates) 1,201 Mobile Apps 349 downloads YouTube views 893 Twitter followers 193 Multiplier events 6 Dissemination events 120 Leaflets or promotional materials distributed 22,470 Published papers in conferences and journals 16 Stakeholders reached 24,733 Transferable initiatives 25 Facebook reach 28,336 Countries reached 60 All DigiCulture tools, courses, resources and materials are under the Creative Commons License, available online https://digiculture.eu/en