"Encouraging digital competences for VET Learners in Europe" or "ENDIGI_VET", is a project with the aim of contributing to the social integration of VET learners who lack basic digital competences. The project focuses on groups that have been left behind in terms of technologies and, even though they are studying, they have no motivation to take courses that allow them to acquire basic digital skills. The lack of this type of skills is even more important in groups that are in situations of social exclusion, where they face several difficulties such as the economic one (long-term unemployment), the social one (lack of access to contact with family and friends) and the personal development one (less independence to manage in current life and make all kinds of efforts, etc.). The project aims to promote training in basic digital competences among the VET learners who have no prior knowledge or interest. The project does so through the development of a motivational methodology and educational materials that follow this methodology; all with the aim that a greater number of VET learners access and complete the training in digital skills. Taking into account this context and the general objective of the project, two broad intellectual outputs will be developed: -A course in motivation methodology that will be offered to counsellors and trainers. -A course in basic digital competences aimed at VET learners. The course will make use of the developed motivation methodology and of the curriculum developed and adapted to the circumstances of the target group of the project. It will also be based on the Foundation level of the European DigComp framework and will be tested by the project partners through various pilot courses. The specific objective of the project is to improve the social integration of VET learners without digital skills, through the training of counsellors and trainers and the creation of new adapted educational materials. For this, it is first necessary to know and understand the reasons why these people lack motivation and interest in accessing digital training courses; secondly, it is necessary to develop new motivation strategies; and thirdly it is necessary to develop a study plan adapted to the target group. This will allow the staff of partner entities and professionals from all over Europe to become trained in this area and to promote the access of a greater number of people to the training that we will develop in the project, as well as encouraging them to finish that training. To this end, the Fundación de Trabajadores de la Siderurgia Integral (FTSI) has joined other entities with extensive experience that will allow the development of the programmed actions aimed at meeting the objectives: The Research and Education Centre SYNTHESIS, from Cyprus. AKMI, Training Centre from Greece. EUROSPEAK, Training Centre from the United Kingdom. The actions developed throughout the project are expected to have the following impacts: - At the level of organizations, professionals and VET learners: guidance and training of VET learners adapted to groups that lack motivation; facilitated access to educational resources for VET learners; transfer to other entities of the innovation created by the project; more trained and competent staff; integration as European professionals in different networks; improvement of staff´s motivation; and VET learners more motivated to acquire basic digital skills, to acquire personal skills (motivation, assistance, self-esteem, confidence, communication) and to acquire practical skills (filling out forms, job search, daily management, etc.). - Externally, the aim is to influence entities and authorities at the local, regional, national and European level to make use of the intellectual products developed in the project. The aim is also to support European initiatives such as "European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience" and to promote the development of the DigComp European framework (European framework of digital competences for citizenship developed by the Directorate General JRC of the European Commission). As a long-term benefit, we hope that the project will serve to improve the social inclusion of groups of VET learners who lack digital skills, giving a boost to their lives and achieving greater social integration through access to employment, access to training or improving their life on a personal and social level. Furthermore, the project is expected to improve the strategies of action of counsellors and trainers.
The Endigi project aimed to improve the social inclusion of people in vocational training for employment without digital skills, through the training of guidance and training professionals and the creation of educational materials. We wanted to get those people who have not been interested in digital skills training or who have not been motivated to do so, to access digital training courses.
We have requested this project because of the growing need for digital skills, not only in the economic and employment sphere, but also in the social and personal sphere. Europe is one of the most digitised societies in the world and people without basic digital skills are at a disadvantage today. In addition, the COVID19 crisis has generated new digital skills needs, as students have been unable to attend classes for months. Many of these people were being taught via digital media. The pandemic has forced us to be virtually connected and to accelerate digitalisation in the field of education and training.