Europe's population is getting older. The share of people aged 65 years and over is increasing in every EU Member State, EFTA and candidate country (Eurostat '17). Turkey, e.g., is one of the world's youngest countries, but it is among the top 10 in the world's fastest ageing. The situation of demographic change is similar in the other partnering country in this project: Austria, Latvia, Spain, Italy. Correspondingly, the growth rates for travellers over 65 years have been increasing over the years - and are even higher than those of other age groups (Analyse Lifestyle 2017). In Spain, e.g. the national institute of statistics censed 3,593,857 travellers, on average 43 years old (2017) and they have seen an increase of 5% in terms of travellers who decide to consume a rural getaway more than once a year. - To this, the tourism sector needs improvement based on new educational approaches and instruments that the "Silver Travellers" project wants to provide in order to upgrade respective customer services offered. TANGIBLE RESULTS of the project: The SILVER TRAVELLERS project aims, through the development of mobile learning and professionals' key skills learning material relevant to the labour market and considering the usage of European Instruments (ECVET/ECTS) to close an existing gap in the provision of modern technology learning in the rural tourism sector facing new market challenges. The SILVER TRAVELLERS (IO1) aims at providing access to formal contents that can be used as mobile learning. Hence, this project will provide formal and sequenced learning objects using prompts in different formats, namely audio, text, videos e.g. Being open to public for free download; a Creative Common Licence will be agreed in the partner contracts. (Horizontal priority of Open education and innovative practices in a digital era). Our project also develops SILVER TRAVELLERS - professionals' key skills: skills cards for improved learning pathways and learning material that answer initial and continuous vocational training aspects. The project wants to: provide VET/ HE for working in tourism education with systematic approaches to and opportunities for the initial and continuous professional development of their staff in both school and work-based settings, support educators in this field with new technology solutions for their training. Rural tourism enterprises shall receive results and have a clear competitive advantage by employing Silver Travellers' trained staff and thereby better attract new customer segments to their benefits. Main participants: - Tourism SMEs (mainly in rural areas of the partner countries) and their staff, receiving new skills and benefits - Educators applying the SILVER TRAVELLERS instruments and working with target groups from the tourism sector focused on opening new niche markets Actively participating in the project: 100 partner staff members, 200 learners, 100 VET/tourism provider organisation reps, 80 policy makers/stakeholders Through the application of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) during this process, the VET system will improve its quality and the participating training institutions will benefit from increased internationalisation, through the transnational cooperation within the project consortium. A Peer Group consisting of trainers, job counsellors, tourism representatives will offer feedback throughout analysis and definition of the key competences and the creation of the new skills cards and mobile learning contents. The project consortium is composed of six partners: The educational institution Turkish Vocational College of Tourism, the Sera Lake Hotel, BEST Institut (a private training institute), KOAN a tourism consultancy, the Latvian Country Tourism Association and CONFAPI (a social partner in Italy) provide the necessary expertise and network in the field of Tourism and also the important link to the business sector. The College will provide academic input to research analysis and the OER infrastructure; BEST will contribute to the project with its extensive experiences related to the recognition and validation of skills as well as the creation of new learning material. KOAN will provide tourism sector related contents and know-how of new market trends. The other bring in the tourism businesses with all their members in this sector. Via new learning forms and instruments, the SILVER TRAVELLERS project will strongly and concretely support educational provision for micro to small sized tourism business and improve related standards in the involved partner countries: By making use of intensive network activities throughout all project activities, it also lays the ground for further internationalisation of the project, its results and innovative results.
The number of tourists in the 3rd age group is increasing day by day in the world and in Europe. Since the aim is modern aging, it is necessary to improve customer service for the 3rd age group tourists in the tourism sector. Based on the new educational approaches and tools that the project aims to provide, it is aimed to improve the services offered to "Silver travelers", even if COVID19 has slowed the overall tourism down during some time, it is expected to raise again soon and travel service providers like hotels should be ready with new competences. It is this need that the project has addressed by providing SILVER TRAVELS - mobile learning with learning content that small and medium travel providers need to know about the guest typology, to understand how customer service should actually be implemented, taking into account the specific destination. Silver travelers will find the following attractive: addressing the needs (and expectations) of the group, addressing age-related health problems, providing age- and disease-appropriate nutrition and preparing appropriate menus, paying attention to age-appropriate hygiene rules, advanced customer relationship management for the group, group-appropriate sales and marketing advertising and promotion, planning age-appropriate leisure and hobby activities.This project was carried out to create a transnational partnership and join forces of partner countries to offer innovative solutions to a European problem. With the implementation of the project; - We addressed closing an existing gap in the provision of modern technology learning, through the development of mobile learning and labor market-related core skills learning materials for SILVER TRAVELERS and taking into account the use of European Tools (ECVET/ECTS). - SILVER TRAVELERS aims to provides access to official content that can be used as mobile learning (horizontal priority of Open Education in the digital age and innovative applications). - Our project aimed to develop for the basic skills of professionals: skill cards for advanced learning paths and learning material that responds to the aspects of initial and continuing vocational education. - it provides VET/HE working in tourism education with systematic approaches and opportunities for the initial and continuing professional development of its staff, both in school and work-based environments, and to support educators in this field with new technology solutions for their education. - It has addressed rural businesses in tourism to achieve better results by employing the trained staff of Silver Travelers and have a clear competitive advantage, thus attracting new customer segments better. - Through new learning formats and tools, the SILVER TRAVELERS project can strongly and tangibly support the provision of training for micro and small-scale tourism businesses and improve relevant standards in the respective partner countries.
Europe's population is getting older. The share of people aged 65 years and over is increasing in every EU Member State, EFTA and candidate country (Eurostat '17). Turkey, e.g., is one of the world's youngest countries, but it is among the top 10 in the world's fastest ageing. The situation of demographic change is similar in the other partnering country in this project: Austria, Latvia, Spain, Italy. Correspondingly, the growth rates for travellers over 65 years have been increasing over the years - and are even higher than those of other age groups (Analyse Lifestyle 2017). To this, the tourism sector needs improvement based on new educational approaches and instruments that the "Silver Travellers" project wants to provide in order to upgrade respective customer services offered. In rural areas of the partner countries in this project, i.e. Turkey, Spain, Latvia, Austria and Italy, tourism providers are mainly small and micro-sized business, who, compared to others, might have more difficulties in finding possibilities in learning how to better address this traveller group. The project developed mobile learning with learning content to help SMEs such as travel providers, accommodation businesses. For SMEs, content of 60 ECVET on the following subjects was prepared: - Healthy and Age-Related Diet of the Group and Healthy Sample Menus - Hygiene and Sanitation - Customer Relations Management (CRM) - Contact with Guest and Body Language - Sales, Marketing, Promotion and Advertising - Rural Tourism Activities and Leisure /Hobby Activities For joining forces to offer innovative solutions to a European challenge, this project was formed by a trans-national partnership from countries and organisations who can benefit directly from the project results. Needs addressed by the project: - The SILVER TRAVELLERS project provides mobile learning and professionals' key skills learning material relevant to the labour market (ECVET) to close an existing gap in the provision of modern technology learning in the rural tourism sector facing new market challenges. Access is available at: silvertravellers-eu.com - The SILVER TRAVELLERS (IO1) aims at providing access to formal contents that can be used as mobile learning. (Horizontal priority of Open education and innovative practices in a digital era). - Our project also developed SILVER TRAVELLERS - professionals' key skills: skills cards for improved learning pathways and learning material that answer initial and continuous vocational training aspects. - Provide VET/ HE for working in tourism education with systematic approaches to and opportunities for the initial and continuous professional development of their staff in both school and work-based settings, support educators in this field with new technology solutions for their training. - Rural tourism enterprises have received and still can receive results to have a clear competitive advantage by employing Silver Travellers' trained staff and thereby better attract new customer segments to their benefits. - Via new learning forms and instruments, the SILVER TRAVELLERS project can strongly and concretely support educational provision for micro to small sized tourism business and improve related standards in the involved partner countries: By making use of intensive network activities throughout all project activities, it also lays the ground for further internationalization of the project, its results and innovative results.
Europe's population is getting older. The share of people aged 65 years and over is increasing in every EU Member State, EFTA and candidate country (Eurostat '17). Turkey, e.g., is one of the world's youngest countries, but it is among the top 10 in the world's fastest ageing. The situation of demographic change is similar in the other partnering country in this project: Austria, Latvia, Spain, Italy. Correspondingly, the growth rates for travellers over 65 years have been increasing over the years - and are even higher than those of other age groups (Analyse Lifestyle 2017). In Spain, e.g. the national institute of statistics censed 3,593,857 travellers, on average 43 years old (2017) and they have seen an increase of 5% in terms of travellers who decide to consume a rural getaway more than once a year. - To this, the tourism sector needs improvement based on new educational approaches and instruments that the "Silver Travellers" project wants to provide in order to upgrade respective customer services offered. TANGIBLE RESULTS of the project: The SILVER TRAVELLERS project aims, through the development of mobile learning and professionals' key skills learning material relevant to the labour market and considering the usage of European Instruments (ECVET/ECTS) to close an existing gap in the provision of modern technology learning in the rural tourism sector facing new market challenges. The SILVER TRAVELLERS (IO1) aims at providing access to formal contents that can be used as mobile learning. Hence, this project will provide formal and sequenced learning objects using prompts in different formats, namely audio, text, videos e.g. Being open to public for free download; a Creative Common Licence will be agreed in the partner contracts. (Horizontal priority of Open education and innovative practices in a digital era). Our project also develops SILVER TRAVELLERS - professionals' key skills: skills cards for improved learning pathways and learning material that answer initial and continuous vocational training aspects. The project wants to: provide VET/ HE for working in tourism education with systematic approaches to and opportunities for the initial and continuous professional development of their staff in both school and work-based settings, support educators in this field with new technology solutions for their training. Rural tourism enterprises shall receive results and have a clear competitive advantage by employing Silver Travellers' trained staff and thereby better attract new customer segments to their benefits. Main participants: - Tourism SMEs (mainly in rural areas of the partner countries) and their staff, receiving new skills and benefits - Educators applying the SILVER TRAVELLERS instruments and working with target groups from the tourism sector focused on opening new niche markets Actively participating in the project: 100 partner staff members, 200 learners, 100 VET/tourism provider organisation reps, 80 policy makers/stakeholders Through the application of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) during this process, the VET system will improve its quality and the participating training institutions will benefit from increased internationalisation, through the transnational cooperation within the project consortium. A Peer Group consisting of trainers, job counsellors, tourism representatives will offer feedback throughout analysis and definition of the key competences and the creation of the new skills cards and mobile learning contents. The project consortium is composed of six partners: The educational institution Turkish Vocational College of Tourism, the Sera Lake Hotel, BEST Institut (a private training institute), KOAN a tourism consultancy, the Latvian Country Tourism Association and CONFAPI (a social partner in Italy) provide the necessary expertise and network in the field of Tourism and also the important link to the business sector. The College will provide academic input to research analysis and the OER infrastructure; BEST will contribute to the project with its extensive experiences related to the recognition and validation of skills as well as the creation of new learning material. KOAN will provide tourism sector related contents and know-how of new market trends. The other bring in the tourism businesses with all their members in this sector. Via new learning forms and instruments, the SILVER TRAVELLERS project will strongly and concretely support educational provision for micro to small sized tourism business and improve related standards in the involved partner countries: By making use of intensive network activities throughout all project activities, it also lays the ground for further internationalisation of the project, its results and innovative results.