The BECOMING project expects innovative solutions aimed at reducing the exit-risk from the labour market for SMEs workers employed at lower levels. The project aims at increasing their long-lasting employability and at promoting their ability to make transitions of career management by developing a positive attitude towards lifelong learning. A survey carried out by partners showed that SMEs workers are not aware of the urgent need to update their skills and to open themselves up to lifelong learning in order to make their employability permanent. They do not know which skills they need to develop (up-skilling) in order to remain employable, and many of them do not implement any guidance activities. Moreover, the survey also revealed that VET trainers and career guidance development operators are specialised in supporting unemployed people, but they do not have ad-hoc approaches for SMEs workers. Based on these considerations, the general objective of the project is to decrease the exit-risk from the labour market of SMEs workers employed at lower levels. In particular, the project pursues the following specific objectives: - VET trainers and career guidance development (CGD) operators get trained on ad-hoc processes and tools to support SMEs workers’ professional guidance; - SMEs workers become aware of the exit-risk from the labour market; they are determined to develop C-VET paths consistent with skills needs; - SMEs workers are provided with a clear direction of personal development, available to implement a "personal career development plan"; - SMEs managers become aware of the need for competences related with 4.0 transformations The project will pursue these objectives through the development of two intellectual outputs: IO1 is a new services package on Career Guidance and Development (CGD) provided for CGD operators and VET trainers. The services will be "ad-hoc" designed, and address low skilled workers of European SMEs. It will contain a services design handbook, professional operators tools, guidelines and methodology as well as a training program for VET trainers and CGD operators. IO2 is an experiential toolkit aimed at fostering the European key competence called "personal, social and learning to learn" in low skilled workers. It contains OERs and tools that workers can use autonomously. IOs are complementary: on the one hand, IO1 services are provided by the CGD operators and VET trainers; on the other hand resources and the tools included in the IO2 can be used by workers themselves autonomously. These two intellectual outputs will be tested in each country, and their effectiveness will be assessed. The project will provide positive impacts first and foremost for the participants. CGD operators and VET trainers: they will increase their ability to provide proper training and career guidance assistance to SMEs workers and in general to support SMEs in implementing 4.0 processes according to the digital and green transformation of SMEs. SMEs workers: they will increase their level of employability, and their professional opportunities will be expanded. SMEs managers: they will increase their knowledge of future competence needs aligned with the 4.0 transformation of SMEs. Moreover, the project will also have positive impacts on participating organisations and other relevant stakeholders at local/regional, national and international level. Project results will be adequately disseminated through several actions and channels in order to reach the different types of targets groups. Results will be sustainable thanks to the flexibility and adaptability of the methodological approach and intellectual outputs and thanks to the continuation and the further implementation of some actions by the partners themselves.
With our project, we wanted to awaken and deepen the understanding both in companies and among employees for the necessity of lifelong learning. To do this, we wanted to show them the foreseeable changes due to the profound transformation processes in the digital and green transformation of the economy and society. In addition, our goal was to provide companies with tools to identify foreseeable changes in the job profiles of their employees and, based on this, to be able to define and cover concrete training needs. For low-skilled employees, we wanted to create a set of tools for the development of a personal development plan that can be used with the support of vocational and career counsellors. In addition, our aim was to create an "Anti-Fragile Toolkit" to provide concrete support for problems in professional and private life and to show how these can be solved independently through learning activities. This can lead to a stabilisation of the life situation and thus improved employability.
We saw the motivation for applying for and implementing this project in the need for further training that exists in all sectors and occupational groups due to the two rapid and far-reaching transformation processes currently underway - the digital transformation and the green transformation. However, while lifelong learning is already part of everyday working life among more highly qualified employees and is a matter of course, low-skilled employees are often not yet reached by continuing vocational training offers. This is due both to the fact that companies do not see the need for this and to the fact that employees have traditionally had little contact with continuing education. However, we are convinced that the transformation processes mentioned above require continuous, lifelong CET in all professions and fields of activity in order to be able to meet the changing needs in the future and to maintain employability. It was our goal to make this clear to SMEs as well as their employees and to convince them of the necessity.